Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Let’s take a look at China’s $13.5 billion online gaming industry

Let’s take a look at China’s $13.5 billion online gaming industry:

China’s gaming industry is massive, as you’d expect, yet it’s also a lot more complex than you’d imagine. Game consoles have been banned for over a decade, and that was only rescinded a few weeks ago. PC-based MMORPG and FPS games – like Crossfire and Blade & Soul – dominate in terms of revenues they produce. Mobile gaming is still in second place for now, but that will surely change eventually as smartphones proliferate and people get more comfortable with in-app purchases.

This new infographic from the Go-Globe team shows lots of facts and figures on the Chinese online gaming industry right now. Some of the highlights include:

  • China’s online game operators made RMB 82.1 billion ($13.5 billion) in 2013.
  • That’s estimated to grow to $16.1 billion by the end of 2014.
  • Tencent (HKG:0700), the same company that makes WeChat, is China’s gaming giant.
  • Action RPGs are the most favored genre, led by PC-based gamers.

Roblox is trying to foster the next generation of indie devs

Roblox is trying to foster the next generation of indie devs:
Kid-focused world-building game Roblox now allows users to sell their creations for cash -- and is considering publishing a select few -- to encourage the next generation of indie developers. ...

Kiwi CEO talks about the challenges of Android development

Kiwi CEO talks about the challenges of Android development:
When Kiwi CEO Omar Siddiqui first started the company, he knew right away that Android was the way to go. “We saw the potential for growth that Android offered us at the time, and it was also the earlier days of Android, so it was

Neo's Land: New Video Developer Diary Shows Off Voxel Technology

Neo's Land: New Video Developer Diary Shows Off Voxel Technology:
A brand new Neo's Land developer diary has been posted to YouTube that shows off tons of in-game footage built using the Unity engine and Voxel technology. The video goes into detail about the many features Neo's Land

8 Bit's Skara MOBA greenlit on Steam

8 Bit's Skara MOBA greenlit on Steam:
Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, News Items, MOBA Fledgling MOBA Skara: The Blade Remains has been greenlit on Steam. 8 Bit Studios says that the title garnered over 240 votes "in only two hours" as part

Blade Hunter beta gets big content update

Blade Hunter beta gets big content update:
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game Mechanics, New Titles, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play The side-scroller Blade Hunter, which started beta a little over a month ago, just received a large content update that brought UI

TUG project update details alpha and beta plans

TUG project update details alpha and beta plans:
Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding Developer of the Kickstarter-funded sandbox MMO The Untitled Game, Nerd Kingdom, has announced a new update regarding the status of the game's

The Repopulation’s 2nd Kickstarter Closes Strong | Ten Ton Hammer

The Repopulation’s 2nd Kickstarter Closes Strong | Ten Ton Hammer:
The Repopulation releases a new alpha video and closes out its 2nd Kickstarter campaign with over three times the initial goal.

League of Angels: New Angel & Guardian Angel System Now In Game

League of Angels: New Angel & Guardian Angel System Now In Game:
League of Angels has been updated with a trio of new features: A new Angel, a new Guardian Angel System and new items just in time for Groundhog Day. The Guardian Angel System allows players to take advantage of powerful

The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot to enter full open beta in February

The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot to enter full open beta in February:
We've been patiently waiting for quite some time now on the full-fledged release of The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot, the humor-induced fantasy game that has players taking control of a Knight, an Archer, or a Mage, and battling

Excalibur: New Features Inbound with Next Update

Excalibur: New Features Inbound with Next Update:
Excalibur: Knights of the King is slated to be updated in the very near future. R2Games has announced that new features have been added to the medieval-themed mobile MMO that bring new content into the game.

Internal Testing for Camelot Unchained Starts This Week | Ten Ton Hammer

Internal Testing for Camelot Unchained Starts This Week | Ten Ton Hammer:
Camelot Unchained gets a website makeover, new Builder’s tiers, and plans to start internal testing of the game’s engine this week.

