Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Windows Phone developer support set to double in 2014

Windows Phone developer support set to double in 2014:
A third of mobile developers are planning to support Windows Phone in 2014, with support for Microsoft's platform doubling during the last 12 months. That's the main takeaway from a developer survey published by Strategy

Review: Big Action Mega Fight!

Review: Big Action Mega Fight!:
Are you a bad enough dude to play a mobile game that lets you walk from left to right and punch out anyone who gets in your way? That probably depends on whether or not you're carrying a torch for classic 8- and- 16-bit brawlers like

Ironhide Game Studio brings Kingdom Rush: Frontiers to browser on Armor Games

Ironhide Game Studio brings Kingdom Rush: Frontiers to browser on Armor Games:
Image via Ironhide Game Studio Ironhide Game Studio and Armor Games have announced the release of Kingdom Rush: Frontiers online on Armor Games’ website. This marks the first time the tower defense game has been

Wakfu Asia – Free-to-Play version begins Closed Beta phase

Wakfu Asia – Free-to-Play version begins Closed Beta phase:
[Game website] Following the successful runs in North America and Europe, Ankama has brought over its flagship turn-based MMORPG, Wakfu, to the Asia Pacific region! The Closed Beta phase will be a pretty short one,

The return of HTML5: Nickelodeon throws weight behind platform with Ludei deal

The return of HTML5: Nickelodeon throws weight behind platform with Ludei deal:
App development platform Ludei has given a shot in the arm to HTML5, revealing that Nickelodeon is set to add HTML5 game features to it Nick App for Android. By utilising Ludei's CocoonJS technology, Nickelodeon hope to

Why making a good game may not be enough

Why making a good game may not be enough:
Gamasutra's Simon Carless talks to designer and artist Christian Etter about his new game Drei, and ponders the question: Is making a good game enough? ...

Diving into Guild Wars 2's Fractals of the Mists changes with ArenaNet

Diving into Guild Wars 2's Fractals of the Mists changes with ArenaNet:
Filed under: Fantasy, Interviews, Patches, Previews, Endgame, PvE, Guild Wars 2, Dungeons, Buy-to-Play Last November, the Lost Shores content patch brought the Fractals of the Mists, a set of bite-sized dungeon scenarios

Perfect World gains in Q3 revenue and profits

Perfect World gains in Q3 revenue and profits:
CEO looks ahead to the launch of DOTA 2 in China

NPD: 3 in every 10 smartphones will soon be bought in China

NPD: 3 in every 10 smartphones will soon be bought in China:
The latest research from the NPD Group predicts that smartphones will account for 82 percent of the total, global phone market by 2017. This represents a dramatic growth over the current 2013 market, where - according

Even The Most Promising Game Can Be Ruined By Free-To-Play Foolishness

Even The Most Promising Game Can Be Ruined By Free-To-Play Foolishness:
Dammit, Tank Nation — why won't you just let me love you?

Games Workshop boardgame adaptation Space Hulk will stomp onto iPad on December 5th

Games Workshop boardgame adaptation Space Hulk will stomp onto iPad on December 5th:
Full Control has confirmed that the iPad version of its digital adaptation of the classic Games Workshop boardgame Space Hulk will go live on the App Store on December 5th. In this game, you take control of a squad of heavily

SMITE: Official Launch Date Arrives with a Big Money Tourney

SMITE: Official Launch Date Arrives with a Big Money Tourney:
SMITE will officially launch out of beta and into retail release on March 25, 2014 in both North America and the EU. To celebrate the game's release, Hi-Rez will be hosting a $100,000 tournament in Atlanta, the home of the

Aura Kingdom – Schedule announced for upcoming anime online game

Aura Kingdom – Schedule announced for upcoming anime online game:
[Game website] Also known as Fantasy Frontier in its native Taiwan, Aura Kingdom’s beta and launch schedules were finally announced by Aeria Games. Developed by X-Legend, the studio behind titles such as Eden

Eldevin: Ready for Launch

Eldevin: Ready for Launch:
Hunted Cow Studios has announced that Eldevin is ready for its launch date this Saturday, November 30th. After eight years in development, Eldevin is playable in all browsers and takes players on a journey to find out more about

Review: Don't Shoot Yourself!

Review: Don't Shoot Yourself!:
If you're a fan of bullet-hell shooters then you already know it's possible to kind of lose yourself in a trance when you play. Something about squeezing yourself down the thread-thin alleys of safety is curiously relaxing, even when

Hatch Review

Hatch Review:
Hatch is a wholly charming, visually polished virtual pet simulator that will quickly take over your phone and heart. Its Disney-quality opening film sets the standard for the colorful, crisp, and youthful aura the rest of the app

Tank Nation Review

Tank Nation Review:
Tank Nation Review By Stacy Barnes on November 26th, 2013 Our Rating: :: VENI, VEDI, VICIiPad Only App - Designed for the iPad The war is on! Tank Nation blasts its way up the app store charts with explosive artillery and

MacGuffin Quest Review

MacGuffin Quest Review:
MacGuffin Quest Review By Jennifer Allen on November 26th, 2013 Our Rating: :: PRICEY ROGUELIKEUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Switch between three characters in this somewhat entertaining yet ultimately

Applifier: Spending $100,000 a day to hit the top 10 is pointless

Applifier: Spending $100,000 a day to hit the top 10 is pointless:
Applifier's VP of business developer Mickey Maher had claimed that developers can no longer buy their way to the top of the app charts, adding that even spending large amounts of money only delivers very short term

