Canada
Gamefam 2022: Leading Metaverse Gaming Company Celebrates Record-Breaking Performance
Gamefam is the leading gaming and content company across metaverse platforms reaching Gen Z audiences with live operated original games, virtual concerts, and experiences that connect brands with new audiences. With top-performing titles and branded experiences within Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite, the company announced CY2022 as its most successful year yet achieving more than 275% year-over-year revenue growth and over 18 million daily global gameplay sessions. This further supports the company’s goal to create the next generation of super-hit franchises from within the metaverse.
“2022 has been a phenomenal year for us, which I could not be more proud of as it shows how talented our team is and the value we provide to our partners and communities,” said Joe Ferencz, CEO and founder of Gamefam. “We see endless opportunities to build engaging experiences that are authentic to the brands we’re partnering with and the communities they’re able to now reach, along with the portfolio of great games we’re creating and supporting from our developers.”
Gamefam kicked off this year announcing the close of its $25M Series A, led by Konvoy Ventures with participation from Play Ventures, Makers Fund, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Galaxy Interactive. The capital was critical to invest in new creator partnerships, analytics and live ops tools, and advertising tech. The funds also helped to grow the Gamefam team to over 250 members, including native metaverse developers and designers, combined with seasoned veterans in production, corporate strategies, data science, marketing, and community. As the first and biggest professional Roblox game developer and publisher – and leading developer on Fortnite and Minecraft – Gamefam has made a significant investment and impact with its blockbuster titles and chart-topping experiences.
The company operates the largest network of titles on Roblox with its portfolio reaching over 20 billion lifetime visits, more than 500 million visits and 83 million hours of engagement each month across 30+ live games in the studio’s portfolio. Gamefam titles are played by over 1.5 million players on average every day in the U.S. alone.
Gamefam’s continued success with Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft players, plus global brands looking to enter the metaverse, drove the company’s consecutive revenue growth for the last 11 quarters. With a solid record for launching quality games and fun experiences that Roblox players consistently give the highest average player-rating, Gamefam received more nominations than any developer for this year’s prestigious “2022 Roblox Innovations Awards.” Robeats and Starving Artists won “Best Audio Design” and “The Builderman Award of Excellence” by community vote. Having a proven track record is why top brands and music artists choose to work with Gamefam when looking for an authentic and engaging metaverse experience.
2022 achievements with Gamefam titles include:
- Sonic Speed Simulator quickly became the biggest game launch in Roblox history, surpassing 275K concurrent players in week one, attracting over 500M visits in its first four months
- Gamefam growing portfolio reached over 20B lifetime gameplay sessions from top games including:
- Sonic Speed Simulator – #1 branded game
- Funky Friday – #1 music game
- Starving Artists – #1 art game
- Festival Tycoon – #1 branded music game
- A variety of top games across multiple genres: Weapon Fighting Simulator, Maple Hospital, Military Tycoon, Easy Obby, Ultra Power Tycoon, Hot Wheels Open World
- Developed two of the three top rated Roblox concert experiences with The Chainsmokers concert experience (84.15% player rating) and 24KGolden Concert Experience (83.23%, player rating)
- Delivered over 1.8B campaign engagements across more than 18 branded integrations and ad campaigns for top properties including: Doctor Strange, Paws of Fury, Kung Fu Panda, Monster Jam, Bakugan, Skechers, LOL Surprise, Beyblade, and Spin Master’s Pixo Bitz
- Launched its Fortnite division with an experienced team responsible for creating over 40 of the most popular Fortnite Creative Mode maps and partnering with leading brands including Samsung, Puma, and the BBC’s Dr Who
- Expanded its Minecraft portfolio with three of the top Minecraft servers that continue to attract over 150K gameplay sessions per month
In addition to successfully creating branded experiences that bring brands into the metaverse, Gamefam brought one of its most popular Roblox franchises – Twilight Daycare – out of the metaverse with the release of a toy line available at major retailers, including Walmart, Target and Amazon.
“We’ve got a very ambitious roadmap that will drive our future growth plans and expansion opportunities, and I can’t wait to share more soon,” said Ferencz. “Our experience and passion will continue to guide us and fuel our creative endeavors to serve the needs of our partners and our players in metaverse gaming.”
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Canada
IAGR announces Toronto as host city for 2025 conference
Hot on the heels of its most attended conference in history, the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) is excited to announce that its 2025 conference will take place in Toronto, Canada, from October 20 to 23, 2025.
The event will be held in partnership with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) at the Westin Harbour Castle, offering stunning waterfront views and a premier, downtown Toronto location.
‘Fresh off the success of our Rome conference, we’re thrilled to continue the momentum with next year’s event in Toronto,’ said Ben Haden, IAGR President.
‘The IAGR 2025 conference promises to be another unparalleled opportunity for our global community to come together, collaborate and shape the future of gaming regulation. We’re looking forward to working with AGCO to bring it all together.’
AGCO CEO and Registrar Dr. Karin Schnarr, added, ‘We’re excited to welcome IAGR and its members to Toronto. This partnership provides a great opportunity to share Ontario’s innovative regulatory practices and foster meaningful discussions that drive positive change in the industry.’
Stay tuned for registration details early next year.
