Gaming
Twitch hack: the real cost of unreported streaming app cybercrime (data & analysis)
As news breaks of a Twitch hack that has exposed 125GB of users’ personal data, a recent study by UK phone refurbishers Repair Outlet reveals the hidden cost of streaming app cybercrime.
Combining data from Action Fraud with global search data around app cybercrime, the study has revealed that app users lose an estimated £183 per break-in, with streaming site users potentially losing £3.3M a month.
Typically, Twitch users search for advice on account security 600 times a month, which could be costing £109,800 per month.
Though the data revealed in the mass leak may not have an immediate monetary impact, the personal data exposed could leave other accounts at risk and, for streamers on the site, could have a drastic effect on the money they can generate.
More broadly, Youtube is the most commonly searched streaming app, with 6,000 searches per month, costing an estimated £1M.
Netflix is the second-most vulnerable app, with 3,900 searches surrounding account break-ins, totaling £713,700 a month.
The most vulnerable streaming apps
App |
Category |
Global Monthly Search Volume |
Estimated Cost |
Cost in USD |
Youtube |
Streaming |
6000 |
£1,098,000 |
$1,506,000 |
Netflix |
Streaming |
3900 |
£713,700 |
$978,900 |
Spotify |
Streaming |
3800 |
£695,400 |
$953,800 |
Disney+ |
Streaming |
3600 |
£658,800 |
$903,600 |
Twitch |
Streaming |
600 |
£109,800 |
$150,600 |
App users search for cybercrime advice 92,120 times a month, meaning the global total could be as high as £16,857,960.
You can find the full data, along with online safety advice, in our original post here: https://repairoutlet.co.uk/blogs/news/the-state-of-app-security-report
Comment from Tom Peet, manager of Repair Outlet:
“Streaming service vulnerabilities may not always have an immediate monetary value but this can result in cybercriminals gaining access to your personal information which leads to further fraud online.
One of the most common mobile issues is operating system vulnerabilities which can occur when your device isn’t regularly updated. This is even more significant as your device ages as some models may stop receiving updates.
Smishing has also increased by as much as 700% in 2021, highlighting the serious risk to all app users of losing access to their accounts and losing money in the process.
It’s vital to keep on top of your online safety, practice good password hygiene and protect your device with antivirus software.”
Comment from Ian Reynolds, cybersecurity expert at SecureTeam:
“It’s hacks like this that reinforce the importance of the very basic levels of cybersecurity that we are still seeing large companies such as Twitch not take seriously enough.
The foundation of cybersecurity password protection is two-factor authentication. For example, you’ll notice this being enforced if you ever try to log into your Google account on a new device.
If Twitch had multi-step authentication as a defalt, the risk of vulnerable accounts would be much smaller, which in turn would give users more confidence when interacting with the app.
These are very basic cybersecurity pracitises that companies should already be enforcing to prevent attacks happening, not as reactive measures after a disaster has already struck.”
Methodology
The UK’s fraud prevention agency Action Fraud reported that the cost of social media and email cybercrime was £2.6M a year, or £183 per hack. Repair Outlet then calculated the cost per hack based on the number of people searching for app-specific terms globally to calculate the estimated total monthly cost.
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Gaming
Getting ready for Xmas: SplitMetrics partnership with Wargaming helps World of Warships app sail to new heights with 15% uplift in organic conversions
The post Getting ready for Xmas: SplitMetrics partnership with Wargaming helps World of Warships app sail to new heights with 15% uplift in organic conversions appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Gaming
Nolimit City revisits the brutal factory life in Outsourced: Slash Game
Nolimit City takes you back to the grind with its latest release, Outsourced: Slash Game. For those who thought their consumerist cravings were a safe indulgence, think again. Following in the footsteps of Outsourced, this new addition pulls back the curtain on the sweat and sacrifice lurking behind those everyday luxuries—this time with a dash of danger. Outsourced: Slash Game is the studio’s second venture into crash-style gameplay, the first being xCrash™ in Skate or Die – but this time it’s a standalone crash game!
In Slash Game, players have to make some cutthroat decisions as a laser traces the outline of their hand, increasing the multiplier with every pass. Players hit “stop” to cash out, locking in the multiplier when they feel the timing is right. After which, they will be shown the potential winnings if they wouldn’t have stopped. But here’s the catch: if players hesitate a second too long and the laser slips, all the winnings are lost. A live scoreboard displays the Top Win, Top Miss and Last Round, so that players can keep track of their previous rounds.
Outsourced: Slash Game is not a familiar Nolimit City slot to some players but could cause some excitement with an increasing multiplier and a maximum payout of 1,500x the base bet. Outsourced: Slash Game, unlike Nolimit City’s high-volatility slots, is rated as ‘Medium Volatility’ but don’t let that fool you as it still includes the risk of losing your hand.