Chicken Boy Review

Chicken Boy Review:
Chicken Boy Review By Jennifer Allen on November 26th, 2013 Our Rating: :: REPETITIVE BUT FUNUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad It gets samey, but that doesn’t stop throwing fruit at monsters in Chicken Boy from

Team Monster Review

Team Monster Review:
Team Monster is another one of those combination games that hybridizes a couple of gameplay ideas, in this case monster collection with line-drawing strategy, and actually manages it to great effect. Within the first minute I was

Review: Farming Simulator 14

Review: Farming Simulator 14:
Reversing a tractor and trailer in real life is pretty difficult the first few times you try it. In fact, if the embattled gateposts near where I grew up are any guide, driving a tractor and trailer forwards is pretty difficult too. Unsurprisingly,

Blog: A Humble competitor to Steam's market dominance arises

Blog: A Humble competitor to Steam's market dominance arises:
The Humble Store has launched. Can it eat Steam's lunch? After all, Humble already distributes Steam codes. In this post, an indie game marketer ponders what will happen. ...

GTA parent publisher to buy out billionaire's stake for $203.5 million

GTA parent publisher to buy out billionaire's stake for $203.5 million:
Grand Theft Auto parent publisher Take-Two Interactive is in the process of buying back $203.5 million worth of stock from billionaire Carl Icahn, bringing to an end his involvement with the company.Take-Two's plan is to purchase

Continent of the Ninth Seal announces fourth expansion, releases Rahkdan's Counterattack

Continent of the Ninth Seal announces fourth expansion, releases Rahkdan's Counterattack:
Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play Webzen has announced that its free-to-play hack-and-slasher Continent of the Ninth Seal (or C9, if you prefer) is getting a new expansion. This expansion, the

Square Enix seeking "formula that works" for Latin America

Square Enix seeking "formula that works" for Latin America:
Head of publisher's regional start-up says it's time to start targeting the emerging market with homegrown content

Stateside: It's time to stop blaming Apple and Google for poor app discovery

Stateside: It's time to stop blaming Apple and Google for poor app discovery:
The complaint I keep hearing from mobile developers is that discovery is a pain. Getting people to find the content that they're making is an eternal challenge, and the suggestion inevitably comes that Apple and Google need

Hide & Seek shutting down

Hide & Seek shutting down:
Tiny Games developer to halt operations early next year

Blog: Finding mid-core monetization success

Blog: Finding mid-core monetization success:
Former Supercell and Rovio product manager and monetization guy Michail Katkoff offers up two common strategies for monetizing mid-core games which you should avoid. ...

Arkadium CEO's 2014 predictions for the game industry

Arkadium CEO's 2014 predictions for the game industry:
Now that another successful year in the video game world has nearly come to a close, it's time we start looking ahead to 2014 and all of the potential the future can bring. So many big things have already happened in gaming

Quality checks, testing, feedback and promotion: Google on the steps to getting featured on Google Play

Quality checks, testing, feedback and promotion: Google on the steps to getting featured on Google Play:
Google has claimed there are simple steps developers can take to increase the chances of their apps being featued on Google Play, stressing the need for studios to check their releases meet the store's quality guidelines.

Guild Wars 2: Fractured Update Now Live

Guild Wars 2: Fractured Update Now Live:
ArenaNet has announced the deployment of the latest Guild Wars 2 update. Called "Fractured", the update is primarily focused on fractals with new boss fractals and leaderboards announced. In addition, the Tower of Terrors story

'Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse' Review - iOS is a Worthy House for this Mouse

'Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse' Review - iOS is a Worthy House for this Mouse:
It's crazy to think how many console games are ported to iOS, and actually work. With a number of high profile Xbox Live and PSN games releasing on a weekly basis, a large sample of them are starting to see some life in the

The King of Fighters ’97 Review

The King of Fighters ’97 Review:
The King of Fighters ’97 Review By Carter Dotson on November 26th, 2013 Our Rating: :: FIGHTING ROYALTYUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad The King of Fighters ’97 is an excellent port of a classic entry in the Neo

Hero of the Obelisk – Open Beta for English server begins this week

Hero of the Obelisk – Open Beta for English server begins this week:
[Game website] Also known as Dungeon Hero in South Korea, the English Europe server for Hero of the Obelisk will be hitting Open Beta on 28th November, 15:00 EST. To find out the what the current EST time is, please

World of Trinketz: A Disney-esque Game for Teens

World of Trinketz: A Disney-esque Game for Teens:
Trinketz is a game that has been receiving some attention of late, a game that is aimed squarely at the early teen crowd. See how it fares in the face of other MMOs catering to the same market. Let us know what you think in the

China Mobile Game Growth

China Mobile Game Growth:
The mobile gaming market in China is expected to reach 10.9 billion yuan ($1.8 billion) in 2013, of which 74% of that revenue is generated on smartphones. The estimates were provided by Baidu, Inc. senior vice president of strategy Sun Zude in an interview with the Chinese Internet Data Research Information Centre. Baidu is the Chinese equivalent of Google that was founded in 2000 and is the leading search service in the country. The company is moving significantly into the mobile space, most notably via the acquisition of 91 Wireless from NetDragon Websoft Inc. for $1.85 billion that finalized last August – the largest IT acquisition ever in China. 91 Wireless not only is one of the top-three smartphone app marketplaces in China via its 91 Assistant and HiMarket stores, but is also a major mobile game operator. Between its own app stores and the inclusion of 91 Wireless, Baidu racked up an average of 69 million daily downloads in July. Combined with its search engine data, the acquisition of 91 Wireless provided Baidu with an enormous repository of user purchase information from which to size the mobile game market in China. By the end of 2014, Sun forecasts that smartphone game revenue will be more than 20 billion yuan ($3.3 billion).