2015
Company
Documents about 2015
Biz Daily: Angry Birds hits 20 million downloads
Angry Birds 2 has achieved significant market penetration, reaching 20 million downloads within its first week of release.
- Angry Birds 2 reached 20 million downloads in its first week, a milestone that took the original title nine months to achieve.
- The game has secured the number 1 download spot in over 100 countries across the Americas, Europe, and China.
- Rovio is prioritizing the Chinese market through a strategic partnership with Kunlun to capture new player demographics.
DeNA, Samsung and Disney keynote Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco 2015
The mobile gaming industry is currently undergoing a strategic shift toward high-value intellectual property, curated distribution, and long-term live operations to combat rising user acquisition costs.
- DeNA plans to launch five mobile games featuring major intellectual properties between late 2015 and March 2017, targeting hundreds of millions of users globally.
- Samsung is shifting its app store strategy toward a curated experience, partnering with reputable media sources to recommend a modest volume of high-quality content rather than hosting hundreds of thousands of apps.
- Disney Interactive utilizes a hybrid development model, balancing in-house production with strategic licensing partnerships, such as their collaboration with Kabam for midcore titles and DeNA for regional expertise.
Biz Daily: Does Angry Birds 2 have a F2P problem?
The launch of Angry Birds 2 marks a significant evolution for the franchise, transitioning from the monetization models of 2009 to the contemporary free-to-play standards of 2015.
- Rovio transitioned Angry Birds 2 to a modern free-to-play model featuring an energy mechanic that limits progression, a shift intended to address the company's nine percent revenue decline from the previous year.
- Internal data from the game's soft launch phase indicated that the new monetization mechanics were well-received, leading Rovio to conclude that current user backlash represents a vocal minority.
- Rovio reports that 90 percent of players historically never spent money on the original Angry Birds, prompting a strategy shift to better balance accessibility with revenue generation.
Biz Daily: Why is Gameloft losing its players?
Gameloft’s financial performance for the second quarter of 2015 reveals a growing disconnect between high download volumes and actual revenue generation.
- Gameloft’s monthly active users (MAU) dropped 10% to 162 million, while daily active users (DAU) fell 17% to 19 million in Q2 2015, indicating a significant failure in player retention.
- Despite high download volumes, Gameloft experienced a 5% quarter-on-quarter decline in sales, signaling instability in its transition to a games-as-a-service model.
- Reported Q2 2015 sales of 62 million euros represent a 12% year-on-year increase, but this growth shrinks to a modest 3% when adjusted for currency fluctuations.
How to break into the western markets - PG Connects Bangalore 2015
Expanding into Western gaming markets requires a strategic shift toward professional business operations, legal diligence, and a resilient entrepreneurial mindset.
- Successful expansion into Western markets requires treating a studio as a formal business entity by securing robust shareholder agreements, managing cash flow, and utilizing professional legal counsel.
- Mobile game developers should target the casual sector by focusing on accessible, low-stress mechanics like match-three or hidden-object games rather than high-intensity competition.
- Audience demographics in the Western casual mobile market are predominantly older and female, necessitating the avoidance of gender-based design stereotypes in favor of mechanics that prioritize relaxation and social connection.
Mike Bithell on indie design - PG Connects Bangalore 2015
The definition of independent game development has shifted from a focus on production scale to a philosophy centered on creative autonomy and the willingness to take calculated risks.
- Indie development is defined by creative autonomy and calculated risk-taking, requiring a balance between a singular personal vision and rigorous, iterative playtesting.
- Small teams must adopt a jack-of-all-trades mindset to prioritize core mechanics and emotional resonance early, maintaining the agility that larger corporate studios often lack.
- Marketing and design must be integrated from the project's inception, utilizing channels like YouTube to capture authentic player reactions for actionable feedback.
Google on IAPs and monetization - PG Connects Bangalore 2015
Building a sustainable mobile gaming business requires a transition away from an exclusive reliance on in-app purchases toward a diversified monetization strategy.
- Developers must diversify beyond in-app purchases (IAP) because 95 to 97 percent of mobile players do not make direct purchases.
- Integrating a hybrid model of IAPs and strategic ad placements, such as native ads and video, can increase total revenue by up to 300 percent through effective network mediation.
- In markets like India with low credit card penetration, reward-based advertising—such as video ads and offer walls—is essential to monetize the non-paying majority.
Disney on games that capture India's imagination - PG Connects Bangalore 2015
The Indian mobile gaming sector is undergoing a significant maturation phase, characterized by a strategic shift from Western-dependent design toward the creation of high-quality, locally relevant content.
- The Indian mobile gaming sector is transitioning from Western-dependent design to a professionalized ecosystem focused on high-quality, locally relevant content.
- Developers must choose between targeting the massive, untapped demographic of first-time domestic mobile users or pursuing established global markets in the US, UK, and Australia.
- Success in global markets requires a data-driven approach, high-quality user experience, and a strategic shift toward premium models in educational and ultra-casual segments.
Biz Daily: Apple's cagey attitude over Apple Watch sales
Apple’s fiscal year 2015 third-quarter earnings report triggered a significant market reaction, resulting in a 50 billion dollar decline in market capitalization and an eight percent drop in stock value.
- Apple’s refusal to disclose specific Apple Watch sales figures during its Q3 2015 earnings report triggered a $50 billion decline in market capitalization and an 8% drop in stock value.
- Despite the lack of official data, Apple reported strong overall quarterly performance with 47.5 million iPhones sold and a 33% revenue increase to $49.6 billion.
- Independent analysts estimate that Apple Watch sales reached between two and three million units during the quarter.
Biz Daily: What next for Nintendo in a post-Iwata world?
The passing of Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata has placed the company at a critical strategic crossroads, prompting an evaluation of its future direction in a rapidly fragmenting gaming landscape.
- Nintendo is at a strategic crossroads following the 2015 passing of CEO Satoru Iwata, necessitating a shift in direction to navigate a fragmenting gaming landscape.
- Despite the hardware successes of the DS and Wii during Iwata’s 2002–2015 tenure, the company struggled with the 3DS and the commercial failure of the Wii U, leading to stagnant share prices.
- Nintendo’s institutional hesitation regarding mobile gaming is evidenced by a lack of specific details for its five-title partnership with DeNA, reflecting a broader internal resistance to modern monetization models.
Biz Daily: Did Fallout Shelter only make $5.1M?
Fallout Shelter emerged as a significant surprise in the 2015 mobile gaming landscape, achieving high rankings on Western top-grossing charts shortly after its release.
- Fallout Shelter generated approximately $5.1 million in its first two weeks following its June 2015 launch, representing a ten-fold return on development costs estimated at under $500,000.
- Despite initial success, the game experienced a rapid decline from the top 200 grossing charts in major markets including the U.S., U.K., Germany, and France.
- The game's revenue potential was structurally capped by a 200-dweller capacity limit, which effectively concluded the player experience once reached.
E3 2015 and lessons from Fallout Shelter's success
The release of Fallout Shelter during Bethesda’s E3 2015 press conference serves as a case study for the evolving relationship between traditional console gaming and the mobile market.
- Bethesda's 2015 E3 strategy demonstrated that leveraging established console IP can effectively disrupt Western mobile top-grossing charts.
- The simultaneous announcement of Fallout Shelter alongside Fallout 4 successfully utilized brand equity to drive immediate, high-volume user acquisition on iOS.
- Fallout Shelter achieved top-ten chart performance despite conventional gameplay mechanics, bolstered by strategic promotional support from Apple.