1）据Zynga最新SEC文件显示，Zynga首席营销及财务官Jeff Karp最近也已离职，他将不再是Zynga高管，但仍将在该公司就职直到9月22日为止。

jeff-karp(from venturebeat.com)

Karp是由前首席运营官John Schappert引荐给Zynga，此前曾在EA任职11年，曾参与开发《The Sims Social》。

2）据gamasutra报道，GarageGames日前宣布将在未来数周免费开放旗下游戏引擎Torque 3D，该引擎将通过MIT免费软件授权发布到Github，提供了Torque 3D 1.2的完整源代码以及4个起始模版，并将由该公司的Dave Wyand负责领导开源项目开发并监管今后的更新事宜。

Torque_3D(from garagegames.com)

目前使用Torque 3D开发的游戏包括《Fallen Empire: Legions》和《Hinterland》；已在本月初购买该引擎的开发者将收到相应的退款。

GarageGames表示，公司在9个月前就计划重新调整业务目标，将创建无需编程的开发工具（3 Step Studio），组建一个服务部门，并专注于游戏技术方面的创新。

3）据gamaustra报道，美国玩具产商Toys R Us将于10月21日起针对儿童市场发售7英寸触屏平板电脑Tabeo，该设备采用Android操作系统，主打服务是游戏及其应用商店，含有内置摄像头，家长监控措施，支持Wi-Fi、体感控制等功能。

tabeo-big(from gamasutra)

该设备将预装书籍、教育类应用以及近20款游戏，其中包括《愤怒的小鸟》、《水果忍者》和《Temple Run》等热门游戏；其售价为150美元，价格低于目前的iPad（最新机型为499美元）、Kindle Fire（非HD型号的设备为159美元）以及其他Android平板电脑（游戏邦注：不过LeapFrog推出的LeapPad2仅售100美元）。

Toys R Us曾在去年与Fuhu合作推出200美元的儿童平板电脑，其他推出类似战略的零售商还包括GameStop。

4）据pocketgamer报道，美国零售商GameStop最近宣布将推出售价499.99美元的平板电脑Wikipad，该设备结合了掌机及触屏平板电脑的游戏功能，采用10.1英寸显示器，屏幕分辨率为1280 X 800，搭载 Nvidia Tegra 3 T30的1.4GHz四核处理器，运行的操作系统是Android 4.1 Jelly Bean。

wikipad(from pocketgamer)

该设备支持PlayStation Mobile服务，支持用户通过Google Play获取内容。Wikipad在今年1月份就已在CES上亮相，据称是首款拥有祼眼3D效果的Android平板电脑，但在7月份公布其技术标准时却根本没有提到立体3D效果，可见Wikipad公司已经放弃了这一功能。

5）据venturebeat报道，针对苹果或于9月21日发布新iPhone的传言，许多分析师开始预测iPhone 5销售情况。

iphone-5(from siliconangle.com)

Topeka Capital Market分析师Brian White预测苹果iPhone 5在本月发售时销量将达1000万至1200万部，而Piper Jaffray分析师Gene Munster预估的数值则是800万部左右；Kanney分析师Bill Choi预测的数据介于700万和1000万部之间；Baird分析师William Power预测该设备发布首季在美国销量将达5000万部（游戏邦注：去年苹果发布iPhone 4S当季，其新老型号的iPhone手机销量为3700万部）。

6）据pocketgamer报道，Supercell北美总经理Greg Harper在最近采访中表示，公司于8月23日向iPad推出的游戏《Clash of Clans》发布头5天就跻身游戏营收榜单前25名，至今一直未跌出该榜单；最高峰时排名第二（9月7日），目前稳居第三名。

clash-of-clans(from pocketgamer)

该游戏在iPhone平台的表现同样可圈可点，发布首周就进入游戏营收榜单前25名，它在8月30日更新游戏之后，于9月4日进入前10名榜单，现在仍保持这一位置。

7）在本周MAU增长最快的Facebook游戏榜单上，Zynga游戏包揽前5名席位，《Zynga Slingo》位居榜首，新增2250万MAU，增幅达170%；《CheVille》排名第二，新增2120万MAU，增幅为83%；《Adventure World》位居第三，新增150万MAU，增幅为60%；《CastleVille》排名第四，新增90万MAU，增幅为6%；《Texas HoldEm Poker》位居第五，新增90万MAU，增幅达3%。

Top gainers this week-MAU(from AppData)

还有一些其他Zynga游戏也同样在本榜单现身，《FarmVille》新增60万MAU，增幅为3%；《Ruby Blast》新增40万MAU，增幅为13%，《Hidden Chronicles》新增20万MAU，增幅为2%。（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）Jeff Karp stepping down from Zynga

Mike Thompson

According to a new SEC document, Zynga’s Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer Jeff Karp is stepping down from his position with the company.

Starting today, Karp is no longer an officer at Zynga, but will continue to be employed there (drawing salary and benefits) until September 22. There’s no word yet about if he has another job lined up. Before former COO John Schappert brought Karp to Zynga, he was with Electronic Arts for 11 years and was involved in the development of The Sims Social.

