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  • The Hunger Games (the game) coming to the iPhone and iPad
    News
    • iOS
    The Hunger Games (the game) coming to the iPhone and iPad

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    With The Hunger Games being the next big thing to hit the movie screen since Twilight and Harry Potter, it was only natural to assume an iOS game would be in the works as well. What's interesting is who will be developing it. According to a post on his blog, Adam Saltsman (developer of Canabalt and Gravity Hook) is currently developing The Hunger Games: Girl on Fire.
  • Download bots more common practice in App Store than initially reported
    News
    • Android
    • iOS
    Download bots more common practice in App Store than initially reported

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    Just because Apple has officially stated that anyone using "bots" to inflate their download numbers in the App Store will be kicked out, does that mean Manipugate (as I shall now call the bot-download scandal) is over? Not by a long shot, at least to the investigative reporters here at Gamezebo or at Inside Mobile Games.Kim-Mai Cutler, who moderated the excellent panel at Inside Social Apps about mobile app distribution, has finally written her follow up piece to the scandal, and she raises good points.
  • Facebook Credits not converting so well and distributing apps costs a lot money
    News
    • Android
    • iOS
    Facebook Credits not converting so well and distributing apps costs a lot money

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    We're live blogging from the Inside Social Apps 2012 Conference in San Francisco, from Philz Coffee a few blocks a way. While other attendees discuss and pretend to understand such industry jargon such as "velocity" and "ad mediation," I sip my favorite coffee in the world and type away. The big takeaways from the show so far: Facebook Credits conversion rates are much lower than expected and you need to spend a lot of money to make it big on the iPhone and Android platforms. If you are a small developer, life is tough.
  • Indiegiving helps game developers attend GDC and FGS for a great cause
    News
    • Android
    • iOS
    • PC
    Indiegiving helps game developers attend GDC and FGS for a great cause

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    Want to attend GDC and FGS (that is, the Games Developer Conference and Flash Games Summit for those who do not like acronyms) at a discounted price? Flash Games License and its sponsors have launched Indiegiving make this happen, there's a catch - you must volunteer all day Saturday after the conference to help a local charity in need.
  • Apple layeth down the law on guaranteed marketing services
    News
    • iOS
    Apple layeth down the law on guaranteed marketing services

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    When the news broke today that many game companies with apps in Apple's Top 25 App Store Charts have paid for marketing services guaranteeing top placement either by allegedly using bots or some mysteriously unknownlegitimate strategy (that we'd love to discover the secret of), we knew that it would hit Apple's radar screen. And tonight, it has. Apple just posted on its Developer Blog and News Feed a message re-iterating its policy in regards third-party marketing services and paying to manipulate the top rankings of its chart is, don't do it . . . or else.
  • Monday Morning Quarterback: How to fix copying and plagiarism in games
    News
    • Android
    • iOS
    • PC
    Monday Morning Quarterback: How to fix copying and plagiarism in games

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    Another week, another lawsuit. Yesterday, Spry Fox, the developers of the social game Triple Town, sued 6Waves for copy infringement, accusing the latter of copying their game with the release of Yeti Town on the iPhone. Last week, Nimblebit accused Zynga of copying their game Tiny Tower with the release of Dream Heights in the Canadian iTunes Store. Today Buffalo Studios just did the same about Bingo Blitz and Zynga Bingo. And in December, Zynga and Vostu settled a lawsuit whereby Zynga has sued Vostu for copying its game CityVille which Vostu counter-sued, claiming the pot-calling-the-kettle-black defense (that Zynga's game was a copy of other games).With so much outright copying and downright plagiarizing going in the world of games today, I would like to submit a Modest Proposal to solve the problem once and for all.
  • What Zynga’s Internet gambling intentions says about 4th quarter earnings
    News
    • iOS
    What Zynga’s Internet gambling intentions says about 4th quarter earnings

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    It's official. According to AllThingsD, Zynga has confirmed that it is currently investigating getting into Internet gambling, assuming it is made legal (which it will be).It should come as no surprise that Zynga is seeking partners in Internet gambling. Zynga Poker is still the top poker game on Facebook, Zynga has announced plans to create a Zynga Casino suite of games, and there has been a lot of merger and acquisition (M&A) activity around social game companies that focus on casinos recently.What is surprising is that they are tipping their hand around this strategy, just a month after going IPO. Internet gambling still is illegal in the US and Zynga just went public with the intention of becoming the number company to play games, not to gamble. So, why the admission, when it would have been just as easy to play it coy?
  • Gamezebo supports today’s SOPA Blackout
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    • iOS
    • PC
    Gamezebo supports today’s SOPA Blackout

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    Obviously, Gamezebo is not shutting down today for the SOPA Blackout. We're a game site and shutting down for political reasons is not fun. Also, I wouldn't know how to turn the site black without shutting the whole site down technically (and that would really not be fun).I would like to go on record that we are against the SOPA legislation being considered in US Congress and encourage anyone who believes in a free Internet to contact your representative today to voice your opinion.