Hot Five

Is toxic F2P attitude holding the UK back, how to optimise your IAPs, and why the ASA was wrong to punish EA

Last week's top 5 stories

Is toxic F2P attitude holding the UK back, how to optimise your IAPs, and why the ASA was wrong to punish EA

Welcome to PocketGamer.biz's weekly rundown of the stories clocking up the hits, picking up the click-throughs and generally keeping the advertisers happy by serving up page views.

Or, if you'd prefer, the top five stories currently dominating our readers' attention.

Each week, we'll be counting down the biggest news from the previous seven days, giving just a glimpse of the industry's big issues, from five to one.

Handy for you, each headline in the list also allows you to click through to the article in full, so you can make sure you've not missed out on any of last week's big stories.


Click here to view the list »
  • 5 The geography game: Is the UK's toxic attitude to F2P holding developers back?

    The geography game: Is the UK's toxic attitude to F2P holding developers back? logo

    Our talented bunch of Mobile Mavens were back in action last week, attempting to figure out whether the UK's toxic attitude towards F2P is holding developers back.

    It was a question raised by our very own Finnsider, who suggested that the UK's attitude towards F2P means developers will be forced to play a never-ending game of catch-up.

    "It's been long quoted that it's funding that holds back the UK, but I think that's wrong – or, at least, not all of the problem," said game designer Will Luton.

    "Being a Brit, having worked in San Francisco and seen the Valley startup mentality first hand, it's attitude that is holding the country back financially if not creatively.

    "There's actually a whole bunch of reasons why the UK doesn't compete with Finland or North America, but primary amongst them is that Brits are inherently awkward about being direct about making money."


  • 4 5 steps to optimize the first in app purchase

    5 steps to optimize the first in app purchase logo

    IAPs might be helping the biggest mobile players rake in cash, but you'd be a fool to think that anyone can make a killer F2P title.

    No, getting players to pay for IAPs requires a certain amount of finesse, but don't worry, because last week Jon Walsh, CEO of Fuse Powered, revealed 5 ways you can optimise your first IAP.

    "Every paying player has to make a first IAP, [and] as the saying goes, the first purchase is always the toughest," explained Walsh.

    "That's why it's critical to spend the time getting the first IAP right. That means spending the time to test and analyse what when where and how to promote that first item that a player should buy."


  • 3 Plants vs. Zombies 2 and Temple Run 2 hottest western games in China

    Plants vs. Zombies 2 and Temple Run 2 hottest western games in China logo

    The Chinese market is the goldmine that won't stop giving. It's now the largest in terms of downloads, and is on course to overtake the US as the #2 most lucrative market in 2014.

    Understandably, developers are desperate to know how they can thrive in the East, and the answer, it seems, is more obvious than you might think.

    By working closely with a trusted partner, and investing in culturalisation and localisation, Plants vs. Zombies 2 and Temple Run 2 climbed to the top of the pile, paving the way for other developers to follow suit.


  • 2 Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen talks cloning, lawsuits and his next "big game"

    Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen talks cloning, lawsuits and his next "big game" logo

    During a rare appearance two weeks ago at Barcelona's Gamelab conference, Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen took to the stage to dispel some rumours, and offer his thoughts on everything from cloning to his next "big game".

    "I can confirm that Nintendo haven't been in contact with me about any lawsuit. They have never complained about my games,” revealed Nguyen, who explained that some rumours don't die because he simply prefers to “avoid the press”.

    “I am making a big game now, and I see it as many small games put together. My job is to synchronise those components in order to create one unique experience.

    “My new game will focus on competitions between players who can see each other in the game. I will also introduce new obstacles while maintaining the simplicity of the gameplay that Flappy Bird has."


  • 1 ASA's Dungeon Keeper ruling risks opening up a nasty can of worms

    ASA's Dungeon Keeper ruling risks opening up a nasty can of worms logo

    While the masses might be content to relish the fact that EA has received another slap on the wrist in the form of an ASA investigation into Dungeon Keeper's free-to-play status, PocketGamer.biz editor-at-large Jon Jordan saw things in a different light.

    EA, according to Jordan, has been targeted and punished for essentially being EA, with people singling out the company because of preconceptions that simply aren't true.

    "Infamously, EA has been voted the 'Worst Company in America' two years in a row in a meaningless online poll," offered Jordan.

    "In addition, Dungeon Keeper itself has been a cause célèbre for hardcore gamers who hate F2P games in general, and the F2P remake of Dungeon Keeper in particular.

    "In this way, the choice of company and game is significant, even if this doesn't materially impact the arguments surrounding the advert."


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What do you call someone who has an unhealthy obsession with video games and Sean Bean? That'd be a 'Chris Kerr'. Chris is one of those deluded souls who actually believes that one day Sean Bean will survive a movie. Poor guy.