New studio Chatterbox, 27 million people take part in Clash Royale contest, and MZ hires Alexis Ren for ad campaign
Its games may appeal to a very limited, hardcore audience, but when it comes to advertising, MZ certainly knows how to get almost everyone talking.
Our story on their hiring of influencer and model Alexis Ren to star in a new Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire ad was by far the most read article of the last week and we can only begin to imagine how many more people actually saw the ad itself.
Second on our Hot Five list is the news that the Clash Royale Crown Championship managed to attract over 27 million players over the first two phases of the contest, which have now been whittled down to under 10,000 ahead of the third phase.
Chatterboxes, Paladins and food trucks
Third up is the story of a new studio opening in Berlin called Chatterbox, which is formed of ex-Wooga developers and is currently making games for instant messaging apps.
And finally, Hi-Rez has returned to mobile with a MOBA take on its team-shooter Paladins, and Nukebox Studios has generated over $500,000 in revenue from its game Food Truck Chef in just 45 days.
Click the link below to find out more about the stories that caught our reader's eye over the last week.
#5: Indian developer Nukebox Studios generates $500k revenue in 45 days from new game Food Truck Chef
More Info
Indian developer Nukebox Studios generates $500k revenue in 45 days from new game Food Truck Chef »Indian developer Nukebox Studios’ recently released mobile game Food Truck Chef has generated $500,000 in 45 days.
Sharing the news on Facebook, Dhruva Interactive CEO Rajesh Rao said the Bangalore-based team had secured three million downloads in 10 days for the title.
The game was featured on both the App Store and Google Play and reached the number one casual games spot in over 100 countries.
Nukebox was said to have “made and killed 15 games before they made this one”, and spent the last 18 months developing it.
#4: Hi-Rez Studios returns to mobile with Paladins Strike
More Info
Hi-Rez Studios returns to mobile with Paladins Strike »Hi-Rez is best known for its MOBA SMITE, which was due to come to mobile in Clash Royale form until it, uh, didn't.
Instead, it's turned to its PC team-shooter Paladins for inspiration and is now working on a 5v5 MOBA-esque shooter called Paladins Strike.
Alpha registrations are already open, though there's no word on when a full release is expected, or if it'll even make it that far.
From the initial trailer, however, it looks pretty interesting, with all the usual mobile MOBA trappings wrapped up in a colourful package that fits the Paladins style.
#3: Ex-Wooga staff start new messaging app games studio Chatterbox
More Info
Ex-Wooga staff start new messaging app games studio Chatterbox »Where do we go next after mobile games? Some developers think it might be AR, others think VR, and some are going ahead and getting started on games inside messaging apps.
One such developer is Chatterbox, a new start-up from a team of ex-Wooga developers headed up by former Wooga Head of Studio Antti Hattara.
Its first game has already launched on iMessage, a turn-based multiplayer title called Mini Golf Battle which, surprise surprise, involves playing mini golf with friends.
"Introducing social as a centre part of gameplay into casual games and to mass market mobile gaming audience has been a vision for us for a long time and now as messenger platforms are opening for games the opportunity is right now at hand," said Hattara.
#2: $1 million Clash Royale Crown Championship attracts more than 27 million participants
More Info
$1 million Clash Royale Crown Championship attracts more than 27 million participants »If you're wondering how many people still play Clash Royale, this may interest you - 27.4 million players took part in the qualifying stages of the Crown Championship.
This number has been whittled down dramatically through the various stages of the contest, and now a little under 10,000 players are through to the third phase of the contest.
China has the highest number of players through to this phase, with 1,140 people making it this far, while the USA came second with 1,028.
They're all competing for a total prize of $1 million, but they've still got a long way to go before they get there - the contest is set to run right to the end of the year.
#1: MZ recruits influencer and model Alexis Ren as the face of Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire ad campaign
More Info
MZ recruits influencer and model Alexis Ren as the face of Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire ad campaign »Love them or loathe them, influencers are a staple part of modern day marketing and if there's one developer that understands the importance of marketing, it's MZ.
It's little wonder, then, that the developer behind Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire turned to influencer and model Alexis Ren to help advertise the game in a new TV and digital ad campaign.
With 10 million followers on Instagram and just under one million on Twitter, she's definitely got a wide reach to push the game out to.
And MZ isn't going to just make one ad and let it die - it'll be running in mobile games and on TV during events like NFL games to make sure as many people as possible see it.