Snail Inc

Previous wording

ARKis a “hit” product and has historically accounted for a substantial portion of our revenue. TheARK franchise contributed 78.6% of our net revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2024, and our five best-selling franchises (includingARK), which may change year over year, in the aggregate accounted for 82.1% of our net revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2024. If we fail to continue to develop and sell new commercially successful “hit” titles or sequels to such “hit” titles or experience any delays in product releases or disruptions following the commercial release of our “hit” titles or their sequels, our revenue and profits may decrease substantially, and we may incur losses. In addition, competition in our industry is intense and a relatively small number of hit titles account for a large portion of total revenue in our industry. Hit products offered by our competitors may take a larger share of consumer spending than we anticipate, which could cause revenue generated from our products to fall below our expectations. If our competitors develop more successful products or services at lower price points or based on payment models perceived as offering better value, or if we do not continue to develop consistently high-quality and well-received products and services, our revenue and profitability may decline.

Current wording

ARKis a “hit” product and has historically accounted for a substantial portion of our revenue. TheARK franchise contributed 77.7% of our net revenue for the three months ended June 30, 2024, and our five best-selling franchises (includingARK), which may change year over year, in the aggregate accounted for 90.4% of our net revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2024. If we fail to continue to develop and sell new commercially successful “hit” titles or sequels to such “hit” titles or experience any delays in product releases or disruptions following the commercial release of our “hit” titles or their sequels, our revenue and profits may decrease substantially, and we may incur losses. In addition, competition in our industry is intense and a relatively small number of hit titles account for a large portion of total revenue in our industry. Hit products offered by our competitors may take a larger share of consumer spending than we anticipate, which could cause revenue generated from our products to fall below our expectations. If our competitors develop more successful products or services at lower price points or based on payment models perceived as offering better value, or if we do not continue to develop consistently high-quality and well-received products and services, our revenue and profitability may decline.

Previous wording

We license certain intellectual property rights from third parties, including related parties, and in the future, we may enter into additional agreements that provide us with licenses to valuable intellectual property rights or technology. In particular, we license intellectual property rights related to ourARK franchise from SDE, the parent company of Studio Wildcard, which is also an entity that is owned and controlled by the spouse of our Founder, Co-Chief Executive Officer, Chief Strategy Officer and Chairman, Mr. Shi. We entered into an original exclusive software license agreement with SDE in November 2015, for the rights toARK: Survival Evolved, and subsequently entered into the amended and restated ARK1 License Agreement. In December 2022 and October 2023, we amended the ARK1 License Agreement. The terms of our license agreements with SDE may differ from those terms which would be negotiated with independent parties. In addition, we may have disputes with SDE that may impact our business, results of operations, financial condition and/or prospects. TheARK franchise contributed 78.6% of our net revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2024. Even if our games that are dependent on third-party license agreements remain popular, any of our licensors could decide not to renew our existing license agreements or not to license additional intellectual property rights to us and instead license to our competitors or develop and publish its own games or other applications, competing with us in the marketplace. Moreover, many of our licensors develop games for other platforms and may have significant experience and development resources available to them should they decide to compete with us rather than license to us. For additional information concerning our license arrangements, including licensing agreements with affiliated third parties, see Item 1 of Part I, “Business — Intellectual Property,” included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

Current wording

We license certain intellectual property rights from third parties, including related parties, and in the future, we may enter into additional agreements that provide us with licenses to valuable intellectual property rights or technology. In particular, we license intellectual property rights related to ourARK franchise from SDE, the parent company of Studio Wildcard, which is also an entity that is owned and controlled by the spouse of our Founder, Co-Chief Executive Officer, Chief Strategy Officer and Chairman, Mr. Shi. We entered into an original exclusive software license agreement with SDE in November 2015, for the rights toARK: Survival Evolved, and subsequently entered into the amended and restated ARK1 License Agreement. In December 2022 and October 2023, we amended the ARK1 License Agreement. The terms of our license agreements with SDE may differ from those terms which would be negotiated with independent parties. In addition, we may have disputes with SDE that may impact our business, results of operations, financial condition and/or prospects. TheARK franchise contributed 77.7% of our net revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2024. Even if our games that are dependent on third-party license agreements remain popular, any of our licensors could decide not to renew our existing license agreements or not to license additional intellectual property rights to us and instead license to our competitors or develop and publish its own games or other applications, competing with us in the marketplace. Moreover, many of our licensors develop games for other platforms and may have significant experience and development resources available to them should they decide to compete with us rather than license to us. For additional information concerning our license arrangements, including licensing agreements with affiliated third parties, see Item 1 of Part I, “Business — Intellectual Property,” included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

