# GIES - Games Industry Executive Summary

> GIES is a weekly intelligence newsletter covering the full video games market for executives, investors, and senior analysts. Five lenses: PLAYERS & AUDIENCE (demand, motivations, behaviors, segmentation, engagement metrics), MARKETS (geography, regional dynamics, US/EU/Asia/MEA/LATAM), PRODUCTS (games, franchises, IP, gameplay, features, mechanics, franchise lifecycle), SUPPLY (studios, publishers, platforms, console cycles, studio operations), BUSINESS MODELS (free-to-play, premium, microtransactions, Game Pass, subscriptions, battle passes, seasons, live services, acquisition, marketing, M&A, publishing). Through-line: how design choices shape player behavior shape business outcomes. Authored by a team of three: Emmanuel Rosier (founder), Casey Al-Kaisy (co-founder), and David Thier (contributor). Published every Friday since June 2024 at giesweekly.substack.com.

## About

- [About GIES](https://giesweekly.com/#about): Mission, audience, editorial approach, cadence
- [Authors](https://giesweekly.com/authors/): Bios for Emmanuel Rosier, Casey Al-Kaisy, David Thier
- [Newsletter](https://giesweekly.substack.com): Substack home, archive, subscribe
- [YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@giesweekly): Long-form analyses and Shorts
- [LinkedIn page](https://www.linkedin.com/company/giesweekly): Brand updates and announcements

## Authors

- **Emmanuel Rosier** (founder, lead analyst): authority on Competitive Intelligence, Market Research, and Demand Planning. 40+ years gaming history, decade in the gaming industry across the US, Europe, and Asia. https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmanuelrosier
- **Casey Al-Kaisy** (co-founder, Business Development): gaming veteran with global marketing and business strategy work on Helldivers, Battlefield, Need for Speed, Command & Conquer, Mirrors Edge, Ultima. Currently helps smaller studios get funded or strike publishing deals. https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseyalkaisy
- **David Thier** (contributor - Game Design, Marketing & Communications): consultant on 40+ titles from AAA to indie farming sims; 10 years as Forbes video-games journalist; 2 years leading communications at PlayerUnknown Productions. https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-thier-10167415

## Topical authority

GIES covers five lenses on the video games market:

### Players & audience (demand side)
- Demand patterns and total reachable audience
- Player segmentation and demographics
- Player motivations and gameplay preferences
- Behavioral data: MAU, DAU, playtime, retention, churn
- Engagement metrics and player lifetime value

### Markets (geography)
- Geographic dynamics: US, EU, Asia, MEA, LATAM
- Regional supply and demand differences
- Asian publisher Western expansion (Krafton, NetEase, NCSoft, miHoYo)
- Regulatory geography (EU loot box laws, US antitrust, Asian compliance)

### Products
- Games, franchises, and intellectual property
- Gameplay, features, mechanics
- Franchise lifecycle (sequels, remakes, DLC, season content)
- TAM evolution per IP

### Supply (industry side)
- Studios, publishers, platforms
- Console hardware cycles and platform relevance
- PC vs console market dynamics
- Studio operations and labor (layoffs, restructurings)
- Industry leadership and politics

### Business models
- Free-to-play (F2P) economics
- Premium pricing
- Microtransactions and IAP design
- Game Pass and subscription gaming
- Battle passes and season passes
- Live services
- Player acquisition and marketing
- Gaming M&A and corporate development
- Publishing strategy


## Editorial principles

- Verification-first: claims are sourced and quantified
- Numerical precision: prefer specific numbers over qualitative claims
- Explicit assumptions: separate facts, assumptions, and interpretations
- Structured outputs: tables, frameworks, decision trees over prose
- Audience: senior executives, investors, analysts (not consumer gaming readers)

## Recent flagship analyses

- [Xbox Game Pass drops to $22.99](https://giesweekly.substack.com/p/xbox-game-pass-drops-to-2299-and) - 2026-04-24
- [GTA Online hack reveals $13M daily revenue](https://giesweekly.substack.com/p/gta-online-hack-reveals-13m-daily) - 2026-04-17
- [Monthly Takeaway: The harder they fall](https://giesweekly.substack.com/p/monthly-takeaway-the-harder-they) - 2026-04-16
- [Apple takes Epic fight to Supreme Court](https://giesweekly.substack.com/p/apple-takes-epic-fight-to-supreme) - 2026-04-15
- [Sony hikes PS5 prices again; Eidos](https://giesweekly.substack.com/p/sony-hikes-ps5-prices-again-eidos) - 2026-04-03
- [Epic Games cuts 1000 jobs; Savvy acquires](https://giesweekly.substack.com/p/epic-games-cuts-1000-jobs-savvy-acquires) - 2026-03-27
- [W11 2026 weekly](https://giesweekly.substack.com/p/w11-2026) - 2026-03-25
- [W10 2026 weekly](https://giesweekly.substack.com/p/w10-2026) - 2026-03-26
- [GIES Monthly Takeaway 16](https://giesweekly.substack.com/p/gies-monthly-takeaway-16) - 2026-03-26
- [PC vs Console Gaming Special Report](https://giesweekly.substa