Mafia Wars is back, influencers in Germany face broadcasting regulations, and Club Penguin reboots on mobile
Club Penguin is a game that's been played by millions, but one that typically flies under the radar in terms of mass media coverage.
But all eyes are back on Disney’s social MMO for kids with its relaunch as a mobile-only title called Disney Club Island. Just how Disney plans to reboot the IP more than a decade on piqued the interest of our readers last week, becoming our most read article.
Next up was the potentially big news that a German regulator has ruled that Twitch streamers and YouTubers may need to start paying for broadcast licenses. It’s a move that, unless current rules are updated specifically for online video, could have far-reaching consequences for the country’s influencers.
Mafia Wars returns, and the future of shooters
Third up is the news that Zynga has dug deep into its back catalogue for its latest soft-launched title: a mobile relaunch of Mafia Wars.
And finally, Hothead Co-Founder and Director of Development Vlad Ceraldi believes there will be a top 10 grossing mobile shooter in the next few years, and Dots Director of User Acquisition Haydon Young delivers an in-depth analysis of mobile ad creatives and why you need a Big Picture view of your users.
Click the link below to find out more about the stories that caught our readers' eyes over the last week.
#5: Re-think mobile ad creatives to motivate your audience
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Re-think mobile ad creatives to motivate your audience »Amassing big data about your users is immensely useful, but it can only get you so far.
Haydon Young, Director of User Acquisition at Dots, believes that studying a user group’s attitudes and aspirations is equally valuable.
In a guest post, he discussed in-depth why it’s important to create a Big Picture view of your users by blending data from the virtual world and observations from the real-world.
“It’s all about balancing mobile data analysis with a deep understanding of user psychology to identify the triggers, nudges and levers you can activate to motivate your users to engage with your app – and keep them coming back for more,” he wrote.
#4: "You will see a top 10 grossing mobile shooter in the next few years"
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"You will see a top 10 grossing mobile shooter in the next few years" »Shooters have found some success on mobile in the past here in the West, but not to the scale of their billion-dollar console and PC counterparts.
But one developer is adamant that the genre will make it big on mobile in the near future. And Hothead Co-Founder and Director of Development Vlad Ceraldi confidently told PocketGamer.biz that it will be his studio that makes a top 10 grossing mobile shooter.
“Mobile is going to be become more and more core as a gaming device,” says Ceraldi. “It's not ancillary, it's not secondary, it's going to be more and more where most people's time is spent.
“We believe that you will see a top 10 grossing shooter title in the next few years, and it will be a Hothead game.”
#3: Zynga digs deep into its back-catalogue for newly soft-launched game Mafia Wars
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Zynga digs deep into its back-catalogue for newly soft-launched game Mafia Wars »Back in its Facebook heyday, Zynga had a number of immensely popular titles such as FarmVille and Mafia Wars.
The publisher, now focusing its efforts on mobile, is looking to harness the latter IP on smartphones after soft-launching a new Mafia Wars on Android and iOS on March 30th.
"We're testing a new Action Strategy MMO mobile game – Mafia Wars – which draws inspiration from one of our most popular, early franchises on the web," said Zynga in a statement to PocketGamer.biz.
"The team is in the early stages of game development and we look forward to hearing from our players during our soft launch."
#2: German regulator rules YouTubers and Twitch streamers must have a broadcasting license
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German regulator rules YouTubers and Twitch streamers must have a broadcasting license »Interesting news has emanated from Germany that Twitch streamers and YouTubers in the country may have to start applying for a broadcast licence to make and air videos.
The country’s broadcasting authority, the Landesmedienanstalt, has ruled that these videos legally count as broadcasts, and must therefore follow the same regulations as TV and radio.
This could mean applying for costly licenses and brings into question when “adult content” in videos can be shown.
Some YouTubers are already reportedly being hit by the newly enforced rules.
#1: Why Club Penguin needed to start from scratch on mobile to last another decade
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Why Club Penguin needed to start from scratch on mobile to last another decade »Club Penguin has been around for over a decade, and once proved so popular that Disney splashed $350 million to buy the game and its developer.
But 2017 marks a significant year for the IP. The traditional version has been shut down and replaced with a mobile-only release called Club Penguin Island.
We caught up with Disney VP of Kids and Casual Games Jim Molinets to discuss just why Disney is rebooting the IP and what its ambitions are.
“It’s just no longer relevant and frankly it’s 11 years old so it’s very hard to maintain,” said Molinets.