Critical Force on growing an eSport, 50 studios sign up to Hatch, and the rise and rise of EA Mobile
EA Mobile may have got off to a rough start with its free-to-play transition, but now its growing at a rapid pace and making some quality games too.
Contributing Editor Jon Jordan decided to take a look into its finances and track its steady growth, in what became the most read article of last week on the site.
In second place was the news that 50 studios have now signed up for Rovio's new Hatch service, which will allow mobile game players to stream games to their device, a platform that could change the face of mobile games forever.
Ops, icebreakers and legacies
Third up is Critical Ops developer Critical Force talking about how its growing the game as an eSport and how the mobile eSports scene is changing as a whole.
And finally, Finnish investment fund Icebreaker is looking for established developers with a strong idea for a startup, and Kabam explains why its winding down its studio in Beijing.
Click the link below to find out more about the stories that caught our readers' eyes over the last week.
#5: Kabam winds down Beijing studio following poor internal performance of soft-launched Legacy of Zeus
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Kabam winds down Beijing studio following poor internal performance of soft-launched Legacy of Zeus »Kabam has been going through a lot a of big changes lately, not least the sale of its Vancouver studio to publishing giant Netmarble.
Another change is the unfortunate winding down of its Beijing studio, which was working on the recently canned Legacy of Zeus while it was still in soft-launch.
COO Kent Wakeford said the game was not performing well enough according to internal expectations, and so it made the difficult decision to can the game.
"It's not something that we do lightly, and we know that it's impacted people's lives, so we take those decisions very seriously," he said.
#4: $14 million Finnish investment fund Icebreaker wants to help established developers create startups
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$14 million Finnish investment fund Icebreaker wants to help established developers create startups »Sometimes you might have a great idea for a startup, but lack the know-how in other areas of the business to really get it off the ground.
Well, if you're based in Finland, there's a new investment fund called Icebreaker, which is specifically looking to fund new startups from established developers who have yet to make the leap.
The VC will invest between €40,000 and €350,000 at angel and seed stages, and is looking for developers with over five years of experience in the industry.
It will also set up events to gather developers and potential startup founders together, so that they can potentially meet the person who's going to take their business to the next level.
#3: Critical Force on building Critical Ops as a mobile eSport
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Critical Force on building Critical Ops as a mobile eSport »Building an FPS that works for mobile isn't easy, but building one that's also aiming to be one of the next big eSports is even harder.
Luckily, Critical Force appears to be up to the task, so we decided to have a chat with them to find out more about how they're growing the game and the mobile eSports scene in general.
On the issue of mobile eSports competing with PC eSports, Lead Designer Tim Spaninks said: "I think one of the obstacles has always been the technical limitations of mobile devices".
"That’s a problem that’s starting to fade away completely, giving a huge boost to the hardcore gaming scene on mobile, which in turn leads to bigger audiences and more viability of an active eSports scene."
#2: Over 50 studios sign up for mobile game streaming platform Hatch
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Over 50 studios sign up for mobile game streaming platform Hatch »Hatch is a particularly interesting prospect for the mobile gaming world - how exactly a game streaming service will fit in with current mobile trends is yet to be seen.
But developers have shown their support for the platform, with over 50 already signing up to put their games on the service when it launches.
Games set to arrive on the platform include Camouflaj's Republique, ustwo’s Monument Valley, Noodlecake and Snowman’s Alto’s Adventure, and Shiro Games and Playdigious’ Evoland.
“As we continue to build our collection of top-tier gaming experiences for a range of audiences, our open invitation and challenge to developers is straightforward,” said Hatch CEO Juhani Honkala.
#1: The rise and rise of EA’s 'very profitable' $600 million mobile business
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The rise and rise of EA’s 'very profitable' $600 million mobile business »EA has become an impressive presence in the mobile space recently, not least because its rather excellent Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes continues to do well for the publisher.
But success doesn't (always) come overnight, so Contributing Editor Jon Jordan took a look back over its mobile history to track the rise and rise of its "very profitable" mobile business.
"Certainly, unless something disastrous happens, EA Mobile will announce at least $600 million of revenue in FY17, up at least 9% from the $548 million recorded in FY16," he predicts.
But EA's overall goal isn't revenues from its games - it wants to generate long-term profits by building long-term franchises, not just trying to make a quick buck.