1）据移动广告网络Mobclix最新报告显示，苹果iPad平台上的广告赞助版游戏的收益比其他同类移动设备更高，iPad用户点击条幅广告的频率也高于iPhone和Android用户。iPad用户对游戏广告的点击率是Android平台用户的8倍左右，是iPhone用户的3.5倍。

报告还指出，在这三种移动设备中，iPad游戏广告的eCPM最高，平均达1.75美元，而iPhone则是1.3美元，Android是0.98美元。Mobclix认为iOS和Android出现这种差异的原因在于，苹果广告竞价更高，而Android平台在这一点上明显处于劣势。

ipad-games(from gordonswaby.com)

除此之外，Mobclix还发现iOS平台的动作类游戏也远比益智游戏更有市场，它们在游戏应用中所占比例已达16.93%（游戏邦注：2010年5月的比例仅11%）；益智游戏在同一时期的份额却从原来的15.64%，下滑至目前的14%，据称应用内置付费功能的崛起是这种结果的主要诱因。

由于Zynga的《FarmVille》等游戏的推动，模拟类游戏在iOS平台发展强劲，同比2010年5月增长了125%，目前在该平台所占比例达12%，是第四大热门游戏类型；多人模式手机游戏的增势同样不容忽视，它们在该时期增幅达155%。

2）独立游戏开发商Mojang宣布将推出索爱Xperia Play版本的《挖矿争霸》（游戏邦注：其iOS移植版本也已进入开发阶段），将根据该移动设备的特殊功能和设置，为用户提供出色的游戏体验。但Mojang并未公布这个游戏版本的售价、发布日期、游戏时长等细节，知情者称有可能在6月7日的E3展会上才会将这些内容公之于众。

Minecraft-for-on-Xperia-Play(from buzzbox.com)

3）谷歌移动广告平台AdMob最近公布其网站流量（广告请求）在过去一年中增加了3.5倍以上。该平台4月份在全球每天的广告请求达27亿次（在今年1月份是20亿次），目前共聚集了8万以上个移动网站和应用程序（1月份的数量是5万个）；4月份该平台有11个国家产生的广告请求超过了10亿次，而在一年以前，仅有3个国家每月达到这种水平。

4）手机游戏开发商TinyCo宣布成立TinyFund基金会，提供500万美元资金帮助手机游戏开发者发行游戏（游戏邦注：该公司代表作包括《Tiny Chef》、《Tiny Zoo》和《Tap Resort》等游戏，目前总下载量超过了2000万次）。无论处于哪个开发阶段的iOS和Android游戏开发者都以申请获得该基金，每款游戏最高可获得50万美元支持。除了资金援助，TinyCo还将向这些开发者提供市场营销、开发和运行等资源和服务。

Tiny Chef(from tiny-chef.en.softonic.com)

5）日本社交游戏巨头DeNA宣布其创始人及首席执行官南场智子由于家庭成员的健康问题而离任，不过她仍将以公司董事会成员和顾问角色发挥重要作用。南场智子的继任者是DeNA社交游戏业务首席运营官兼总经理Isao Moriyasu，这种人事调整将在6月25日起正式生效。

Tomoko Namba(from venturebeat.com)

6）除了Windows Phone平台将更新至Mango版本，微软还宣布Windows Phone Marketplace将推出网页版本，支持用户通过网页访问该应用商店，并从中下载产品。这个网页版应用商店的功能与其手机版应用相似，用户可浏览产品目录、观看截屏、阅读用户评论、付费下载应用。

Windows Phone Marketplace（from slashgear.com）

该版本还将添加更多付费选项，其中包括先试用后购买服务，运营商计费系统。用户还可以将自己的Windows Live帐号与信用卡绑定，并通过电子邮件、Facebook或Twitter社交功能向他人推荐产品。Windows Phone Marketplace目前应用数量超过1.8万，其网页版本将与Mango在今年秋季亮相。

candy-train(from gamesandgames.org)

7）PopCap旗下新工作室4th & Battery最近发布了第2款iPhone和iPad游戏《Candy Train》，这款益智游戏实际上并非新作，而是由PopCap.com过去的一款游戏改制而来。该游戏完全免费，甚至不带任何广告标志，其游戏机制极为简单，风格类似于《Snake》和传统桌面游戏《CandyLand》的合体，锁定的用户群体也与该工作室原先的《Unpleasant Horse》截然不同——《Unpleasant Horse》主要针对青少年和年轻用户而开发，《Candy Train》则锁定了更为年幼的少儿群体，总体上仍然值得一试。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

1）Report: iPad Ad-Supported Games Lead In Clickthroughs, Average Revenue

by Frank Cifaldi

Report: iPad Ad-Supported Games Lead In Clickthroughs, Average Revenue

Apple’s iPad has a higher earnings potential for ad-supported games than other products in its class, according to a new report, with better click-through rates and revenue on average than either the iPhone or Android.

