Brawl Stars comes to Android, King enters the social casino space, and why Gabe Leydon swapped mobile for blockchain
After some teases and hints from Supercell, Brawl Stars has indeed landed on Android with a big enough thud to give us our most read story of the week.
The MOBA-esque shooter is currently soft-launched in Canada, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Ireland, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia and Singapore.
Second up this week, as one game expands its soft launch another leaves. King’s first endeavour into the social casino space Royal Charm Slots dropped into the iOS App Store and Google Play.
MZ, clones, Hole.io and lawsuits
Next up, contributing editor Jon Jordan delved into the question of why Gabe Leydon left mobile games developer MZ for blockchain data outfit Statori.
Rounding us off this week, Donut County dev Ben Esposito called out Voodoo for allegedly ripping of his game with Hole.io, and Bethesda sues Warner Bros over Westworld Mobile.
#5: Fallout Shelter publisher Bethesda sues Warner Bros over “blatant rip-off” Westworld
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Fallout Shelter publisher Bethesda sues Warner Bros over “blatant rip-off” Westworld »Bethesda is suing Warner Bros Entertainment and Canadian developer Behaviour Interactive.
The Fallout developer alleges that the latter two companies stole its IP and trade secrets to make “blatant rip-off” mobile game Westworld.
One of Bethesda’s main points of proof was its claim that Behaviour used “the same copyrighted computer code created for Fallout Shelter in Westworld”.
This apparently resulted in a similar bug that had appeared to that of one in an early release of Fallout Shelter.
#4: Indie dev lambasts recently flush publisher Voodoo for ‘clone’ Hole.io
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Indie dev lambasts recently flush publisher Voodoo for ‘clone’ Hole.io »Casual games publisher Voodoo came under fire last week from indie dev Ben Esposito after he found Hole.io to be a touch too similar to Donut Country.
Taking to Twitter, he aired his grievances over Voodoo copying Donut County’s gameplay premise, which is a hole in the ground that grows larger as it swallows more items.
Esposito then mentioned that he felt compelled to speak after Voodoo received a $200 million investment from Goldman Sachs' private equity fund, which he felt may well be an increase in this kind of activity.
#3: Why MZ CEO Gabe Leydon has left mobile games for blockchain data outfit Satori
MZ has made billions of dollars through its games like Game of War, Mobile Strke and Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire.
But as the company reoganises itself and focuses on the latter title, MZ CEO Gabe Leydon has left the company. And with him, he's spun off its Satori business.
The platform, which works with real-time data, will now be based on the blockchain and act as a wholly separate company.
It's a bold move, but Leydon isn't the only one to recently leave the mobile games business for the promise of the blockchain.
#2: King enters the social casino space with Royal Charm Slots
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King enters the social casino space with Royal Charm Slots »Last week saw Candy Crush Saga developer King made its first foray into the social casino games market with the full release of Royal Charm Slots.
The title was developed with social casino games specialist Playstudios and lets players bet virtual money on in-game slot machines. Coins can be won through the games or purchased as an IAP.
Visually, Royal Charm Slots is undoubtedly a King game as it features its trademark colourful art style, along with a host of characters specifically designed for the game.
It also includes a host of collectables and boosters to keep players entertained.
#1: Supercell’s Brawl Stars arrives on Android
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Supercell’s Brawl Stars arrives on Android »After a gentle tease the day before, Brawl Stars has landed on Android.
Much like its iOS counterpart, it has been soft-launched in Canada, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Ireland, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia and Singapore.
A top-down MOBA-esque shooter, the game sees teams of three facing off across a number of different objective-based modes.
Heroes can be customised and levelled up as you play to make them crazier and more powerful, and you can form clans with your friends to practice or battle others.