Shelly Scharpman on LinkedIn: I'm beyond thrilled to share the annoucement of State Farm Gamerhood… (2024)

Season’s greetings!As the new year approaches, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on all that Player 2 achieved and the ways we evolved in 2023– from our incredible Intellectual Property (IP) licensing projects to our brand activations within the expansive Roblox metaverse. Much like the gaming industry itself, we’ve found ourselves constantly learning, growing and adapting– more so in 2023, perhaps, than ever before.We’ve undoubtedly witnessed some tumultuous shifts across the entire gaming landscape. However, we find that certain core principles remain: a commitment to fun and an inextinguishable desire for connection– these are what bring people back to video games, time and time again, and are also what Player 2 has set at the forefront of our business.This year, we had the distinct honor of bringing the timeless style of Hello Kitty into the colorful world of Fall Guys through our expert IP licensing team. But the fun doesn’t stop there– we teamed up with Moonbug Entertainment to bring the lovable Blippi into Roblox in the form of “Blippi’s Playground,” an immersive experience for all ages to enjoy– and it’s already attracting nearly 500,000 players per week! Just this month, we shared that SpongeBob Squarepants is collaborating with the new mobile game, Oh Baby Kart!, in a partnership sourced and negotiated by Player 2. We continue to believe in the power of smart licensing opportunities, and thus we will continue to seek out exciting collaborations for brands looking to connect to this diverse and ever-growing market.As for endemic brands, Player 2 helped bring together two gaming content creation powerhouses: Crowd Control 2.0 and Streamlabs, who collaborated to bring audience engagement to new heights with Crowd Control’s new product launch and integration. The creator economy is the beating heart of the gaming community, and we were thrilled to assist with this innovative addition to the virtual toolkits that facilitate content creation.Last but certainly not least, we work with incredible nonprofit organizations, including the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Make-A-Wish America, Wounded Warrior Project, and, Only One. I can proudly say that the Player 2 team helped raise over $900,000 for charity during 2023. Uniting gamers with causes they’re passionate about, and helping these esteemed organizations raise crucial funds in turn, remains a powerful driving force within our agency.Looking back on 2023, I am proud of the Player 2 team for the results we achieved in collaboration with our amazing clients. I am excited for what we expect to happen in 2024 and for all the unexpected moments as well. I do know for certain that the Player 2 team will continue to level up and meet the opportunities in the new year. Best wishes to our friends in the gaming industry for a wonderful holiday season!Most sincerely,John PierceManaging Partner, Player 2Read on our website: https://lnkd.in/etaaaW9D

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This week marks a significant milestone at Antstream HQ with the public debut of our cutting-edge sponsored tournament system. Designed to revolutionize brand engagement, this innovative feature combines the excitement of gaming with the broad reach of social media influencers. For our event, we are partnering with two well-known influencers for Samaritans. Antstream’s new sponsored tournament system presents brands with a unique opportunity to connect with a diverse and passionate gaming community. By sponsoring these tournaments, brands can create immersive and impactful experiences. The streamers have specifically made the tournament so that one of their viewers can take the prize of an Antstream subscription for one year.Our first public test of the sponsored tournament system will feature two prominent gaming influencers known for their engaging content and dynamic personalities. The stream, slated for Saturday, May 18th on Grassomaniac’s channel, aims to raise awareness and support for mental health while celebrating the joy of gaming. The tournament will be open until the 24th May for players to compete to win the prize.Grassomaniac : https://lnkd.in/eNgg8mntItsKirstenEh : https://lnkd.in/emNyCgjaYou can find the link to the tournament below.https://antstre.am/grassoThis collaboration not only demonstrates the potential of our new system but also highlights the positive impact gaming communities can have on people.Samaritans is a charity renowned for its vital work in providing support to individuals experiencing emotional distress. Through our partnership with influencers and the new tournament system, we aim to make a significant contribution to Samaritans’ mission.https://lnkd.in/eVviRnP#antstream #gaming #samaritans #charity #xbox #pc #gamers #cloudgaming #videogames