According to independent research published Wednesday by mobile ad network Mobclix, consumers playing ad-supported games on the iPad are significantly more likely to click on banners than those playing games on either the iPhone or the Android. Mobclix found that the click-through rates on iPad games were on average 8 times higher than on Android devices, and 3.5 times higher than on the iPhone.

Ads on iPad games also earn more on average. When calculating eCPMs (revenue per 1,000 impressions) on ads across all three device types, iPad games averaged out at $1.75. The iPhone follows at $1.30, and the Android at $0.98.

The reason for the discrepency between iOS and Android ad success is due to Apple offering richer, higher-paying ads, according to the company.

“Apple’s use of rich media like video as well as its use of the entire screen all equate to higher paying units,” said Mobclix co-founder Krishna Subramanian. “On the Android platform we are seeing less incentivized ad unit placements, and while rich media ads are on the rise they still make up a smaller quantity of the units when compared to iOS.”

The study also found that action games have overtaken puzzle games for the highest marketshare on the iOS platform, at 16.93 of the total gaming apps available, up from just over 11 percent in May of 2010. Puzzle games dropped from 15.64 percent to just under 14 percent in the same period. According to Mobclix, this shift is due to the rise in popularity of in-app purchases.

“In-app purchases have become a huge revenue driver for developers, and as a result they are focusing more attention on action and arcade games where in-app purchases are a natural fit as consumers look to level up,” the report says.

The study also found a significant growth in the number of simulation games on the market, up approximately 125 percent from May of 2010, which the company attributes to the success of Zynga titles such as FarmVille. At around 12 percent, it is the fourth most popular game genre.

Additionally, multiplayer mobile games are on the rise. According to the company, the category grew 155 percent during the period. （source:gamasutra）

2）Mojang’s Minecraft for Android bound first for Xperia Play

by Richard Brown

If Sony’s roster of PSone releases aren’t luring consumers in, and the preloaded fare isn’t sufficiently compelling, perhaps a PC juggernaut will prove the catalyst for Xperia Play’s widespread acceptance as a genuine contender.

That’s the hope at Sony Ericsson HQ, anyway, whose game-centric Android 2.3 handset will receive an adaptation of indie construction-building sensation Minecraft both first, and for an exclusive period.

As revealed by developer Mojang, the Xperia Play version of Minecraft (an iOS port is also in development) will be custom tailored to the handset’s unique specifications, taking advantage of its D-pad and face buttons.

Crafting a winner

“When playing on smartphones you will have a different screen size compared to PC, different hardware, different attention spans and thus the game needs to be customised to fit the mobile specifications,” Mojang said.

Further details regarding its price, release date, or length of exclusivity on Xperia Play aren’t yet available, but should be revealed at Mojang’s E3 media event on June 7.

In its invitation for the Minecraft-themed presentation, the creators offer attendees the opportunity to “stay in the light and take refuge with Sony Ericsson to keep the creepers at bay.”

Whether Minecraft, or indeed tomorrow’s Verizon launch, will satisfy Xperia Play’s sceptics in the long term remains to be seen.（source:pocketgamer）

3）AdMob Ad Requests More Than Triple In Past Year; Debuts New Tablet Ad Formats

Leena Rao

It’s been exactly one year since mobile ad network AdMob was officially acquired by Google for $750 million, after intense scrutiny of the deal by the FTC. Over the past year, Google has been working to integrate AdMob into the company, and clearly there have been some highs and lows. Today, As AdMob-Google turns one the search giant is announcing a number of new features and milestones for the ad network.

Overall, AdMob traffic (Ad Requests) have grown more than 3.5 times in the last year. In April, AdMob saw over 2.7 billion ad requests a day globally, up from over 2 billion announced in January. There are over 80,000 mobile websites and apps in the AdMob network, up from over 50,000 in January. And 11 countries in the AdMob network generated more than a billion monthly ad requests in April 2011, up from just three countries a year ago.

