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Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SKLZ Q1 Earnings Call: Management Details Litigation Progress and Product Pipeline Expansion
Mobile game developer Skillz (NYSE:SKLZ) reported Q1 CY2025 results beating Wall Street's revenue expectations , but sales fell by 11.2% year on year to $22.41 million. Its GAAP loss of $0.92 per share was 16.4% above analysts' consensus estimates. Is now the time to buy SKLZ? Find out in our full research report (it's free). Revenue: $22.41 million vs analyst estimates of $20.75 million (11.2% year-on-year decline, 8% beat) EPS (GAAP): -$0.92 vs analyst estimates of -$1.10 (16.4% beat) Adjusted EBITDA: -$15.06 million vs analyst estimates of -$15.95 million (-67.2% margin, 5.6% beat) Operating Margin: -59.2%, up from -106% in the same quarter last year Paying Monthly Active Users: 124,000, up 3,000 year on year Market Capitalization: $98.74 million Skillz's first quarter results were shaped by ongoing efforts to strengthen its platform and defend its position in the skill-based mobile gaming industry. CEO Andrew Paradise opened the call by emphasizing the importance of the company's litigation against competitors accused of unfair practices, which management believes have negatively impacted Skillz's performance. The company highlighted operational improvements, including the launch of its Accelerator program aimed at increasing developer engagement and expanding its portfolio of skill-based games. CFO Gaetano Franceschi noted that year-over-year declines in revenue were partially offset by sequential growth and improved user conversion rates, driven by targeted marketing to lapsed users and disciplined expense management. Looking ahead, Skillz's management is focused on advancing its four strategic pillars, with particular emphasis on expanding its game offerings and improving player engagement. Paradise stated, "Momentum around our Accelerator program helped make the recent Game Developer Conference one of our most successful to date in terms of developer engagement." The company expects to deploy up to $75 million over the next three years to support at least 25 new high-potential games, aiming to broaden its appeal beyond casual genres. Management also reiterated its intent to achieve positive adjusted EBITDA, with Franceschi highlighting that improving cash burn and a strong balance sheet provide flexibility for continued investment. However, the company acknowledged ongoing risks related to industry litigation and competitive pressures. Skillz's first quarter was influenced by ongoing legal disputes, targeted marketing to reengage users, and investments in new game development. Management pointed to both external pressures and internal changes as drivers of recent performance. Industry litigation and fair play: Management devoted significant attention to ongoing lawsuits against international competitors Papaya and Voodoo, alleging the use of bots to create unfair gameplay environments. Paradise asserted that these practices have undermined player trust and directly harmed Skillz's business, positioning the litigation as critical to both industry integrity and the company's own prospects. Accelerator program launch: The introduction of the Accelerator program was central to management's strategy for reinvigorating developer engagement and expanding the portfolio of skill-based games. The program is designed to support at least 25 new games from a mix of genres, with Paradise describing strong developer interest and plans to deploy up to $75 million over three years. Operational restructuring: Management discussed scaling and optimizing its teams in Las Vegas and Bangalore, which they believe will improve efficiency across product development, marketing, and analytics. These initiatives are intended to support long-term platform enhancements and operational consistency. Paying user growth via reengagement: The increase in paying monthly active users was attributed to cost-effective marketing campaigns targeting lapsed users. Management expects that spend from these reengaged players will increase over time, supporting both top-line growth and improved customer lifetime value metrics. Expense discipline and cash management: Franceschi highlighted lower general and administrative costs and improvements in cash burn, aided by a $7.5 million settlement payment from AviaGames. Management indicated that a strong cash balance and ongoing cost management provide runway for continued investment and turnaround initiatives. Skillz's outlook centers on broadening its game library, driving user engagement, and navigating ongoing legal and industry headwinds. Expansion into new game genres: Management is prioritizing the Accelerator program to diversify Skillz's content library, aiming to attract a wider audience by moving beyond traditional casual games. The company expects new game launches to drive higher engagement and potentially increase paying user conversion rates over time. Path to profitability: Management reiterated its goal of achieving positive adjusted EBITDA, focusing on both revenue growth and expense control. Franceschi noted that improving operating cash burn and disciplined marketing spend will be essential to reaching sustainable profitability. Litigation and industry risks: Ongoing legal disputes with competitors continue to represent a significant external risk. Management believes that resolving these issues in Skillz's favor could enhance the company's position in the industry, but acknowledged that uncertainty remains around the timing and outcome of litigation. In coming quarters, the StockStory team will be monitoring (1) progress in the development and release of new games under the Accelerator program, (2) trends in paying user growth and user engagement metrics, and (3) updates on the resolution or advancement of key legal disputes with international competitors. Additionally, we will track whether continued expense discipline translates into sustained improvements in operating margins and cash burn. Skillz currently trades at a forward price-to-gross profit ratio of 1.2×. In the wake of earnings, is it a buy or sell? Find out in our full research report (it's free). The market surged in 2024 and reached record highs after Donald Trump's presidential victory in November, but questions about new economic policies are adding much uncertainty for 2025. While the crowd speculates what might happen next, we're homing in on the companies that can succeed regardless of the political or macroeconomic environment. Put yourself in the driver's seat and build a durable portfolio by checking out our Top 9 Market-Beating Stocks. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025). Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Tecnoglass (+1,754% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Associated Press
