News

The Weekly: The 'Plinkett' personality test, Google versus Apple, and the state of VR

Rounding up the week's industry analysis and news from around the internet

The Weekly: The 'Plinkett' personality test, Google versus Apple, and the state of VR

The Weekly is back! Each weekend we'll be rounding up a selection of the most interesting articles related to mobile and the games industry at large.

This week includes the Plinkett Test to check whether a character actually has a personality, how Google's HTC deal could make Pixel a serious competitor to the iPhone, how to launch your game in multiple countries, and the state of the virtual reality sector.

See an article you think we should share? Email PocketGamer.biz Craig Chapple at craig.chapple@steelmedia.co.uk to add it to our weekly round-up.

Sort characters from cut-outs with the Plinkett Test

“Think of a few game characters, then describe them without saying what they do, what they wear, or what they look like. It’s difficult, right?”

With HTC, Google could finally have the firepower to destroy the iPhone

"Google would literally be building its own phones with the factories it acquires from HTC. I can't speak to the business deals - I'm sure it could contract the manufacturing of future Pixels out to Foxconn or Pegatron, or some other massive assembler - but not having to go through a middleman would mean a new kind of nimbleness for the company."

The state of the VR industry: devs weigh in

"Jesse Schell, whose studio Schell Games has released games for nearly every VR headset (including two on Daydream and one on Gear VR), says that the bulk of opportunities for VR devs currently lie on PC and console, as mobile is not only 'incredibly hard to do anything profitable on' but also much more limited, technically speaking."

How to launch a mobile game in multiple countries

"It's important to first decide if you plan on launching simultaneously across several countries, or sequentially across different tier countries. This decision can lead you down wildly different paths where you may encounter logistical challenges in user acquisition, budget allocation, communication strategy, management failure, or the possibility of terminating a game's development."

The ultimate guide for mobile user acquisition

“Today, there are more than 2.2 million apps in App Store and more than 2.8 million apps in Google Play, says Statista. Your first goal as an app owner or an app owner candidate is making your app be able to be founded and downloaded easily. In this massive app marketing landscape, it is not easy to be noticed without doing some vital improvements and optimizations for your app. “

Pocket Gamer Podcast: Episode 412 - The Witness, Morphite

The Pocket Gamer team picks the brains of Andrei Lopata, one of the creators of Radiation City and the Sky Gamblers series.

Good Shepherd: How to make games fun for developers and investors

“Globally speaking, access to funding and capital is still the biggest problem facing indie developers. That's a problem we are trying to solve. I know it's a less sexy topic, but we are really trying to give investors a positive experience so they will reinvest their money, be it in our projects or someone else’s.”

Can a 4X title hold insights into how games could handle storytelling?

"Like some video game form of brainwashing, the harmony of mechanics and compelling faction quests - written in the tone and prose you'd expect that faction to communicate - forces you into their world-view, even when it's against your natural inclinations."


Tags:
Head of Content

Craig Chapple is a freelance analyst, consultant and writer with specialist knowledge of the games industry. He has previously served as Senior Editor at PocketGamer.biz, as well as holding roles at Sensor Tower, Nintendo and Develop.