Bombee Global Entertainment Ltd
ESE Entertainment Completes Acquisition of Gaming Production Company, Bombee Americas
ESE Entertainment Inc., a gaming company that provides a range of services to leading video game developers and publishers, has announced that it has acquired Bombee Global Entertainment Ltd. (Bombee Americas), the North American arm of Bombee Event Production AB, (Bombee), a global production company specialized in live production, special effects, broadcast, and event management for the gaming sector.
Bombee has successfully collaborated with ESE to bring its premier event production services and world class customer service to North America and beyond. The North American arm of Bombee, Bombee Americas, will continue to grow and scale in this new organizational structure under ESE, while maintaining its entire team and global support.
Konrad Wasiela, CEO of ESE, said: “Today marks the next stage of ESE—a 2.0 version of our company. With the acquisition of Bombee Americas, we are not only solidifying our presence in North America but also paving the way for growth and innovation in the gaming industry. This is a major step, positioning us to deliver even greater value to our partners and elevate the gaming experience for our clients globally. We’re thrilled about the opportunities ahead and the exceptional talent joining our team.”
Transaction Terms
The Acquisition was completed by way of a share purchase agreement (the SPA) among the Company, Bombee Americas, and the shareholders of Bombee Americas (the Vendors). Pursuant to the SPA, ESE acquired all of the outstanding shares of Bombee Americas in exchange for: (i) $750,000 in cash paid on closing, (ii) $375,000 in cash to be paid six (6) months following closing, subject to customary adjustments based on the working capital of Bombee Americas on closing, (iii) $375,000 in cash to be paid twelve (12) months following closing, and (iv) 30,000,000 common shares of ESE (the Consideration Shares), issued at a deemed issue price of $0.10 per share.
In connection with the Acquisition, the founders of Bombee Americas have signed three-year service agreements and will continue to run the business following the closing, along with the rest of the personnel of Bombee Americas who will remain in place, ensuring a smooth transition of operations. As part of the Acquisition, the Company has acquired the liabilities of Bombee Americas, mainly consisting of customary current obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business for Bombee Americas, which are not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s operations or financial position.
No finder’s fees were paid or payable in conjunction with the Acquisition.
The Acquisition was an arm’s length transaction within the meaning of the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the Exchange) and constituted an “Expedited Acquisition” in accordance with Exchange Policy 5.3 – Acquisitions and Dispositions of Non-Cash Assets. The Acquisition remains subject to the final approval of the Exchange.
Canada
Suspected Digital Fraud Coming from Canada Up Nearly 11% Since H1 2023, Reveals New TransUnion Analysis
In the first half (H1) of 2024, Canada saw a significant increase in suspected Digital Fraud attempts, with nearly 5.74% of all attempted digital transactions where the consumer was located in Canada involving suspected Digital Fraud, revealed a new TransUnion® (NYSE: TRU) analysis. This is nearly an 11% year-over-year (YoY) rate increase from H1 2023, and TransUnion also documented an 11% increase in the volume of suspected Digital Fraud from Canada during this period, despite a less than a one percent (0.7%) YoY increase in the volume of transactions.
According to a recent TransUnion survey,1 more than half (54%) of Canadians said they were recently targeted by email, phone call or text message fraud attempts. Phishing was the most common scheme type (45%), followed by smishing (42%) and vishing (39%).
The increasing use of digital transactions, combined with rising suspected Digital Fraud attempts are also impacting businesses as they potentially face revenue losses and increased operational costs due to fraud. According to a TransUnion business survey for the H2 2024 Update to the State of Omnichannel Fraud report, 200 Canadian business leaders said their companies lost approximately 6% of equivalent revenue – representing $78 billion – over the past year due to fraud. The most prominent causes of fraud loss cited by them were:
- Scam/Authorized fraud (31%): Dishonest scheme intended to trick a person into giving up something of value (e.g., account access, money, information)
- Account takeover (19%): Unauthorized individuals taking over someone’s online account (e.g., bank, social media, email) without their permission
- Synthetic identity fraud (18%): Use of a combination of personal information to fabricate a person or entity to commit a dishonest act for financial or personal gain
TransUnion also found that suspected Digital Fraud attempts – where the consumer was transacting in Canada and targeted businesses globally – increased on average by 10.5% YoY in H1 2024 compared to H1 2023 and impacted all industries.
Top Three Industries Globally with Highest Rate of Suspected Digital Fraud Attempts Coming from Canada in H1 2024
- Gambling (online sports betting, poker, etc.) – 9.6%
- Retail – 9.2%
- Government – 7.7%
Top Three Industries Globally with Highest YoY Increase (H1 2024 vs H1 2023) in the Rate of Suspected Digital Fraud Attempts Coming from Canada
- Logistics – 172.9%
- Gambling – 79.3%
- Video gaming – 67.8%
“Protecting customers and their businesses from fraud is essential to enabling safe and tailored consumer experiences. These findings reveal that despite the good-faith efforts that are being undertaken by companies to identify and prevent fraud to date, fraudsters continue to evolve and it’s vital that fraud prevention methods keep up with the changing times,” said Patrick Boudreau, head of identity management and fraud solutions at TransUnion Canada.
“Businesses that aren’t already doing so should ensure that they are taking advantage of fraud prevention technologies such as identity verification, IP intelligence, device reputation and synthetic identity detection as critical components of their fraud prevention programs,” he added.
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