Pixel P&L - We Won an Award!

Good morning. Before we get you ready to tackle the week, allow us a moment to say thank you. In case you missed it - AFK Gaming was awarded Gaming and Esports Publication of the Year at the India Gaming Awards 2024. This is the third year in a row that we’ve won, but this time is truly special. You see, about a year ago we asked our readers how many of them would care if they could no longer access afkgaming.com tomorrow. The silence was deafening. We were adding very little value albeit to a lot of people. So we took a call to reverse this equation by launching this newsletter under the penmanship of Vignesh Raghuram alongside the occasional premium deep dives behind a modest paywall of $3 per month. That the jury of the India Gaming Awards deemed us worthy winners despite our radical pivot is validation that we are heading in the right direction - and for that this win is dedicated to you, to everyone who reads this newsletter, subscribes to our premium stories and constantly sends us your feedback, pushing us to be better every day.

Now let’s get you prepped for the day ahead. We’ve got PUBG Mobile committing an investment of $10 million towards grassroots esports opportunities in 2025, Fortnite gearing up to enter the 5v5 tactical first-person shooter space and details about Brendan Greene’s latest project through PlayerUnknown Productions. Let’s get it.

PUBG MOBILE Esports 2025: $10M Investment to Empower Grassroots and Global Competitions

PUBG MOBILE Esports is set to redefine the competitive gaming landscape in 2025, with a $10 million investment into grassroots initiatives, expanded tournaments, and innovative gameplay experiences. Key highlights include 20+ regional tournaments leading to global events like the PUBG MOBILE Super League (PMSL) and World Cup (PMWC), pathways for amateur players through the Ultimate Royale ranked mode, and a return of the PUBG MOBILE Global Open (PMGO) in Uzbekistan. Female-focused events, third-party tournament incentives, and collaborations further emphasize inclusivity and ecosystem growth. In 2024, prize pools for PUBG Mobile esports tournaments exceeded $16 million while the PUBG Mobile Global Championship (PMGC) attracted a peak viewership of 927K according to escharts.

Fortnite Gears Up to Take on VALORANT and Counter-Strike

Ballistic is a new first-person Fortnite experience set to launch in early access on December 11th. This new experience will feature a round-based 5v5 competitive game mode (much like Riot Game’s VALORANT or Valve’s Counter-Strike) and will initially contain only a limited number of weapons and items on a single map - Skyline 10. The armory includes all the usual suspects from assault rifles, shotguns and snipers to smoke grenades and flashbangs. The exception here is the inclusion of ‘Flex Gadgets’ which include utility items like a proximity mine, a frag grenade and more. The first look of the map may feel very familiar to players of other FPS games. Players are sorted into two teams - Attackers and Defenders with Attackers aiming to plant a Rift Point Device at one of two plant sites, while Defenders do their best to prevent the device from being detonated. The 5v5 tactical FPS space has largely been a duopoly. With Fortnite’s popularity among young gamers, perhaps the dominance of the big two might finally be challenged.

PlayerUnknown's Ambitious Return: Massive Survival Game Projects Unveiled

Brendan Greene, the creator of the battle royale genre and PUBG, is back with PlayerUnknown Productions, unveiling an ambitious three-game plan to redefine survival gaming. The first project, Prologue, is a single-player open-world survival game showcasing Earth-scale terrain generated with AI and machine learning. Its Steam release is expected in Q2 2025. A tech demo, Preface: Undiscovered World, highlights the studio's in-house engine, Melba, designed for scaling interactive, massive worlds. The ultimate vision, Project Artemis, aims to create a metaverse-like Earth-scale environment where players can forge their own experiences. Greene describes this as a long-term endeavor, leveraging community feedback to refine gameplay and technology over the next decade.

93% of GameFi Projects are Dead Claims ChainPlay

ChainPlay's latest report claims that 93% of GameFi projects have failed, highlighting the struggles of a sector that once promised to revolutionize gaming through blockchain and decentralized finance. While GameFi attracted 75% of crypto investors at its peak, interest waned due to low-quality gameplay, declining returns, and concerns over scams. However, optimism persists, with 88% of investors believing the industry can thrive by focusing on engaging, high-quality gaming experiences rather than just financial incentives. The future of GameFi may hinge on putting gameplay first to regain trust and sustain growth.

Dentsu x IWM Buzz India Gaming Report Values ‘Pure Play Gaming Industry’ at INR 6.75K Cr ($799.4 M)

According to the report, Pure Play games are those that are played exclusively for entertainment purposes. This includes casual games, midcore games, AAA titles and esports titles. The report projects this industry to grow to INR 10,487 Cr ($1.25B) by 2026. The report also claims that there are 13.85 Cr (138.5 million) pure play gamers in the country of which 30.1% are paying gamers. Download the full report here.

Rana Daggubati Surprises Fans at Solo Leveling Screening and Delhi Comic Con

Anime fans in Delhi had a memorable experience at a special screening of Solo Leveling -ReAwakening- hosted by Crunchyroll, where actor Rana Daggubati made a surprise appearance. Daggubati, known for his role in films like Baahubali, lent his voice to the character of Barca in the upcoming second season of Solo Leveling, which will be released in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. He also visited Crunchyroll's booth at Delhi Comic Con, where fans could explore the Solo Leveling Dome. Reflecting on the experience, Daggubati expressed excitement about connecting with anime fans and praised the growing popularity of anime in India.

The classic Tetris theme song that we all know and love is actually a Russian folk song called ‘Korobeiniki’ (The Peddlers). It’s about a peddler and his girl haggling over goods portrayed as a metaphor for seduction.