WEEK 21
Marvel Snap - The Definitive Deconstruction
In January on 2019, Hearthstone and Blizzard veterans Ben Brode and Hamilton Chu announced that Net Ease had invested whopping $30M into their newly founded studio.
The funding was deemed just enough for the team to reach the end of its first project without having to "scramble" for more funds partway through.
At that point, Second Dinner revealed that their first project just so happens to be a licensed Marvel IP, which the team has been working on for six months already and is currently beginning to playtest.
GamesAid raised £120 thousand for charitable causes in 2022/2023
GamesAid has raised £120,000 ($148,300) in funding throughout 2022 and 2023.
The total was announced at the conclusion of the Barclays Games Frenzy event, and was raised through a range of fundraising events, merchandise sales, grassroots fundraisers, and support from charity sponsor Sumo Group.
98% of app store spend on one-time purchases
The majority of app store spend was on one-time purchases, with subscriptions remaining a slim but growing part of where mobile games are making their money.
WEEK 20
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom sells 10M copies in 3 days
Nintendo announced today that Tears of the Kingdom sold 10 million copies within the first three days of its launch. This makes it, according to the company, the fastest-selling title in The Legend of Zelda series.
Devon Pritchard, Nintendo’s EVP of sales, marketing and communication, said in a statement, “We’re grateful for all of our fans who’ve shown their passion for The Legend of Zelda over the years, and these sales numbers for the latest installment continue to show the strong momentum for both the franchise and Nintendo Switch this year.”
Ad Impressions and effective cost per mile declined across platforms in 2023, but in-app purchases grew
Ad impressions and effective cost per mile (eCPM) saw declines in 2022 on both Android and iOS platforms, according to the latest report by Tenjin. Regulatory changes and increasing concerns regarding privacy took their toll on the mobile gaming market, with Apple being hit particularly hard due to the introduction of App Tracking Transparency (ATT), and the resulting changes in how companies can approach user acquisition on the platform.
User Acquisition – The New Frontier of Game Development
Is mobile F2P dead? No, not quite. But things are changing. In this article, Matej Lancaric addresses the current mobile market, with tips on how to get your games to the top of the app stores.
WEEK 19
Spinner Merge Live Ops: How Sunday is Driving the Game Straight to Ten Million Downloads!
As Spinner Merge sails past 10 million downloads, the team at Sunday explain how they are balancing and updating the game - and putting player experience first
Unity hits $500m of revenue in Q1 financials
Game-creation platform Unity has reported $500m of revenue for Q1 2023, up 56% year-over-year with CEO John Riccitiello promising even greater profits and streamlining in the future through their deep dive into AI.
iPhone market share climbed in Q1 as Android users switched to Apple
The US smartphone market has declined 17% YoY in Q1 2023 due to inventory correction and weak consumer demand. On the other hand, the iPhone has increased its market share to 53% in Q1 2023 from 49% in Q1 2022, showing that Android owners are switching to Apple.
WEEK 18
April’s top mobile game downloads worldwide
Here you can find the most-downloaded games worldwide from last month, according to Appmagic data.
The top 4 rewarded video placements to boost your puzzle game`s revenue
To make sure you’re setting up your puzzle game’s placement strategy for success, Anna Popereko, Game Design Consultant at ironSource, walks through the most useful rewarded video placements and what makes them so effective. Let’s get started.
Stillfront Group celebrates 5% year-on-year increase in revenue
Stillfront Group generated 1.758 MSEK in the first quarter of 2023, representing a 5% increase from 1,677 MSEK in the same period of 2022, according to the company’s latest financial report.
April’s top grossing game downloads worldwide
Here are last month’s top grossing mobile games worldwide, according to Appmagic data.
WEEK 17
Stumble Guys goes FPS in latest update
Stumble Guys, already a flattering ‘reimagining’ of popular console and PC game Fall Guys (which failed to make a similar leap to mobile and find huge success awaiting) seems determined to stay ahead of its predecessor and potentially has even more hit games in its sights…
Longer ads lead to a 23% boom in purchasing intent
A new report by Gameloft has found that consumers exposed to ads longer than 15 seconds are 23% more likely to purchase the advertised product, compared to 14% for shorter ads.
Activision Blizzard revenues jump 35% as everything clicks
Activision Blizzard suffered a setback today with the UK blocking its sale to Microsoft, but the publisher can take some solace in its freshly reported first quarter financial results, which showed growth across every division and major franchise.
