2015
Company
Documents about 2015
How to qualify for the Video Game Tax Relief scheme's Cultural Test
The Video Game Tax Relief (VGTR) scheme in the United Kingdom provides a significant financial incentive for game developers, offering a tax credit of 25 percent on qualifying core expenditure, effectively resulting in a 20 percent return on investment.
- The UK Video Game Tax Relief (VGTR) scheme provides a 25 percent tax credit on qualifying core expenditure, yielding an effective 20 percent return on investment.
- To qualify, a company must be UK-registered, the game must be intended for public supply, and the project must pass a 31-point Cultural Test administered by the British Film Institute.
- Applicants must reach a minimum threshold of 16 points on the Cultural Test, which evaluates cultural content, creative hubs, and the residency of key personnel.
The Lottery - Why People Favor Worse Odds - Extra Credits
The Multi-State Lottery Commission’s 2015 decision to adjust the Powerball odds from 1 in 175 million to 1 in 292 million serves as a significant case study in human psychology and incentive design.
- The Multi-State Lottery Commission increased Powerball odds from 1 in 175 million to 1 in 292 million in 2015 to prevent frequent payouts and allow jackpots to accumulate.
- Player participation follows an exponential growth curve relative to the size of the jackpot, proving that the allure of a massive reward overrides rational statistical analysis.
- Human behavior in lottery systems contradicts the traditional game design assumption that players prioritize consistent, predictable rewards and steady progression.
How Madden NFL Mobile drove EA Mobile's FY16 Q3 financials
EA Mobile’s financial performance for the third quarter of fiscal year 2016, covering October through December 2015, demonstrates a significant disparity between GAAP and non-GAAP accounting metrics.
- EA Mobile reported non-GAAP revenue of $162 million for FY16 Q3, marking a 43% quarterly increase driven by deferred revenue recognition in its free-to-play model.
- GAAP revenue for the same period was $126 million, reflecting a more modest 3% quarter-over-quarter and 5% year-over-year growth compared to non-GAAP figures.
- Madden NFL Mobile served as the primary growth engine for the quarter, leveraging a mid-August update to align with the NFL season and improve engagement levels.
Is there life for Glu Mobile after Kim Kardashian?
Glu Mobile’s 2015 financial performance highlights the volatility of the celebrity-driven mobile gaming model.
- Glu Mobile’s 2015 revenue stagnated at $250 million, a marginal 1% increase, highlighting the volatility of a business model heavily dependent on celebrity-driven titles.
- Revenue concentration remains a critical risk, with 'Kim Kardashian: Hollywood' and 'Racing Rivals' accounting for 47% of the company's total annual revenue.
- The commercial failure of 'Katy Perry Pop' and 'James Bond: World of Espionage' forced an organizational restructuring and a leadership change to address lapses in internal quality control.
Puzzle & Dragons did $1B in 2015, but is now in decline
GungHo Online Entertainment maintains a dominant position in the global mobile gaming market, anchored by the sustained performance of its flagship title, Puzzle & Dragons.
- Puzzle & Dragons generated $1.3 billion in 2015, yet it accounted for 89% of GungHo Online Entertainment's total revenue, highlighting a dangerous lack of product diversification.
- GungHo is experiencing a clear financial contraction, with 2015 year-over-year sales falling 11% and operating profit dropping 23%.
- The company's heavy reliance on the Japanese market has limited global growth, as evidenced by the failure of Puzzle & Dragons to replicate its domestic success in North America despite nine million downloads.
NetEase explains the Chinese mobile games market
The Chinese mobile gaming market has undergone a significant transformation between 2010 and 2015, evolving from a nascent sector into a multi-billion dollar industry.
- The Chinese mobile games market is highly concentrated, with the top 10 companies capturing approximately 50% of the total revenue.
- Market trends show a significant shift toward MMO-style games, which grew from a 14% market share in 2014 to one-third of the market by Q4 2015.
