Category: Mobile Gaming

Mobile games take priority with Zynga

| February 9, 2013

Zynga Mobile GamesZynga shifts focus to mobile games

Zynga has been experiencing a significant amount of turbulence in the social gaming space recently. The company made its fortune through Facebook with its vast portfolio of social games. Last year, however, Zynga suffered a proverbial fall from grace as consumers abandoned the company’s games and Facebook stopped showing exclusive favor to the developer. Zynga has adopted a new approach to gaming in an effort to reclaim its throne and has shifted focus to mobile games.

Social gaming takes a back seat

According to the company’s latest financial earnings report, Zynga saw revenues of $311 million in the fourth quarter of 2012. The company experienced a net loss of $48.6 million during the same period. Revenues have been stagnant for the company for several years, but in-game sales have dropped by 15% throughout 2012. For the company to reclaim its place in the game industry, it will have to make a big splash in the mobile games sector.

Zynga working to break into the mobile space

Zynga has already aligned itself with a mobile-centric focus. The company has a workforce of approximately 20 developers working exclusively on mobile games. The rest of the company is focusing on the business aspects of entering into the mobile space, such as marketing, developing better in-game monetization schemes, and working to build new mobile deployment platforms for its upcoming games. Though the company has adopted a very strong focus on mobile games, it is unlikely that Zynga will abandon its social games any time soon.

Social games not likely to be abandoned by the company

Though Zynga may have lost a great deal of favor with consumers over the past year, the company still boasts of more than 298 million monthly active users for its games. Most of these users come from Facebook, where the company’s most popular games are still featured. For its mobile games, Zynga will have to find a new publisher, as Facebook has shown wariness of supporting the company’s titles and the fact that the social network has a very limited presence in the mobile gaming sector.

Mobile games from GREE coming to the US

| February 8, 2013

Mobile Games GREEGREE sets sights on US market for new mobile games

Japanese mobile games giant GREE has managed to conquer much of the gaming market in Asia. The company is behind some of the most popular mobile games that can be found in that region of the world, and has a very strong presence in social gaming as well. While GREE has seen a massive amount of success, the company is beginning to look toward expansion, and believes that the U.S. market is ripe for the taking.

GREE continues aggressive expansion efforts

GREE currently has a modest presence in the U.S. mobile games realm, but that is not stopping it from taking aggressive steps to bolster this presence. GREE has been acquiring several game development studios in the U.S., such as Funzio, recently in the effort to prepare for the launch of new mobile games. The company has also been increasing its staff. GREE International had a staff of only 12 people in 2011, and now boasts of a workforce 400 strong. With progress being seen throughout the companies numerous sectors, GREE is beginning to mobilize for its entry into foreign markets.

Tablets will be a strong focus for the company

GREE has a particular interest in tablets for its mobile games. The company notes that tablets are becoming more popular among consumers because of their enhanced capabilities over smart phones and other mobile devices. Larger screens offer higher fidelity images, while strong processors and GPUs allow gamers to experience games with higher quality animations and performance. GREE has ambitious for releasing collectible-style card games for these devices and will focus heavily on this genre for its entry into the U.S. market.

Mobile games continue to prove popular

Mobile games have become a lucrative and popular market for the game industry. Developers throughout the industry has found significant success through their focus on mobile games, adding further momentum to the performance of the market. Consumers have shown that they are willing to play mobile games of all types, and many are open to new experiences that are either absent in the current market or somewhat underrepresented.