Tencent’s Chris Kramer on Game Budgets, Media Turmoil, and The Rise of AA | Save State Plus

This week on Save State Plus I sat down with Chris Kramer, Tencent’s head of North American communications, to talk about the business behind video games. That included modern gaming budgets, the media industry, and how all of it works together. Chris was great and shared his frank thought about all of it and how it impacts the games we play.(00:00) Introduction(00:57) Kramer's History(04:08) Kramer in Games Media(07:20) Media Then vs Now(10:20) Media Strategy Today(12:40) How Influencers Are Chosen(19:22) How Sponsorships Work(23:40) Influencer Agencies(26:10) Handling PR Issues(28:10) Sony Changing Policies(29:10) Crisis Plan of Action(31:40) Remembering Star Wars(34:40) Everquest 2 vs World of Warcraft(37:30) Blizzard and EQ2 Teams(38:40) EQ2 Changes(40:40) Tencent Ubisoft(46:50) Western Game Creation Costs(52:30) Layoffs / Consolidation(54:10) Is Constraint Helpful?(57:15) Nintendo vs Palworld(01:00:00) AAA vs AA(01:05:00) Small Games to Check Out