Each weekend we'll be rounding up a selection of the most interesting articles related to mobile and the games industry at large.
This week includes a great opinion piece on the BBC about how, years after GamerGate emerged, the games industry is embracing diversity.
Elsewhere Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime discusses the company's business plans and how the Switch and 3DS are performing, the Pocket Gamer team discuss whether publishers took mobile seriously at E3, and Facebook chats about immediacy in gaming.
See an article you think we should share? Email PocketGamer.biz Craig Chapple at craig.chapple@steelmedia.co.uk to add it to our weekly round-up.
You can find previous editions of The Weekly here.
At E3, video gaming's bigots have lost
"Four years ago, the games industry was at a crossroads. It could have doubled down on what it knew best - macho tough guys blasting the heck out of each other - avoiding threats of boycott and accusations of giving in to the 'social justice warriors'.
"But instead, it took a path that has led to where we are today, with bold moves to add strong female characters front and centre in the line-up. Even Assassin’s Creed, which had that foul-up in 2014, has made amends - you can now choose to play as man or woman from the outset."
Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aimé on Fortnite cross-play, microtransactions and pro Smash Bros.
"Last December, our 2DS and 3DS hardware business grew 27 per cent versus the December the prior year. So far this calendar year, our 2DS and 3DS business is up 10 per cent versus last year. We believe those are a result of our focus on younger consumers and their parents; essentially for 2DS and 3DS to be the first gaming device for five, six, seven-year-olds."
Pocket Gamer Round Table - Did E3 2018 show that triple-A developers are taking mobile seriously?
"To be totally honest, the mobile game showing at E3 was pitiful. Despite several major presentations from some of the biggest developers and platform holders in the world, only three games actually made an appearance.
"And those three games? Command & Conquer: Rivals, which upset more people than it intrigued, Gears Pop!, which I don't think anyone is sure what to think of but could well be decent, and Elder Scrolls: Blades, which I personally have no opinion on. Not exactly a great showing (for me, at least)."
How Facebook is stepping up its plans to immediately gratify gamers
"It feels like future is here. That future being community at the heart of almost every single conversation and every single promotion we’re seeing on the show floor. To your point, no longer having to wait for those things, and understanding that what consumers want today - I want it on my device. I want to play what I want. I want to watch what I want. I want to do it all when I want to."
Encouraging mobile gamers to opt in for push notifications
"The way in which players interact with these requests to enable notifications should be tracked, too. It should be tracked separately when a message is delivered, displayed, dismissed (closed without taking action), as well as whether the request is accepted or rejected. For those who enabled notifications, there should be more granular tracking – specifically, did they enable notifications through a pop-up dialog?"
Community collaboration versus spec work
"So, is it spec? I understand the comparison. But I do think we’re substantially different. As mentioned, Ubisoft isn’t doing this to cut costs; they’re doing it to include fans. We don’t pit artists against each other in contests with one winner; everyone is allowed and encouraged to build off of one another. We don’t plagiarise unused submissions; anybody whose work is included or even influences the final product gets credit and compensation. We’re not a marketplace for freelance gigs; we’re a collaborative community."
Even Assassin's Creed is a live service now
"When you look around, more and more it's games-as-a-service [titles] that are the most appreciated by the fans. Because when you have invested tens and tens of hours in a game, and if there are new reasons to stay because you have fresh content to come, or innovation on a regular basis, then you are happy because all of the time you have invested... It's part of your life."
Meet Mark Doherty, the man behind the Fake Kaz Hirai Twitter account
“It was scary at first, because they could delete it at any moment. I wouldn’t really care, to be honest. When it became obvious that they liked the odd tweet ... and they were actually having fun with it, it actually made it a lot more enjoyable. It’s a nice part of the Sony thing that they let it happen and promote it a little bit. Like when Kaz had my tweets on stage behind him — which was kind of bizarre.”
EA's Patrick Soderlund talks Anthem, loot boxes, and women in Battlefield
"The common perception is that there were no women in World War II. There were a ton of women who both fought in World War II and partook in the war. And we felt like in today's world - I have a 13-year-old daughter that when the trailer came out and she saw all the flak, she asked me, 'Dad, why's this happening?' and she plays Fortnite, and says, 'I can be a girl in Fortnite. Why are people so upset about this?' She looked at me and she couldn't understand it. And I'm like, ok, as a parent, how the hell am I gonna respond to this, and I just said, 'You know what? You're right. This is not ok.'"
