Delivered at Casual Connect Europe 2016 NetEase, Inc. is one of the largest, most well-established game developers in China. NetEase actively invests internationally and has invested in over a dozen mobile game studios worldwide. As head of mobile business development, Tom van Dam oversees applications by mobile game studios for investment. In this presentation he will share what key areas investors look at and how mobile game studios can present themselves in the best light.

1. Investing in Mobile Games:
What Investors Are Looking For
Tom van Dam
Head of Mobile Business Development
NetEase

2. Why investment in mobile game companies?
High Potential
Return
Strategic
Investment
Diversified Targeted

3. What are investors are looking for?
Good Team Good Game

4. Are investors looking for developers
motivated by:
orMoney Passion

5. Game
Both are important.

6. Game should make financial sense
Opportunity
for large
scale
expansion Big
potential
audience
Well-
integrated
monetization
Not competing
with
established
market leaders

7. And contain
innovative
gameplay
• Market is saturated with
copies
• Market trends move too
rapidly
• Famous IP + AAA quality no
longer enough to stand out

8. Team Experience
Games
• What
games have
core team
members
worked on
in the past?
Companies
• What past
developers
have they
worked for?
Roles
• What did
they do in
their past
roles?
Team
• Does the
team have
experience
working
together?

9. Case Study #1
Team member Experience
CEO Director at major tech company
CTO Tech lead at AAA console company
Lead Developer Lead developer at casual mobile company
Client Developer Senior backend for premium mobile game title
Art Director UI lead at casual mobile company
Game: Free-to-play RPG for iOS & Android

10. Team member Experience
CEO Director at major tech company – No game experience
CTO Tech lead at AAA console company – No mobile experience
Lead Developer Lead developer at casual mobile company – Genre mismatch
Client Developer Senior backend for premium mobile game title – No F2P experience
Art Director UI lead at casual mobile company – Genre mismatch, lack experience
Game: Free-to-play RPG for iOS & Android
Monetization
model
Genre Platform
Case Study #1

11. Team member Experience
CEO Director at AAA PC game developer
CTO Senior Engineer at mid-core mobile developer
Senior Game
Designer
Game Designer for small F2P RPG mobile title
Senior Engineer Programmer for small F2P RPG mobile title
Art Director Art Director at AAA PC game developer
Game: Free-to-play MOBA for iOS & Android
Case Study #2

12. Team member Experience
CEO Director at AAA PC game developer – game experience, platform mismatch
CTO Senior Engineer at mid-core mobile developer - relevant experience
Senior Game Designer Game Designer for small F2P RPG mobile title – relevant experience
Senior Engineer Programmer for small F2P RPG mobile title – relevant experience
Art Director Art Director at AAA PC game developer – game experience, platform mismatch
Game: Free-to-play MOBA for iOS & Android
Monetization
model
Genre Platform
Case Study #2

13. Team member Experience
CEO Product manager/Creative Producer at AAA PC developers
CTO Senior Software Engineer at AAA PC developers
CCO Game Director at AAA console developers
Game Tech Lead Senior Programmer at multi-platform developer
Studio Art Manager Producer at AAA PC developers
Creative Director Creative Director at AAA multi-platform developer
Senior Game
Designer
Senior Game Designer at AAA mobile game developer
Senior Engineer Lead Programmer at AAA mobile game developer
Case Study #3
Game: F2P
midcore
mobile title

14. Team member Experience
CEO Product manager/Creative Producer at AAA PC developers
CTO Senior Software Engineer at AAA PC developers
CCO Game Director at AAA console developers
Game Tech Lead Senior Programmer at multi-platform developer
Studio Art Manager Producer at AAA PC developers
Creative Director Creative Director at AAA multi-platform developer
Senior Game Designer Senior Game Designer at AAA mobile game developer
Senior Engineer Lead Programmer at AAA mobile game developer
Case Study #3
Team has
deep
experience at
top
developers;
has members
with
experience in
mobile games
Game: F2P
midcore
mobile title

15. Good platform
relationships?
Consider Your Marketing Strategy
Heavy spending
on UA?
E-sports and
streamers?

16. And Business Strategy
Target
audience
Social
Services &
Operations
Conversion
/ Retention

17. Show Projections
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
2016 2017 2018 2019
Revenue Net Income
Year
1
Year
2
Year
3
Installs X Mn Y Mn Z Mn
DAU X Mn Y Mn Z Mn
ARP
DAU
$X $Y $Z
LTV $X $Y $Z

18. Allocation of Cash
• Think carefully through your
company’s needs, do the
research
• Figures should be reasonable
• Don’t give yourself a huge
salary!
Salaries $
Equipment $
Premises $
Services $
Operations $
Soft launch UA $
Overheads $
Total $X M

19. Milestones - Show You Can Complete
2016:Q1 2016:Q2 2016:Q3 2016:Q4 2017:Q1 2017:Q2
Prototype
Vertical
Slice
Soft Launch Hard Launch
Market analysis
Focus group
testing
UA
Seed round
First round
funding
Game Cashflow

20. How to Find Investors
• Industry connections
• Other developers
• Government/trade bodies
• Gameshows
• Email!

21. Tom van Dam
Head of Mobile Business Development
NetEase
hztom@corp.netease.com