Interpret

GRID Esports secures $10 million in Series A funding to provide game companies and players with better competitive data for esports wagering (via VentureBeat)

HBO Max is one of the top 10 most-downloaded apps for Q1, No. 5 overall in the U.S. for consumer in-app spending, boosted by Godzilla vs. Kong (via Variety)

Pllay raises $1 million for esports betting platform that enables gamers to wager on 1-on-1 duels (via VentureBeat)

tencent's TiMi Studios may be the "world's largest developer" now, reportedly earned $10 billion in 2020 (via The Verge)

Manticore Games raises $100 million to build a user-generated content platform, Core will launch exclusively on the Epic Games Store via Early Access on April 15 (via The Hollywood Reporter)

GameFly acquired by media wholesaler Alliance Entertainment - new owner to expand rental-by-mail service's selection of games, as well as having hardware, accessories, movies, and collectibles for sale (via GamesIndustry.biz)

NBCUniversal's Peacock TV and Amazon Prime Video see major gains in new subscribers in Q3 (via MediaPost)

Rockstar Games buys Crackdown 2 developer Ruffian Games, rebrands to Rockstar Dundee (via TheGamer)

Did the pandemic break traditional TV? More and more people are choosing to watch content delivered over-the-top instead of via traditional TV. Did the COVID-19 outbreak accelerate the TV industry's next evolutionary event? Find out tomorrow when Brett Sappington, VP, Video Insights, at Interpret, joins Brightcove for a special panel discussion at 11am ET on 10/8. You can register here: https://pandemicbreaktraditionaltv.splashthat.com/ #InterpretResearch

Facebook Gaming surpassed one billion hours watched in Q3, YouTube Gaming views also up, with Twitch slowing but still up compared to last year (via GamesIndustry.biz)

Roblox is reportedly preparing to go public at an $8 billion valuation (via VentureBeat)

Sumo Group acquires development studio Pipeworks Studios for $100m, to break into the US (via GamesIndustry.biz)

Amazon.com announces streaming gaming service Amazon Luna: games, controller, price, Prime benefits, and more explained (via GamesRadar+)

Why genre matters in mobile gaming - Facebook IQ's Kyle Ranally looks at Interpret and GameRefinery's data to analyze the role genre plays in the success of mobile games (via GamesIndustry.biz) #InterpretResearch

Epic Games invest $15 million in Manticore Games, a DIY gaming startup (via VentureBeat)

Microsoft purchases Bethesda parent company ZeniMax for $7.5 billion (via GamesIndustry.biz)

Social gaming startup Bunch snags $20 million in Series A backing from major game studios to help friends party up in mobile games (via VentureBeat)

Sony reveals release date and price for PlayStation 5 (via VentureBeat)