In May, Karp spoke to us about Zynga’s partnership with American Express for a pre-paid credit card that would provide players with in-game rewards for Zynga titles. This is the second high-profile departure from Zynga announced today, following CTO of Infrastructure Allan Leinwand.

Zynga released the following statement regarding Karp’s planned departure: ”Jeff Karp is leaving Zynga, and the groups in his organization have been realigned under appropriate existing divisions. Our marketing and revenue teams have always been industry leaders, and as we continue our transition toward mobile and multiplatform game creation and distribution, their continued execution will be key to our future success.  We are grateful to Jeff for his contributions over the last year and wish him well in his future endeavors.”（source:insidesocialgames）

2）Game engine Torque 3D will soon be free, open source

By Eric Caoili

GarageGames will make its flagship engine, Torque 3D, available for free with an open source license in a few weeks, as part of the company’s efforts to realign its goals.

The engine will be released to Github under the MIT free software license, offering Torque 3D 1.2′s complete source code and four starting templates. GarageGames’ Dave Wyand will lead open source development and oversee future updates.

Shipped titles that have used Torque 3D include Fallen Empire: Legions and Hinterland. Developers that purchased the engine since the beginning of the month will receive a refund.

GarageGames notes that making Torque 3D open source falls in line with the steps it has taken to realign goals nine months ago, which include building a development tool that requires no programming (3 Step Studio), forming a service division, and focusing on innovative uses of game tech. （source:gamasutra）

3）Toys R Us making gaming tablet for kids

By Eric Caoili

Toys R Us will compete against the iPad, Kindle, and LeapPad with its own Android-based tablet created specifically for children, which will feature games and its own app store.

Set to be sold exclusively through Toys R Us starting October 21, the Tabeo tablet is a 7-inch, multi-touch tablet featuring a built-in camera, extensive parental controls, WiFi, motion control capabilities, HDMI output, and 4GB storage plus a microSDHC slot.

Tabeo offers developers another tablet platform that they can release their titles to, as it features a special app store with thousands of kids-safe applications and games curated by the Toys R Us team.

It also comes with pre-installed books, educational apps, and nearly 20 games, including some from popular mobile franchises like Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, Cut the Rope, and Temple Run.

The retailer has priced Tabeo at $150, positioning it as a cheaper alternative to existing tablets like Apple’s iPad (starting price of $499 for the newest model), Amazon’s Kindle ($159 for non-HD model), and various other Android-based devices. LeapFrog’s LeapPad2, though, is only $100.

Toys R Us previously dipped its toes in the tablet market last year by partnering with Fuhu to release a $200 Android-based tablet for kids. Other retailers, like GameStop, are making similar efforts to push into the tablet market by selling branded devices.（source:gamasutra）

4）$499 Android-powered Wikipad gaming tablet launching October

by Matthew Diener

The Wikipad is an interesting Android gaming device that aims to bridge the gap between console gaming and touchscreen tablet gaming.

Featuring a 10.1″ display with a 1280×800 resolution and powered by an Nvidia Tegra 3 T30 quad-core 1.4GHz processor, the Wikipad runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

But as well as being a tablet, it adds gaming controls with a slide-in case that includes dual analog sticks and a bunch of buttons (including four shoulder buttons).

It also has the support of PlayStation Mobile, and content will be available via Google Play and highlighted by Nvidia’s TegraZone.

More concerning, however, is the $499.99 price tag – something that’s been announced as part of the exclusive pre-order program via US retailer Gamespot.

What, no 3D?

When the Wikipad was unveiled at CES back in January, it was advertised as the first Android tablet to feature glasses-free 3D.

When its technical specs were released in July, however, there was no mention of the stereoscopic 3D, and we correctly concluded that Wikipad Inc had jettisoned that feature.

Competing with whom?

While the Wikipad is a robust and well-equipped tablet, distinguished from other 10.1″ competitors by its analog sticks and suite of buttons, the big question facing the mobile gaming world is who would be interested in purchasing a $500 dedicated gaming tablet?

Weighing 560g / 1.23lbs with the controller shell attached, the Wikipad is nearly twice as heavy as the Nintendo 3DS and PS Vita.

Additionally, the 3DS edges the Wikipad out in terms of 3D gaming, and the PS Vita offers a 3G model while the Wikipad is available in a single wifi-only configuration.

Finally, there’s the issue of the price. It’s much more expensive than comparable 7″ Android tablets such as Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire HD, while it doesn’t have the consumer desire of an iPad.

Still, with a focus on gaming and the promise of more content hooks up to be announced in future, it’s a device we’ll certainly be keeping our eye on as the launch plans develop.（source:pocketgamer）

5）Analysts on iPhone 5: Sales could reach 12M in September, but expect no surprises

Devindra Hardawar

We’re two days away from Apple’s iPhone 5 unveiling in San Francisco, and not surprisingly, analysts are sharpening their sales estimates.

In particular, these prognosticators are interested in just how many iPhones Apple can sell before its 2012 fiscal year closes at the end of September. Rumors suggest that Apple will release the iPhone 5 on September 21, which gives the company just eight days to make iPhone 5 sales count for this fiscal year.

