To help you keep on top of a busy news cycle and the latest hot topics in mobile gaming, each week we round up the five most-read stories on PocketGamer.biz.
Read on and digest...
5. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC likely delayed by coronavirus
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai has mentioned in his weekly Famitsu column that the release of future DLC characters for the game will likely be impacted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
It may only be a minor thing, but it also seems likely that Sakurai will step away from the Smash Bros. franchise once this DLC pack is complete, so this also extends the time he has to spend with the series.
4. China mobile game downloads skyrocketed by 80% in February 2020
Excerpt: "Average daily time spent across mobile devices rose to five hours, showing a 30 per cent jump for the same period. Across the App Store, downloads in China equalled 63 million per week in February, a 25 per cent increase over the previous month."
3. NetEase and Marvel Games are launching a closed beta for Marvel Duel
NetEase and Marvel Games have launched a closed beta for card game Marvel Duel on March 19th in Thailand and the Philippines.
Marvel Duel features 150 characters from the Marvel universe, such as Spider-Man, Thor, Iron Man, Captain Marvel and Star-Lord.
Swinging across the city, here comes your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!
— MARVEL Duel (@marvelduel) March 23, 2020
The web slinger joins your deck to help restore the Marvel Universe in #MARVELDuel! pic.twitter.com/NPEGamJYYg
2. Games vs Covid-19: Steam concurrent daily record now 22 million
The coronavirus pandemic is changing the entire world as we know it, and a lot of the time, that can be pretty scary. So we're taking some time to look at how the games industry is reacting, with a focus on the positive and interesting stories out there.
Recent updates include a new virtual Formula 1 Grand Prix tournament featuring real F1 racers, the consistent record-breaking Steam daily concurrent user numbers, and the fact that GameStop has finally closed its doors to protect its workers.
1. Supercell quietly soft-launches casual match-3 puzzler Hay Day Pop
It's not every day Supercell trials a new game - and it's definitely not every day that Supercell breaks out of its established strategy genre and tackles something new.
But last week saw both these things come true on the same day, as Hay Day Pop soft-launched in three locations. Whether it will make it to a full launch is yet to be seen.
