If you're a developer making a free-to-play games and you're not sure which mobile platform to target first, you'll probably want to check out today's App Monetization and Engagement Report from the mobile analytics firm Swrve. Based on data gathered from millions of users across dozens of IAP-powered apps, it looks like there's some truth to the generally accepted bias out there: people with iPhones can bring you more money.How much more? Developers are seeing 45% more revenue per user according to Swrve's report. They further claim that there are 32% more users being monetized on iOS than Android, and that paying users are spending 10% more on iOS too.In other words, it's a clean sweep. Swrve's report suggests that iOS is the monetization king for IAP-powered games.
As my droogie Alex once asked, "are you ready for a bit of the old ultraviolence?"If you just shouted "YES!!" to an empty room, and you own a Mac, it's time to live out your modern outlaw fantasies with a triple-pack of GTA goodness. The latest offer on Gamezebo Deals bundles Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City and San Andreas together for a measly $9.99.It's a criminally good deal. Maybe even a steal. Sick of my puns? No problem. Click here to buy the bundle now and my delightful wordplay will be nothing more than a distant memory.
Super Monkey Ball is more than a great franchise, it's also an important footnote in mobile gaming history. When Apple debuted the iPhone's gaming capabilities (back in the days of disco and cavemen, if I remember correctly), Super Monkey Ball was the showcase item that proved iPhone gaming might be more than just a gimmick.Now, after a lengthy break from the App Store, AiAi and friends are back - but not as you're expecting.Rather than a typical entry in the series with a shiny coat of 2014, Super Monkey Ball Bounce is SEGA's attempt to capture the Peggle crowd. If they feel a little late to the party on this one, just remember - King's Papa Pear Saga from last year follows the same formula, and has had no trouble staying in the Top 100 grossing games list on the App Store.
No deal has been finalized yet, but as first reported on Sunday by Variety, it appears that YouTube - and thus, Google, which owns the video-sharing behemoth - is poised to acquire popular video game streaming service Twitch for a cool $1 billion.Why would Twitch want to be purchased? According to The Verge, it's a question of scale. Twitch has simply proven so popular and grown so fast that it can't keep up with its success on its own. The recent integration of Twitch streaming into the PS4 and Xbox One couldn't have helped in that regard.Other companies have sniffed around looking to buy Twitch, including one who is already a major player in the video games industry: Microsoft. But The Verge's source claimed Twitch had no real desire to tie itself to one gaming ecosystem and may even have sold itself a little short in terms of its worth in order to merge with YouTube.
Launched just a few days ago, the latest Humble Weekly Bundle features eight platformers for $10. As always, portions of the proceeds from the bundle will go on to support charity (the American Red Cross or Child's Play), while buyers have the option to select how much of their purchase goes to the charity, the developers, or the Humble Bundle team. All the games come with a Steam key and all but one are available as DRM-free downloads too.The bundle is broken into three price tiers. Paying $5.99 or less gets buyers Shank 2, Blocks That Matter, and BIT.TRIP Runner. Paying between $6 and $9.99 gets buyers the previous three titles as well as BIT.TRIP Presents Runner2, Megabyte Punch, and Fly'n. Paying $10 or more gets buyers all six previous games plus King Arthur's Gold (read our review) and Mark of the Ninja: Special Edition.The soundtracks for Shank 2, BIT.TRIP Runner, Blocks that Matter, BIT.TRIP Runner 2, and Megabyte Punch come alongside their respective games.The deal lasts through Thursday, May 22nd.
Years after the geometric platformer released on the PC and Mac, and a few weeks after selling over a million copies, Thomas Was Alone is now available for iPads as well. The transition to the iPad comes with revised controls that the developer, Mike Bithell, designed specifically for the iPad in order to make playing Thomas Was Alone the most engaging experience possible.In an interview with Polygon, Bithell explained, why he chose to alternate the control scheme for the iPad release."On either side of the screen, we have these color balls that you put your thumb on in order to select which character you want to use. It's a really intuitive, easy thing that you can basically play the entire game without moving your hands."
Everybody and their mother loves Hearthstone. Heck, I'm playing my custom mage deck as I type this. But if you think you and your friends are hooked, in China, the game is even bigger.Of course, video game addiction is no joke. This week in China a study surfaced about video game addiction in the country. The most interesting aspect in my opinion? That the collective term in CHina for such gamers seems to be "brain damaged", or so say our friends at Laohu.com.
My original intention for this article was going to be a "best of the bunch" summary to cover the seventy-five games recently Greenlit on Steam. However, as I sorted through the list I discovered that a good chunk of those games were pretty...unimpressive, to put it politely. Hardly any of the games jumped out at me as looking particularly fun, let alone something I'd spend money on. A few of the games are so debatably bad looking that it makes me think that Valve didn't even look these games over before they gave them the greenlight.For awhile now, Valve has been approving batches of seventy-five games, every two weeks. That's 300 games in two months. That's 300 games that will be released through Steam on top of the triple-A publisher-supported games that are lucky enough to bypass the Steam Greenlight toll booth.Recent batches have yielded some really great games, and there are a few really great looking games sprinkled within this latest batch. But for the first time in Greenlight's history, this time around I felt like the unimpressive outweighed the impressive.