At the high end, Topeka Capital Market’s Brian White believes Apple can sell between 10 million and 12 million iPhone 5s this month, while Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster aims a bit lower with an 8 million estimate (from a range of 6 million to 10 million units). Janney analyst Bill Choi is mostly in line with Munster, with his 7 million to 10 million sales prediction.

Late last month, Baird analyst William Power predicted that Apple could sell 50 million iPhone 5s in the U.S. alone in its launch quarter — though his prediction likely assumed Apple had a full quarter to work with, and not just eight days. Last year, Apple sold a record 37 million iPhones  (both old and new models) during the iPhone 4S launch quarter.

Meanwhile, Deutsche Bank’s Chris Whitmore predicts that the iPhone 5 is going to be Apple’s biggest smartphone upgrade yet — but at the same time, he doesn’t think it will have many surprises. Whitmore points to the many iPhone 5 rumors — which have predicted a longer 4-inch screen, LTE connectivity, and a smaller dock connector — as the main culprit.

Indeed, it must be tough for Apple to keep major iPhone 5 details under wraps, but we’re hoping that the company still manages to surprise us somehow. I argued earlier this year that iPhone 5 rumors would be a snoozefest, since many of the rumors about the phone have been around since last year (even before the iPhone 4S rumor).（source:venturebeat）

6）The Charticle: Supercell’s ‘tablet first’ strategy doesn’t stop Clash of Clans surging up iPhone top grossing charts

by James Nouch

The Charticle is PocketGamer.biz’s weekly look at the games jostling for position on the app store charts. It covers Apple’s App Store, Google Play and the Amazon App Store.

Back in April, PocketGamer.biz caught up with Greg Harper, Supercell’s newly-appointed general manager for North America, and he elaborated on the studio’s ‘tablet first’ development philosophy.

“Our games will support smartphones as well, but our primary focus will be to create the optimal experience on a tablet,” said Harper, explaining that larger screens with densely-packed pixels enable “an amazing visual experience for gamers.”

Load up Clash of Clans, and you can see the fruits borne of this approach. Forsaking the flat look of your standard city-building game, Clash of Clans’ world is rendered in vivid, chunky 3D.

And if the App Store charts are anything to go by, it’s an approach that consumers are responding to.

Slate strategy

Launched on 23 August 2012, Clash of Clans for iPad broke into the top 25 of the highest grossing games chart within five days of its release, and hasn’t dropped out of it since.

The game peaked at #2 as recently as 7 September, and it’s currently holding steady in the #3 position.

So, even though Supercell’s marketing spend is utterly dwarfed by the likes of GREE, it’s currently outperforming every one of its games on that platform.

What’s perhaps more surprising is that the tablet first approach hasn’t stopped Clash of Clans finding success on the iPhone too.

Charting its success

Although Clash of Clans for iPhone can’t match the dizzying chart positions reached by its tablet counterpart, the game took just one week to break into the iPhone’s top 25 highest grossing games chart.

Since the game received a title update on 30 August, it’s been performing even better, entering the top 10 on 4 September and staying there.

It’s a feat that’s all the more impressive considering the extra competition to be found on the iPhone App Store.

In fact, despite the game’s higher chart performance on the iPad, it seems likely that the game generates just as much revenue on the iPhone – if not more. （source:pocketgamer）

7）Zynga wins big among this week’s fastest-growing Facebook games by MAU

Mike Thompson

Zynga Slingo took the top spot on this week’s list of fastest-growing Facebook games by monthly active users, bringing in 22.5 million MAU for a 170 percent increase.

Zynga had several titles show substantial gains this week, both in the top five positions and throughout the rest of the list. ChefVille took No. 2 with 21.2 million MAU for an 83 percent increase. Adventure World — which has generally seen its numbers declining since October 2011 — was up by 1.5 million MAU for a 60 percent increase, letting it take the No. 3 position. CastleVille surged by 900,000 MAU for a 6 percent increase and took the No. 4 spot. Finally, Texas HoldEm Poker snagged the No. 5 placing with 900,000 MAU for a 3 percent gain.

Likewise, Zynga also had some of its titles show up further down the list. FarmVille was up by 600,000 MAU for a 3 percent gain. Ruby Blast grabbed 400,000 MAU for a 13 percent increase. Finally, Hidden Chronicles took in 200,000 MAU for a 2 percent swell.

Six other games on the list showed gain percentages of 20 percent or greater. THX Games’s trivia game Saif Almarifa was up by 300,000 MAU for a 63 percent increase. Peak Games’s Lost Jewels took in 280,000 MAU for a 100 percent gain. FunPlus Game’s Family Farm grabbed 200,000 MAU for a 20 percent increase. Disney Playdom’s Threads of Mystery grew by 190,000 MAU for a 46 percent increase. RockYou and Eyes Wide Games’s The Walking Dead Social Game was up by 180,000 MAU for a 22 percent gain. Finally, Murzik’s Bubble Pirate Quest took on 170,000 MAU for a 43 percent increase.（source:insidesocialgames）