Hot Five: GDC takeaways, Nintendo Today app launches, and Honkai: Star Rail’s race to $2bn on mobile
To help get you primed and ready for another week in mobile gaming, we’ve curated the biggest stories you need to know from the last seven days.
Another year of GDC has wrapped up with a number of takeaways and prevalent trends.
Years of layoffs and belt-tightening, among other factors, led to a quieter conference than in years gone by. The show floor also lacked some of the big players in the industry, most notably the big game engines Unity, Unreal and Godot.
One of this year's trends was the use of generative AI in the production process, while we question how much of a trend really is following our trip to San Francisco.
2) Subway Surfers and Crossy Road collide in first-ever crossover event
Sybo and Hipster Whale have teamed up to bring three-week crossover events to Subway Surfers and Crossy Road for the first time.
In Subway Surfers, players can earn limited-edition rewards and characters Chicken Jake and Mallard Tricky. In Crossy Road, they can explore a new Subway Surfers world with mechanics like jetpacks and magnets, with Jake, Tricky and others appearing alongside Crossy Road's cast.
3) New EU guidelines demand transparency for in-game purchases
The European Commission’s Consumer Protection Cooperation Network has outlined key principles to protect European consumers in video games, meaning developers and publishers in the EU must now clearly display the real cost of microtransactions involving virtual currencies.
Principles focus on price transparency and prohibiting unfair, exploitative practices like prompting overspending or leaving players with unnecessary virtual currency.
4) Honkai: Star Rail rockets past $2bn on mobile in under two years
HoYoverse’s Honkai: Star Rail has surpassed $2 billion in gross player spending on mobile one month before its second anniversary.
According to AppMagic estimates, the gacha title outearned Genshin Impact in 2024 with $870.9m versus $730.1m made on mobile last year. Both games have established key markets in China, Japan and the US.
5) Nintendo Today mobile app launches to keep fans informed on Switch 2 and more
Nintendo has launched another new mobile app, with Nintendo Today promising daily news updates about everything from the Zelda movie to the Switch 2.
The app allows users to track important dates like game releases, in-game events and scheduled Nintendo Direct presentations.
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