Pantheon interview offers glimpse of economy, housing, and more

Pantheon interview offers glimpse of economy, housing, and more:
Filed under: Fantasy, Economy, Interviews, MMO Industry, Housing, Crowdfunding, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen With the imminent shut down of Vanguard: Saga of Heroes on the horizon, eyes are turning to the upcoming

Yulgang 2 – Popular title descending upon China in multi-million deal

Yulgang 2 – Popular title descending upon China in multi-million deal:
Yulgang 2, or Scions of Fate 2, will be landing in China later this year after a multi-million deal was struck between China publisher CDC Games and Korean developer Mgame. According to reports, the deal is worth around USD

Review: Hypership Still Out of Control

Review: Hypership Still Out of Control:
Hypership Still Out of Control doesn't add that much to the template laid down by its predecessor. It's still a relentless space-dasher with a cruel streak a mile wide and some of the simplest controls on the App Store. The few

Suits and Swords Review

Suits and Swords Review:
As someone who makes most of his income working in the casino industry, but also enjoys playing and writing about RPGs, I sometimes feel games like Suits and Swords are messing with my head. Splicing together blackjack and

Pocket Lab Review

Pocket Lab Review:
Pocket Lab Review By Jordan Minor on January 28th, 2014 Our Rating: :: WEIRD SCIENCEUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Pocket Lab’s simple science makes for an enjoyable experiment. Developer: E2 Applets

Dungeon Nightmares Review

Dungeon Nightmares Review:
Dungeon Nightmares Review By Lucy Ingram on January 28th, 2014 Our Rating: :: PREPARE TO BE SCAREDUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Dungeon Nightmares is truly one of the most immersive and scariest

Winds of Destiny - Duels of the Magi Review

Winds of Destiny - Duels of the Magi Review:
Winds of Destiny - Duels of the Magi is one of the most straightforward games I've ever played. Seriously, the game is on par with Checkers as far as complexity goes. A single match in Winds of Destiny can be completed in

Glyph Quest Review

Glyph Quest Review:
Glyph Quest Review By Jennifer Allen on January 28th, 2014 Our Rating: :: SLOW BURNING RPGUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Requiring a certain leap of faith, Glyph Quest proves to be quite a satisfying

'Lost Yeti' Review - Simple Yeti Satisfying

'Lost Yeti' Review - Simple Yeti Satisfying:
It's always a bit of a gamble to take direct control of the main character of a game out of the player's hands. When it works, it can force the player to pay attention to things going on outside of the area they're currently focused on,

Grandpa and the Zombies Review

Grandpa and the Zombies Review:
Grandpa and the Zombies Review By Lucy Ingram on January 28th, 2014 Our Rating: :: GRANDPA APPROVEDUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Highly characteristic and incredibly entertaining, Grandpa and the

Outpost Luna Review

Outpost Luna Review:
Outpost Luna Review By Campbell Bird on January 27th, 2014 Our Rating: :: PLAN FOR THE FUTUREUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Outpost Luna asks players to plan moves in advance in this sci-fi themed

Hopeless: The Dark Cave Review

Hopeless: The Dark Cave Review:
Hopeless: The Dark Cave Review By Lucy Ingram on January 27th, 2014 Our Rating: :: CUTE AND MINIMALISTICUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Cute but simplistic, Hopeless is an adorable survival horror game which

Lost Yeti Review

Lost Yeti Review:
Lost Yeti Review By Carter Dotson on January 27th, 2014 Our Rating: :: PURE RETROUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Lost Yeti uses a Nintendo-styled aesthetic to be one of the most accurate retro games on iOS.

Unfolder Review

Unfolder Review:
Unfolder Review By Jordan Minor on January 27th, 2014 Our Rating: :: ABOVE THE FOLD Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Unfold this game to reveal a fun and fresh puzzle experience. Developer: Gaudino Games Price:

TowerMadness 2 Review

TowerMadness 2 Review:
TowerMadness 2 Review By Jennifer Allen on January 27th, 2014 Our Rating: :: ALIENS VS SHEEPUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad It could turn expensive for the impatient, but there’s still plenty to like about this

Water Drops Review

Water Drops Review:
Water Drops Review By Mike Deneen on January 27th, 2014 Our Rating: :: POTENTIAL IOS HITUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Water Drops is a game that has all of the makings of another mobile smash hit, but

Review: Super Splatform

Review: Super Splatform:
Super Splatform is an inelegant lump of twitchy, tilty retro platforming frustration that doesn't so much wear its inspiration on its sleeve as it does include a copy of the original Commodore 64 version from 2002 in its main

Review: Small Fry

Review: Small Fry:
It's not often that a critic gets to compare a game with an Atari 2600 title without adding, "It's that bad." Nevertheless, that's where we stand with Small Fry, an enjoyable mobile action game that brings back memories of 1983's