Previous wording

Our games are primarily purchased, accessed and operated through Xbox Live and Game Pass, PlayStation Network, Steam, Epic Games Store, My Nintendo Store, and in the case of our mobile games, the Apple App Store, the Google Play Store and the Amazon Appstore. Substantially all of the games, DLC and in-game virtual items that we sell are purchased using the payment processing systems of these platforms and, for the three months ended March 31, 2024, 88.1% of our revenues were generated through Xbox Live and Game Pass, PlayStation Network, Steam, Epic Games Store, My Nintendo Store, the Apple App Store, the Google Play Store, and the Amazon Appstore. Consequently, our expansion and prospects depend on our continued relationships with these providers, and any other emerging platform providers that are widely adopted by our target players. In addition, having such a large portion of our total net revenues concentrated in a few counterparties reduces our negotiating leverage. We are subject to the standard terms and conditions that these platform providers have for game developers, which govern the content, promotion, distribution, operation of games and other applications on their platforms, as well as the terms of the payment processing services provided by the platforms, and which the platform providers can change unilaterally on short notice or without notice. As such, our business would be harmed if:

Current wording

Our games are primarily purchased, accessed and operated through Xbox Live and Game Pass, PlayStation Network, Steam, Epic Games Store, My Nintendo Store, and in the case of our mobile games, the Apple App Store, the Google Play Store and the Amazon Appstore. Substantially all of the games, DLC and in-game virtual items that we sell are purchased using the payment processing systems of these platforms and, for the six months ended June 30, 2024, 92.6% of our revenues were generated through Xbox Live and Game Pass, PlayStation Network, Steam, Epic Games Store, My Nintendo Store, the Apple App Store, the Google Play Store, and the Amazon Appstore. Consequently, our expansion and prospects depend on our continued relationships with these providers, and any other emerging platform providers that are widely adopted by our target players. In addition, having such a large portion of our total net revenues concentrated in a few counterparties reduces our negotiating leverage. We are subject to the standard terms and conditions that these platform providers have for game developers, which govern the content, promotion, distribution, operation of games and other applications on their platforms, as well as the terms of the payment processing services provided by the platforms, and which the platform providers can change unilaterally on short notice or without notice. As such, our business would be harmed if:

Previous wording

We derive most of our revenue from publishing video games on third-party platform providers, such as Xbox Live and Game Pass, PlayStation Network, Steam, Epic Games Store, the Apple App Store, the Google Play Store, My Nintendo Store and the Amazon Appstore, which, in the aggregate, comprised 88.1% of our net revenue by product platform for the three months ended March 31, 2024. The success of our business is subject to the continued popularity of these platforms and our ability to develop commercially successful products for these platforms.

Current wording

We derive most of our revenue from publishing video games on third-party platform providers, such as Xbox Live and Game Pass, PlayStation Network, Steam, Epic Games Store, the Apple App Store, the Google Play Store, My Nintendo Store and the Amazon Appstore, which, in the aggregate, comprised 92.6% of our net revenue by product platform for the six months ended June 30, 2024. The success of our business is subject to the continued popularity of these platforms and our ability to develop commercially successful products for these platforms.

