The Game Souk

Welcome to Game Souk, where we explore all aspects of the gaming world from tech, finance, culture, and beyond. Airs live every Thursday at 9am Eastern on X @daltonan. Topics covered in this episode:

• Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro calls Epic Games central to Disney's strategy for reaching younger consumers

• Star Wars games launch successfully on Fortnite, with team favorites including Bloom Games' Ewok Survival and Droid Tycoon

• Roblox Q1 earnings: beat the quarter but reset Q2 guidance by 28% and full year by 20%+, with sell-side price targets cut from $100+ to $50

• Roblox raises developer payout 42%, with caveats around US 18+ players and R15 avatar requirements

• Roblox kills the Pls Donate API, an estimated $15–20M/year game, in favor of Roblox Plus subscriptions

• KreekCraft signals he may move to GTA as creator frustration with Roblox grows

• Roblox Reality: a new generative AI video model that upscales games to photorealistic, with players (not creators) paying the fee

• Eliza on the cultural moment of leadership-with-impunity and why blocky aesthetics are more inclusive than photorealism

• Xandros on Roblox losing its identity by chasing traditional developers

• Google's Gemini personal agent (codename Remy) as the answer to Open Claw, with full Google Workspace integration on TPUs

• Meta's expected personal agent and why WhatsApp is the real entry point

• Anthropic's compute jujitsu: ~$100B with AWS, ~$200B with Google/GCP, and up to ~$300B with SpaceX, plus Elon's "evil detector didn't go off"

• ChatGPT 5.5's rave reviews and the leapfrog dynamic across frontier labs

#GameSouk #Roblox #Fortnite #Epic #Disney #StarWars #UGC #AI #Gemini #Anthropic #OpenAI #SpaceX #Gaming

Disclaimer: This material is prepared by SIGNUM GROWTH (“SIGNUM”) and is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast, research or investment advice, and is not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or to adopt any investment strategy. The opinions expressed are as of the date on the front page, and may change as subsequent conditions vary. The information and opinions contained in this material are derived from proprietary and non-proprietary sources deemed by SIGNUM to be reliable, are not necessarily all inclusive and are not guaranteed as to accuracy. As such, no warranty of accuracy or reliability is given and no responsibility arising in any other way for errors and omissions (including responsibility to any person by reason of negligence) is accepted by SIGNUM, its officers, employees or agents.

*Past performance is not indicative of future returns. This material may contain ‘forward-looking’ information that is not purely historical in nature. Such information may include, among other things, projections and forecasts. There is no guarantee that any forecasts made will come to pass. Reliance upon information in this material is at the sole discretion of the reader. This material is intended for information purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell in any asset classes or any investment strategy nor shall any securities be offered or sold to any person in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. Private placement securities are speculative, illiquid, and carry a high degree of risk, including the loss of the entire investment. There are also key specific risks associated with any particular private securities offering.

Welcome to Game Souk, where we explore all aspects of the gaming world from tech, finance, culture, and beyond. Airs live every Thursday at 9am Eastern on X @daltonan.

Topics covered in this episode:

- World Builder Summit recap: Roblox algorithm shift toward longer games, FIFA's move to Roblox, Epic's UEFN priorities for multiplayer and discovery

- Platform risk and algorithm dependence for UGC developers- s&box launch: Facepunch's new UGC platform with Steam publishing

- Epic vs. Apple and Google: link-out fees, third-party app stores, and what developers will actually pay

- EU charges Meta with Digital Services Act violation over under-13 access- Big Tech earnings: Google the clear winner, Meta the clear loser, Amazon and Microsoft in between

- OpenAI reportedly missing targets and the Musk vs. Altman trial- Apple earnings preview and what to watch next week

#GameSouk #Gaming #Roblox #UGC #EpicGames #Apple #Google #Meta #AI #BigTech #Fortnite #Earnings

