Hot Five

Kim Kardashian boosts Glu, 8 essential advertising lessons, and did Angry Birds Epic find fortune on the App Store?

Last weeks top 5 stories

Kim Kardashian boosts Glu, 8 essential advertising lessons, and did Angry Birds Epic find fortune on the App Store?

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 Mind the gap: Why London is streets ahead of the rest of the UK for mobile devs

    Mind the gap: Why London is streets ahead of the rest of the UK for mobile devs logo

    The UK's capital is entering a golden era, and while some might see that as a cause for celebration, there are those who view it as a sign that the disjointed nature of UK business will continue to thrive.

    Naturally, London has always attracted more investment, created more jobs, and been home to more consumers than anywhere else in the UK. However, there was a time when the creative industries in the North West and the Midlands could compete with the southern giants.

    Why then, is that time at an end, and how did London cement its place at the top of the UK game development food chain?

    As part of our London Week, we were on a mission to find out.


  • 4 Kim Kardashian: Hollywood adds $340 million to Glu Mobile's value

    Kim Kardashian: Hollywood adds $340 million to Glu Mobile's value logo

    A few weeks ago it looked like Glu Mobile's share prices were rising without cause.

    As an astute PocketGamer.biz reader pointed out, however, Glu's share prices began to rise at roughly the same time that Kim Kardashian: Hollywood was unleashed upon the world.

    While the scale of the game's success might have come as a surprise to some, the fact that analysts believe it will generate over $225 million over the course of this financial year means that Glu will continue to frolic in Kardashian cash for the foreseeable future.


  • 3 Why the success of the Finnish game industry is like the Tour de France peloton

    Why the success of the Finnish game industry is like the Tour de France peloton logo

    Mobile developers of all shapes and sizes now look towards Finland for inspiration.

    Companies like Rovio and Supercell have become standard bearers for the mobile industry, setting a new benchmark and challenging other developers to step up their game.

    What lessons then, can be learned by studying those Finnish pioneers, and is there really a Nordic 'secret sauce'?

    Suvi Latva, coordinator at Neogames Finland, believes there might be.

    "We were privileged to witness the rising interest of international investors towards Finnish game companies," said Latva.

    "This started with Grey Area closing its first investment round, and continued with Supercell's investment and Rovio closing an at-that-time-unbelievable $42 million A round.

    "Then on 8 March 2012, Angry Bird Space was announced from the International Space Station. With the Angry Birds games reaching the 500 million download milestone later that year, it was clear that even the sky was not the limit for our success."


  • 2 Quest for gold: Did Angry Birds Epic find fortune on the App Store?

    Quest for gold: Did Angry Birds Epic find fortune on the App Store? logo

    These days, there are a lot of big brands parading around the various mobile marketplaces, but perhaps the most recognisable of the lot is Rovio's Angry Birds franchise.

    Angry Birds, after all, is undeniably the brand that keeps on giving. The birds have taken over app stores and shop shelves alike, and ever since the original game launched back in 2009 Rovio hasn't been resting on its laurels.

    After firing its loveable avian adventurers into space, and sticking them behind the wheel of high speed go-karts, Rovio has decided to send them on an epic quest to save Piggy Island.

    Can Angry Birds Epic bring home the bacon, or will the journey into RPG territory prove a step too far? We found out in last week's Charticle.


  • 1 8 pieces of advice advertising genius David Ogilvy would give F2P marketeers

    8 pieces of advice advertising genius David Ogilvy would give F2P marketeers logo

    Although David Ogilvy's book, Confessions of an Advertising Man, might have been published in 1963, it still has a lot of wisdom left to impart on today's mobile developers.

    After soaking up the Ogilvy's every word, PocketGamer.biz editor-at-large Jon Jordan managed to find eight killer lessons that might just help you find the pot of gold at the end of the App Store. 

    "There are a lot of mobile games currently live on app stores and the vast majority of them should be removed. They are problem babies," explained Jordan.

    "Like few other business sectors before it, the app ecosystem is a winner takes all environment. You might not be a Supercell with only three games, but you should not be operating a portfolio business.

    "Kill your underperforming games. Invest all your love, time and resources into your successful games, even if that is only your ‘relatively more successful’ games."


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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.