1）据pocketgamer报道，美国手机游戏公司Backflip游戏下载量已接近1.5亿次（游戏邦注：在今年6月接近1亿次）。

该公司最近向iOS平台推出《DragonVale》这款结合了《FarmVile》、《口袋青蛙》和《Theme Park》元素的免费游戏，并在加拿大市场进行测试，目前已跻身该地区游戏营收榜单前五名。

DragonVale(from itunes.apple.com)

2）据彭博社报道，今年第一季度，黑莓制造商RIM推出的平板电脑PlayBook销量仅49万部，而苹果平板电脑同一时期销量高达925万部。

但Canaccord Genuity分析师Michael Walkley预测，RIM不会放弃PlayBook，该产品今年出货量将达150万部，苹果产品则是3920万部，三星平板电脑是700万部。

iPad gaming(from digitaltrends.com)

3）市场调研公司Inerpret最新报告预测，每10名美国iPad用户中，就有7人使用该设备玩游戏（在800多万美国iPad用户中，约71%用户玩游戏）。

分析师指出，iPad游戏玩家在家用游戏机、手机和任天堂掌机等设备的游戏投入时间正在下滑，iPad正成最具发展潜力的游戏平台，并建议游戏开发者和发行商密切关注苹果对iPad的发展定位和态度，以把握发展机遇。

4）据BGR报道，尽管遭遇投资者施压，任天堂总裁岩田聪仍坚持其一贯原则，并于近日明确表态公司不准备推出iOS游戏产品（游戏邦注：已有大量分析师称，如果任天堂不转变发展政策，该公司游戏将来恐难与其他平台0.99美元的低价游戏相竞争）。

satoru_iwata(from bgr.com)

岩田聪对媒体表示，他们不会考虑推出iOS游戏，如果他们这样做，任天堂就不再是任天堂了。拥有内部硬件开发团队是公司的主要优势之一，他们应该善用这种优势。现在向智能手机平台发布游戏，或许可以为任天堂带来一时的利润，但他认为自己的职责并非关注短期利益，而是考虑公司的长久竞争力。

5）据pocketgamer报道，三星乐园最近向英国地区推出新服务Premium Apps，支持Android用户在无需注册的情况下，使用信用卡通过该服务购买高级应用内容（未来还可能支持手机话费等支付选项）。

Samsung-Apps(from sulia)

目前该服务供应的高端应用包括《Zenonia》、《模拟人生3》高清版、《极品飞车：变速》高清版和《9mm》。

6）迪士尼儿童虚拟世界Club Penguin日前登陆iOS平台，其中的迷你游戏《Puffle Launch》变身iPhone和iPad游戏，以0.69英磅售价在App Store上架（该游戏在Club Penguin网站的每日儿童用户超过15万）。

Puffle Launch(from mashable.com)

《Puffle Launch》目前仅推出单机版本，但支持玩家在Club Penguin世界中使用从iOS游戏中赢取的虚拟货币。

7）独立移动广告网站InMobi日前通过日本软银，在第三轮融资中获得2亿美元资金。

InMobi成立于2007年，原先主要针对移动设备平台出售CPM旗帜广告，最近开始向支付服务、HTML5广告等领域扩张，并自称是世界最大的独立移动广告网站。据其首席执行官Naveen Tewari所称，公司服务目前已覆盖165个国家的3.4亿用户，每月广告印象达440亿次。

mobile ads(from insidemobileapps)

其原先竞争对手包括Admob（被谷歌以7.5亿美元收购）、Quattro（被苹果以2.75亿美元收购），Greystripe（被Vlueclick以7000万美元收购），该公司其他竞争对手最近也掀起融资热潮，例如Millennial Media在今年初融资2750万美元，Jumptap在5月融资2500万美元。

观察者称，在Storm8尚未结束3亿美元融资之前，InMobi本次融资应算是今年移动领域涉及金额最大的一桩投资事件，InMobi将利用这笔资金扩展亚洲业务（尤其是中国和韩国），该公司还是因苹果今年春季开始限制非自然下载行为的主要受益者之一，但目前仍未公布其营收数据。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

1）As it launches freemium title DragonVale, Backflip approaches 150 million smartphone installs

by Jon Jordan

It’s probably a personal trait, but I like nothing more than a good set of numbers from US mobile outfit Backflip.

