Tech Talks: The state of gaming investments in 2024

After soaring to dizzying heights during the COVID-19 pandemic, gaming investments have returned to earth and reached a new steady state. Q1 2024 presented modest increases in deal value while deal count reached parity with Q4 2023. As the midpoint of 2024 approaches, PitchBook gaming analyst Eric Bellomo sat down with a panel of leading gaming investors to discuss expectations for the coming year, key trends within the sector, and sub-segments that are demonstrating meaningful innovation.

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Key Topics

Foundational elements of gaming that separate it from other categories of technology and entertainment
Emerging trends investors and startups must be mindful of within this steady state
Key industry insights from years of working within games

Related PitchBook Reports

Q1 2024 Gaming Report
Q1 2024 Gaming Public Comp Sheet & Valuation Guide
Analyst Note: Takeaways from the Game Developers Conference

Featuring

Eric Bellomo

Senior Research Analyst, E-commerce and Gaming
Eric Bellomo is a senior research analyst at PitchBook, where he supports the firm’s emerging technology research, covering e-commerce and gaming. He authors quarterly deep dives and thematic analyst notes on these verticals. Prior to joining PitchBook, Bellomo was a researcher at Forrester Research and a digital product manager at EF Ultimate Break.

Bellomo holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Villanova University. He is based in PitchBook’s San Francisco office.
Scott Rupp

Founding General Partner, <a href="https://www.bitkraft.vc/">BITKRAFT Ventures</a>

Scott is a Founding General Partner at BITKRAFT Ventures based in Denver, Colorado. An interactive entertainment entrepreneur, investor, and operating executive for over 20 years, Scott has served as USA Managing Director for Modern Times Group, a global leader in games and Esports, where he led their venture capital fund and U.S. expansion.

Scott held co-founder and CEO roles at influencer marketing and digital content companies Digital Artists and Icebox and was an early leader in the U.S. online games industry as SVP of Corporate Development for Gazillion.

He advised the world’s leading entertainment companies on the games industry while at McKinsey, and previously served at Deutsche Bank and Carlyle Group. He has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern Univeristy and an MPA from Harvard.
Sikander Chahal

Principal, <a href="https://www.transcend.fund/">Transcend Fund</a>

Sikander is a competitive gamer and digital native with strong investment and operational experience.

He has experience in M&A, fundraising, strategy, commercial due diligence, and game development advisory. His previous employers include BIT Capital, London Venture Partners, and Newzoo working with early stage to AAA game developers, investors, and global media companies.

Sikander grew up playing multiplayer games since his childhood and was in the top percentile of Dota players, in a competitive Counterstrike 1.6 team, and managed his own private Rangarok Online community server. Gaming has played a central role in his life, and he’s excited to help founders build the next generation of digital entertainment.
Grigory Bortnik

Venture Partner, <a href="https://www.gamesfund.vc/">The Games Fund</a>

Grigory is based in Cryprus and has several positions throughout the games industry. After starting as an investor with MGVC, Grigory became the Investment Director at Owlcat Games, a developer of role playing games. In this position, he also co-founded InvestGame, a market intelligence platform for gaming data, where he acts as Editor-in-Chief. Grigory currently supports The Games Fund, a leading games VC in Europe, as a Venture Partner and launched the Narwhal Accelerator at the start of 2024.

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