Gamezebo
Open main menu
Search

Jim Squires is the Editor-in-Chief of Gamezebo. Everything you see passes his eyes first, so we like to think of him as "the gatekeeper of cool stuff." He likes good games, great writing, and just can't say no to a hamburger. Also, he is not a bear.
  • King doesn’t want your CANDY; abandons trademark filing
    News
    • Android
    • iOS
    King doesn’t want your CANDY; abandons trademark filing

    By

    For a substance so sweet, it's surprising how bad a taste the word CANDY has left in people's mouths this year. And it all started in January, when it was revealed by Gamezebo that King (Candy Crush Saga) held the European trademark on the word CANDY, and was in the process of obtaining a similar mark in the US.But now, Kotaku reports, that trademark filing has been withdrawn."Yesterday, King filed for abandonment of the trademark in the United States," Kotaku's Jason Schreier writes. "When reached by Kotaku, King confirmed the trademark abandonment but declined to comment."
  • News
    • Android
    • iOS
    • PC
    Indie is succeeding because AAA is failing us creatively, says Xbox co-creator Ed Fries

    By

    When it comes to video games, AAA console releases have really grown stagnant over the last decade. That's one of the many reasons I'm so glad to be at Gamezebo, where we focus on the platforms that give developers the freedom to experiment instead of the latest cut-and-paste first person shooter.As it turns out, Xbox co-creator Ed Fries seems to feel the same way about the current state of AAA games, and he's ready to explain why, detailing the creativity-stifling environment that led to his 2004 resignation from Microsoft in a recent GamesIndustry interview.Rather than fostering new ideas, Fries suggests that AAA development is run too much like a business - focusing on quantity of dollars rather than quality of game. Instead of experimenting with little things, which Fries says sows the seeds of successful bigger projects down the road, the focus of the Xbox brand during his time there was to stick to what works and sell it better. "In a sense, I fundamentally didn't agree with that because I think the big things come from little things," Fries told GamesIndustry.
  • You should be watching a Harold Ramis movie tonight, but if you can’t…
    News
    • Android
    • iOS
    You should be watching a Harold Ramis movie tonight, but if you can’t…

    By

    Harold Ramis was one of the greats. If you're in your thirties and love comedy, there's a very good chance that Ramis played a huge part in that. You probably know him as Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters, but he was so much more. Ramis wrote Animal House, Stripes and Meatballs. He directed Caddyshack, Groundhog Day and National Lampoon's Vacation. In short, he created everything you ever loved about comedy. And as of today, sadly, he's no longer with us.The only proper thing to do tonight is to cancel your plans, microwave some popcorn, and break out your favorite Ramis flick. For me it'll be Caddyshack. But hey - if you can't do this, we're not going to judge you. As much as you might want to go home and watch SCTV until your eyes hurt, we know you have other obligations.So maybe instead of enjoying a Harold Ramis classic, you can stick one of these games on your phone in your travels tonight to remind you of his work instead.
  • How to fix the App Store (according to Appsfire CEO Ouriel Ohayon)
    News
    • iOS
    How to fix the App Store (according to Appsfire CEO Ouriel Ohayon)

    By

    The App Store is a mess. It always has been, and no matter what Apple seems to think they're doing to fix it (remember when they bought Chomp?), it never seems to get any better.Ouriel Ohayon thinks he has the answers. Well… some of them, at least. The CEO of Appsfire shared an op-ed piece with TechCrunch earlier today that looks at every angle of Apple's App Store, and offers some interesting solutions to many of its more visible problems.Ohayon argues that the App Store's sub-par search function is largely to blame for discoverability woes, with hot keywords powering results more than hot apps. This is why games with the word "flappy" have littered the top free charts in recent weeks - and a few have even managed to exploit the keyword trifecta of "flappy," "miley cyrus" and "wrecking ball."But it's not just search. An easy to abuse review system, a lack of communication with developers, iAD - Ohayon discusses all of it.Read Ouriel Ohayon's full editorial Fixing the "Flappstore" at TechCrunch.
  • This Week in China: Unauthorized Mario is unauthorized
    News
    • Android
    • iOS
    This Week in China: Unauthorized Mario is unauthorized

    By

    2014 seems to be the year of copyright. Whether it's King's CANDY crisis, the Flappy Bee incident, or the ASTROIDS name change, IP protection seems to be the word of the day. And now, in China, Nintendo is fighting its own IP battle - and it's over the unauthorized use of Mario.And believe it or not, this isn't even the only infringement story coming out of China this week!Thanks to our partners in China, Laohu.com, bringing us the latest news out their country as they do every Friday. For day-to-day happenings in China, be sure bookmark Laohu.com.
  • I just played an Alien-themed Donkey Kong clone, and I loved it
    News
    • Android
    • iOS
    • PC
    I just played an Alien-themed Donkey Kong clone, and I loved it

    By

    While the endless debate about what does and doesn't constitute a clone will forever rage on, I found myself playing a little something this past weekend that was a perfect homage to two of my favorite things: Donkey Kong and Alien.Donkey Me, a freeware trip down memory lane from developer Bruno R. Marcos, takes the Donkey Kong formula and reskins it using classic movies from the 1970s and 1980s. Star Wars, The Exorcist, Big Trouble in Little China - the selection is surprisingly rich. I won't spoil all of the surprises, so I'll just say this: Alien/Donkey Kong is exactly the game you want it to be.Instead of battling against the big ape, the first stage gives you the space jockey. Rescuing Kane at the end of the second stage results in a pixelated chest-burster. There's even an appearance from Jones the cat if you can push through to stage number three.
  • Get rich quick! (by being a slimy, game-cloning sack of crap)
    News
    • Android
    • iOS
    Get rich quick! (by being a slimy, game-cloning sack of crap)

    By

    When you think of the slimy folks who clone games on the App Store - the folks with purely profit-driven motives - the words "open" and "honest" probably don't spring to mind. And yet that's exactly what the post I'm about to share with you is: an open and honest look at the world of cloning games for fun and profit.First brought to our attention by Quartz, Carter Thomas' blog entry "How I Went From $1,000 to $200,000 With Apps" outlines just about everything you'd ever need to make a profitable clone of your own."DO NOT try to build something from scratch," Thomas' blog post reads. "This is not about pride or being a revolutionary. This is not about your idea being great. This is about making money." As you probably suspect, this statement very much sets the tone for what's to follow. What you might not expect, however, is how good his advice is. And not just for shameless cloners, but, well… everybody. Or, at the very least, everybody who develops free mobile games. For example;
  • IGDA issues a statement about King’s trademark actions
    News
    • Android
    • iOS
    • PC
    IGDA issues a statement about King’s trademark actions

    By

    While a lot of individual developers have voiced concerns about King's trademark filings (as first reported by Gamezebo back in January), there hasn't been an official, collective show of opposition to what's transpired - at least not until right now.The International Game Developer's Association has just released the following statement from Executive Director Kate Edwards and their Board of Directors, regarding their stance on King's actions around protecting their IP with trademark law;