Korean News and Beta Test Announcements

  • Timber Games signs publishing contract with SG Internet for fantasy MMORPG “Azera,” to start service in 2nd half of 2014.
  • Pati Games “I Love Coffee” sequel game starts FGT from January 25 to 26.
  • ENP Games real golf game “Shot Online” starts game portal Pupu Game channeling service.
  • KOG action RPG “Elsword” starts Naver Game channeling service.
  • Blue Side MMORPG “Kingdom Under Fire 2” finishes experience beta test in Singapore-Malaysia via MMOG.asia.
  • DeNA and Nuri Joy collaborate for the development of mobile game “Project MB.” 
  • Kiyat Games “Alice in RunTheLand” released in mobile messenger Tango iOS and Android versions.
  • Tplay Korea fantasy card RPG “Summon the World” released in Naver Appstore.
  • I Love Mobile Game Studio mobile strategy RPG “Yeokcheon Online” to be launched in February.
  • Naver to create a mobile gaming platform.
  • YD Online-DeNA mobile game “Evangelion-Catharsis of the Soul” soon to be released in Japan.
  • SBCK Games drill action game “Pagopayo” to be launced in mobile reward center Oh My Got.
  • Nexon mobile full 3D MMORPG “Legion of Heroes” holds final test until January 24.
  • Dragon Nest mobile strategy simulation game “Paesamguk” to be released in Google Play on January 27.
  • One Touch Interactive puzzle action RPG “Puzzle and Three Kingdoms” released in Google Play store, Apple Appstore, and T-store.
  • Actoz Soft RPG “Final Fantasy 6” Korean version released in T-store, KT Olleh market LGU+ App Market, and Naver N store.
  • Nine Groove mobile game “Project D” released in Korea mobile game market via Changyou.
  • Bicore stylish driving game “Road Heroes” released in Google Play store.
  • Efun smartphone game “Shingihaeng” released in Naver Appstore.
  • High1 Entertainment TCG “Yeonhee Mongsang” released in T-store.
  • Glu Mobile racing game “Motocross Meltdown” released.
  • SK Networks card RPG “Blue Stone Mission” released in T-store.
  • Good Game Studio mobile game “Empire: Four Kingdoms” released in Korea.
  • Moon Block TCG “Yeonhee Mongsang” dominate T-store and U+ Store.
  • Pictosoft mobile 3D casual game “Jeongmumun Heroes” released in T-store.
  • Game Safari SNG “TouchTouch Shopping Town” released in Google Play.
  • Hanbit Soft mobile football management game “Football Club Manager Mobile” game screenshots released.
  • Pictosoft action mobile MORPG “Soul Slasher Saga” released in T-store.
  • Logiware mobile games “Soul Slasher Saga” and “Captain Heroes” to start service in North America region in early 2014 via GQ Game.
  • Gamevil RPG “Dragon Blaze revealed for the first time, to be released next month.

Chart of the Week: Why the 288% rise in US CPI costs is good news

Chart of the Week: Why the 288% rise in US CPI costs is good news:
Taken at face value, this graph highlights a very serious problem for the mobile free-to-play industry. Produced by market intelligence outfit Superdata, it suggests that over the past 12 months the cost of getting a mobile game

Forget The Candy Crush Clones, This Match Game Is Like No Other

Forget The Candy Crush Clones, This Match Game Is Like No Other:
With a glut of Candy Crush Saga clones flooding iTunes, it was beginning to look like there was no more room in the match puzzle genre for innovation. Then came ZEZ, rocket-punching that idea in the head.

Puzzle & Dragons goes pink with Hello Kitty mash-up event

Puzzle & Dragons goes pink with Hello Kitty mash-up event:
Having previously welcomed mash-ups with Clash of Clans and Batman, Puzzle & Dragons latest collaboration is somewhat cuter. GungHo has announced that a Hello Kitty event is now live in the top grossing RPG. The

The Elder Scrolls Online won't require a PlayStation Plus membership

The Elder Scrolls Online won't require a PlayStation Plus membership:
Filed under: Fantasy, Launches, MMO Industry, News Items, Consoles, The Elder Scrolls Online, Subscription If you're looking forward to playing The Elder Scrolls Online on a console, it's going to be cheaper to do so on the

Racing ahead: Samsung extends lead over Apple in record breaking quarter

Racing ahead: Samsung extends lead over Apple in record breaking quarter:
Samsung has extended its lead at the top of the smartphone tree, shipping a record 86 million handsets across the globe during the last quarter. That's according to the latest report from market research firm Strategy Analytics,

iPhone 5C slump takes shine off record quarter for Apple

iPhone 5C slump takes shine off record quarter for Apple:
Record iPhone sales in Apple's (NASDAQ: APPL) latest quarter couldn't halt a drop a in the Cupertino giant's share price with CEO Tim Cook revealing the firm's 'budget' iPhone 5C handset hasn't performed as expected at retail.

