Both are highly polished iterations of a proven formula, both had a considerable amount of buzz around them, and consumers absolutely snatched up both with wanton glee.
But how, exactly, does the release of a huge console game with a bloated development budget factor into the world of mobile gaming?
We took a good look at that and more in the latest instalment of the PocketGamer.biz Week That Was.
Tools and platforms
- Flat's the new black, as our Chart of the Week shows iOS 7 is being taken up twice as quickly as iOS 6 was.
- Meanwhile, Amazon added iOS support for its Whispersync for Games and GameCircle services.
- Not to be left out, Windows Phone is now averaging 9 million downloads and in-app purchases a day.
- And the iPhone 5C might wow you with its colours, but it's not wowing consumers in France where pre-orders are 'in the hundreds'.
Industry voices
- We were confused by this, so we had our Mobile Mavens hash out the iPhone 5C's unveiling.
- MeanFreePath's Nick Naicoianu says location-based play has ditched the check-in/Foursquare model.
- Editor Jon Jordan argues that Grand Theft Auto V is 'the last twitch from a dead model'.
- But Carter Dotson from 148Apps thinks that mobile developers can learn a lot from GTA V.
- While US correspondent Matt Diener thinks it's time we recognise that mobile, console, and handheld games can all coexist in the same space.
- Kirk Mckeand goes behind the scenes with an exclusive look at the making of Deux Ex: The Fall.
Monetisation
- McDonalds blurs the line between snack-sized gaming and snack food by offering power-up codes for NFL Runner at 14,000 of its US locations.
- Research from Arkadium shows that mobile gamers spend more than Facebook players do, but notes that Facebook players are more engaged.
- The first of our weekly Monetizers takes a look at Kabam's Puzzle and Dragons clone Puzzle Trooper.
- While the second looks at the good and bad in monetisation, from Odyssey to Boom! Tanks.
Discovery, user acquisition, and retention
- And speaking of Boom! Tanks, Codemasters' latest game hit 1 million downloads in a week.
- PaeDae's Steve Weiss share his thoughts on how in-game ads can boost retention by 61 percent.
- Also, we took at look at a tip that something might be going on with the 5-star reviews for Zynga's CastleVille Legends.
- And if you're eager to get discovered, we have five tips on how to create the perfect App Store screenshots.
Funding, start ups and acquisitions
- App Annie will hone its analytics with $15 million raised from a Series C funding round that saw Sequoia Capitals US fund join in.
- Finally, GREE's big in Japan, but Colopl just shot past it with a Japanese market cap of $2.4 billion.