AdMob tells us that they’ve seen traffic for tablet ads growing like crazy; in terms of requests the ratio of mobile to tablet ad requests are 5 to 1. Today, Google is announcing new formats for tablet ads, allowing advertisers and publishers to serve full-screen interstitial ads built with HTML5 on smartphones and tablets. These advertisements can include branded video, image gallery, and interactive formats.（source:techcrunch）

4）TinyCo launches $5 million TinyFund to help good mobile games get noticed   iPhoneiPad

By Jim Squires

Don’t let the name fool you: TinyCo is quickly becoming big business. In an App Store crowded with dozens and dozens of social games developers, their games have always managed to stand out from the crowd. Tiny Chef, Tiny Zoo, Tiny Nightclub – every single one of them has managed to crack the top 10. Now they’ve put together a fund to help other small developers achieve the same success.

Today the developer has announced the launch of the TinyFund, a $5 million initiative to help mobile game developers gain access to the tools they’ll need to successfully launch their games.

“There are some amazing mobile games being developed right now, but due to lack of funds or industry experience, many of these outstanding titles will never be played by the public,” said Suli Ali, co-founder and CEO of TinyCo. “TinyCo is proud to offer the TinyFund to empower top gaming talent with the tools they need to realize their dreams of creating successful games.”

Games developed for the iOS and Android market, in any stage of development, can apply for the Fund. Each title can qualify for up to $500,000 in assistance. In addition to the money, TinyCo will also be offering their knowledge in marketing, development, and business to developers who could use it.（source:gamezebo）

5）Japan’s DeNA loses a visionary of a global mobile social network

Dean Takahashi

When DeNA announced it was buying iPhone game maker Ngmoco for up to $403 million last October, the Japanese company was stepping out on the global stage to build a global mobile social network.

But the company said today that its founder and chief executive, Tomoko Namba, was stepping down as head of the Tokyo company due to a family health issue. She will continue to play an active role in management as a board member and advisor.

Namba, who has an MBA from Harvard University, built DeNA from a small start-up in 1999 to a major mobile social game company on a billion-dollar run rate for revenues. She will be replaced by Isao Moriyasu, chief operating officer and general manager of its social media business. The move will be effective June 25, after the company’s stockholders’ meeting.

Moriyasu has led Mobage, the core social network of DeNA, since 2006. Namba said she believes he will be able to act quickly and decisively in the rapidly changing industry and make DeNA into a truly global company.（source:venturebeat）

6）Windows Phone Marketplace Web Portal Preview

By Rue Liu

During the Mango update reveal yesterday, Microsoft announced that it will be offering a web portal version of its Windows Phone Marketplace. Users would be able to access the marketplace catalog from the web, make purchases, and then send them directly to their handsets. Today, some extra details on the new web version have emerged.

The new web version of the Windows Marketplace will function much like the native app version, allowing customers to browse its catalog, view screenshots, read reviews, and then pay to download. Various purchasing options will be supported including try-before-you-buy and carrier billing. A Windows Live ID account can also be linked for paying with an associated credit card. Additionally, one-click social features will allow users to recommend apps via email, Facebook, or Twitter.

The Windows Marketplace currently has over 18,000 apps, but should see a dramatic increase with the upcoming update and the new attention from Nokia developers. The web version of the marketplace is set to launch with the Mango update this fall. （source:slashgear）

7）Train, is Both Colorful and Challenging

By Christopher

Candy Train4th & Battery recently released its second iPhone and iPad title, Candy Train. A independent, and more irreverent studio, from PopCap Games, 4th & Battery was started to create smaller and simpler games. Think edgier titles like its first release, Unpleasant Horse. Free-to-play, Candy Train follows the first two points of this criteria but is actually one of the oldest of PopCap.com’s online game titles. It was remade by Sophia Hohing and Adam MacDonnell.

Best described as a puzzle game, Candy Train is a simple concept of keeping a train — made out of candy — running as long as possible by connecting pieces of track while it is moving. Score-based, it is one of the simplest quality games we’ve seen on any iOS device in some time, and is a sort-of combination between Snake and old tabletop game, Candy Land. It’s simple but entertaining and is targeted to a starkly different audience that 4th & Battery’s previous app, Unpleasant Horse.（source:insidemobileapps）