1）芬兰开发商Rovio首席营销官Peter Vesterbacka近日在北京的TechCrunch Disrupt大会上表示，中国充斥着太多的《愤怒的小鸟》衍生产品，但其中多数属于非官方授权的产品，但Rovio也从这些本土产品中获得许多灵感，并打算复制这些产品的想法使其成为现实。

peter-vesterbacka(from zimbio.com)

他表示如果要让中国消费者购买官方版产品，唯一的途径是在中国设立实体店，预计将在未来12个月中成立多家中国实体商店。

据其所称，Rovio计划2011年在中国市场实现1亿美元的小鸟周边产品营收。

2）市场分析公司asymco日前更新其智能手机市场调查数据，指出目前非智能手机仍占所据70%的移动市场份额（如下图所示，蓝色区域均代表非智能手机出货量）。

智能手机市场（图中的Android褐色及绿色区域）发展迅速，在今年第三季度的出货量占31%的份额，而2008年同期的比例仅为14%。

mobile-smartphone-transition(from asymco)

从2008年第三季度到2011年第三季度，智能手机出货量已从原来的4000万部增长至1.2亿部，增长速度远超非智能手机设备，后者在同一时期的出货量则从2.58亿增长至2.72亿部。

除此之外，asymco还指出用户更换设备制造商的比例也在增长，诺基亚/Symbian和RIM的用户人数正在下滑。

苹果目前市场份额为5%，是2008年时的5倍左右。

3）伦敦及旧金山教育类游戏开发商Mindshapes在最近的A轮融资中筹得500万美元，并将利用这笔资金推出互动游戏《Magic Town》和“基于任务、学习语言的虚拟世界”《Language City》。

Mindshapes(from vimeo)

该公司团队有不少前儿童娱乐公司员工组成，其中包括Playfish、Sesame Workshop、Scholastic、HarperCollins、CBeebies、世嘉和索尼。

4）日本社交平台GREE近日宣布将整合GREE与OpenFeint的优势，在明年中旬发布一个覆盖10亿亚洲及西方用户的全新手机社交平台。

gree-openfeint(from talkandroid.com)

据该公司营销业务高级副总裁Eros Resmini所称，这个项目并非效仿DeNA的Mobage与ngmoco的Plus+合并举措，而是打造一个集合两者优势的新平台，GREE仍将继续针对不同地区用户的喜好提供独特的用户体验。

他表示这个新平台将推出一个通用的开发者API，支持他们使用同一套开发工具为不同地区的用户创造内容，但并未透露其他详情。

5）iOS应用开发商Smule（游戏邦注：其游戏代表作包括《Glee:Karaoke》和《Magic Fiddle》，以及“I Am T-Pain”和虚拟乐器Ocarina等其他音乐应用）最近宣布通过Shasta Ventures等支持者再次融资1200万美元（该公司之前已融资1350万美元）

smule.com-logo(from quarkbase.com)

该公司自2008年成立以来，其音乐创作应用Magic Piano下载量已超过500万次（该应用支持用户通过Smule Sonic Network分享音乐内容），而类似游戏的音乐应用《Magic Fiddle》在去年11月发布时曾跻iPad应用营收榜单前列。

Smule曾在今年1月表示公司现有23名成员，计划今年内让团队规模扩大一倍。

6）法国发行商Gameloft于10月27日发布的《Modern Combat 3:Fallen Nation》风格与经典第一人称射击游戏《现代战争》相似，含有13项单人任务，同时也支持Game Center多人在线模式，共有7个游戏模式。

Modern Combat 3 Fallen Nation(from insidemobileapps)

该应用是一个通用版本，售价6.99美元，但也包括多项提高玩家武器性能的IAP选项，例如Starter Pack（1.99美元）以及Phantom Pack（49.99美元），从App Store的IAP列表来看，Starter Pack是最畅销的IAP选项，其次是售价4.99美元的Survival Kit。

该游戏最近跻身iPhone付费游戏榜单第10名，iPad付费游戏第5名，同时还位于iPhone应用营收榜单之首，并且成为iPad应用营收榜单第3名。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

1）Rovio to open official Angry Birds stores in China to fight unlicensed merchandise

by Keith Andrew

One thing Rovio’s Angry Birds isn’t short of is merchandise, yet according to CMO Peter Vesterbacka, a large portion of goods sold on the market are entirely unofficial.