Disclaimer: This material is prepared by SIGNUM GROWTH (“SIGNUM”) and is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast, research or investment advice, and is not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or to adopt any investment strategy. The opinions expressed are as of the date on the front page, and may change as subsequent conditions vary. The information and opinions contained in this material are derived from proprietary and non-proprietary sources deemed by SIGNUM to be reliable, are not necessarily all inclusive and are not guaranteed as to accuracy. As such, no warranty of accuracy or reliability is given and no responsibility arising in any other way for errors and omissions (including responsibility to any person by reason of negligence) is accepted by SIGNUM, its officers, employees or agents.*Past performance is not indicative of future returns. This material may contain ‘forward-looking’ information that is not purely historical in nature. Such information may include, among other things, projections and forecasts. There is no guarantee that any forecasts made will come to pass. Reliance upon information in this material is at the sole discretion of the reader. This material is intended for information purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell in any asset classes or any investment strategy nor shall any securities be offered or sold to any person in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. Private placement securities are speculative, illiquid, and carry a high degree of risk, including the loss of the entire investment. There are also key specific risks associated with any particular private securities offering.

Welcome to Game Souk, where we explore all aspects of the gaming world from tech, finance, culture, and beyond. Airs live every Thursday at 9am Eastern on X @daltonan. Topics covered in this episode:

• World Builder Summit highlights and the state of UGC gaming

• Identity, age verification, and the case for proof of human (World ID, EU failures, PlayStation UK rollout)

• Roblox slowdown: seasonal factors vs. child safety headwinds

• Roblox IP going transmedia: Steal a Brainrot toys hit Hot Topic, Walmart, and Target

• The speed gap between UGC content cycles and legacy media (Call of Duty movie in 2028)

• SpaceX pre-IPO roadshow and the Cursor acquisition ($60B agentic AI bet)

• Space-based AI data centers: SpaceX S-1 warnings and investor expectations

• Claude Design, the creative software shakeup, and why Adobe is losing ground

• Tesla earnings and Musk's shifting tone on timelines

• AI momentum across capital markets: Anthropic-Amazon, agentic tools, and legacy software disruption

#GameSouk #Gaming #UGC #Roblox #SpaceX #AI #AgeVerification #WorldID #Adobe #ClaudeAI #Tesla #Cursor #TransmediaIP

Disclaimer: This material is prepared by SIGNUM GROWTH (“SIGNUM”) and is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast, research or investment advice, and is not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or to adopt any investment strategy. The opinions expressed are as of the date on the front page, and may change as subsequent conditions vary. The information and opinions contained in this material are derived from proprietary and non-proprietary sources deemed by SIGNUM to be reliable, are not necessarily all inclusive and are not guaranteed as to accuracy. As such, no warranty of accuracy or reliability is given and no responsibility arising in any other way for errors and omissions (including responsibility to any person by reason of negligence) is accepted by SIGNUM, its officers, employees or agents.*Past performance is not indicative of future returns. This material may contain ‘forward-looking’ information that is not purely historical in nature. Such information may include, among other things, projections and forecasts. There is no guarantee that any forecasts made will come to pass. Reliance upon information in this material is at the sole discretion of the reader. This material is intended for information purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell in any asset classes or any investment strategy nor shall any securities be offered or sold to any person in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. Private placement securities are speculative, illiquid, and carry a high degree of risk, including the loss of the entire investment. There are also key specific risks associated with any particular private securities offering.

