Myths about mobile ads, trouble in Minions Paradise, and VR's long, long runway
Last week the tech world descended on Helsinki for Slush 2015, and as you might expect, we got quite a few stories out of the two day's events, three of which ended up beng some of our most read articles of the week.
Leading the way was David Helgason, founder of Unity, giving his thoughts on VR and warning any potential developers for the platform that they'll "need funding for the next 2-4 years" as the market finds its feet (or eyes).
Our second most read article wasn't a Slush special, but instead a Charticle looking at the disappointing release of Minions Paradise, providing some insights into just how badly it's done and some suggestions as to why.
Next up, it's back to Slush as Finnish developer Futureplay revealed that their first game, Farm Away, has already started generating $0.082 ARPDAU for the company.
And finally, David Diaz of Fyber seeks to bust open five common myths of mobile advertising, while Supercell investor Index Ventures explains its interest in the company.
Have a look at the list for more details on the stories.
#5: We invest in culture not games, says Supercell investor Index Ventures
More Info
We invest in culture not games, says Supercell investor Index Ventures »Index Ventures missed out on Supercell's Series A funding round, but the company's founding partner Neil Rimer is keen to get in on the Series B round.
It's not just the games that Supercell make that he's interested in, however. It's the entire company and its culture.
He said, “the culture of having independent cells that make games, holding the games to the same high quality bar, and celebrating failures with champagne, that impressed us.”
#4: 5 common myths about mobile advertising busted
More Info
5 common myths about mobile advertising busted »Some developers are worried about introducing ads into their games, fearing they may cause a high intake of low-quality users, and ultimately driving users away.
David Diaz, VP of Developer Relations at Fyber, wants to dispel some of these myths, and picks five of the most commonly held to ease developer's minds.
The myths he tackles include the idea that rewarded ads hurt IAPs, that ads reduce engagement, and that showing more ads will earn you more money.
#3: Futureplay's Farm Away is already generating $0.082 ARPDAU from its incent ads model
More Info
Futureplay's Farm Away is already generating $0.082 ARPDAU from its incent ads model »With our Promiscuous Gamer already infatuated with Futureplay's Farm Away, it's no real surprise that the game has started to generate a positive-sounding revenue stream.
The company's founder, Jami Laes, says that the game is generating $0.082 ARPU per day from the games 100,000 daily active users.
He attributes this to the use of ads as positive reinforcement in a game, rather than offering second tries from failures.
But despite the ad-focused nature of the game, Laes does say that "ads are not a replacement for IAP. You need to find different core loops for ads to integrate with. It's not ads or IAPs. It's ads and IAPs."
#2: Wrong genre, bad timing: The top grossing performance of Minions Paradise
More Info
Wrong genre, bad timing: The top grossing performance of Minions Paradise »Minions Paradise was met with a somewhat mixed reaction from us at PocketGamer.biz. One of us loved it, despite also hating it. Our IAP Inspector didn't have a particularly strong opinion. Who knows what Jon thought.
What we do know is that the game has failed to make an impact around the world, with it only breaking the top 100 in a handful of countries globally.
Jon attributes this to a case of wrong genre and bad timing, thanks to the game releasing months after the Minions film, and being a little too complicated for its target audience.
#1: If you’re doing VR now, you’re probably doing it wrong, says Unity’s Helgason
More Info
If you’re doing VR now, you’re probably doing it wrong, says Unity’s Helgason »VR might be the in thing at the minute, with companies pouring millions of dollars into its development, but Unity founder David Helgason is warning developers to be cautious.
Which isn't to say he doesn't like the technology. Helgason said that his first experience with the Oculus Rift was "intensely emotional."
But with the market still not quite there, Helgason has warned that "if you’re starting a VR company now, you’ll need funding for 2-4 years."
He also said that the ecosystem - all the monetisation and content on the platforms - for VR will likely be tightly controlled by the vendors,