Next Games on AR zombies, why Nazara is worth $550 million, and Nintendo shares hit a nine-year high
Arena of Valor is thebig thing on the mobile market right now - it may not have hit the US just yet, but its effects are definitely being felt around the rest of the world.
Even Nintendo seems to be getting a boost from it, and saw its shares hit a nine-year high following the news that the game would be launched on the Switch, a story so fascinating that it was our most read of the week.
Second on our Hot Five is our look at Nazara Games and its potential IPO in order to answer a very important question - what makes it worth $550 million?
Zombies, charities and events
Third up, we chat to Next Games CMO Saara Bergström about the studio's upcoming augmented reality game The Walking Dead: Our World, and why they thought it would be cool to have zombies in your back garden.
And finally, SpecialEffect has signed up over 30 developers to donate money for its One Special Day event, and Johannes Heinze stops by to talk about the power of in-game events.
Click the link below to find out more about the stories that caught our readers' attention over the last week.
#5: Why in-game events are the best way to revitalise your mobile game
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Why in-game events are the best way to revitalise your mobile game »As free-to-play has evolved over the years, so has the notion of live operations and how important it is to user engagement and retention.
For many developers, running in-game events has become a key aspect of enticing players to keep on playing, something AppLovin's Johannes Heinze discussed in detail in his latest article on PocketGamer.biz.
"Over the years, in-game events have become major sources of revenue for developers, especially for free-to-play titles and it’s easy to see why," he said.
"In-game events are a great way to give players new goals to come back to, which in turn increases revenue. Events also do wonders to extend the life of your mobile game so you don’t have to invest in developing new games just to start over again."
#4: SpecialEffect aims to raise £100,000 with One Special Day fundraiser on September 29th
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SpecialEffect aims to raise £100,000 with One Special Day fundraiser on September 29th »Getting someone to cough up a fiver for a charity event seems can on its own be difficult, so it's a small miracle that SpecialEffect has managed to get so many developers signed up for One Special Day.
Over 30 mobile devs have agreed to give 100% of the revenues they generate in the UK to SpecialEffect on September 29th, with the goal to raise at least £100,000.
With some of the names on this list, that figure could quite easily be beaten - EA, Supercell, Zynga, Rovio, Jam City and more have all pledged their donations for the event.
And you can too, if you feel like joining in. Check the article for more information on how to get involved.
#3: Augmenting the undead: Next Games, mobile AR and The Walking Dead: Our World
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Augmenting the undead: Next Games, mobile AR and The Walking Dead: Our World »Zombies in your back garden sounds like a literal nightmare, but it's what Next Games wants to do with its upcoming augmented reality game The Walking Dead: Our World.
We spoke to the studio's CMO Saara Bergström to find out more about its plans for the game, and why AR was the way to go to fulfill its vision.
"The thought of 'what would I do if I was in a zombie apocalypse?' has existed ever since the first zombie movies'," she said.
"So this question is rooted deeply in the pop culture surrounding the genre. The Walking Dead as a TV-show also makes you wonder about this 'what if?'"
"From that perspective, creating a game that utilises the players' location as well as augmented reality - your own personal space - is a very intriguing idea. It all really started from this thought, and we felt that it's a great fit with the story of the show."
#2: What makes Indian mobile publisher Nazara Games worth $550 million?
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What makes Indian mobile publisher Nazara Games worth $550 million? »Nazara might be heading for an IPO - it's all rumours for now, but if it does, then it'll be the first Indian game studio to do so.
What makes this even more exciting is that the IPO is also rumoured to value the company at $550 million - but is it worth that much?
In short, sure, probably. Nazara releases a lot of games that peak early and crash out, but the ones that stick around perform well in the region.
And its key business is in India - when the region takes off and becomes a major player in terms of revenues, Nazara is set to see a large amount of money come rolling in.
#1: Nintendo shares hit nine-year high following Arena of Valor Switch reveal
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Nintendo shares hit nine-year high following Arena of Valor Switch reveal »If you haven't played Arena of Valor (or Honor of Kings as it's known in China) yet, either you live in the US (highly likely) or you have literally no excuse - it's one of the biggest games out there, and you need to learn what it is and how it works.
It's so big, in fact, that news of its port to the Nintendo Switch seems to have caused the Big N's shares to hit a nine-year high.
The main point of excitement is the potential for future deals between Nintendo and Tencent, which could lead to the Switch launching in China, or at least some of the developer's mobile games finally making it out there.
Or maybe everyone's just really excited by the prospect of Arena of Valor on Switch, which is bound to make a bucketload of cash when it launches.