Ryan Anson

2024 is the year you need to say goodbye to version control. There is no more locking a pipeline or process to a specific version because SaaS no longer uses versions. And trust, everything you use will be an *aaS of some sort. IaaS, HaaS, and SaaS are here to stay. While some companies are discovering that Cloud is not necessarily a cost savings it’s not like we can deploy equivalent on-premises solutions. Tech companies will continually prioritize innovation over security and stability and we as customers can push back - but it will always be a struggle against the tide. We must come up with novel ways to write our agreements, create links between platforms that are resilient, and adjust change management to a more fluid state. Buckle up.

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The Spring Update from OpenAI around the real time chatting and video aspect is wildly impressive. The fact that it can change tone and expression and process information at the speed it can is insane. ChatGPT is progressing faster than any other tool/software we have ever seen. #chatgpt https://lnkd.in/gtMy7yWY

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At Sombra Labs, a creative innovation studio under ALONGSIDE/ Global Collective, we're always pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the world of product photography and asset creation. Our secret weapon? ComfyUI – a powerful, node-based software that leverages Stable Diffusion through user-generated/trained models and nodes to transform how we approach our work. With Comfy UI, we're able to expedite and reinvent the entire process of product photoshoots, retouching, and motion assets. One of the standout features we utilize is IC light, which allows us to relight scenes and shots that were either practically captured or created in AI, and then augmented for stunning results. Our team at Sombra Labs combines decades of VFX expertise with cutting-edge R&D in AI, developing faster and more flexible workflows for our clients. This synergy enables us to automate product workflows and asset creation on an unprecedented scale. Imagine having massive levels of control over every aspect of your product photos and videos – lighting, environment, foreground, time of day, color palette, labels, regionalization of areas and humans, and so much more. With Comfy UI and our vast team of AI experts and VFX veterans, we're harnessing the wild stallion that is AI to achieve this level of precision and creativity. A perfect example of our innovation in action is our recent R&D on Corona. We created a timelapse of lighting elements in just 5 hours – a task that would have traditionally taken over a week. No more worrying about the sun going down or missing the magic hour; our technology ensures we capture the perfect shot every time. At Sombra Labs, we're not just adapting to the future of product photoshoots and asset creation – we're shaping it. Stay tuned for more groundbreaking innovations as we continue to push the limits of what's possible with AI and VFX. Special thanks to Maged Elbanna for his adaptation of IC light for sun control and Illyasviel of course for IC light and so much more! Contact Glen Taylor and Jen Allison for inquires into ALONGSIDE/ Global and Sombra Labs. #Innovation #AI #VFX #ComfyUI

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Match3 is not the best game economy. I know some who would say it’s not even economy! Also, digital board games are just video games with terrible UX. Listen to the episode for more on these hot takes from me and the fellas.

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Interesting article about a veteran panel's thoughts on the state of gaming. My quick thoughts for whatever they're worth: 1. There are still many more layoffs coming. The underlying fundamentals of many developers, publishers, and platform / tech companies are questionable and not looking to improve. Talent costs are too high in developed countries and it takes too long to make AA / AAA games. The modus operandi of expensive video game development is dying outside of the tentpole big IPs. 2. Indie game developers with ability to bootstrap to an identifiable, quality MVP will be the harbingers of many of the new innovations in gaming. I would argue that the current mass migration into Indie is good for gamers and the industry. But the competition will be ferocious for resources. 3. Discoverability is a big problem, and novel publishing / marketing techniques for discoverability could turn into actual companies that shake up the industry. Some folks will make a killing if they address this issue. This would be an actually useful application of AI / ML. 4. From everyone I've spoken with since GDC who actually knows what they're talking about, the game industry financing situation will improve later this year / through next year. A lot of content calendars for 2025-7 have been decimated by project cancellations, and those same publishers / platforms need content. Interest rates will likely go down / clarity in future of US / EU markets will likely improve over the next year. Also, a lot of money is sitting waiting to be deployed. But there still remains a massive hangover from the absolute nonsense of 2020-2022. https://lnkd.in/gGA272ZR #gameindustry #gaming #startuplife #investment #indie #gamedev

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What are the implications of AI in gaming? Mobile & PC, hypercasual and core, business & law. A production director, a vp of marketing and a lawyer, walk into a podcast... https://lnkd.in/dnzarBZc ...and figure out, together, what's the broader impact of AI in game production quality, lawyer certified. Hope you enjoy this one, a bit of a teaser for things to come later in the year 😉 #aiingaming #aimarketing #gamemaking #gaminglaw