Welcome to Game Souk, where we explore all aspects of the gaming world from tech, finance, culture, and beyond. Airs live every Thursday at 9am Eastern on X @daltonan. Topics covered in this episode:

• Market rebound: software retracement, Allbirds' AI pivot, and the SpaceX IPO getting competition from Amazon/Globalstar
• Cartoon Next recap: 61% of animation fans prefer YouTube-originated series over legacy SVOD studios
• Amazing Digital Circus and why "AI slop" will devalue hyperrealistic legacy styles
• Roblox Plus replaces Premium: in-game discounts, free private servers, fee-free Robux gifting
• Roblox's new age-tiered system: Roblox Kids, RoboSelect, 16+ publishing default, and the move to PEGI/ESRB
• ELF, classic faces, and the hyperrealism misnomer: why Roblox should learn from Epic's IP playbook
• Roblox settles with Nevada for $12M, with $10M going to minor safety programs
• Fortnite ships custom items for creators — a big step for the UGC ecosystem
• Newzoo 2026: Roblox is now the #1 game by playtime across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox
• EU launches an age verification app — the ZK proofs angle and what's still unclear

#GameSouk #Roblox #Fortnite #UGC #Gaming #AgeVerification #CartoonNext #Newzoo #ZKProofs #AI #ELF #SpaceX

Disclaimer: This material is prepared by SIGNUM GROWTH (“SIGNUM”) and is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast, research or investment advice, and is not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or to adopt any investment strategy. The opinions expressed are as of the date on the front page, and may change as subsequent conditions vary. The information and opinions contained in this material are derived from proprietary and non-proprietary sources deemed by SIGNUM to be reliable, are not necessarily all inclusive and are not guaranteed as to accuracy. As such, no warranty of accuracy or reliability is given and no responsibility arising in any other way for errors and omissions (including responsibility to any person by reason of negligence) is accepted by SIGNUM, its officers, employees or agents.

*Past performance is not indicative of future returns. This material may contain ‘forward-looking’ information that is not purely historical in nature. Such information may include, among other things, projections and forecasts. There is no guarantee that any forecasts made will come to pass. Reliance upon information in this material is at the sole discretion of the reader. This material is intended for information purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell in any asset classes or any investment strategy nor shall any securities be offered or sold to any person in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. Private placement securities are speculative, illiquid, and carry a high degree of risk, including the loss of the entire investment. There are also key specific risks associated with any particular private securities offering.

Welcome to Game Souk, where we explore all aspects of the gaming world from tech, finance, culture, and beyond. Airs live every Thursday at 9am Eastern on X @daltonan. Topics covered in this episode:- World Builder Summit with special guest Grace Lind- Philippines threatens Roblox ban over age verification- Age verification, privacy, and zero-knowledge proofs- Netflix open-sources Void AI video editing tool- Anthropic's record-breaking Q1 growth- Caveman prompting and Claude token cost hacks- Netflix game controller app's organic App Store breakout- Anthropic Mythos model and Project Glasswing cyber testing- Super Mario Bros movie breaks global box office records#GameSouk #Gaming #UGC #Roblox #Anthropic #AI #Netflix #AgeVerification #ZeroKnowledgeProofs #SuperMarioBros #EpicGames #Fortnite #WorldBuilderSummitDisclaimer: This material is prepared by SIGNUM GROWTH (“SIGNUM”) and is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast, research or investment advice, and is not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or to adopt any investment strategy. The opinions expressed are as of the date on the front page, and may change as subsequent conditions vary. The information and opinions contained in this material are derived from proprietary and non-proprietary sources deemed by SIGNUM to be reliable, are not necessarily all inclusive and are not guaranteed as to accuracy. As such, no warranty of accuracy or reliability is given and no responsibility arising in any other way for errors and omissions (including responsibility to any person by reason of negligence) is accepted by SIGNUM, its officers, employees or agents.*Past performance is not indicative of future returns. This material may contain ‘forward-looking’ information that is not purely historical in nature. Such information may include, among other things, projections and forecasts. There is no guarantee that any forecasts made will come to pass. Reliance upon information in this material is at the sole discretion of the reader. This material is intended for information purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell in any asset classes or any investment strategy nor shall any securities be offered or sold to any person in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. Private placement securities are speculative, illiquid, and carry a high degree of risk, including the loss of the entire investment. There are also key specific risks associated with any particular private securities offering.

