Lessons from Develop in Brighton, the making of Clash of Clans, and why YouTubers won't wipe out 'traditional' games journalism
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.
Handy for you, each headline in the list also allows you to click through to the article in full, so you can make sure you've not missed out on any of last week's big stories.
#5: Press pause for reflection: Why the rise of YouTubers isn't going to kill off the games journalist
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Press pause for reflection: Why the rise of YouTubers isn't going to kill off the games journalist »The meteoric rise of YouTubers has left many wondering if video will eventually replace 'conventional' games journalism, leaving many writers struggling, even more than they currently are, to scrape together a living.
After all, it's difficult to compete with the YouTube elite. However, according to PocketGamer.biz editor Keith Andrew, games journalists don't need to fight them. No, it's not about words versus videos, it's really about arming yourself, and proving that you've got what it takes to make it in this industry.
"YouTubers taking 'backhanders' is today's scandal, yes, but in the long run, it could well sort the wheat from the chaff as this flourishing profession grows into something more sustainable," explained Andrew.
"Meanwhile, I think the fact that, as of yet, no notable games journalists or sites have been caught up in the story, has done games journalism a big favour, and it may well be the value of skilled, ethically aware writers is highlighted.
"If ever there was a time for the best games journalists – not the ones disillusioned with the job or those out for free promo copies – to show their worth, it's now."
#4: Chart rush: The making of Clash of Clans
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Chart rush: The making of Clash of Clans »Two years after publication our Clash of Clans 'making of' is still going strong. So strong, in fact, that's it's back in the hot five this week.
It seems lots of you are managing to tear yourself away from Clash of Clans for long enough to read up on how the mobile juggernaut was born.
Filling us in on the details all those years ago was product lead Lasse Louhento, who spoke to us about the game's genesis, and its future.Â
"The main goal with Clash of Clans has always been playability over everything else," said Louhento.
"We had our first company-wide playable demo in just two months from the get-go. All basic gameplay elements except clans were there.
"After playing it for a full weekend and seeing the how much everybody at Supercell got into it, we knew we were onto something. However, we couldn't have imagined just how much players would love it."
#3: The art of the sequel: Did Bubble Witch 2 Saga outperform its predecessor?
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The art of the sequel: Did Bubble Witch 2 Saga outperform its predecessor? »Sequels are a tough, tough cookie to crack. There aren't many good sequels knocking about, are there are only a handful of truly great ones.
They're so difficult because it's hard to tamper with something that you know your audience already loves. Of course, change needs to happen, but crafting a great follow up is akin to open heart surgery: one slip, and your franchise could die.
Big or small, that rule is the same for every studio, which is exactly why last week's Charticle aimed to find out whether King had hit the nail on the head with its sequel, Bubble Witch 2 Saga.
#2: Finding (and funding) the next Supercell: European devs to be boosted by millions in seed funding
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Finding (and funding) the next Supercell: European devs to be boosted by millions in seed funding »Last week investment specialist London Venture Partners lifted the lid on a new scheme designed to pump millions into the European games development scene in order to, hopefully, find the next Supercell.
The plan, which is named the 'LVP Seed Fund', has been created using capital amassed via third party investment, with firms such as Nexon, Wargaming, and Zynga fronting the cash.
"We believe the greatest amount of value is created at the seed stage," detailed LVP general partner Paul Heydon.
"It's highly risky but we're willing to make those bets because between the three of us we've got 60 years working in the game sector.
"There's a huge amount of creative talent that's coming out of Europe - there always has been - but historically they haven't had the ability to raise anywhere as much capital as in the US because there just hasn't been the capital."
#1: Big in Brighton: 5 things we learned at Develop 2014
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Big in Brighton: 5 things we learned at Develop 2014 »July, UK, and Brighton. Those words might not mean much to those outside of the games industry, but to the initiated, they can only mean one thing: Develop.
Like any reputable publication, we were down in Brighton a couple of weeks ago soaking up the sun, and, more importantly, keeping our ears to the ground in search of a story.
Believe it or not, we actually found a few, and, after the event was done and dusted for another year, we decided to share the 5 most important things we learned at this year's conference with you lovely lot.
Phenomenal food, compelling indies, and a F2P feud: this year's list has it all, but, please, don't just take my word for it, go and see for yourself.