Welcome to PocketGamer.biz's weekly rundown of the stories clocking up the hits, picking up the click-throughs and generally keeping the advertisers happy by serving up page views.
Or, if you'd prefer, the top five stories currently dominating our readers' attention.
Each week, we'll be counting down the biggest news from the previous seven days, giving just a glimpse of the industry's big issues, from five to one.
Mobage games 'failing to gain traction' on Android, claims PapayaMobile's Paul Chen
There's nothing like a bit of inter-company rivalry to generate headlines, and that's what's currently happening between PayapaMobile and DeNA.
Paul Chen, head of developer relations, for the Chinese-focused Android platform was keen to point out that four weeks on from the English-language launch of DeNA's Mobage platform, its download figures weren't very impressive.
Most of the 25 games available on the network have amassed fewer than 5,000 installs, with the most popular game being Pocket Frogs, with between 10,000 to 50,000 installs to-date.
And, with DeNA-ngmoco, GREE-OpenFeint, and PayapaMobile all competitors in this space, we're looking to forward to more headlines in future.
Click here to read more.
Apple changes the rules again; deprecates UDIDs from iOS 5Overshadowed by Apple's 'other news', the week started in some confusion as the small print of iOS 5's terms and conditions revealed that Apple was going to deprecate UDIDs.
Now, it's advising companies to create unique app specific identifiers; something that could work for big publishers who have their own social networks (i.e. EA's Origin or Gameloft LIVE), but which really messes up the business of advertisers and analytics companies such as Tapjoy and Flurry - longterm targets of Apple rule changes.
Still, the week ended with social network OpenFeint announcing it would tweak its technology to offer an alternative ID system: no doubt the first of many such attempts.
Click here to read more.
Gameloft launches 99p UK subscription deal for one Android game every week
Announced in typical Gameloft fashion on a Friday afternoon, nevertheless the news it's launching a weekly 99p subscription scheme for Android games - initially in the UK - is significant.
For one thing, it will get Android gamers used to spending money online, also providing the opportunity to upsell as the company's newest games won't be available via subscription.
For another, there's the potential to generate recurring gross revenue of over £50 per user per year.
Click here to read more.
Cave's COO Mikio Watanabe on the transition from bullet hell to mobile social success with GREE and Mobage
Few Japanese developers are as highly regarded by hardcore gamers as Cave.
Yet, while it's best known in the west for bullet hell shoot-'em ups such as Dodonpachi Resurrection, it's been releasing casual mobile games and entertainment in Japan for over a decade.
Indeed, as COO Mikio Watanabe revealed, it's been increasingly successful on social mobile networks such as Mobage and GREE; recently signing a partnership deal with the latter to further expand its business, both in Japan and internationally.
But, don't expect it to stop making the games it's best known for; "Let me make it clear - Cave won't turn its back on our fanbase," he said. "We're going to keep making hardcore games."
Click here to read more. Ustwo's mills on rejecting freemium and spending £100,000 developing a premium 69p game
Combining a number of our favourite things, the most read story on PocketGamer.biz last week was the clarion call from ustwo CHIEF WONKA mills.
Having committed £100,000 to the development of iOS game Whale Trail, he wrote passionately about making a gaming experience"about art, playability, enjoyment and fun, not about complex ways of getting users to spend money on items that don't actually exist in the real world."
As you can tell, mills isn't a fan of the freemium craze sweeping through the industry.
We'll see whether his plan works when the 99c, 0.79 or 69p game is released in the autumn.
Click here to read more.
Until next week, Pocket Gamer pickers...
Hot Five
Contributing Editor
A Pocket Gamer co-founder, Jon is Contributing Editor at PG.biz which means he acts like a slightly confused uncle who's forgotten where he's left his glasses. As well as letters and cameras, he likes imaginary numbers and legumes.
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