Welcome to Game Souk, where we explore all aspects of the UGC gaming world from tech, finance, culture, and beyond. Airs live every Thursday at 9am Eastern on X @daltonan. Topics covered in this episode:

• Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro name-drops Epic Games in first shareholder address

• Star Wars IP assets now live in UEFN

• Baobab Studios acquires media rights to three Roblox IPs

• Roblox IP-to-media strategy: viral peaks vs. long-standing communities

• Updated COPPA rules take effect in 20 days

• Age verification, zero-knowledge proofs, and proof of personhood

• SpaceX files IPO confidentially – could be largest ever at ~$75B

• OpenAI's $10B raise and commercial partner struggles

• Anthropic source code leak and upcoming "Mythos" model release

• The AI race: Anthropic vs. OpenAI heading into potential IPOs

#GameSouk #Gaming #EpicGames #Disney #UEFN #Fortnite #Roblox #COPPA #AgeVerification #SpaceX #IPO #OpenAI #Anthropic #AI #UGC

Disclaimer: This material is prepared by SIGNUM GROWTH (“SIGNUM”) and is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast, research or investment advice, and is not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or to adopt any investment strategy. The opinions expressed are as of the date on the front page, and may change as subsequent conditions vary. The information and opinions contained in this material are derived from proprietary and non-proprietary sources deemed by SIGNUM to be reliable, are not necessarily all inclusive and are not guaranteed as to accuracy. As such, no warranty of accuracy or reliability is given and no responsibility arising in any other way for errors and omissions (including responsibility to any person by reason of negligence) is accepted by SIGNUM, its officers, employees or agents.

*Past performance is not indicative of future returns. This material may contain ‘forward-looking’ information that is not purely historical in nature. Such information may include, among other things, projections and forecasts. There is no guarantee that any forecasts made will come to pass. Reliance upon information in this material is at the sole discretion of the reader. This material is intended for information purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell in any asset classes or any investment strategy nor shall any securities be offered or sold to any person in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. Private placement securities are speculative, illiquid, and carry a high degree of risk, including the loss of the entire investment. There are also key specific risks associated with any particular private securities offering.

What happens when a retro gaming soul meets cutting-edge Web3 tools? In this episode of Bits of Signum, host Angela Dalton and co-host Eliza Jappinen sit down with Tobi Amann—better known as Deckard—the Co-Founder & CEO of Evrloot. Together they unpack the game’s unlikely origin story, which began not as a game at all, but as an NFT project born from deep community passion. Deckard shares how Evrloot evolved into a full-fledged RPG with lore-rich storytelling, on-chain mechanics, and a player base that built alongside the dev team. From his days in World of Warcraft and Deloitte to Season Two’s tactical gameplay and marketplace economy, this is a conversation about building slowly, ethically, and with purpose in the Web3 space.

About the Guest: Tobi Amann, also known as Deckard, is the Co-Founder and CEO of Evrloot, a community-driven Web3 RPG. A lifelong gamer with a background in consulting and product management—including a stint leading a dev team at Deloitte—Tobi merged his love of gaming with blockchain technology to create one of the space’s most compelling indie titles.

The second season of Evrloot JUST DROPPED, go play it here. 

Follow Deckard: X | LinkedIn 

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Follow Angela: ⁠LinkedIn⁠ | ⁠Twitter⁠

Follow Eliza: ⁠LinkedIn⁠ | ⁠Twitter⁠

Signum Growth invests and advises at the intersection of mass market culture and new economies that are bubbling up in new digital communities. We believe that emerging technologies will continue to be born in video games and that ‘gaming’ will reach an increasingly broader swath of people, until it is simply known as entertainment. The firm focuses on creators and developers who are moving to the front of the line, where they will garner a greater slice of value creation. Areas of expertise include video games, entertainment, and emerging technologies like blockchain and AI. Most recently, the firm has focused on UGC (user generated content) platforms and creators. Signum Growth is comprised of Signum Growth Capital, a FINRA-registered broker dealer, and Signum Growth Advisors, an investment advisor.

