In the .biz realm, we often find ourselves wrapped up in the investments, deals and stats of the gaming world (and rightly so), but it’s also important to highlight the games themselves - the fruits of the labour that can only appear after years of research, funding and, of course, development.
So here are the most exciting new mobile games right now, the developers and publishers behind them, and why, exactly, they've made the cut.
Match Factory!
Bringing a new iOS exclusive to the mobile market, Zynga and its subsidiary Peak have launched Match Factory!, a 3D puzzle game that sees players matching objects and completing targets in a test of skill and speed. High-level puzzle solving skills are a must, each level having a timer to add that bit of extra adrenaline to the action.
Match Factory! features thousands of levels right out of the gate, with myriad progression strategies and high-quality animations all evidence of Peak’s veteran strategy within the puzzle genre. Peak joined the Zynga family in 2020 and is best known for fellow puzzle titles Toon Blast and Toy Blast. The same team has now developed Match Factory!
Toon Blast, Toy Blast and other Peak games are available on Apple’s store and Google’s, so it’s noteworthy indeed that Match Factory! is an iOS exclusive. Whether the game will come to Google Play eventually or not remains to be seen…
Dead Cells: Netflix Edition
The Netflix Edition of Dead Cells has just bolstered the streaming giant’s gaming service with a launch that sees players engage in fast-paced action platforming. It’s available to download on iOS and Android as a free bonus for anyone with a Netflix subscription, running without any ads or in-app purchases.
Dead Cells has seen prior launches on PC and on mobile in China, but now for the first time it’s offering Western Netflix subscribers the premium experience. With hardcore "roguevania" 2D combat, players have to start over if they die in-game, honing their skills with each repeat. Through Netflix the game even includes DLC like the Return to Castlevania package, which features series favourites like Richter Belmont and Alucard.
Dead Cells’ Western publisher Playdigious has well over a dozen game releases behind it already, ranging from Sparklite to White Night to Evoland. Eastern publisher Bilibili, meanwhile, has proven an important ally in Dead Cell’s Chinese success, with the mobile game surpassing five million sales in the country last month. Bilibili is best known for the hit game Fate/Grand Order, and has also published titles like Warm Snow and F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch.
Warhammer 40,000: Warpforge
Everguild’s latest Warhammer game has officially launched on iOS and Android, bringing more new content to the IP in the form of a collectible card game. Warhammer 40,000: Warpforge sees players control various Warhammer 40,000 factions each with their own strategic strengths and shortcomings.
Card-based combat comes with a diverse range of options depending on the factions selected, each with unique mechanics to pit against other players. The game features cross-play too, so with a linked account players can access their game on Android, iOS or even Steam.
British manufacturer Games Workshop owns the Warhammer IP and has partnered with fellow British company Everguild already to develop Warhammer Horus Heresy Legions. Warhammer 40,000: Warpforge is a renewal of this partnership.
Resident Evil Village
Capcom's Resident Evil Village has finally released on the Apple App Store after promises of a standout performance on the new iPhone 15 Pro. With high specs and a console-quality experience, Resident Evil Village can only be downloaded on the 15 Pro series and Apple products with the M1 chip or later.
The free-to-try model allows a sneak preview of what the game has to offer in the gameplay and visuals departments, but with console quality comes console pricing, meaning the full game costs a hefty $39.99 in-app purchase.
The Winters’ Expansion DLC can be installed for a further $19.99 and may well be a glimpse of what’s to come in the mobile landscape; as handheld hardware catches up in power with its console and PC competition, Capcom surely won’t be alone in cross-releasing major games on mobile.
The Walking Dead Match 3 Tales
The latest Walking Dead mobile game has launched courtesy of Skybound and Com2Us, wherein players must fight for survival through a series of Match-3 puzzle challenges. The Walking Dead Match 3 Tales, as its name suggests, is a new game in the puzzle genre infused with the IP’s many characters and post-apocalyptic atmosphere.
The character lineup is an impressive one too, with 85 in total - some that series fans will recognise, and some brand-new inclusions.
Developer Skybound is no stranger to the Walking Dead brand, with action game The Walking Dead: Betrayal already in its portfolio. The Walking Dead games mark quite a tonal shift from Skybound’s other recent launch WrestleQuest, a retro-style RPG on PC, console and mobile featuring plenty of iconic wrestlers from Jake "The Snake" Roberts to "Macho Man" Randy Savage.