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Highlighting: "Wolfire claims that Valve now controls “approximately 75 percent” of the entire PC gaming market, reaping an estimated $6 billion in annual revenue as a result from that 30 percent fee alone." The Verge: https://lnkd.in/gPNN8a8p ----- Usually very little gets out about Valve since they are a private company. But, legal discovery is always the gift that keeps on giving. And as usual the 2021 filed Wolfire vs Valve case has things now popping out of legal discovery. ----- The Verge: "Here’s how much Valve pays its staff — and how few people it employs/ Leaked payroll data reveals just how small one of the most important companies in gaming actually is." (Jay Peters) (Jul 13, 2024) The data was included as part of an otherwise heavily redacted document from Wolfire’s antitrust lawsuit against Valve. As spotted by SteamDB creator Pavel Djundik, some data in the document was viewable despite the black redaction boxes, including Valve’s headcount and gross pay across various parts of the company over 18 years, and even some data about its gross margins that we weren’t able to uncover fully. The employee data starts with 2003, which is a few years after Valve’s 1996 founding and the same year Valve launched Steam, and goes all the way up until 2021. The data breaks Valve employees into four different groups: “Admin,” “Games,” “Steam,” and, starting in 2011, “Hardware.” If you want to sift through the numbers yourself, I’ve included a full table of the data, sorted by year and category, at the end of this story. The table is titled “Employee Headcount and Gross Pay Data, 2003-2021” so I’m presuming the data in those columns represent gross pay and number of employees, respectively. One data point I found interesting: Valve peaked with its “Games” payroll spending in 2017 at $221 million (the company didn’t release any new games that year, but that spending could have gone toward supporting games like Dota 2 and developing new games like Artifact); by 2021, that was down to $192 million. Another: as of 2021, Valve employed just 79 people for Steam, which is one of the most influential gaming storefronts on the planet. “Hardware,” to my surprise, has been a relatively small part of the company, with just 41 employees paid a gross of more than $17 million in 2021. But I’m guessing Valve now employs more hardware-focused staffers following the runaway success of the Steam Deck. In November 2023, Valve’s Pierre-Loup Griffais told The Verge that he thinks “we’re firmly in the camp of being a full fledged hardware company by now.” The small number of staff across the board seemingly explains why Valve’s product list is so limited despite its immense business as basically the de facto PC gaming platform. It’s had to get help on hardware and software and has worked with other companies to have them build Steam boxes and controllers. (Valve’s flat structure may impact this.) The Verge: https://lnkd.in/gKbMC_Gh #gameindustry #steam #valve

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After one year of heads-down building mode at Artifact, we are now moving to execution mode! Over the next few weeks, we will be announcing a series of partnerships to help bring a free, user-focused, and private internet for everyone. This week, we kick-started this journey with an exciting partnership announcement with DSCVR. Imagine a social network where (1) users control the content, (2) users own and decide the future of the platform, (3) there's no CEO or organization putting its thumb on the scale of the algorithm, and (4) users own their data and are compensated if/when they watch ads. While at Artifact there's not much we can do to enable the third point (it was my personal flair here) we are enabling the last one - a way for users to own their data, in a privacy-centric manner, and earn from it. Imagine a Twitter that doesn't own your data - you own it - and if that data is used to serve an ad targeted to you, then you receive a revenue share. As I said, really excited about the possibilities that lie ahead with DSCVR! Dive deeper into our partnership on this Yahoo Finance article: https://lnkd.in/g-hJsDyD #AdTech #UserPrivacy #DataMonetization #DSCVR #NotYourKeysNotYourData Sony Joseph, Ameet Srivastava, Rick Porter, Steven D.

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A fresh batch of recruitment news here

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What to look for when buying a new GPU? #GPU #GraphicCard #GraphicsCard #BuyingGuide #Gamers #Enthusiasts #VideoGames #DesktopGamers #PCGamers #CustomPC #PC #Desktop #Laptop

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My view is that the Xbox Mobile App Store could emerge as a strong competitor to both Play Store and App Store, leveraging Xbox's gaming ecosystem, exclusive content, and cloud gaming capabilities. Its success hinges on developer adoption, user base expansion, and seamless cross-platform integration. By offering competitive policies and unique offerings, it might drive innovation and consumer choice in the app market. However, it faces challenges like regulatory scrutiny and the need to avoid issues that have plagued other major app stores.

