TreasureHunt raises $6 million, Lakoo on subscription over F2P, and Supercell soft-launches Brawl Stars
Supercell has soft-launched a new game! And, unsurprisingly, it looks really good. Yes, Brawl Starsis now out on iOS in Canada and fingers crossed it might make it out to the rest of the world too.
Our readers were certainly excited about the reveal of the new game - the story of its soft-launch topped our Hot Five list with an impressive lead - but there's still plenty of other articles they enjoyed over the last week.
Second on the list is our interview with the co-founder of Lakoo, Kin Ko, who told us all about why the studio has decided to go down a subscription-based monetisation route rather than cling to F2P like everyone else.
Revolution, Treasure and changes
Third up is the news that Lineage 2 Revolution has finally been soft-launched outside of South Korea, and an English language version is available in a number of countries in Asia.
And finally, TreasureHunt has raised $6 million in order to grow its business and promote its latest game, and we made a helpful list of all the changes to be found in the upcoming iOS 11.
Click the link below to find out more about the stories that caught our readers' attention over the last week.
#5: A handy guide to what the changes in iOS 11 mean for mobile developers
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A handy guide to what the changes in iOS 11 mean for mobile developers »There's a lot going on in iOS 11 and it can be difficult to get your head around the changes - we're speaking from experience on this front.
But if you don't want to trawl around the Internet trying to work out how the various changes might affect you as a developer, you can just check out our guide to the key updates in iOS 11.
As far as the App Store redesign goes, the front page of the App Store will now land on the Today tab, which features articles from the Editors providing a behind-the-scenes look at different games and apps each day, as well as tips and tricks, lists and more.
There will also be a Game Of The Day highlighted every day of the week, giving a new game prime real estate on the App Store each day, rather than just as a weekly refresh. And there's a Games tab for users who just want to look through playable apps too.
#4: TreasureHunt closes $6 million series A funding round ahead of Pet Paradise launch
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TreasureHunt closes $6 million series A funding round ahead of Pet Paradise launch »Berlin-based mobile game developer TreasureHunt has closed a $6 million series A funding round as it gears up to launch its latest game Pet Paradise.
The funding round was led by German online gaming company The Gauselmann Group, with private angel investors also participating. The money will be used to promote Pet Paradise and build an additional game team.
"The Gauselmann Group is a strategic investor and much more than a financial partner. They understand our players deeply and will enable us to scale globally, in a way we couldn’t do alone," said TreasureHunt founder Kyle Smith.
"We look forward to announcing more partnerships in the near future that will add significant value for both parties."
#3: Lineage 2 Revolution sees English language soft-launch in Asia ahead of worldwide release
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Lineage 2 Revolution sees English language soft-launch in Asia ahead of worldwide release »Unless you've been camped out under a rock these past few months, you'll probably be aware that Netmarble's Lineage 2 Revolution is pretty big news in South Korea.
And it's set to be pretty big news in the rest of the world too, having just soft-launched an English language version in nine countries across Asia.
Cambodia, Hong Kong, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand all have access to the MMORPG now, and by all accounts, players there love it.
It has shot to the top of the iOS grossing charts in Macau, as well as securing second place in the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, and ninth place in Malaysia.
#2: "Many gamers are fed up with F2P": Why Lakoo is bringing subscription-based games to mobile
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"Many gamers are fed up with F2P": Why Lakoo is bringing subscription-based games to mobile »The idea of a subscription-based game on mobile may be confusing to some, especially in a world where free-to-play is king.
But developer Lakoo is giving subscriptions a go anyway, and it's got high hopes. Co-founder Kin Ko told us the studio is making the shift "to make a difference. Not just for the players, but also ourselves".
The move hasn't gone without a hitch - Ko confesses that "it hasn't produced optimal result, both gameplay and business-wise, but at least we started to execute the direction and to learn.
"We are however very glad that the subsequent title Teon, now in beta with subscription design from the ground up, has shown a very promising result to prove the model works."
#1: Supercell soft-launches Brawl Stars in Canada App Store
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Supercell soft-launches Brawl Stars in Canada App Store »A new Supercell game? You better believe it - and if the first videos are anything to go by, it looks pretty gosh-darned good too.
Brawl Stars is all about shooting your opponents in the face (but in a friendly, colourful fashion), and you can grab it now if you live in Canada or have a Canadian iTunes account.
"We're thrilled to release the beta version of Brawl Stars,” said Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen in a statement to PocketGamer.biz.
“There's nothing quite like it out there at the moment and it's very exciting to bring something new for the players to try out."
Not that there's any guarantee the game will even see the light of day - Supercell is known for killing games as soon as they look like they're not going to perform to the level it expects, so let's hope Canada loves Brawl Stars.