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Biz Daily: Is Agar.io this year's Flappy Bird?
The mobile game Agar.io emerged as the most downloaded iOS title in July 2015, mirroring the viral, rapid-growth trajectory previously established by Flappy Bird.
- Agar.io became the most downloaded iOS title in July 2015, mirroring the rapid viral growth trajectory of Flappy Bird.
- Despite its popularity—reaching the sixth most-played iPhone game in the U.S. during its peak—the game currently lacks in-app purchases and relies entirely on advertising.
- Miniclip faces a significant challenge in introducing monetization to Agar.io without alienating a user base accustomed to the free, non-monetized experience of its original browser-based version.
Biz Daily: Glu Mobile hit by maturing Kim Kardashian audience
Glu Mobile experienced a challenging second quarter in 2015, characterized by a 19 percent decline in revenue to 56.2 million dollars compared to the previous quarter.
- Glu Mobile reported a 19% revenue decline to $56.2 million in Q2 2015, shifting from a $1.1 million profit to a $5.5 million loss.
- The financial downturn is driven by the maturation and user churn of the 'Kim Kardashian: Hollywood' title, which currently generates one-third of the company's total sales.
- Despite operational losses, Glu Mobile maintains a strong liquidity position with $190 million in cash reserves, bolstered by a $120 million strategic investment from Tencent.
Biz Daily: Why iDreamSky invested $10M into Rumble
The Chinese mobile publisher iDreamSky has expanded its global footprint through a 10 million dollar investment in the United States-based developer Rumble Entertainment.
- iDreamSky has invested $10 million for a majority stake in U.S.-based developer Rumble Entertainment to expand its global footprint beyond the Chinese Android market.
- The investment grants iDreamSky exclusive rights to publish Rumble’s titles within China, securing a pipeline of high-fidelity Western content for a market that demands premium graphical quality.
- Rumble Entertainment, which has previously raised over $30 million in seed and Series A funding, required the $10 million infusion to provide the marketing liquidity necessary to scale its current soft-launch projects.
Biz Daily: A Candy Crush Saga gap in King's profits
King’s financial performance for the second quarter of 2015 reflects a period of transition as its flagship Candy Crush Saga franchise enters a mature phase.
- King experienced a significant Q2 2015 downturn, with revenue falling 14% to $490 million and profits dropping 27% to $164 million compared to the previous quarter.
- The primary driver of the financial decline is the maturation and slowing momentum of the flagship Candy Crush franchise, which new releases like Candy Crush Soda Saga failed to fully offset.
- Despite the quarterly dip, King maintains a strong financial position with $800 million in cash reserves and derives 80% of its total revenue from mobile platforms.
Biz Daily: EA Mobile's record $145m financial quarter
EA Mobile achieved a record-breaking financial performance for the first quarter of the 2016 fiscal year, covering the period from April to June 2015.
- EA Mobile generated a record $145 million in revenue for the first quarter of fiscal year 2016, marking a 17 percent increase over the previous quarter.
- The revenue growth was driven by a games-as-a-service model that focuses on continuous updates to existing titles rather than new game launches.
- Key titles supporting this financial performance included The Simpsons: Tapped Out, Real Racing 3, and The Sims FreePlay.
Biz Daily: How Com2uS become a world player
Com2uS has successfully transitioned from a localized South Korean mobile publisher into a significant global industry player, driven primarily by the sustained performance of its flagship RPG, Summoners War.
- Com2uS reported Q2 2015 sales of $97 million, representing a 16% increase quarter-on-quarter and over 100% growth compared to the same period in 2014.
- The RPG 'Summoners War' is the primary driver of company growth, necessitating an increase in quarterly marketing and user acquisition spend from $15 million to $18 million.
- Com2uS has successfully pivoted from a local Korean publisher to a global player, with 82% of its Q2 2015 sales generated outside of Korea.
Biz Daily: Why Vainglory dev Super Evil raised $26 million
Super Evil Megacorp has secured $26 million in new funding to pivot its mobile MOBA, Vainglory, toward an eSports-centric business model.
- Super Evil Megacorp raised $26 million to pivot its mobile MOBA, Vainglory, toward an eSports-centric business model.
- The company is prioritizing long-term ecosystem growth and user acquisition over immediate monetization to establish a spectator-driven experience similar to League of Legends.
- The strategy focuses on the Asian market, specifically South Korea and China, to leverage established eSports cultures.
Mike Bithell on strategies for indie success
Independent developers achieve long-term sustainability by prioritizing unique, non-clonable experiences over chasing fleeting market trends.
- Prioritize unique, non-clonable game experiences over chasing market trends to ensure long-term studio sustainability.
- Maintain lean business structures by capping headcount to preserve agility and using rapid prototyping, such as game jams, to test core mechanics.
- Utilize platforms like Early Access to integrate player feedback throughout the production cycle, which aligns the final product with audience expectations and extends the game's lifecycle.
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: Gumi Berlin's high risk, high reward strategy
Japanese mobile developer Gumi is expanding its global footprint by establishing a new development studio in Berlin, marking a strategic shift from its previous European operations, which were primarily focused on marketing and support.
- Gumi is establishing a new development studio in Berlin to create mobile strategy games specifically for Western audiences, shifting away from the ineffective practice of retrofitting Japanese titles for international markets.
- The Berlin studio will operate with a lean, specialized team of 10 to 15 experienced developers tasked with high-risk design experimentation rather than iterating on established genre formulas like Clash of Clans.
- This strategy reflects a broader industry trend where publicly traded companies are prioritizing disruptive innovation over safe, incremental updates to secure the next billion-dollar franchise.