Back in June, we got the last dump. Now, however, we learn that the publisher is close to 150 million installs across iOS and Android. In June, the total was closer to 100 million.

Of course, Backflip has mainly been releasing free games, because it’s running a network business model whereby it can focus on cross-portfolio promotion or cashflow by appropriately turning the dials on its circa one billion monthly ad impressions.

Here be monsters

The significant pivot is it’s released its first proper freemium game.

DragonVale is a bit FarmVille meets Pocket Frogs and Theme Park. During its beta test phase in Canada, it’s been a solid top 5 top grossing game so it’s obviously doing something right.

And thanks to popular titles such as Paper Toss, NinJump, Backflip Solitaire and Shape Shift, Backflip is now looking to become more active in turning players into payers.

“These games easily transition to much higher ARPU games such as Army of Darkness Defense and DragonVale, says CEO Julian Farrior.

“It’s been a focus during summer and we’re also seeing more and more users playing multiple Backflip games at the same time.”（source:pocketgamer）

2）Tablet wars: RIM 490,000 v Apple 9.25m

by Tim Green

That’s one PlayBook to every 19 iPads sold

BlackBerry creator RIM is struggling to move units of its PlayBook tablet device, leading analysts to downgrade their forecasts for the product.

Actual sales figures are hard to come by, but now Bloomberg has reported that, in the first quarter, 490,000 units were sold compared to 9.25 million units of the Apple rival.

It’s a pretty dismal performance, but the consensus seems to be that RIM will persist with the product.

RIM will ship about 1.5 million tablets this year, compared with 39.2 million for Apple and 7 million for Samsung, said Michael Walkley, an analyst at Canaccord Genuity.

“RIM hasn’t given up on the PlayBook , but it’s clearly off to a poor start,” he said.（source:mobile-ent）

3） Analyst: 71 Percent Of iPad Owners Play Games

by Frank Cifaldi

Around 7 out of 10 iPad owners use their devices to play games, according to a recent study.

Research firm Interpret’s recent report, “iPad Gamers: A Look At The Users Of Gaming’s Shiny New Toy,” claims that approximately 71 percent of the over 8 million people who own iPads in the United States use the device for games.

According to analysts at the firm, this usage comes at the cost of engagement with other game-playing devices.

“Collectively, iPad gamers are showing slightly decreased involvement with gaming on home consoles, mobile phones, and Nintendo handheld consoles,” said Interpret analyst Jason Preston.

“These facts imply that iPad game developers and publishers can definitely reach a new audience on the iPad, and should also closely monitor Apple’s positioning of the iPad as an in-home gaming device, especially considering the platform’s already obvious impact on traditional gaming behavior.”

The study suggests that the iPad is “gaming’s wildest frontier” and the one with the most potential for growth.

The sentiment is shared by the U.S.’s largest video game specialty retailer, GameStop, which recently announced that it will begin selling the devices in its shops. （source:gamasutra）

4）Nintendo boss is resolute: no iOS games

by Zen Terrelonge

Despite mounting pressure from company investors.

Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo has confirmed that there is no plan to create games for any of Apple’s products, despite investors piling on the pressure to join iOS, reports BGR.

A number of analysts have highlighted that Nintendo will find it difficult to compete against other platforms that provide free or $0.99 games, even though the Nintendo 3DS was recently reduced to $169.99.

Satoru told Nikkei: “This is absolutely not under consideration. If we did this, Nintendo would cease to be Nintendo. Having a hardware development team in-house is a major strength. It’s the duty of management to make use of those strengths.