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Massive Game Industry Press Consolidation and then game press layoffs starting ('redundancies'). This is a worrying set of acquisitions. This looks like game press shrinking after a lot of game press layoffs last year. ----- GameDeveloper: "IGN Entertainment buys GamesIndustry, RockPaperShotgun, other Gamer Network outlets. IGN Entertainment has also laid off an undisclosed number of Gamer Network workers in the UK." "The UK-based Gamer Network of game journalism sites like Eurogamer and GamesIndustry has been acquired by IGN Entertainment. For an undisclosed sum, IGN purchased that entire family of websites, which further includes Rock Paper Shotgun, VG247, and Dicebreaker. Previously, the Ziff Davis subsidiary purchased HowLongtoBeat and Humble Bundle. UK events like EGX and MCM weren't included in the sale. Similarly, the entertainment site Popverse will remain with ReedPop. Alongside the acquisition, IGN laid off several employees within the Gamer Network. These cuts appear to be editorial focused, as GamesIndustry's managing editor Brendan Sinclair and RPS' deputy editor Alice Bell have both been let go." "I've been laid off and need a new job," wrote Sinclair. "Maybe game journalism, maybe something else in games, maybe not games at all. Entertaining all possibilities at this point." "Guess who has two thumbs and is being made redundant following my company getting new owners," added Bell. At time of writing, it's unclear who else (and how many) within the Network was let go. GameDeveloper: https://lnkd.in/gh6zeMV8 ----- GamesIndustryBiz: "IGN Entertainment acquires Eurogamer, GI, VG247, Rock Paper Shotgun and more. New owner makes redundancies across the Gamer Network portfolio" "IGN Entertainment has acquired the Gamer Network family of digital brands for an undisclosed sum. As a result of the acquisition, some redundancies have been made across the UK-based organisation. Gamer Network’s publications are GamesIndustry.biz, Eurogamer (including six local language editions), Rock Paper Shotgun, VG247 and Dicebreaker. The business also holds shares in Outside Xbox, Digital Foundry and Hookshot (which operates Nintendolife, PushSquare, PureXbox and Time Extension). IGN Entertainment is the division of Ziff Davis that includes IGN, MapGenie, HowLongToBeat, and Humble Bundle. It has acquired the websites from PAX and New York Comic-Con organiser ReedPop, which initially bought the Gamer Network business in 2018. Not included in the sale are UK-based events EGX or MCM, or the digital brand Popverse, which remain with ReedPop. GamesIndustryBiz: https://lnkd.in/guPCEybs #gameindustry #gamedev #gamepress #gamepublishing #gamenews

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Recap of Consensus 2024: why does this event exist? TLDR Thx for the BBQ, Austin! And it was great to meet up with old and new friends including EJ Ayala, Michael Dershewitz, Max Kaufman ⚡️, Erica Hamilton, Ron Cao, Colleen Sullivan, Alex M., Paul Thind, Dante Reminick, Parker Heath, Kiernan Fitzsimons, Conrad Sain, George V., Rodrigo Etcheto, Kelly DiGregorio, and more! In all it was a great time meeting with incredible partners. It's clear that: - Cloud compute and distributed hosting x web3 gaming has a lot of potential - Gaming-focused chains are ready to rock and roll, esp. powered by Sequence - Investments are increasingly sophisticated and focused on sustainability - Traditional gaming is headed into the space in droves, with strong teams with incredible backgrounds who truly understand gamers, data, A/B testing and more But Consensus, as with many generalist crypto or web3 events, is obsolete. Events in new industries are important, but as the space matures and consolidates, I'm not sure that there's a need for several days devoted to basic underlying technology. It's like going to Servers 2024! We all get it, we know what servers are, what they do. How this gets applied, what benefits it brings to developers, players, users, that's what matters. I'd love to see Consensus get a bit more serious around specific tracks or reconsider its focus.

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🎮📊 Proud to announce the release of the Entertainment Software Association's 2024 Essential Facts About the U.S. Video Game Industry report! As we delve into its insights, it's clear that video games transcend mere entertainment—they are a dynamic force creating joy, influencing American culture and bringing people together. In today's world, every button press and level unlocked fosters not just individual enjoyment, but connections that span continents and cultures. Video games have evolved into a cornerstone of our collective identity, fostering creativity and camaraderie in unprecedented ways. As we explore the evolving realm of our industry, this report serves as a guide, highlighting the transformative power of interactive entertainment. It's not just about pixels and polygons—it's about the significant impact games have on individuals, societies and economies worldwide. Join us in exploring the data:  #ESAEssentialFacts #VideoGameCommunity #InteractiveEntertainment  

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This is your daily reminder to become a luddite and hide in a cave (with good internet access, we can't be savages)... Thought I had today: Siri, Alexa and Cortina are public facing Skynet. This has been your needed and standardized AI message for the linkedin day cycle.

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"The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do." - Steve Jobs This powerful statement reminds us that innovation and progress often come from those willing to challenge the status quo. In business and life, it's the visionaries, the risk-takers, and the dreamers who drive meaningful change. Embracing this "crazy" mindset means: 1. Daring to think differently 2. Persevering in the face of skepticism 3. Believing in your ability to make an impact 4. Have no Fear As Rumi wisely said, "You were born with potential. You were born with goodness and trust. You were born with ideals and dreams. You were born with greatness. You were born with wings. You are not meant for crawling, so don't. You have wings. Learn to use them and fly." Let's cultivate the courage to be "crazy" enough to pursue our dreams and create positive change in our world. What's your crazy idea that could change everything? #InnovationMindset #ChangeTheWorld #DreamBig #AgileRealized #AiAgile

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Very much like the term “software driven spaces”. The real advances are being made in what drives the experience, not just the presentation layer. 

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