NBCUniversal self-publishing mobile games, how Rovio is finding renewed success, and King soft-launches Candy Crush Friends Saga
It wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that King could just sit back and let Candy Crush Saga continually rake in the cash, providing it with a few updates here and there, and not bother releasing a new entry in the franchise ever again.
But lo and behold that's exactly what it's doing, and the news of Candy Crush Friends Saga's soft launch was so enticing that it was our most read story of last week.
Second up, we talk to Rovio's Wilhelm Taht about how the studio has been turning its fortunes around in recent years, largely thanks to a renewed focus on live operations.
Publishing, purchases and Playrix
Third on our Hot Five list is the news that NBCUniversal is going to start self-publishing mobile games based on its major IP such as Despicable Me and Fast & Furious, though it will still be working with external developers to make them.
And finally, Scientific Revenue's William Grosso stops by to talk about the future of IAPs in mobile games, and we take a look at how Playrix has become a quiet success story.
Click the link below to find out more about the stories that caught our reader's eye over the last week.
#5: Charting the rise of Russian mobile gaming powerhouse Playrix
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Charting the rise of Russian mobile gaming powerhouse Playrix »Not sure what Playrix is? You've probably heard of, or even played, one of its games - the successful match-3 title Gardenscapes - New Acres.
In fact, Playrix has quietly become one of the top mobile game developers in the world, with a stable of titles performing continually well for the studio.
Casual builder game Township, for example, may have started life as a fairly middle-of-the-road grosser, but in the last couple of years its clawed its way into the top 100 grossing games in the US and stayed there.
But not every portfolio can be full of major successes. One game, Sky Charms, has abjectly failed to make any kind of impact in the US - though it's performed marginally better in the studio's home country of Russia.
#4: The future of in-app purchase monetisation in mobile games
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The future of in-app purchase monetisation in mobile games »"You’ve heard it before. Mobile games are now big business. But it’s true, and it’s worth mentioning once again: Mobile gaming, and free-to-play gaming more generally, is now a huge and highly competitive market."
So begins Scientific Revenue's William Grosso in his article on the future of IAP monetisation and where developers will be looking to go to earn their keep.
In particular, it's annuities - IAPs that give users a steady stream of premium currency over a set number of days, for a slightly higher price than your usual IAP.
"Annuities appeal to 'planners' who are affluent and have good impulse control (these people often become 'grinders' otherwise due to their ability to suppress their impulsive buying decisions)," said Grosso.
#3: NBCUniversal focuses in on mobile with plans to self-publish future games based on its IP
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NBCUniversal focuses in on mobile with plans to self-publish future games based on its IP »What do you do when you're a huge entertainment corporation with a bunch of huge IPs under your belt and a desire to make games about them? Self-publish, of course.
That's what NBCUniversal is doing anyway, as it makes use of relatively recent hire Chris Heatherly to start publishing its own mobile games based on franchises like Despicable Me and Fast & Furious.
"We are making a significant investment in this space with the team I am building. This is not just a couple of titles. It's about a network of titles," said Heatherly.
"Millennials spend their time with games. Brands like Overwatch have much more relevance for young audiences. I'm pleased to find that the leadership here gets that, and our film talent does too."
#2: How Rovio is steering the ship to a new wave of success
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How Rovio is steering the ship to a new wave of success »Rovio is on its way back up - it may have taken a while to transition from premium to free-to-play, but now it's learned its lessons and is making big changes.
To find out more about how the company operates, we chatted with Executive VP of Games Wilhelm Taht about the developer's shift to focusing on live ops, and its slow drift away from the Angry Birds that made it famous.
"In all honesty, it’s down to hard work - this is an industry with no silver bullets - and a relentless focus on day to day operations and serving fans in the upmost best way possible today," he said.
“That is something we try to do everyday and that the cultural and focus change that we went through last year, where instead of always thinking about what is next in the road map, we rather think about: what are we doing right here and right now?”
#1: King expands flagship IP with soft-launch of new 3D game Candy Crush Friends Saga
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King expands flagship IP with soft-launch of new 3D game Candy Crush Friends Saga »King probably doesn't need to release any more Candy Crush Saga entries. The original game, while its MAUs may be slipping, is still one of the top grossing games on a monthly basis.
But that isn't stopping the studio from trying again and again to replicate its success, this time with the soft-launched Candy Crush Friends Saga.
It's the same old Candy Crush you know and love - match candies, get power-ups, chain together matches, score points, move along.
Only this time all the characters and environments have received a 3D makeover to give them some more pizzazz. But don't worry, the candies are still flat and move around as you've come to expect.