Angela Dalton, Signum Growth’s Founder/CEO, served in Tech/Media leadership roles and as a Managing Director at three firms - Guggenheim Securities, Evercore Partners, and UBS. At Evercore Partners, Angela was an initial investor and Co-Founder of Evercore Equities. Signum Growth acts as the Lead Advisor to ARK Invest, and Angela serves as the Co-Founder of the Women in Gaming Zoom (WIGZ), and recently served on the corporate board of FaZe Clan. She earned an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, and a B.A. and B.S. from the University of Kansas, Phi Beta Kappa.

In this episode, Angela is joined by Co-founder of Look North World, Patrick Moran, to discuss his game studio, the work they’ve done, and the future of the gaming industry. During their conversation Patrick gives background to how Look North World came about, before diving into how game studios can operate successfully in a UGC environment, their launch of The Glitch, how best to integrate IP and large brands into these worlds, and more.

Patrick Moran is the co-founder of Look North World, a pioneering UGC game studio and publisher. As trailblazers in the games industry, Look North World has established itself as an entertainment company focused on creating unique experiences by leveraging new and emerging creator platforms, including Fortnite UEFN and Curseforge, to build games for millions of existing players. Before founding Look North World, Patrick held product roles including Chief Product Officer at Kongregate, Franchise Lead at MobilityWare, and other companies like Amazon, Disney, and EA.

Check out all things Look North World

Follow Patrick: LinkedIn | Twitter

Chapters: 

Signum Growth invests and advises at the intersection of mass market culture and new economies that are bubbling up in new digital communities. We believe that emerging technologies will continue to be born in video games and that ‘gaming’ will reach an increasingly broader swath of people, until it is simply known as entertainment. The firm focuses on creators and developers who are moving to the front of the line, where they will garner a greater slice of value creation. Areas of expertise include video games, entertainment, and emerging technologies like blockchain and AI. Most recently, the firm has focused on UGC (user generated content) platforms and creators. Signum Growth is comprised of Signum Growth Capital, a FINRA-registered broker dealer, and Signum Growth Advisors, an investment advisor.

Angela Dalton, Signum Growth’s Founder/CEO, served in Tech/Media leadership roles and as a Managing Director at three firms - Guggenheim Securities, Evercore Partners, and UBS. At Evercore Partners, Angela was an initial investor and Co-Founder of Evercore Equities. Signum Growth acts as the Lead Advisor to ARK Invest, and Angela serves as the Co-Founder of the Women in Gaming Zoom (WIGZ), and recently served on the corporate board of FaZe Clan. She earned an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, and a B.A. and B.S. from the University of Kansas, Phi Beta Kappa.

Follow Angela: LinkedIn | Twitter

In this episode, Angela and Eliza are joined by Pocket Worlds Founder & CEO, Anton Bernstein, for a conversation about the evolution of Highrise from an immersive social experience to a full blown UGC gaming platform. They discuss the steps along that evolution, how to assist creators in building communities, how the unique demographics of Highrise users gives it an advantage, new and future creator tools on the platform, and much more!

Anton Bernstein is the CEO and Founder of Pocket Worlds, a technology company that empowers shared experiences to connect the world. The company is a fast-growing YCombinator-backed company with over 50 million users and 10,000 creators. Currently, the company has two platforms: Highrise, the leading virtual world where people make avatars, express themselves, engage in shared experiences, and create deep friendships along the way, and Everskies, the leading pixel doll community where users dress up avatars and chat with friends.

