Minecraft Village and Pillage Expansion is Big for Microsoft

Minecraft is one of the most popular video games of all time. However, since developer Mojang was acquired by Microsoft in 2014 the game has seemed to stagnate. This seems to be changing. In 2019, DFC Intelligence has seen a major resurgence in Minecraft usage and interest.  The launch of Minecraft Village and Pillage has been a major success. In other words, Minecraft is cool again. DFC has written numerous reports on Minecraft over the years. In many ways, Minecraft is the Lego of t.....
Steam is on Top for Digital Sales, but Epic Games Store is Gaining Traction

Steam is on Top for Digital Sales, but Epic Games Store is Gaining Traction

To look at the potential for streaming games, DFC Intelligence commissioned a quick survey of 1,000 gamers.  We used our panel of younger core gamers from a global pool (not including Asia).  Among the many questions, we asked was where consumers buy digital games.  Epic Games Store clearly has strong potential based on the initial results. Of course, Steam is the number one service for buy.....
Google Has Solid Brand Strength Among International Gamers

Google Has Solid Brand Strength Among International Gamers

After the Game Developer’s Conference, DFC Intelligence wrote about how Google Stadia will face many challenges trying to make an impact in the gaming community.  However, our most recent survey confirms what we have been seeing for a long time.  The Google brand is quite strong among video gamers. To look at the potential for streaming games, .....
Apex Legends Forecast: Did It Reach Its Apex in Month One?

Apex Legends Forecast: Did It Reach Its Apex in Month One?

One of the biggest stories in the video game industry over the past two years has been the rise of the Battle Royale genre.  Last year at this time, we said to expect dozens of battle royale games to hit the market in coming years.  However, the one new title that has stood out from the masses is Apex Legends from Electronic Arts and established developer Respawn Entertainment.   Apex Legends took the market by storm on its launch in February, but only 2 months later its longevity is stil.....
Google Stadia Underwhelms at Game Developer’s Conference

Google Stadia Underwhelms at Game Developer’s Conference

For a long time, the industry knew that major players were looking to get into the game market via streaming services. Google, of course, was one of the largest such players. At the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco, Google officially unveiled its Google Stadia gaming service. Many in the industry breathed a sigh of relief as it appears Google is nowhere near being a major player. DFC Intelligence has been covering the potential of streaming, cloud and digital distribution.....
Digital Lego: Can Lego Remain Relevant in the Digital Age

Digital Lego: Can Lego Remain Relevant in the Digital Age

In recent months, a major question being asked of DFC Intelligence is the impact of Fortnite on the overall video game industry.  Our overall take has been that Fortnite is not taking away business from most other companies in the industry.  However, there are exceptions.  Toy manufacturer Lego is an example of a company potentially being impacted by products like Fortnite.  So it is worth asking if ther.....
Is Fortnite Killing Game Company Stocks?

Is Fortnite Killing Game Company Stocks?

Since last October major game company stocks have been down significantly.  Of course, much of this was due to an overall market decline.  However, as market indexes have bounced back, game companies are still down.  One of the big culprits many people are pointing to for this decline is Fortnite. DFC Intelligence does regular calls with investors about individual company performance.  Recently there have been quite a few calls from investors asking how much Fortnite is having an i.....
Will Apple be Joining the Netflix of Games?

Will Apple be Joining the Netflix of Games?

Well, we said it in our welcome to 2019 brief on January 8.  We predicted that 2019 would be the year where everyone talks about the Netflix of Games.  The competition continues to heat up as now we may be adding Apple to the picture. The latest news this week were rumors that Apple was looking to launch its own game streaming service.  In reality this is not really news as almost every ma.....