Previous wording

Our effective tax rate was 21% for both of the three month periods ended March 31, 2024 and 2023. In general, changes in applicable U.S. federal and state and foreign tax laws and regulations, or their interpretation and application, including the possibility of retroactive effect, could affect our tax expense. In addition, taxing authorities in many jurisdictions in which we operate may propose changes to their tax laws and regulations. These potential changes could have a material impact on our effective tax rate, long-term tax planning and financial results.

Current wording

Our effective tax rate was 19% and 21% for six month periods ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. In general, changes in applicable U.S. federal and state and foreign tax laws and regulations, or their interpretation and application, including the possibility of retroactive effect, could affect our tax expense. In addition, taxing authorities in many jurisdictions in which we operate may propose changes to their tax laws and regulations. These potential changes could have a material impact on our effective tax rate, long-term tax planning and financial results.

Previous wording

We have significant debt obligations coming due within one year. Our current revolving loan has a balance of $3.0 million as of March 31, 2024, and is due for repayment on December 31, 2024. On August 24, 2023, the Company issued convertible notes at a 7.4% discount and a principal balance of $1,080,000. The notes have an interest rate of 7.5%, will be paid in consecutive monthly installments beginning February 24, 2024 and if the note is not converted, it will mature on May 24, 2024. In February 2024, the Company made the first payments of principal and accrued interest in the amount of $312,075, and the convertible note holders converted 71,460 shares for an aggregate value of $60,000. The Company paid an additional $548,438 of accrued interest and principal on its convertible notes balance in April 2024. The Company intends to extend the revolving loan and renew our short-term note debt arrangement and faces the risk that we will be unable to. If we are unable to extend the revolving loan or renew the debt arrangement, the Company may have significantly reduced unrestricted cash which could adversely impact our results of operations and ability to invest in the development and acquisition of IP. See Note 11 –Revolving Loan, Short Term Note and Long-Term Debt to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included in this Quarterly Report.

Current wording

We have significant debt obligations coming due within one year. Our current revolving loan has a balance of $3.0 million as of June 30, 2024, and is due for repayment on December 31, 2024. The Company intends to extend the revolving loan and renew our short-term note debt arrangement and faces the risk that we will be unable to. If we are unable to extend the revolving loan or renew the debt arrangement, the Company may have significantly reduced unrestricted cash which could adversely impact our results of operations and ability to invest in the development and acquisition of IP. See Note 11 –Revolving Loan, Short Term Note and Long-Term Debt to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included in this Quarterly Report.

Previous wording

Our management identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting involving the failure to properly design and implement controls related to the accounting for income taxes and disclosure controls related to deferred taxes in the consolidated financial statements; failure to properly classify certain operating expenses and games server costs as cost of revenues in the consolidated financial statements; failure to identify and allocate the consideration received from a settlement between the settlement gain and revenues generating activities; failure to properly determine the stand-alone selling prices of each performance obligation for certain digital revenue contracts; and, failure to design and implement information technology general controls related to segregation of duties within an information system relevant to the preparation of the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Due to the size and nature of our organization and the implementation timing of our new cloud-based ERP system, we had limited personnel and system capabilities for adequate segregation of duties during the three months ended March 31, 2024. See Part I, Item 4, “Controls and Procedures,” in this Quarterly Report for information regarding the identified material weaknesses and our actions to date to remediate the material weaknesses. As a result of the material weaknesses, our management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting were not effective as of March 31, 2024.

Current wording

Our management identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting involving the failure to properly design and implement controls related to the accounting for income taxes and disclosure controls related to deferred taxes in the consolidated financial statements; failure to properly classify certain operating expenses and games server costs as cost of revenues in the consolidated financial statements; failure to identify and allocate the consideration received from a settlement between the settlement gain and revenues generating activities; failure to properly determine the stand-alone selling prices of each performance obligation for certain digital revenue contracts; and, failure to design and implement information technology general controls related to segregation of duties within an information system relevant to the preparation of the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Due to the size and nature of our organization and the implementation timing of our new cloud-based ERP system, we had limited personnel and system capabilities for adequate segregation of duties during the six months ended June 30, 2024. See Part I, Item 4, “Controls and Procedures,” in this Quarterly Report for information regarding the identified material weaknesses and our actions to date to remediate the material weaknesses. In addition, during the quarter ended June 30, 2024, a disclosure misstatement was identified related to the amount of revenue recognized over time and point in time. The lack of review procedures over this disclosure gives rise to a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. As a result of the material weaknesses, our management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting were not effective as of June 30, 2024.