“It’s probably the correct decision in the sense that the moment we started to release games on smartphones we’d make profits. However, I believe my responsibility is not to short term profits, but to Nintendo’s mid and long term competitive strength.”

Last month we reported the growing coercion from the industry for Nintendo to consider a new strategy.（source:mobile-ent）

5）Samsung announces Premium Samsung Apps Store for Android in the UK

by Matt Sakuraoka-Gilman

Samsung has today unveiled its new Premium Apps service for its Samsung Apps application in the UK. It will allow owners of Android devices to access high end content, including games.

There is no sign-up required, however, at the moment credit card remains the only payment option when purchasing applications through the service.

In the future Samsung intends to add charges onto users phone bills or deduce them from a SIM card balance.

Multitudes

Premium titles available from today include Zenonia, The Sims 3 HD, Need for Speed Shift HD and 9mm.

“Anyone that signs up to Samsung Apps Store for Android today, will find a multitude of free and premium apps already available,” said managing director of Mobile, Samsung UK and Ireland, Simon Stanford.

“In the spirit of providing Android users with the best possible mobile experience, it is our intention to continue to develop this premium service to ensure our customers have access to all the latest great content on Android.”（source:pocketgamer）

6）SoftBank invests $200m in InMobi 30m mobile installs for social … Club Penguin comes to iOS, but with standalone game for now

by Stuart Dredge

Disney’s virtual world for kids wants to get them playing on their mobile devices too.

Disney’s latest iPhone and iPad game is live today, and based on one of the popular mini-games in its Club Penguin virtual world for children.

Puffle Launch is played by more than 150,000 children a day on the Club Penguin website, and has now been turned into an iOS game that costs £0.69 on the App Store.

It’s a standalone title, although players can earn virtual coins to transfer back to the main Club Penguin world.

“Kids are going mobile and have been asking for Club Penguin to go there with them. Disney pioneered virtual worlds and social gaming for kids, and now we want to enable kids to connect with their friends and our worlds on the go,” says Lane Merrifield, who co-founded Club Penguin and is now EVP of Disney Online Studios.

“This is only the beginning for Club Penguin on mobile and we have some really exciting plans that will unfold over the next year.”（source:mobile-ent）

7）Staying Independent, Mobile Ad Network InMobi Raises $200 Million From Softbank

By Eric Eldon

While other mobile advertising networks have continued to be acquired, but InMobi has made a big bet on independence, raising a $200 million third round from Japanese conglomerate SoftBank.

The Bangalore, India company was founded in 2007, and built itself up selling CPM banner ads across devices. It has more recently expanded to payments, and to HTML5 ads via its acquisition of Sprout. Today, it is the self-proclaimed largest independent mobile ad network in the world, with strong traction on smartphones across the world. One recent report named it the largest mobile ad network in key European markets, for example, although it has only moved into North America in the last couple years. Founder and chief executive Naveen Tewari said today that his company is reaching 340 million consumers in over 165 countries through more than 44 billion mobile ad impressions every month.

Meanwhile, competitors have been getting snatched up — Admob to Google for $750 million and Quattro to Apple for $275 million in 2010, and Greystripe to Valueclick for $70 million in April. Other rivals have also been raising significant new rounds this year, though. Millennial Media raised $27.5 million at the start of the year, and Jumptap brought in $25 million in May,

InMobi is calling this new round the largest mobile investment of the year, which might be true if game developer Storm8 hasn’t yet closed the $300 million round it has been working on. InMobi has previously raised two venture rounds worth a total of $15 million from Kleiner Perkins and Sherpalo Ventures.

The money will go towards expansion in Asia, especially China and South Korea; it has already been busy hiring, as our readers will have noticed. InMobi is also one of the companies that has stood to benefit from Apple’s crackdown on incentivized app installs this past spring, although the company hasn’t disclosed revenue numbers.（source:insidemobileapps）