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
A New Era for Motion Capture Has Arrived: Vicon to Launch its Markerless Motion Capture Technology at GDC
After years of Research & Development and an expansive beta program with some of the biggest names in VFX, Vicon's Markerless solution will empower creative and previsualization teams to bring ideas to life with greater speed and ease than ever before OXFORD, United Kingdom, March 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Motion capture leader, Vicon, today announced it will launch its highly anticipated Markerless Motion Capture solution next week at the Game Developer Conference (GDC) in San Francisco. The launch follows an immersive exhibition of the Vicon Markerless prototype at SIGGRAPH 2023. The technology was extensively beta-tested via Vicon's Visual Effects (VFX) Pioneer Program, through which the VFX and virtual production communities had the opportunity to discover, understand and define how markerless motion capture could be applied in their industries. Beta participants included Industrial Light & Magic, Gearbox Entertainment, Dimension | DNEG360, Dreamscape Immersive, Framestore Pre-production Services and others. The culmination of those efforts will be the general availability of Vicon Markerless for VFX on March 19. Maximizing Creative Iteration Vicon Markerless is built on 40 years of experience building high-fidelity motion capture solutions for industry leaders in media, entertainment, engineering and life sciences. It completely transforms rapid creative iteration by allowing users to instantly visualize ideas for better creativity early on. Vicon's markerless system comprises a new markerless motion-tracking camera ('Vanguard') and new software incorporating advanced computer vision, machine learning and proven algorithms to capture human performance without markers ('Shōgun Markerless' and 'Shōgun Post'). 'Vicon's Markerless Motion Capture is like magic – providing Gearbox incredible flexibility and speed in the development and storytelling of our games,' said Randy Pitchford, founder and president of Gearbox Entertainment. 'Anyone of us at Gearbox, including me, can quickly jump into our Vicon Markerless Motion Capture volume – even in our street clothes – to quickly get the data we need as we work to bring exciting potential future projects to life, including Borderlands.' 'Vicon Markerless, developed over several years with meticulous attention to detail, sets a new standard for motion capture across games, film, episodic TV and immersive experiences,' said Vicon CEO Imogen O'Connor. 'It enables VFX teams to rapidly refine early creative ideas and iterations marker-free and offers a seamless transition to optical motion capture as needed. Markerless motion capture opens up a world of possibilities for the VFX industry and delivers greater efficiency in creating innovative entertainment.' Pre-Visualization and Rapid Prototyping Without flexible and accessible options for previsualization, real-time discovery, location set-up, blocking, rehearsing and other use cases, studios are forced to rely on manual animation and full motion capture shoots with fewer iterations. With seamless pipeline and ecosystem integration, Vicon Markerless reduces time to visualization, enabling rapid iteration from prototyping and previsualization to real-time animation – even with props. Creative teams can quickly explore ideas marker-free and transition efficiently to full optical motion capture when required. 'The new markerless system from Vicon has significantly accelerated our creative process, enabling us to reach results faster,' said Ben Kolakovic, Virtual Production Operations Manager at Industrial Light & Magic, a beta participant. 'We now receive mocap data much more quickly than before, which allows our artists to experiment with new ideas in a fraction of the time. This streamlined workflow not only fosters creativity but also enhances our ability to iterate efficiently and fine-tune performances.' Vicon Markerless integrates seamlessly into existing Vicon optical motion capture pipelines and increases team efficiency with a single ecosystem across calibration, capture and data cleaning pipelines. See What Markerless Can Do For You Vicon welcomes GDC attendees to visit booth #S335 during expo hours March 19-21. To pre-schedule a meeting at the show, please email [email protected]. For those not attending the show, please visit to learn more. About Vicon Established in 1984, Vicon is an award-winning, leading provider of tailored motion capture systems for the life sciences, media and entertainment, location-based virtual reality, and engineering industries. Vicon's pioneering motion capture technologies push the traditional definition of the term and enable the capture and analysis of all kinds of motion, whatever the modality: optical, inertial or markerless. Vicon has worked with a large range of global clients in the entertainment industry, including Dreamworks, Byte Dance, Electronic Arts (EA), EPIC Games, Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), Lux Machina, Pearl Abyss, Sony, Square Enix, Ubisoft, Warner Bros and many more. Vicon is a subsidiary of Oxford Metrics (LSE:OMG), the smart sensing and software company servicing life science, entertainment, engineering and smart manufacturing markets. Media Contact:
