Mitch Lasky
Mitch Lasky
Mitch Lasky is a general partner at the Silicon Valley venture capital firm Benchmark and a former entrepreneur and video game executive...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBusinessman
CountryUnited States of America
business charge friction gets happens hump marketing people rid trying upfront
Free-to-play isn't a business model. Free-to-play is a marketing strategy. It's a way to get people over the hump of trying out your game. It gets rid of the friction that happens when you charge an upfront fee.
bothers gets hit suddenly ten versions watched
I've watched what happens when a game like 'DragonVale' gets to number one on iOS. Suddenly there's ten other versions of it that hit the store. As a gamer, that bothers me. I don't like those companies.
environment steam store table taking valuable viewing
The distributor used to get 10, 12, 14 percent in most cases, but the App Store or Steam - they're taking 30 points. So clearly, they're viewing what they bring to the table in the digital environment to be more valuable than distribution.
benchmark fortune good mobile ramp reminded
Snapchat's ramp reminded us of another mobile app Benchmark had the good fortune to back at an early stage: Instagram.
store
I really think the app store is kind of the killer app for Apple and for Google.
cheaper myth paid version winds
There's a myth that free-to-play is cheaper than a $60 game. It's just elastic. For some users, it winds up being a lot more expensive. I would have paid $150 a year to get a better version of FIFA.
creating energy game games industry point sequels touch video
We are at a point in the video game industry that the industry is hollowed out. It is out of touch with the zeitgeist, creating sequels and formulaic games over and over again. The energy comes from the indies.