Asia gaming declines. Embracer loses sugar daddy. Nicki Minaj dolls up for CoD
Laine stayed up past their bedtime, but Joost gets a third wind from his wilderness wonderland detox
In this week’s episode, there will be no sleeping on earnings just yet! Moving away from the usual suspects, Joost explains why Sea Limited, the Singapore-based company that includes the game publisher Garena, best known for the mobile battle royale hit Free Fire, lost 30% of its stock price last week. What does it mean when one of Southeast Asia’s largest publishers is having such a hard time? And why don’t we hear more about it?
The heavy hitter of today’s episode is the Axios scoop that explained who bailed on Embracer, causing a $2 billion dollar deal to fall apart. Turns out, it was none other than Savvy Games Group, the gaming arm of Saudi Arabia’s own Public Investment Fund/Sovereign Wealth Fund. Joost poses the question of whether the Saudi splurge in the gaming sector is purely about power plays and amassing global influence. And what happens when big money meets a passion-driven industry? Laine keeps it real, invoking the chilling Khashoggi case to underline the weight of Saudi's endeavors in culture washing through sports and now, gaming.
And don’t miss the closer when Joost uses Nicki Minaj’s new Call of Duty skin to explain how digital cosmetics are changing the industry.
Listen in!