Speaking at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in Beijing, however, Vesterbacka said the Finnish studio is taking steps to address the issue, with tackling the Chinese market the order of the day.

Merchandise matters

“There’s a lot of Angry Birds products in China and most of them are not officially licensed,” he said at the event, sporting an Angry Birds hooded top.

“We get a lot of inspiration from local producers,” he added, suggesting the firm is often inspired by unofficial merchandise and looks to “copy these products and make them real.”

One way of ensuring consumers only buy official goods, however, is to launch Angry Birds stores – something that will kick off first in China, Vesterbacka revealed.

“We want to sell officially licensed and good quality products, but at the same time we have to be happy that the brand is so loved. That’s why we’re building our first store here in China. Hopefully we’ll have quite a few in the next 12 months.”

Vesterbacka claimed Rovio is looking to generate around $100 million in revenue from Angry Birds merchandise in China alone in 2011.（source:pocketgamer）

2）Smartphones still to come to 70% of mobile market as asymco’s colourful graph demonstrates

by Matt Sakuraoka-Gilman

Market analyst and asymco founder Horace Dediu has been updating his numbers and graphs again, coming up with a beautiful chart that highlights areas of potential growth within the smartphone market.

70 percent of the total handset market – the blue bits – remains non-smart, representing the potential for future growth.

Flick the switch

The chart shows that the smartphone market as a whole (the brown Android and the green proprietary bits) is growing fast, with the percentage of total units now at 31, compared to 14 percent in Q3 2008.

In the three year period from Q3 2008 to Q3 2011, the number of smartphones is predicted to have risen from 40 million to 120 million, representing huge growth compared to non-smartphone devices, which grew from 258 million to 272 million.

The number of consumers ‘switching’ between device manufacturers also appears to be growing, as user number have recently declined for Nokia/Symbian and RIM.

However, Apple’s market share currently sits at 5 percent, a five times higher figure than its share in 2008.（source:pocketgamer）

3）Educational game developer Mindshapes receives $5 million in series A funding

by Matt Sakuraoka-Gilman

Letting children play games on phones has been the source of some controversy, as parents have been faced with monumental IAP fuelled phone bills via titles such as Capcom’s Smurfs’ Village.

London and San-Francisco-based developer Mindshapes harbors a more noble aim, however – producing mobile games with the potential to help educate kids.

To that end, it has received $5 million in a series A round of investment, although the companies who invested weren’t disclosed.

Virtual worlds, real education

This investment will be used to push two of Mindshapes’ upcoming titles, interactive story world Magic Town and “task based, language learning virtual world” Language City.

“We are passionate about using the latest technology and contemporary educational thinking to change the way that children learn around the world,” said CEO David Begg.

“This investment will accelerate our plans to become the world’s most trusted digital publisher of high quality educational games, books and learning worlds as we continue to expand.”

The team at Mindshapes is made up of former members of some of the most influential children’s entertainment companies out there, including Playfish, Sesame Workshop, Scholastic, HarperCollins, CBeebies, Sega, and Sony.

Earlier in 2011, director of product development for mobile at Mindshapes, Jinhee Ahn Kim spoke to us about how a mix a fun and education is possible over smartphone and tablet-based platforms.

“We’re trying to establish a brand that parents can trust, where they can be reassured that their kids will learn something as well as be thoroughly entertained,” she said.（source:pocketgamer）

4）GREE Says it Will Launch New Global Mobile-Social Gaming Platform Using OpenFeint Next Year

Kim-Mai Cutler

After acquiring OpenFeint for $104 million and then bringing in new leadership to run the company, Japanese gaming company GREE says it will launch an entirely new mobile-social gaming platform next year.

