Alexander Seropian

@edenchen Love it! 🔥

Games marketing is broken. After raising over $50M to support and work with hundreds of studios over the last 6 years, I find that the biggest problem is studios’ lack of direct connection with their players. Over the last six years, I’ve watched talented teams struggle because they never had a clear way to reach, learn from, and grow with players over time. Without that connection, everything becomes harder - validation, iteration, community growth, and retention all turn into guesswork. For most of the games industry’s history, platforms have controlled identity, communication, and distribution, which are invaluable to a game’s success. Apple limited how studios could collect and use player contact information outside the App Store, and Steam still doesn’t give studios access to the contact details of players who wishlist or sign up for playtests. Studios are left without a direct relationship with the audience they’re trying to serve. As a result, studios rely on fragmented tools and spreadsheets to manage players across different stages of development and live operations, with no continuity from first contact through long-term engagement. Today, that changes with the launch of FirstLook 1.0. FirstLook is the first Player Relationship Platform built specifically for games. It gives studios everything they need to connect with players across the full lifecycle, including playtests and feedback, community and communications, analytics, rewards, and creator programs, all in one place. We’ve been building under the radar, but FirstLook already powers hundreds of studios, from indies to publishers like Krafton, @ArenaNet, and @Skybound, connecting millions of players with the developers who make the games they love. As part of the launch, we’re introducing a brand new limited time free plan, with access to all our features for up to 500 players. You can set this up now in under 10 minutes. If you want to learn more, book a demo and we guarantee that you will save you time and money and help you grow. Links in comments!

Thanks @SimonParkin ! For a great chat with a great crowd!

@spiderwebsoft Thanks for sharing Jeff. Awesome stuff and sooo many truths!

Four Ways To Make Your Turn-Based Game More Interesting (Or Ruin It) The dose makes the poison. (An Xwitter blog 🧵) Some times I envy designers who make action games. Suppose you want to make your action game harder. Sure, you can take the numbers-go-up route. More health, more damage. But you can also make the target smaller. Or faster. Or move in an unpredictable way. Or take cover. So many levers to pull. But I write turn-based RPGs. In these games, you and your opponent control blobs of numbers. I throw my numbers at your numbers, and you throw your numbers back at me. Eventually one of us runs out of numbers and loses. Since it’s all math with no reflexes, there are fewer levers I can pull to make fights harder or more suspenseful. But there are a few reliable ways to make your turn-based game more interesting. I use all of these in varying amounts in every game, and I have made pretty much every possible mistake several times. The key is to do these things the right amount. The dose makes the poison. Some helps a lot, but lean too much into one, and your game will be worse. Where is the balance? Well, that’s where the art is, isn’t it?

me waiting to heal after I thought I could do a level 5 dungeon

I just backed What the Stars Forgot - Retro Horror Management Sim on @Kickstarter kickstarter.com/projects/airlo…

@giggila @Bungie @looknorthworld @Halo Thanks for having me on stream bro!

Big Name Next: Founder of @Bungie, Wideload, Industrial Toys and @looknorthworld. It's Alexander Seropian (@steakbacon) The guy behind @Halo, has a Fortnite Map! Code: 5673-0929-0151

@myperfectcnsle @SimonParkin @EvNarc Thank you Simon - how awesome to hang out with you and my @uchicago family!

We’ve been recording live from the University of Chicago! @SimonParkin had an amazing week immortalising the perfect consoles of Bungie co-founder, @steakbacon, and comic book author, @EvNarc. Thanks to everyone who’s been part of our live audience. Recordings of these live episodes coming soon - subscribe to stay in the loop: bit.ly/43RMgx9

I got to make a game again. Like actually write code, make builds and sweat details. Been a long time. Very satisfying, exhausting, rewarding and terrifying! I hope you get a chance to play it!

While gaming is struggling, experiences on UGC platforms are setting records. Our CEO, @steakbacon, chatted with the Business of Creators Podcast about the massive opportunity platforms like Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft are presenting studios, creators, and brands; why we’re creating tech to port experiences between Roblox and Fortnite; and what makes a hit. Listen here. open.spotify.com/episode/1IYxBI…

Guests @randemtweets & @tinselman, founders @cyanworlds & creators of the smash #videogame🌍Myst. From Hypercard kids' games to a 3D puzzle experience which changed adventure games. We talk GRR Martin stories, line art to 3D & more - this week! youtu.be/d7uUmWQ_qi0

@amboyes @anglon Pleasure was ours! See you chi-town.

Thanks for spending time talking about the olden days, @steakbacon and @anglon! It was a blast to reminisce and talk shop, hopefully people learn something??!

Thank you @amboyes for joining us this week and sharing your story. So, what do you all think is EA the game industry equivalent of MickyD's??!!

Our guest is founder/CEO of @Behavior @remiracine. Famous for the smash Dead By Daylight, his studio began w/ Jersey Devil & led to the Canadian #gamedev Hall of Fame. We talk curious superpowers, getting paid and what to remind your team - this week!⚰️youtu.be/iQDZ2hiPgaQ

Thank you @nolan_north for hanging out with us and making winning goals for @anglon. It's no surprise to me the success you've had. Hard work, showing up, being solid pays off...

@alk3ovation @looknorthworld What a great trip!

Great times for @looknorthworld at #UnrealFest25! Learned a lot, hung with cool people and got to meet Tim. It gets better every year!

@mikemorhaime @anglon @fourthcurtain Thank you for joining us. What an honor!

Enjoyed talking with @steakbacon and @anglon for the @fourthcurtain podcast. Thanks for having me!

@muzboz @fourthcurtain @Midwaygames @noobde @NetherRealm Thank you! 🙏

@fourthcurtain @steakbacon @Midwaygames @noobde @NetherRealm I always thought Moon Patrol by Williams was a truly excellent early game. Loving your podcast. :)

My wife's grandfather built pinball machines at Williams - nice to know that the Chicago #games tradition lives on, through @Midwaygames and @noobde's @NetherRealm! podfollow.com/thefourthcurta…

🚨Fortnite's iOS block isn’t just a headline, it’s a warning shot for the entire platform economy. @looknorthworld CEO Alex Seropian (@steakbacon) tells CNET: “There’s a huge shift from a retail economy to a platform economy. Gen-Z & Gen-Alpha want fast, social, mobile-first access. They're waiting for us on mobile.” As Epic and Apple stall, creators are stuck in limbo and the future of mobile UGC is on pause. 👇 cnet.com/tech/gaming/fo…