Not So Massively: LoL update blocked by porn filter, Firefall's story campaign, and PoE's summoning skills

Not So Massively: LoL update blocked by porn filter, Firefall's story campaign, and PoE's summoning skills:
Filed under: Betas, Video, Business Models, Culture, Expansions, Game Mechanics, Patches, PvP, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, Dev Diaries, Miscellaneous, Not So Massively, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo

Microsoft acquires Gears of War IP from Epic

Microsoft acquires Gears of War IP from Epic:
Rod Fergusson leaves 2K to lead up franchise development at Vancouver-based Black Tusk

Namco Bandai to rebrand overseas subsidiaries

Namco Bandai to rebrand overseas subsidiaries:
Foreign divisions to follow Japanese "Bandai Namco" branding, starting in April

Sony's credit rating cut to "Junk"

Sony's credit rating cut to "Junk":
PS4 performance not enough to convince Moody's that Sony stock is worth investment

Marvel Heroes: Latest Patch Brings Bovineheim Zone Online

Marvel Heroes: Latest Patch Brings Bovineheim Zone Online:
The latest patch has been applied to Marvel Heroes Online. With the update, the Bovineheim zone is enabled in addition to new Cosmic Terminals and a comprehensive revamp of both Captain America and Hawkeye.

Linden Lab CEO Rod Humble leaves company to found a start-up

Linden Lab CEO Rod Humble leaves company to found a start-up:
Rod Humble, the CEO for Second Life developer Linden Lab, announced on Facebook recently that he has left the company. ...

Nintendo Clarifies, "There Are No Plans to Offer Minigames on Smartphone Devices"

Nintendo Clarifies, "There Are No Plans to Offer Minigames on Smartphone Devices":
Following Nintendo's plans, or lack of plans, or speculated plans, seems to have the games media on edge for the better part of the last month (or more). It all started with them talking about "experimenting" with smartphones then

Gameloft sees 2013 sales up 12% to $320 million, but misses guidance

Gameloft sees 2013 sales up 12% to $320 million, but misses guidance:
Gameloft (EPA:GFT) has announced its FY13 financials for the 12 months ending 31 December 2013. Total sales were €233.3 million (around $320 million), up 12 percent year-on-year. On a constant exchange rate with 2012,

League of Legends reaches 27m daily players

League of Legends reaches 27m daily players:
Riot more than doubles audience in less than 18 months, concurrent users up to 7.5m

Big Fish boasts 11th consecutive year of growth

Big Fish boasts 11th consecutive year of growth:
Casual games firm reports "double-digit growth in gross revenue and strong profits" in 2013

GungHo expects $1.2 billion revenue this fiscal year

GungHo expects $1.2 billion revenue this fiscal year:
$700 million profit for 12-month period ending this month

City of Steam Update Delivers New Systems and PvP Modes | Ten Ton Hammer

City of Steam Update Delivers New Systems and PvP Modes | Ten Ton Hammer:
City of Steam: Arcadia gets a new Company War system, Cargo delivery system, and new PvP modes with Update 2.3.

Celebrate Star Trek Online’s 4th Anniversary with Free Items | Ten Ton Hammer

Celebrate Star Trek Online’s 4th Anniversary with Free Items | Ten Ton Hammer:
Cryptic celebrates the 4th anniversary of Star Trek Online early with daily giveaways throughout the week.

EVE Online: Rubicon 1.1 patch inbound tomorrow

EVE Online: Rubicon 1.1 patch inbound tomorrow:
Filed under: Patches, Sandbox, WildStar, Subscription EVE Online is prepping its Rubicon 1.1 patch for tomorrow, January 28th. Clocking in at a little over a gigabyte, Rubicon 1.1 will supplement the most recent expansion with new

DoDonPachi publisher Cave grows quiet on the Western front

DoDonPachi publisher Cave grows quiet on the Western front:
Japanese bullet hell shmup publisher Cave announced today that it will be shutting down its English Twitter feed and blog on February 28. ...

Cygames invests over $600k in Japanese indie game Airship Q

Cygames invests over $600k in Japanese indie game Airship Q:
The mega-successful Rage of Bahamut developer invested ¥70m in Japanese indie studio Miracle Positive to help improve and expand its sandbox action RPG Airship Q. ...