WEEK 16
The 8 Things Supercell is Doing to Level Up
In February, Ilkka Paananen, the beloved CEO of Supercell, and arguably one of the faces on the Mount Rushmore of Mobile Games Executives, published his yearly blog post.
Just like in the years prior, the blog post travels at lightspeed across the mobile gaming industry, achieving two distinctive outcome:…
1 great night, 22 winners: The Mobile Game Awards reveals 2023’s mobile standouts
Pocket Gamer’s prestigious Mobile Game Awards show has just wrapped up, and what a show it was!
With winners finally unveiled across the 22 categories in this year’s event, a vast range of companies and individuals saw their chance to shine in a night we’ll remember for a long time to come.
Niantic and Capcom collab Monster Hunter Now launches in September
Monster Hunter Now is launching worldwide in September.
The game takes Niantic’s Pokémon Go formula and adds in Capcom’s Monster Hunter series, which the Japanese publisher says has sold over 90 million units worldwide. Players can sign up to a closed beta from today, which begins on April 25.
WEEK 15
Sega buys Rovio for €706 million
Sega, the legendary games company behind Sonic The Hedgehog and countless other hits, has agreed, this morning to buy Rovio - home to the Angry Birds mobile game and movie franchise for a total price of 706 milion euros ($775 million).
Monopoly Go! is Scopely’s latest Hasbro board game adaptation
Mobile developer and publisher Scopely and Hasbro have teamed up to launch Monopoly Go! The free-to-play mobile title blends the gameplay of the classic board game with updated graphics, locations and social interactions. Monopoly Go! seeks to maintain classic feel with expanded features.
Not limited to Atlantic City, players can unlock over 100 new boards featuring new settings and landmarks. Similarly, players will meet new characters like appraiser Sofia Wattsitworth and banker Benjamin Basu in addition to Mr. Monopoly. Daily Events also shake up the formula and encourage players to return for limited-time rewards and events.
Could Playtika be a target a buyout
Israeli publisher Playtika is allegedly attracting renewed attention from potential buyers following a period of regrouping and recovery for the company.
According to Bloomberg (via Mobilemarketingreads), anonymous sources have claimed that in the wake of job losses and a refocusing that reigned in new development plans, that a potential buyout of the company has accelerated, but the company has yet to come to any concrete agreement with potential buyers.
WEEK 14
March’s top grossing mobile games
Here are March’s top mobile game downloads worldwide, according to Appmagic.
There’s commentary below on which way the top ten games are trending, the 11-20 most downloaded games of last month below that, plus other notable ups and downs.
March’s top mobile game downloads
Here are last month’s top grossing mobile games worldwide, according to Appmagic.
There’s commentary on which way these top earners are trending and other interesting tidbits from outside the top ten below.
Rovio gives insight into its game analytics approach
Angry Birds developer and Finnish game giant Rovio has offered new insights into its data analytics approach.
Director of analytics Timo Similä offered a crash course in the function of game analytics in development and provided valuable insights for other developers.
WEEK 13
Mobile game market stabilizes above pre-pandemic levels | Data AI
The latest reports from Data.ai suggests that mobile gaming’s new normal is a much higher plateau than it was in the pre-pandemic years. The company released both its Q1 Gaming Index and its State of Mobile Gaming 2023 reports this week, and both indicate that the mobile games market is stabilizing in the years after the pandemic-era boom.
Read more - Games Beat
The USA, India, and emerging markets are leading the way in app install
Despite slowing significantly following the ‘Covid boom’, global downloads remain comfortably above pre-pandemic levels, according to a new report by Sensor Tower.
Read more - Poket Gamer
Diablo IV Beta sets franchise record, 61.5 million hours played
Diablo IV’s open beta has set a new bar for the franchise — gamers played 61.5 million hours over two weekends. This is equivalent to over 7,000 years of playtime for the preview of the upcoming action RPG.
Read more - Games Beat
WEEK 12
67% of Women see mobile gaming as a vital source of ‘me time’
A new study commissioned by GameHouse has found that 74% of women of all age groups play mobile games daily. 33% do so only once or twice a day, while 41% play games several times a day.
Microsoft plans his own apps store - next to Apple and Google
Microsoft is preparing to launch a new app store for games on iPhones and Android smartphones as soon as next year if its $75 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard is cleared by regulators, according to the head of its Xbox business.
A/B-Test done right - Part 1: Structuring the Experiment
In these articles, Matt Emery attempt to document the best-practices and make them available to everyone!, not just the few core clients that we serve.