G5 Entertainment suing MyTona, Gameloft goes free-to-play with Gangstar, and how Supercell grew Boom Beach
Boom Beach may not be Supercell's biggest game, but compared to just about any other game on the App Store, it's still a roaring success.
Turns out our readers were very interested in finding out how it came to be so popular, as Jon Jordan's dive into how Supercell grew its "runt" was our most read article of last week.
Second up is our interview with Gameloft on its recently-launched Gangstar New Orelans, and how the studio developed the game for a free-to-play market from the ground-up.
Secrets, stepping down, and South Korea
Third on the list is the news that G5 Entertainment is suing its partner MyTona for not renewing its agreement surrounding the game The Secret Society, a major money-spinner for both developers.
And finally, Bigpoint CEO Khaled Helioui steps down from his role to focus on developing his home country, and Lineage 2: Revolution was the top grossing game worldwide in February 2017.
Click the link below to find out more about the games that caught our reader's attention of the last week.
#5: Lineage 2: Revolution was the top grossing game worldwide in February 2017 despite only being launched in South Korea
More Info
Lineage 2: Revolution was the top grossing game worldwide in February 2017 despite only being launched in South Korea »Lineage 2: Revolution is a big, big game. It's raking in money hand over fist, and it's only been out for a couple of months in its home country of South Korea.
How big is it exactly? Well SuperData Research reckons it was the top grossing mobile game worldwide in February 2017, beating out games like Monster Strike and Clash of Clans.
Not even Pokemon GO, Clash Royale, Onmyoji, Honour of Kings, or any of the other nine games in the top ten could match it, and most of those are in at least more than one country.
Also worthy of note: Blizzard's Hearthstone is suffering on mobile following some unpopular updates, as well as the metric tonne of competition that has arrived on the platform lately.
#4: Bigpoint CEO Khaled Helioui steps down as Youzu outlines new mobile and investment strategy
More Info
Bigpoint CEO Khaled Helioui steps down as Youzu outlines new mobile and investment strategy »Bigpoint CEO Khaled Helioui has stepped down from the position after more than five years with the company.
Helioui said he aims to pursue “new, personal goals”, which includes helping develop his home country of Tunisia.
He is being replaced by newly appointed Managing Director Brian Morrisroe, who previously held the role of Director of New Games at Bigpoint and has been with the company for nearly two years.
Youzu, which acquired Bigpoint in March 2016, is now looking ahead to a new strategy with Bigpoint, and plans to release “a raft of important mobile titles” in Europe.
#3: Hidden object developer G5 Entertainment sues MyTona over lucrative game The Secret Society
More Info
Hidden object developer G5 Entertainment sues MyTona over lucrative game The Secret Society »Hidden object games might not get our audience's mouths watering, but they can be a hugely lucrative genre when done right.
So it's little wonder that G5 Entertainment is suing MyTona to try and hold onto the license for its game The Secret Society.
G5 is claiming that MyTona is wrongfully terminating the agreement, and is seeking substantial damages. MyTona has counter-sued in response, claiming that G5 is being abusive and misappropriating source code.
So why does this matter? Because The Secret Society is one of three games that generate 90% of G5's revenues combined, which is definitely not something you want to lose.
#2: Gameloft on designing an open-world F2P mobile game with no limits in Gangstar New Orleans
More Info
Gameloft on designing an open-world F2P mobile game with no limits in Gangstar New Orleans »It's been a while since we've seen a new Gangstar game, but now it's back and has been designed from the ground-up as a free-to-play experience.
It's a big change for the franchise, so we decided to ask developer Gameloft about what it took to design the once premium series in this way.
"We're leading the way in terms of having an open-world, free-to-play game on mobile - it's difficult sometimes to marry those concepts," said Game Director Christopher Budgen.
"We really tried to understand what's motivating for players overall… We don't want the free-to-play model to be fighting against the motivations that our players are carrying with them."
#1: Still a booming beach: Three years on, how Supercell nurtured its runt
More Info
Still a booming beach: Three years on, how Supercell nurtured its runt »Boom Beach is an interesting title - it doesn't have the worldwide acclaim (or revenue stream) of Clash of Clans, but it remains a top grossing game nonetheless.
It's a successful game - though perhaps not by Supercell standards - so our trained graph maker Jon Jordan took a look into what exactly caused it to grow.
The answer? Advertising, and lots of it. TV advertising and video ads on other games were the main sources of Boom Beach's downloads, and its subsequent revenue boost.
But, as noted by Jordan, "Boom Beach has been in marked decline. It dropped out of the US App Store top 20 top grossing ranking in April 2016 and even spiked outside of the top 100 in early 2017."