Square Enix Collective launches

Square Enix Collective launches:
First three projects go live on publisher's version of Greenlight

Shanda Games receives $1.9 billion offer to take it private

Shanda Games receives $1.9 billion offer to take it private:
While some game companies are rushing to IPO, others are going the other way. NASDAQ-floated Shanda Games (NASDAQ: GAME) has announced that it's received a proposal to take it private. Significantly, the deal which values

Indiegogo raises $40M to expand its crowdfunding business

Indiegogo raises $40M to expand its crowdfunding business:
Crowdfunding platform Indiegogo has raised $40 million in a new round of funding, with plans to expand its business globally, and put a larger focus on its mobile platform. ...

PocketGamer.biz Top 30 Chinese Developers of 2014: 20 to 11

PocketGamer.biz Top 30 Chinese Developers of 2014: 20 to 11:
As well as being one of the world's fastest growing markets, the Chinese mobile games market is one of the most lucrative, the most competitive, the most fragmented and the fastest changing. It's a combination that makes it

PocketGamer.biz Top 30 Chinese Developers of 2014: 30 to 21

PocketGamer.biz Top 30 Chinese Developers of 2014: 30 to 21:
As well as being one of the world's fastest growing markets, the Chinese mobile games market is one of the most lucrative, the most competitive, the most fragmented and the fastest changing. It's a combination that makes it

Journey to the Edge of the Mists in Guild Wars 2's next content release

Journey to the Edge of the Mists in Guild Wars 2's next content release:
Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Interviews, Lore, Patches, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Buy-to-Play Guild Wars 2's new World vs. World map, the Edge of the Mists, has been in beta testing for several months. Soon, players will get to

The In-App Purchase Inspector: Joe Danger Infinity gets the treatment

The In-App Purchase Inspector: Joe Danger Infinity gets the treatment:
Welcome to The In-App Purchase Inspector - our regular look at free-to-play games from the consumer's perspective. Each instalment, we'll be looking at the incentives or pressure applied to make in-app purchases, their perceived

WildStar's MMO content creation process

WildStar's MMO content creation process:
Stephan Frost, design producer on WildStar, outlines how Carbine makes content for the upcoming MMO -- while hitting quality and consistency targets and keeping deadlines. ...

Making an indie label in the era of self-publishing

Making an indie label in the era of self-publishing:
Co-founders of Majesco's Midnight City stress the significance of indie developers and what they have to offer them

The Charticle: Just how powerful is an Apple Game of the Year award?

The Charticle: Just how powerful is an Apple Game of the Year award?:
One of the surprises of 2013 were Apple's featured Games of the Year. Although the vast majority of revenue on the App Store is generated by free-to-play games, Apple's editorial team underlined their experience as game

Amazon allows developers to set prices for HTML5 apps in its Appstore

Amazon allows developers to set prices for HTML5 apps in its Appstore:
Amazon has announced a major change to its Appstore that allows developers to set a list price for HTML5 web apps. This update comes almost half a year after Amazon opened its Appstore up to HTML5 apps, thus

Elsword: Ara Haan's Second Job Path is Devilish

Elsword: Ara Haan's Second Job Path is Devilish:
Kill3r Combo has laid out the details for the latest job path for Ara Haan in Elsword. On reaching level 35, players can take a new job for Ara Haan, that of Yama Raja. Her mantra is "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em and then destroy

Latest Nintendo results lay bare the company's financial woes

Latest Nintendo results lay bare the company's financial woes:
Nintendo already warned earlier this month that its current fiscal situation was looking far worse than originally forecast. Today the company revealed to what extent these issues lie. ...

Pantheon Unveils the Revenant and a New Q&A Video | Ten Ton Hammer

Pantheon Unveils the Revenant and a New Q&A Video | Ten Ton Hammer:
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen delivers another pair of updates today with the reveal of the undead Revenant race and another community Q&A video.

Dota 2's New Bloom update introduces new heroes and more

Dota 2's New Bloom update introduces new heroes and more:
Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, MOBA Valve's Dota 2 is about to receive another huge update, this one bringing two new heroes and a bevy of other features to the most played game on Steam. The

Trove: The Gunslinger is About to Fire

Trove: The Gunslinger is About to Fire:
We caught up with Trove's Andrew Krausnick to talk about some of the new and upcoming additions to Trion's world-building, destroying, raptor riding, sword swinging, soon to be pistol-wielding adventure MMO. The small, but

EA beats guidance as sales shrink, losses deepen

EA beats guidance as sales shrink, losses deepen:
Publisher notes difficulty of generational transition, weak sales on legacy platforms

DC Universe Online Launches Part 1 of War of the Light DLC | Ten Ton Hammer

DC Universe Online Launches Part 1 of War of the Light DLC | Ten Ton Hammer:
The red ring of rage arrives with an alternate version of Metropolis as DC Universe Online’s War of the Light begins.