Lessons from Angry Birds 2, the rise of hyper-casual, and HQ Trivia monetisation
One of the hottest games on mobile right now is actually more like a quiz show.
Created by the co-founders of the popular but now defunct video app Vine, HQ Trivia is now attracting millions of players for its quizzes, which run twice a day on weekdays and once a day at weekends.
It's perhaps little surprise then that our most read article of the last week is our look into how the game works and how it might monetise its large userbase.
Hyper-casual, secret success and big investments
Second up in our Hot Five is our analysis of one of mobile's biggest recent trends - the rise of hyper-casual titles.
Third up, UX expert Om Tandon deconstructs the design of Rovio's Angry Birds 2 and delves into how casual games at large are maturing (except for those hyper-casual titles, of course).
Next our contributing editor Jon Jordan looks at the rise of mobile publisher G5 Entertainment and mobile advertising firm Taptica raises $52.6 million.
#5: Taptica raises $52.6 million to reduce debt and fund future M&A opportunities
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Taptica raises $52.6 million to reduce debt and fund future M&A opportunities »Mobile advertising is big business, proven further by Taptica's recently announced investment round of $52.6 million.
The company aims to reduce its debt while also spending some of its new funds on mergers and acquisitions.
"With a broader footprint across the globe and consumer mobile usage and adoption rising, we anticipate our strategy of on-boarding local advertisers onto global platforms to result in continued growth," said Taptica CEO Hagai Tal.
"The funds raised will reduce the level of debt under the Company's existing debt facility, which we believe will better position the Company to capitalise on near-term M&A opportunities. We thank our existing shareholders and welcome new investors to our share register and look forward to updating them on our progress."
#4: Hidden object revealed: The rise of G5 Entertainment
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Hidden object revealed: The rise of G5 Entertainment »G5 Entertainment is a company that has slipped under the radar.
That's despite its quite remarkable growth and success over recent years. In 2017 its share price gew by 209 per cent.
Our contributing editor Jon Jordan delved into just how much the company has grown over the last few years and what lies behind it success.
And it looks like the company won't be flying under the radar for much longer.
#3: Are casual games maturing? Lessons from Angry Birds 2
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Are casual games maturing? Lessons from Angry Birds 2 »Angry Birds is one of the most famous mobile gaming IPs in the world.
Classically very much a 'casual' game, Angry Birds 2 has taken the successful formula and added much more depth than you might expect from the franchise.
It's a move that's paid off greatly for developer Rovio, which has gradually evolved the game into a top grosser.
To understand more about the games evolution and how the casual market has changed in general, UX expert Om Tandon deconstructs what makes it so special.
#2: Charting the rise of hyper-casual mobile games
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Charting the rise of hyper-casual mobile games »Mobile has long been known as a home for easily accessible 'casual' games.
But as many titles begin to add more complex features and metagame, some developers have gone in the other direction entirely.
These so called 'hyper-casual' games offer quick bite-sized gameplay experience, though offer lots of replay value to those that want to master them.
It's an exciting rising trend in the industry, championed by the likes of Ketchapp, Voodoo and Gram Games, so we decided to chart just how successful these companies have been.
#1: How will HQ Trivia monetise?
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How will HQ Trivia monetise? »HQ Trivia is one of the hottest mobile apps going right now.
It's based on a simple yet untapped premise: a trivia show is broadcast twice a day on weekdays and once a day on weekends, with cash prizes offered to the winners.
But right now the game is completely free to play, so how will it make money in future?
We delved into the opportunities the developer has to monetise this hot new app, which could be completely different from what we've traditionally seen on mobile.