Monetizer Mavens
What is the key area of monetisation in which most F2P games underperform?
The Monetization Mavens debate low-hanging fruit
Staff
Jon Jordan
Job Title
Contributing Editor
Contact jon@pocketgamer.co.uk
About 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.
Articles by Jon Jordan
Opinion
ASA's Dungeon Keeper ruling risks opening up a nasty can of worms
How long is too long to wait for a base upgrade?
Dungeon Keeper accused of misleading ad as ASA investigates EA
Giant has knuckles lightly rapped
Deals
Kabam signs up for free-to-play games based on The Lord of Rings and Mad Max
Extends licensing deal with Warner Bros.
Interview
Indian developers must pass their learning phase before the industry blossoms, says underDOGS CEO
The passion of crazy geeks
Financials
King and Glu's share prices rise sharply on no news whatsoever
But Zynga remains in the dumps
Promiscuous Gamer
Toy Rush-es off and on, but League of War, Wartune and Age of Wind 3 bloom
This guy will play anything as long as it's free
SkyMobi and MIHOYO's The End of School II hits $1.6 million in first month
Paid iOS ACG is a success
Jobs News
Fuse Powered opens San Francisco office
Three to start, more to join
Finland's latest hottest startup Seriously poaches Rovio marketing chief and raises $2.65 million
Total investment now $5 million
Interview
SuperVillain Studios on the delicate collision of brands, skaters and gaming in Transworld Endless Skater
Standing on the shoulders of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
Hall Of Fame
Hall of Fame: Ari Pulkkinen
The man who put the music into Angry Birds
Job News
Kabam poaches EA Mobile GM Aaron Loeb to run North American studios
D'oh!
Deal
Opera buys mobile video ad platform AdColony for up to $350 million
$75 million in cash now, plus $275 million earn-out potential
GameDuell - same passion, different logo
German outfit rebrands for 10th anniversary
Job News
Tag Games looking for a new lead game designer
Dundee studio is opening doors
Interview
Ruby Seven on operating at the lucrative, competitive intersection of F2P and social casino gaming
A world of brands and land-based gambling giants
The Charticle
How GREE's Knights & Dragons proves the power of Game-as-a-Service
Updated for success
Baidu rumoured to be launching a smart TV gaming platform
Taking it widescreen
Animoca Brands proposes a reverse takeover to gain Australian Stock Exchange listing
Hong Kong publisher looking for liquidity
Opinion
Don't ignore Amazon's Fire phone. Go get its $17,000 per app ads and Coins deal
Don't follow my eyes. Follow the money
Out There
PG Connects Helsinki through the eye of an automatic camera
Constructing a narrative
Following bribery allegations, CMGE's shares drop 23%
Nine executives suspended
Financials
On the back of 42% Q1 FY14 growth, G5 steps up with OMX Stockholm listing
F2P sales up 254% year-on-year
Deals
SkyMobi realises $9 million gain on sale of Fangcun shares
Alpha Animation buys into mobile games
Skillz claims two US patents for its real-money skill-based wagering platform
Locked in innovation
Financials
Shanda Games sees Q1 FY14 mobile revenue slide 38% to $10.8 million
Waiting for the release of Chain Chronicle and Brave World
Amazon announces Fire phone, boasting 3D Dynamic Perspective to extract more sales from Prime users
Demos a 3D version of HotGen's To-Fu
Monetizer
18 top F2P monetisation tips and tricks to supercharge your business
A checklist for success
Sponsored Feature
Metaps on bringing its Android-focused Japanese success to the west
We help our partners make a lot of money
Review
Reading List: The F2P Toolbox
54 techniques for fun and profitable game design
Sponsored Feature
How PopAppStore unlocks game merchandising for all developers
Get your own branded t-shirts, posters and mobile cases
Interview
Chinese dev VOLV Interactive on making WWII games for the western market
There are no boundaries in the game industry
Interview
How UCWeb grew its dominant mobile browser position in China to create the UC 9Game platform
Leveraging the power of clan community
Deal
Chinese app distribution heats up as Alibaba acquires rest of UCWeb in $4 billion value deal
Already owned 66 percent of browser outfit
Deal
Parallel Kingdom dev PerBlue raises $3 million
Ready for an expansion of staff and audience
Deal
PaeDae rebrands as The Mobile Majority and closes $8 million funding
All systems go
Funding
Supercell and King investor Index Ventures raises $550 million
Consumer mobile is a core sector for future deals
Start Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki with an early morning run
Time to get the blood flowing
Apple beefs up iTunes analytics and attribution as it extends control over user acquisition
Full conversion funnel transparency
We've not seen rejections of apps that show incentized video ads from GameAds, says Applifier CEO
What is Apple up to?
Deal
Talkweb spends $130 million to buy 90% of Papa Three Kingdoms dev HRG Tech
M&A market heating up
Wandoujia social-integrated match-3 Happy Pop does 2.4 million downloads
App store's added social power
Apple bans rewarded actions: "I think it wants to own app discovery," says source
Developers caught in the crossfire between Apple, Google and Facebook
Rumourmill
Another brick in the wall: Rumours suggest Apple's banning incentivised video ads and Facebook sharing
Also randomising MAC address
Government crackdown: No nudity please, We're Chinese mobile gamers
Bikinis banned
Chart Of The Week
20% of US mobile users played a King game in May 2014
But the trend is downwards
Interview
You can't port PC games direct to mobile, says Russian online powerhouse My.com
It's a dead-end path
Monetizer Mavens
Is there any place in the F2P designer's toolbox for energy-based economies?
Fuel for thought
Deal
Nexon accumulates, adding "killer core" title from US startup Turbo to 2015 portfolio
Second publishing deal in 2 weeks