Hot Five

Dr. Mario World makes $1.4m in first month, Loot Crate goes bankrupt, and JaffaJam wants to shake up hyper-casual

The hottest stories from the mobile games industry over the last week

Dr. Mario World makes $1.4m in first month, Loot Crate goes bankrupt, and JaffaJam wants to shake up hyper-casual

To help you keep on top of a busy news cycle and the latest hot topics in mobile gaming, each week we round up the five most-read stories on PocketGamer.biz.

Want to take a look at the rest of the industry? Check out our games industry roundup here with articles on blockchain, PC and the world of influencers.

Want to get the lowdown on news coming out of Eastern markets? Look no further than our East Meets West roundup.

1. New Zealand hyper-casual start-up JaffaJam wants to shake up the sector

The new studio is headed up by CEO Jon Beattie and former SEGA producer, COO Alex Humphries. Its first game Mountain Madness is built on its BubbleGum tool, which the company is making available to third-party developers.

2. Investor bails Loot Crate out after company goes bankrupt

Nerd subscription box firm Loot Crate has filed for Chapter 11 voluntary bankruptcy in Delaware, with an investor stumping up cash to keep the company afloat in the aftermath.

3. Dr. Mario World’s first month revenue is Nintendo’s lowest on mobile to date

Nintendo’s Dr. Mario World has ended its first month of launch with $1.4 million in revenue, the lowest number made by any mobile game from the Japanese firm.

4. Huawei unveils new Android rival HarmonyOS

The company said the first use-cases for the brand new OS will be smartwatches, smart screens, in-vehicle systems and smart speakers. The first smart TVs using HarmonyOS are due to launch later this year. However the company is likely to bring the OS to smartphones eventually.

5. Tencent was the top grossing global apps publisher in July

Earning an estimated $679 million in user spending for the month, the Chinese company saw a growth of 39 per cent year-on-year from July 2018. This estimate does not include sales from third-party Android stores.


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Craig Chapple is a freelance analyst, consultant and writer with specialist knowledge of the games industry. He has previously served as Senior Editor at PocketGamer.biz, as well as holding roles at Sensor Tower, Nintendo and Develop.