Just after Microsoft’s ginormous purchase of ZeniMax Media it’s interesting to look back and see what happened when big publishers acquired studios in the past.

I guess every big failure is inevitable to get this type of negative article – hey, hindsight is 20/20 – and it’s always good to learn from mistakes and wrong turns. But I also think that we should applaud the audacity to dream as big as Rony Abovitz and Magic Leap did. In the end, the most likely conclusion is that it was just too early. Another company, or another entrepreneur, will eventually deliver on the promise of light and wearable AR. For gaming and other purposes. The future sure is exciting!

Speaking of entrepreneurs with big visions, I’m a huge fan of Mike Morhaime (and his former company Blizzard), and can’t wait to see what he does with Dreamhaven.

Looks like we have a theme going in this issue: game studios with big visions. The good, the bad and the ugly. And the whiny. In any case, Bungie seems to be doing just fine after splitting from Activision (which is now quite a while ago).

This is certainly a sign of a maturing industry. Finally consumers will have a choice between different conceptual entertainment offerings, not just which console has the best exclusives. Is there any negative aspect, you ask? Well, I’ll have to buy all the new consoles. $$$ 🤑

Continuing with next gen consoles. This is a brilliant move by Microsoft. Paying $25 per month for an Xbox Series S and Game Pass Ultimate is amazing value for money. Should be a no-brainer for most families and gamers. (I wonder how much the Series X will sell – do players really care about 4k resolution?)

A long exposé on PopCap, from the early years, through its acquisition by EA and beyond. Back in the days, I was quite sceptical of all the casual games popping up (hey, who needs anything more than Quake and GTA, right?), but now it’s certainly impressive to read about the success that the PopCap founders managed to create. And nowadays I probably play more casual (Angry Birds 2, anyone?) than hardcore.

Ending with something that has nothing to do with games. Good pitch deck advice is always interesting. If you’re a budding entrepreneur in need of inspiration for how to build your deck, don’t miss this one.

And then get going with pitching to friends, fools, family, and everyone in between! You can never practice enough. The most important pitch advice I can give: after every time you present, think about how you can improve your deck and then fix it immediately. A pitch deck is a living document. You’ll probably need 10+ iterations before it really starts resonating with investors.