- Android distribution in China is extremely fragmented, with no Google Play presence and a reliance on various third-party stores that often charge 50% to 60% of revenue, though direct downloads via QR codes can bypass these fees.
Machine Zone, Supercell and King spent $200M on US TV ads in 2015
The mobile gaming industry experienced a significant shift in marketing strategy during 2015, characterized by a rapid expansion into traditional television advertising.
- US television advertising spend for video games reached $630 million in 2015, marking a 47% year-over-year increase driven primarily by mobile-only studios.
- Machine Zone, Supercell, and King collectively spent nearly $200 million on US TV ads in 2015, with individual spends of $93 million, $60 million, and $41 million respectively.
- Top-tier mobile developers are utilizing a 'brute force' marketing strategy, leveraging calculated player lifetime value data to justify massive investments in broad-reach traditional media.
Return To Adventure Mountain 2015
The year 2015 served as a period of significant professional transition and creative output for an independent game developer based in Phoenix, Arizona.
- In 2015, a Phoenix-based independent developer shifted to rapid prototyping of small-scale titles following the dissolution of a previous business partnership.
- The developer released a diverse portfolio of experimental games throughout the year, including Wizard Golf RPG, Rogue Drop, Drill Planet, and Ride Share Z.
- Wizard Golf RPG achieved international press coverage, though the developer reported that it failed to reach significant commercial success.
Did mobile gaming peak in 2015?
The mobile gaming industry reached a significant inflection point in 2015, as data indicates a one percent decline in total game session frequency compared to 2014.
- Mobile gaming experienced a 1% decline in session frequency in 2015, marking the first contraction for the category while the broader mobile app sector grew by 58%.
- The 2015 decline follows a multi-year deceleration, as mobile gaming growth slowed to 30% in 2014, consistently underperforming categories like productivity and news.
- Flurry data, derived from tracking 2.1 billion devices across North America, Europe, Japan, and Korea, indicates that the industry's early-stage explosive growth phase has concluded in mature markets.
FTUE: Rush of Heroes
Rush of Heroes, a Western adaptation of the highly successful Chinese mobile title I AM MT, represents a strategic attempt to export established Asian free-to-play mechanics to global markets.
- Rush of Heroes is a Western adaptation of the Chinese mobile title I AM MT, which achieved over 70 million players between 2014 and 2015.
- The game utilizes a card-based battle system centered on character collection, shard-based upgrades, and gacha-style hero acquisition mechanics.
- Core gameplay is defined by high-density automation, featuring two-speed battle toggles, rage-mode triggers, and a progression loop gated by a standard energy system.
Why Harry Slater's GotY 2015 is Afterpulse
Afterpulse, a third-person mobile shooter developed by Digital Legends and published by Gamevil, stands out as a premier title of 2015 due to its exceptional execution of core gameplay mechanics.
- Digital Legends and publisher Gamevil successfully adapted traditional shooter mechanics for mobile in 2015 by prioritizing intuitive control schemes that mitigate the ergonomic frustrations common in touchscreen gaming.
- The game utilizes a 'Destiny-style' compulsion loop that drives player retention by rewarding combat success with incremental gear upgrades and consistent daily incentives.
- The title demonstrates high player stickiness, with users remaining engaged through at least fifteen levels of progression rather than discarding the game after initial content exhaustion.
The most significant mobile gaming events in 2015
The mobile gaming landscape in 2015 was defined by significant industry consolidation, the rise of Eastern markets, and the strategic pivot of traditional console giants toward mobile platforms.
- Activision acquired King for $5.9 billion in 2015, signaling a major strategic shift by triple-A publishers to capture broader demographics and secure mobile gaming as a primary revenue stream.
- The global mobile gaming market saw a significant geographic shift as China, Korea, and Japan secured three of the top five global market positions, with Southeast Asia also showing rapid growth.
- Monetization models in 2015 matured by moving away from aggressive hard-currency tactics toward more balanced systems that integrate soft currency and advertisements.