Previous wording

We are taking steps to remediate the material weaknesses, which include to enhancing our financial reporting close control procedures by implementing additional review of unusual transactions, improving our segregation of duties in the recording and approving of transactions, ensuring the completeness of our income tax footnote disclosure through consultation with income tax professionals, hire experts to assist in preparing our revenue recognition policies, and hire experts in designing and implementing custom approval workflows in our ERP system in order to remediate these material weaknesses. However, our efforts to remediate the material weaknesses may not be effective in preventing a future material weakness or significant deficiency in our internal control over financial reporting. If we do not effectively remediate the material weaknesses or if we otherwise fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately and timely report our financial results, which could cause our reported financial results to be materially misstated, result in the loss of investor confidence and cause the market price of our Class A common stock to decline.

Current wording

We are taking steps to remediate the material weaknesses, which include to enhancing our financial reporting close control procedures by implementing additional review of unusual transactions, improving our review of the over-time revenue disclosures, improving our segregation of duties in the recording and approving of transactions, ensuring the completeness of our income tax footnote disclosure through consultation with income tax professionals, hire experts to assist in preparing our revenue recognition policies, and hire experts in designing and implementing custom approval workflows in our ERP system in order to remediate these material weaknesses. However, our efforts to remediate the material weaknesses may not be effective in preventing a future material weakness or significant deficiency in our internal control over financial reporting. If we do not effectively remediate the material weaknesses or if we otherwise fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately and timely report our financial results, which could cause our reported financial results to be materially misstated, result in the loss of investor confidence and cause the market price of our Class A common stock to decline.

Previous wording

The Company did not issue any securities that were not registered under the Securities Act during the three months ended March 31, 2024.

Current wording

The Company did not issue any securities that were not registered under the Securities Act during the six months ended June 30, 2024.

Previous wording

On November 10, 2022, our board of directors authorized a Share Repurchase Program under which we may repurchase up to $5 million in outstanding shares of our Class A common stock, subject to ongoing compliance with Nasdaq listing rules. The program does not have a fixed expiration date. The share repurchases may be made from time to time through open market transactions, block trades, privately negotiated transactions or otherwise and are subject to market and business conditions, levels of available liquidity, cash requirements for other purposes, regulatory, and other relevant factors. There were no share repurchases settled in the three months ended March 31, 2024. As of March 31, 2024, 1,350,275 shares of Class A common stock were repurchased pursuant to the Share Repurchase Program for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $3.7 million. The average price paid per share was $2.72 and approximately $1.3 million aggregate amount of shares of Class A common stock remain available for repurchase under the Share Repurchase Program. For more information regarding the Share Repurchase Program refer to Note 2 -Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to our condensed consolidated financial statements included in this Quarterly Report.

Current wording

On November 10, 2022, our board of directors authorized a Share Repurchase Program under which we may repurchase up to $5 million in outstanding shares of our Class A common stock, subject to ongoing compliance with Nasdaq listing rules. The program does not have a fixed expiration date. The share repurchases may be made from time to time through open market transactions, block trades, privately negotiated transactions or otherwise and are subject to market and business conditions, levels of available liquidity, cash requirements for other purposes, regulatory, and other relevant factors. There were no share repurchases settled in the six months ended June 30, 2024. As of June 30, 2024, 1,350,275 shares of Class A common stock were repurchased pursuant to the Share Repurchase Program for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $3.7 million. The average price paid per share was $2.72 and approximately $1.3 million aggregate amount of shares of Class A common stock remain available for repurchase under the Share Repurchase Program. For more information regarding the Share Repurchase Program refer to Note 2 -Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to our condensed consolidated financial statements included in this Quarterly Report.