Summary of H1 2023
Joakim Achrén — June 30, 2023
The significant change in the first half of 2023 was the rebranding of the visuals of Elite Game Developers. The logo changed a bit, and the website got a fresh look. Here’s a video that Kari from Minimum Viable Brands did after me and him collaborated on the rebranding.
Here are my favorite pieces that I shared during the first half of 2023.
Most read EGD News
🔍 The 5 principles of an advisor
💬 Questions from an investor to a founder
🔟 10 lessons from my gaming angel syndicate
🤙 PMF or Bust: The New Reality of Fundraising
📱 Creating Forever Games: The Dream of Hybrid Casual Developers
My favorite Tweets from H1 2023 were:
For a games company pitch deck, I'd want the market slide to answer:
— Joakim Achrén (@joakim_a) February 19, 2023
- Which games are in the same category as your game? What is working well in them and what isn't?
- What other games are the players of your game playing, and why would they pick your game instead?
IMHO, people often overemphasize the importance of prior gaming skills to succeed in gaming. More valuable: Curiosity, not being affected by bias, tenacity, and hustle. You can pick up many gaming skills in a short time if you really want to.
— Joakim Achrén (@joakim_a) February 25, 2023
We need more experienced game founders, helping new ones. Ways:
— Joakim Achrén (@joakim_a) April 1, 2023
- Advising and mentoring
- Signaling (angel checks and intros to VCs)
- Being there for them in tough times
These are my favorite posts on LinkedIn.
Podcasts I visited
Earlier in 2023, I visited several podcasts.
This one was so much fun to do. On the Game Thinking Academy podcast, I shared my experiences and insights as a games investor. Topics covered include my angel decision-making, my journey before and after Supercell, how founders can attract investor attention, identifying red flags in gaming entrepreneurs, common mistakes made by gaming entrepreneurs, current and emerging gaming trends, and much more.
On the The Weird Club podcast, I shared insights on the current fundraising landscape of 2023, highlighting what is happening to pre-seed companies. I explored the challenges of building successful gaming companies that could reach a value of a billion dollars. From a personal perspective, I shared my life philosophy, emphasizing the value of Stoicism and a growth mindset. I also discussed my approach to investing, focusing on founder motivations, dynamics, and the potential pitfalls of being “market obsessed.”
On the Future of Gaming podcast, I talked about the learnings I've developed from investing in dozens of gaming startups. It was fun to be on a podcast with two other investors, because it gave me to opportunity to ask them questions on topics that don't often get covered on gaming podcasts.
Final words
That’s it for the first half of 2023. I’m looking forward to sharing more about gaming startups in the second half. I wish you all a great summer!