Welcome back to another quick roundup of MMO and MMO-adjacent business news.
Ubisoft: Ubisoft just can’t seem to stop taking wrong turns here. During its recent half-year investor call, the company had mostly good news, including a huge boost for The Crew 2, which is apparently doing well. But the company is going hard on cryptocurrency, putting money into “branded blockchain gaming” company Animoca Brands and into its own ventures. “[Blockchain] will enable more play-to-earn that will enable more players to actually earn content, own content, and we think it’s going to grow the industry quite a lot,” CFO Frédérick Duguet told investors. “We’ve been working with lots of small companies going on blockchain, and we’re starting to have a good know-how on how it can impact the industry, and we want to be one of the key players here.”
Ubisoft, again: If you thought Blizzard’s tepid handling of its ongoing sexual discrimination and abuse scandal and lawsuit was bad, just remember it could be worse – it could be Ubisoft. Ubisoft’s proto-union has once again denounced the company’s response, comparing it unfavorably to Blizzard’s.
#EndAbuseInGaming #ABetterUbisoft pic.twitter.com/4kLvdn5qwj
— A Better Ubisoft 🤍 (@ABetterUbisoft) November 1, 2021
New from @ABetterUbisoft: compares Ubisoft's handling of misconduct with Activison's.
"In just 3 months it seems that they have listened to the concerns of employees and acted on them. While our demands are not identical, many overlap and could be addressed … just as swiftly." pic.twitter.com/dg9X73YQbX
— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) October 29, 2021
Krafton: Krafton just can’t stop picking up new companies and subdivision. The TERA, PUBG, and Elyon company bought Unknown Worlds last week; that’s the company behind Subnautica. “Unknown Worlds becomes KRAFTON’s sixth independent studio, joining a stable of other seasoned developers that include PUBG Studios, Striking Distance Studios, Bluehole Studio, RisingWings and Dreamotion,” the PR says.
MY.GAMES: Russian gaming giant MY.GAMES announced its third quarter financials this past week, showing a small YOY revenue bump. That’s largely thanks to international incoments; the company says its diversification efforts have led to 77% of its revenue coming from non-Russian counties, including the US, Germany, and France.
