Golf Clash scores $1.1 million in a day, why we need to stop ignoring MZ, and Brawl Stars versus Clash Royale
Despite the fact it's only available in Canada, the hype surrounding Supercell's Brawl Starsis palpable - people in the mobile games industry just can't stop talking about it.
And our readers love hearing about it too, as evidenced by the fact that Adam Telfer's guest post on how the game's gacha mechanic stacks up against Clash Royale was our most read article of the last week.
Second on our Hot Five is Jon Jordan's piece on why the games industry shouldn't ignore MZ and its incredibly high-grossing games, even if they may seem pretty boring to play.
Angry Birds, Golf Clash and Mafia Wars
Third up, Michail Katkoff breaks down how Angry Birds 2 managed to vastly increase its revenues in the space of a year, thanks to continued major updates that turned it from a super-casual game into something more midcore.
And finally, Playdemic's Golf Clash managed to score over $1 million in revenues in a single day, and Zynga made the decision to shut down Mafia Wars after three months in soft launch.
Click the link below to find out more about the stories that caught our readers' attention of the last week.
#5: Zynga shuts down mobile Mafia Wars after three months
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Zynga shuts down mobile Mafia Wars after three months »Games in soft launch get canned - making sure it's worth releasing is, after all, one of the reasons developers give it a limited release to begin.
That said, Mafia Wars' closure is particularly surprising, not only because it's such a big name, but also because Zynga was so open about its decision to shut it down before a full launch.
"As a team, we’re being deliberate about our new starts and going after the categories where we believe we can win," read a statement from Zynga.
"We have a high bar for our new releases and didn’t believe the game had the potential to be a successful forever franchise for us."
#4: Playdemic’s Golf Clash strikes up $1.1 million revenues in a single day
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Playdemic’s Golf Clash strikes up $1.1 million revenues in a single day »UK studio Playdemic’s hit game Golf Clash generated record sales of $1.1 million in a single day on July 4th.
Playdemic CEO Paul Gouge said the landmark was a “massive achievement” for the studio. He added that around 60% of Golf Clash players come from the US, where much of the sales for its record day were likely to emanate from as people celebrated Independence Day on July 4th.
"A lot of hard work goes into finding the perfect recipe but ultimately it has to surprise and delight the audience," said Gouge.
"That’s what Golf Clash does and I’m so proud of the team at Playdemic."
#3: How Angry Birds 2 significantly increased its revenues within a year
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How Angry Birds 2 significantly increased its revenues within a year »Rovio may have been slow to start on free-to-play, but it's turned its fortunes around recently, especially once it found its rhythm with Angry Birds 2.
The game didn't set the world on fire when it first launched, but after a year of tweaks and updates, it managed to hugely increase its revenues - a process which Michail Katkoff broke down on Deconstructor of Fun.
"Instead of keeping up the course of just adding more levels, the Stockholm studio behind Angry Birds 2 went to work," he writes.
"Today Angry Birds 2 is a perennial top 50 grossing game, and it’s only because of the top-notch updates which have successfully introduced midcore elements to a super casual game."
#2: Why the mobile games industry underestimates MZ at its peril
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Why the mobile games industry underestimates MZ at its peril »Look, I get it. MZ games make a tonne of money day in, day out, and the company isn't going to suddenly vanish one day - it and its millions are here to stay.
It's just that MZ's games are - unless you're heavily invested in menus and guilds - really dull to play. But Jon Jordan makes a good point - we need to be paying attention anyway.
"The rise of the mobile games industry is personified in the rise of MZ. You might not like its games, but all that means is you don’t like very successful mobile games," he argues.
"But you should, at least, attempt to play and understand them."
#1: Brawl Stars versus Clash Royale: Designing a strong gacha
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Brawl Stars versus Clash Royale: Designing a strong gacha »It's only been soft-launched in Canada so far, but Supercell's Brawl Stars feels like its been a permanent fixture in our lives for years now - not least because everyone loves to talk about it.
The latest to take a look is Adam Telfer from Mobile Free To Play, who decided to compare its gacha system to that of Supercell's other recent megahit, Clash Royale.
In summary: the new MOBA just can't keep up with its older bretheren right now, mostly because it lacks the same amount of depth that Clash Royale offered.
"Brawl Stars has the DNA of the next Supercell hit. They may just need to make some last minute adjustments to make it the next billion dollar game. I’ll be cheering for them," writes Telfer.