The goal is to combine the best parts of the GREE platform in Japan with those of OpenFeint and built a single network that reaches more than 1 billion Asian and Western users. It’s slated to launch by the middle of next year.

GREE, which originally said it would keep its Japanese platform and its Western-oriented side separate, says it’s not taking cues from rival DeNA in building a unified global gaming network.

“To clarify, this is not a combined platform, it is a new platform leveraging assets from both the GREE and OpenFeint ecosystems,” the company’s senior vice president of marketing an developer relations Eros Resmini tells us. “We will continue with our strategy of creating unique user experiences reflecting regional tastes and preferences.”

He said the new platform will have a common developer API that lets developers target their experiences for different regions with a single technology set. (We don’t have details yet on what developers will have to do in order to be on this new platform.)

GREE recently raised its earnings forecasts for the fiscal year ending in June. It said its net sales would come in at between 130 and 140 billion yen ($1.71 to $1.84 billion) up from an earlier projection of 90 to 100 billion yen ($1.19 to $1.32 billion) and its net income would be about 33 to 39 billion yen ($434.8 to $513.9 million) up from an earlier forecast of 22 to 28 billion yen ($289.9 to $369 million). It didn’t say what led to the higher forecasts.（source:insidemobileapps）

5）iOS Music App/Game Maker Smule Raises $12M In Funding

by Kyle Orland

iOS developer Smule, the company behind games like Glee: Karaoke and Magic Fiddle as well as other music-based apps, has reported an additional $12 million venture capital funding.

Since its founding in 2008, Smule has sold over 5 million downloads for its Magic Piano music creation app, which allows users to share songs through the Smule Sonic Network. Smule is also the company behind the popular auto-tuning “I Am T-Pain” app and virtual instruments like Ocarina.

Smule has also developed more game-like music apps, including Magic Fiddle, which premiered as the top-grossing iPad app when it was launched last November, and Glee Karaoke, which allows users to share audio recordings of performances through Facebook and the web.

The new funding, led by Shasta Ventures, comes on top of $13.5 million the company has previously raised.

In January, Smule announced plans to double the size of its 23 person staff within the year. （source:gamasutra）

6）Gameloft’s iOS FPS Modern Combat 3 Blows Up on the App Store

Randy Nelson

Gameloft has become known for iOS titles that bear more than a little resemblance to console blockbusters like Uncharted and Halo — some of which even launch to coincide with the genuine articles. Now with Battlefield 3 from EA on shelves and Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 due within days, the publisher has released Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation, its homage to the military first-person shooter, for iPhone and iPad.

Set in modern military theaters from the U.S. to the Middle East, the game casts players as an American soldier equipped with cutting edge firearms, explosives, and gear. Gameloft has ramped up the gameplay for this installment with new mission types to mix up the constant shooting, including levels that play out from inside 4×4 vehicles and helicopters, as well as escort and demolition duties. The levels themselves feature more scripted moments to add to the cinematic experience, such as collapsing buildings and ambushes. Other improvements include the ability for players to slide and sprint.

Complementing the 13 mission single-player campaign is a full featured online multiplayer mode utilizing Game Center. The game supports 12 players simultaneously in a variety of match types, including capture the flag and team deathmatch — there are seven modes in all. The multiplayer action unfolds on six maps designed specifically for online play. In addition to performing well to rank on global leader boards, players earn points that can go toward customizing their weapons for use in multiplayer, making them more accurate and lethal in the process.

The game, a universal app, sells for $6.99. It features nearly a dozen in-app purchases designed to aid players in the multiplayer mode by accelerating the customization of their weapons. These purchases range from the $1.99 Starter Pack to the $49.99 Phantom Pack. According to the App Store’s IAP chart for the title, the Starter Pack is currently its best-selling add-on, followed by the $4.99 Survival Kit.

Launched on October 27, Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation is currently the No. 10 paid gaming app on iPhone on the iPod touch and the No. 5 paid gaming app on iPad. It’s also the top grossing iPhone or iPod touch app overall at present, and the No. 3 top grossing iPad app.（source:insidemobileapps）