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Helldivers 2 by Arrowhead Game Studios: How a Dedicated Community Took the Game to the Next Level.In the gaming industry, cultivating a string community can determine whether a game achieves momentary popularity or endures as a lasting success. Helldivers2 is a compelling example of this principle. Through its adoption of User-Generated Content (UGC) and active involvement with its player community, the game evolved from a strong title into a one of the most player-boosted games in 2024. 🎮The official Discord community counts 925k members, with at least 1/3 being always active online through different time zones. 🎮Helldivers Reddit community hosts 1.2 M members and ranked as Top 1% communities across Reddit.🎮In these communities, players have an opportunity to find teammates, be updated on Supreme Orders, share their digital and physical creations, send pictures of pets and food, and so on – these places look so alive! 🎮Engagement though fostering actively a strong sense of community. Players are encouraged to engage with each other through channels, social media, and in-game activities. This community building not only retained existing players but also attracted new ones who were drawn to the collaborative and interactive nature of the game. 🎮User-Generated Content. You can see diverse artworks, both digital and physical on Discord, and tons of funny videos from the actual game (and real players’ sessions, that’s important!) on YouTube. This feature empowers players to contribute to the game’s universe, adding their creative touch, and promotion through...🎮...word-of-mouth and cost-effective marketing. Instead of solely relying on traditional advertising, leveraging user-generated content allows to harness the creativity and enthusiasm of your community to promote your product. This type of marketing tends to be more authentic and relatable, resonating better with audiences.Stay tuned for our full-version article about Helldivers2 success and tips for leveraging community! #HowToCommunity #Helldivers2 #gaming #PS #GamingIndustry #CommunityBuilding #CommunityManagement #cmgr #CommunityEngagement #UGC #marketing #videogames #community

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🚀 Building Goko's Community Journey on #Instagram 🚀Reflecting on our journey with goko.games, Instagram has been a powerhouse for #community building! Leveraging this platform allowed us to not only share our story but also connect with an incredible community.✨ Finding Our Voice: Instagram became our canvas to experiment with different tones, visuals, and messages. We strived to find a voice that resonated with our audience – a voice that spoke the language of our community.🤝 Building Connections: Through engaging content and interactive stories, we were able to build strong connections with our backers, supporters, and those curious about Goko. It's more than just a platform; it's a space for genuine conversations.🎨 Visual Storytelling: Instagram's visual nature empowered us to tell the story of Goko in a captivating way. From sneak peeks of the game to behind-the-scenes moments, every post aimed to create anticipation and excitement.📈 Catching Public Attention: We learned that Instagram isn't just about posting content; it's about understanding what captures attention. Insights and analytics guided us, helping refine our strategy for maximum impact.🌟 Community-Led Growth: As Goko flourished, it was heartening to witness our community growing organically. Instagram played a pivotal role in transforming supporters into advocates, making Goko more than just a game.In the dynamic world of #crowdfunding, Instagram emerged as a vital tool for #storytelling, engagement, and community growth. A huge shoutout to our Instagram family – your likes, comments, and shares have fueled the #GokoGames journey! 🙌✨Check out our latest post: https://lnkd.in/eqj_dP-p

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KreekCraft's growth just keeps rising 🚀 He's now the 4th most watched YouTube Gaming streamer in the US with over 8M+ subscribers and growing on YouTube.We've got some massive announcements coming soon on what Misfits Gaming Group is building with Kreek and Karl Jacobs both in Roblox and beyond.Brands looking to build experiences in-game while leveraging some of the biggest (and family friendly) creators with the most engaged audiences... now is the time to chat!And while many think of Roblox as just for young kids, the fastest growing demographic segment is 17 - 24 years old...#roblox #creators #influencermarketing #genzmarketing #metaversemarketing #videogames #advertising #youtube

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"Generation Alpha (Gen A, born 2010 to mid-2020s) is unaware of a world without easy digital access to everything," - writes Kate Smith, EVP Audience Engagement, WildBrain 🚀 This access is making co-viewing content increasingly popular, becoming a family activity 🫶 WildBrain research shows that over half of U.S. Roblox players watch Roblox videos on YouTube while playing. While 81% of U.S. families report they co-view content together several days a week or more 🎮 The bigger revelation is that parents - particularly moms - are also actively participating on gaming platforms like Roblox alongside their kids. From watching educational content together to teaming up in exciting games, these bonding moments create lasting memories and strengthen family ties in a new, modern way 📱💻 At TutoTOONS, we always emphasize the importance of playing together and discovering the digital world regardless of age. Check out the K. Smith article in the comments, and the key she emphasizes to engaging the whole family ⬇️#TutoTOONS #Kids #Family #IndustryInsight #GameDev