Per Lindheimer, Head of Product at Nolimit City, said: “Get back to work, will you? We’re bringing players back to the unrelenting factory floor of Outsourced with an all-new twist. Slash Game is a standalone take on our crash-style games, and it’s packed with plenty of heart-stopping moments (and maybe a few hand-stopping ones, too). We’re thrilled with how it turned out and we hope that our fans will be too!“
‘Outsourced: Slash Game’ will be available to all Nolimit City partners on November 5th, 2024.
The post Nolimit City revisits the brutal factory life in Outsourced: Slash Game appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Gaming
The mobile gaming market is growing and attracting new companies. GAMIVO is the latest example
Usually, consoles and PCs come to mind when discussing the gaming industry. The mobile sector is often treated as a child of a lesser god, even though it generates almost as much revenue as console and PC combined. Some companies can see this potential. For instance, the e-commerce platform GAMIVO has recently entered the mobile market, allowing players to buy in-game items cheaper.
Back on course
The entire video game industry has evolved incredibly, but the most spectacular has been the growth of the mobile sector. It expanded from 36.9 million dollars in 2016 to 93.2 billion in 2021. Unfortunately, the gaming market suffered from a decline that stemmed from the overoptimism of the pandemic era. As a result, the mobile gaming industry revenues dropped to 92.2 billion in 2022 and to 90.5 billion in 2023. Recent information has indicated this was a necessary correction rather than a long-term trend.
The latest Newzoo report, issued in August 2024, shows that the industry is on the right track again. According to analysts, the mobile sector will generate revenues of $92.6 billion, representing +3.0% growth year-on-year. It’s nearly half of the entire gaming industry.
Billions of players
Revenues are crucial, but they only show part of the story. To fully understand the size and potential of mobile gaming, it’s necessary to consider the number of players, which constantly grew even when revenues dropped. Newzoo estimates that it will reach 2.8 billion in 2024. It means that almost twice as many people play on mobile devices than on PCs and consoles combined. Currently, every third person on Earth plays on mobile devices, and there’s still space for further growth.
“There are emerging markets where smartphones and mobile networks can expand, providing new potential players. Furthermore, this type of entertainment has a low entry barrier because most popular games are free and don’t require high-end devices,” explains Mateusz Śmieżewski, the CEO at GAMIVO.
One hobby, different habits
GAMIVO is an example of a company that has recently joined the party to get a piece of the mobile pie. “We examined the mobile market for a very long time, trying to find a suitable place for us. It’s essential to understand that mobile gaming and mobile gamers differ from their PC or console counterparts. You can’t do the same things you do with PC and consoles and hope to replicate your success,” said Mateusz Śmieżewski.
Studies confirm this observation. Average PC and console players spend about 2.1 hours a day in virtual worlds. It’s half an hour more than mobile gamers. However, things get interesting when we take a look at playtime per week, which is the same for mobile and console (5.4 hours) and slightly longer for PC (5.7 hours). Moreover, typical PC and console owners play 2.6 and 2.7 days a week, respectively, while mobile players play 3.4 days per week.
Those statistics prove that PC and console players are more dedicated, spending more time in games’ worlds once they enter them. However, mobile gamers prefer shorter but more frequent sessions. They play while commuting or have a short amount of free time.
“Mobile players are more willing to uninstall games and give another title a chance. Hence, the gameplay has to be captivating and designed to provide quick but intense sessions.
Furthermore, even though the average weekly playtime is identical to PC players, many mobile players don’t think of themselves as gamers,” clarifies Mateusz Śmieżewski.
Another major difference regards the way in which revenue is generated. PC and console games traditionally represent the premium model, where players buy the game. Most popular mobile releases are free and generate revenue with microtransactions. Almost all titles allow players to spend their real money on virtual coins, crystals, and other items that can be used to unlock additional content or reduce cooldowns.
Entering the mobile market
Those contrasts and nuances scare most companies from the mobile market. Let’s see how GAMIVO has coped with this.
“We decided to launch a new product category dedicated to mobile gamers. Our model allows them to top up in-game accounts cheaply. As a result, they can save up to 30% on buying virtual items, upgrades, and other content. The GAMIVO offer includes the most popular mobile titles, such as Genshin Impact and PUBG Mobile, and still extends,” describes Mateusz Śmieżewski.
“We dedicated a lot of time to research and analyses. Also, the development process required a lot of work to provide GAMIVO customers with safe transactions and a user-friendly environment. The first reactions are very positive, confirming our belief that our decision was right and there is still more space in the mobile game market,” concludes the GAMIVO CEO.
The post The mobile gaming market is growing and attracting new companies. GAMIVO is the latest example appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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