Learn more about Highrise

Download Highrise from the App Store

Follow Anton: LinkedIn | X

Chapters:

Introduction (00:00)

Highrise Background (01:36)

Social App Makers Not Game Designers (06:23)

Everskies Acquisition (09:19)

Helping Creators Build Communities (11:27)

What’s Being Built in Highrise (17:34)

Demographics on Highrise (21:40)

Creator Economics on Highrise (25:24)

Creator Tools of the Future (27:54)

Discovery on the Platform (32:28)

Privacy and Community Standards (36:04)

Being Profitable and the Future of the Company (38:22)

Signum Growth invests and advises at the intersection of mass market culture and new economies that are bubbling up in new digital communities. We believe that emerging technologies will continue to be born in video games and that ‘gaming’ will reach an increasingly broader swath of people, until it is simply known as entertainment. The firm focuses on creators and developers who are moving to the front of the line, where they will garner a greater slice of value creation. Areas of expertise include video games, entertainment, and emerging technologies like blockchain and AI. Most recently, the firm has focused on UGC (user generated content) platforms and creators. Signum Growth is comprised of Signum Growth Capital, a FINRA-registered broker dealer, and Signum Growth Advisors, an investment advisor.

Angela Dalton, Signum Growth’s Founder/CEO, served in Tech/Media leadership roles and as a Managing Director at three firms - Guggenheim Securities, Evercore Partners, and UBS. At Evercore Partners, Angela was an initial investor and Co-Founder of Evercore Equities. Signum Growth acts as the Lead Advisor to ARK Invest, and Angela serves as the Co-Founder of the Women in Gaming Zoom (WIGZ), and recently served on the corporate board of FaZe Clan. She earned an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, and a B.A. and B.S. from the University of Kansas, Phi Beta Kappa.

Follow Angela: LinkedIn | Twitter

Follow Eliza: LinkedIn | Twitter

In this episode, Angela is joined by Mythical President and COO, Arron Goolsbey, to discuss the vision for the future of gaming that Mythical is bringing to life. They discuss why gaming is the hero use case to take Web3 technologies mainstream, building universal secondary marketplaces, the Mythical x NFL deal, and much more.

Arron is a seasoned executive with over 25 years of experience in the digital gaming, consumer products, and big tech industries. As the President and COO at Mythical Games, Arron leads the strategy, vision, and execution of their games-first studio and marketplace platform that leverage Web3 technologies to create immersive and engaging AAA game experiences across all devices.

Check out everything Mythical Games has going on right now.

Follow Arron: LinkedIn | X

Chapters: 

(01:36) Introduction

(04:05) Arron’s Background

(07:00) First Party Games

(09:16) Third Party Games

(12:31) Web3 Foundations

(16:07) Universal Marketplace

(22:21) Mythical X NFL

(27:46) Pudgy Penguins

(30:26) Apple & Google Barriers Broken

(32:06) Vision for the Future of Mythical

Signum Growth invests and advises at the intersection of mass market culture and new economies that are bubbling up in new digital communities. We believe that emerging technologies will continue to be born in video games and that ‘gaming’ will reach an increasingly broader swath of people, until it is simply known as entertainment. The firm focuses on creators and developers who are moving to the front of the line, where they will garner a greater slice of value creation. Areas of expertise include video games, entertainment, and emerging technologies like blockchain and AI. Most recently, the firm has focused on UGC (user generated content) platforms and creators. Signum Growth is comprised of Signum Growth Capital, a FINRA-registered broker dealer, and Signum Growth Advisors, an investment advisor.

Angela Dalton, Signum Growth’s Founder/CEO, served in Tech/Media leadership roles and as a Managing Director at three firms - Guggenheim Securities, Evercore Partners, and UBS. At Evercore Partners, Angela was an initial investor and Co-Founder of Evercore Equities. Signum Growth acts as the Lead Advisor to ARK Invest, and Angela serves as the Co-Founder of the Women in Gaming Zoom (WIGZ), and recently served on the corporate board of FaZe Clan. She earned an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, and a B.A. and B.S. from the University of Kansas, Phi Beta Kappa.

Follow Angela: LinkedIn | Twitter