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In the past year, beastcoast made a commitment to foster the Pokemon community. Never would we have imagined the scale of the projects we'd build and the caliber of talent that would agree to work alongside us.It started with Midtown Gym, an NYC pop-up event with 300+ attendees where guests battled pro players, live-broadcasted on the streets of 5th Ave.⭐ Here's what we achieved:Wolfe Glick's most successful YouTube video (3M+ views)Our partner P448's most successful TikTok (350K+ views)6M+ Beastcoast social media impressionsNext was the Scarlet & Violet Invitational, starring gaming industry talent like Ludwig, LilyPichu, and Sykkuno. It brought competitive gameplay and player insight to communities beyond Pokemon VGC.⭐ Here's what we achieved:Wolfe Glick's 3rd most successful livestream (820K+ views)Paired with a successful YouTube video (1.8M+ views)Hitting 25K+ peak concurrent viewers7M+ Beastcoast social media impressionsLooking into 2024, Beastcoast is aiming to be equally as intentional and creative with its activations. We've just begun with Pokemon and we're revamping our approach to explore similar campaigns in other genres.If your business is looking for ways to break into the gaming industry or invest in esports marketing, don't hesitate to reach out!

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Sometimes, it feels like I'm starting Sentitrac too late, but other times, I see the momentum building both in my business and the market more generally and realize it's still so early!The sports market is changing quickly, and the start of 2024 has shown no signs of deceleration. Just last week, Apple launched their new Sports app on the iOS app store, which I've seen in my feed constantly since day 1. It's not being received so well yet on the App Store, with a 3.0 current rating!Just a week or two before that, Disney, FOX, and Warner Bros Discovery announced a major new streaming service to re-bundle their sports rights. In the era of cable dying and everything moving to streaming, sports are in a particularly tricky position given how much the cable bundle subsidized their rights fees. It will be very interesting to see the NBA's new TV rights deal, which should happen in the next year or two. Two weeks ago, we also had the Super Bowl, in which over 68 million people placed bets totaling $23.1 BILLION. Inside Sentitrac, momentum's also growing, and I'm excited to share that in the next few weeks, we'll launch a new product: Sentitrac NBA Moneyline Picks.We've been backtesting our new pick-selecting algorithm that uses our sentiment grades, and so far, we've reached ~65% accuracy in our picks. With such a simple algorithm, there's likely a lot more we can squeeze out, which all Sentitrac users will benefit from!So, with all that said, while I do sometimes wonder if I waited too long to start Sentitrac, with the momentum we're building, it feels like the timing has been just right 🙂🎉

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🎮This generation of kids and teens consume content across different platforms fluidly, and they highly value the presence of real-life brands in their experiences.If you are a brand that wants to reach kids, teens, and families, you’ll love our new research conducted bySavanta. Download the insights snapshot here:https://bit.ly/3SbHuEQFollow WildBrain Media Solutions for more insights about how we connect brands with kids and families across the mediaverse.#CTV#Roblox#YouTube#CoGaming#CoViewing#FamilyEntertainment#KidsEntertainment#FamilyContent#AdBuying#MediaBuying

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Hi friends in the gaming industry! Can we talk about community management for a moment here?Every month, I teach my students about social media and community in the gaming industry, and I use current games that have recently launched or are about to launch. The reason is there's typically more content posted around new games. But what I can't find? Brands actually doing community management. I don't understand it at all (that's an entire whole post), but I need your help.Please tell me about games that have good community management, that have been released in the past 4 months or will release in the next few months. I want to know about community managers engaging in the comments on social media, as well as on Discord, Reddit, and brand forums. And if you work for one of these games as a community manager or social media manager (or both)? I really, really want to chat with you!#gaming #communitymanagement #videogames #socialmedia #gamingindustry

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