1）PopCap与索爱于近日宣布进行手机游戏预装合作，将把前者旗下的《植物大战僵尸》、《Peggle》和《Chuzzle》引进后者即将推出的Xperia Mini和Mini Pro的Android智能手机。这是PopCap游戏首次在欧洲陆陆Android移动设备，之前已在美国通过亚马逊渠道推出Android版手机游戏。

2）Unity Technologies宣布在B轮融资中筹得1200万美元，并将用这笔资金拓展在亚洲市场的业务。该轮融资支持者包括位于中国的WestSummit Capital和新加坡的iGlobe Partners，以及Unity原来的投资商红杉资本。

3）市场调研公司Juniper Research最新报告预测，2016年智能手机出货量将达10亿部，是2010年3.02亿部出货量的三倍。

得益于Android移动设备相对低廉的价格，智能手机届时将成为用户的主要选择。

4）Rovio首席执行官Peter Vesterbacka在日前的Casual Connect大会上发言表示，公司的目标是让“愤怒的小鸟”成为堪比马里奥或米老鼠的知名品牌。他计划让“愤怒的小鸟”在明年成国中国最受欢迎的娱乐品牌，将该游戏推向大量的中国移动设备，并在中国开办一家“愤怒的小鸟”旗舰店。

《愤怒的小鸟》已在今年5月通过中国手机游戏网络Downjoy进军中国市场，但销量却受到了大量盗版产品的冲击。但Vesterbacka表示比起请律师维权，他们更主张靠质量取胜。他称不少游戏开发者盲目相信自己可以接二连三地推出叫座的游戏，但Rovio却知道实现这一点极其困难，因此他们把一切希望押在了《愤怒的小鸟》身上。

5）俄罗斯开发商Game Insight（游戏邦注：代表作包括由6waves发行的Facebook游戏《Mystery Manor》和《Resort World》）日前推出Android免费游戏《Paradise Island》。

该公司业务开发副总裁Darya Trushkina透露，这款游戏目前仅通过自然下载和应用内置换付费功能（它不含广告和奖励推广服务），就已实现100万美元的净收益。这种情况让他们确信该游戏无需再推出iOS版本，或者将Facebook游戏移植到iOS平台，而是决定推出另一款基于其社交游戏《Crime Story》的Android版游戏。

6）曾获多项殊荣的海盗冒险游戏《Sid Meier’s Pirates!》将于近日登陆苹果iPad平台。玩家在游戏中可以坐上海盗船开始自己的劫掠之旅，或与对手过招使并成为世界上最伟大的海盗。游戏中的海盗行为还包括追逐商船、攻击城市、豪饮烈酒等。

据IGN评论，这个iPad版本玩法和控制系统都很出色，玩家只需轻轻划动触摸屏就能与对手决斗。《Sid Meier’s Pirates!》的iPad版本近日售价为3.99美元/2.49英磅，但将从本月25日起上涨至6.99美元/4.99英磅。

7）手机游戏签到平台Heyzap日前推出新服务，通过分析签到数据，为Android用户提供个性化的手机游戏推荐服务。该公司联合创始人Immad Akhund表示，这种推荐服务在这一领域还很罕见，Heyzap相信通过分析用户在特定游戏中的签到情况和历史记录，可以提供更精准的推荐服务。

Heyzap还将推出一个iPhone更新版本，而且还计划添加基于地理位置的签到信息，支持用户查看好友在玩哪些游戏，获得授权的用户还可以知晓好友在哪里玩游戏。

8）在线游戏服务平台WildTangent日前宣布已和相关游戏发行商合作，将在其即将推出的Android版游戏平台中发布来自Glu Mobile、GameHouse和Halfbrick公司的游戏（游戏邦注：WildTangent原先提供的基于网页的游戏目前每月有1.75亿用户）。

该服务支持不想花钱的用户，通过观看广告内容，或者支付少量的租金体验付费的高级游戏。

9）新加坡手机社交平台Mig33近日发布手机游戏开发程序，支持开发者针对该平台的5000多万用户，及其合作伙伴日本社交平台Gree的用户开发游戏。

Mig33主要锁定非洲和印度尼西亚功能性手机用户，去年11月宣布进军手机社交游戏领域。该公司成立于2005年，支持者包括Accel Partners、红点投资、DCM和Gree。

10）Flash游戏公司Arkadium宣布在多伦多成立新手机游戏工作室，并计划在未来一年中推出10款Android、iOS和基于HTML5的手机游戏。这些游戏产品包括最新游戏，以及该公司原有游戏的移植版本。

该公司最近还进军Facebook领域，并推出《Mahjongg Dimensions》、《Writer’s Blox》和《Solitaire Heaven》等一系列益智游戏。

11）俄罗斯工作室ZeptoLab日前更新了《割绳子》中的关卡内容，并同时推出了现实版的Om Nom玩具产品，但还没有透露这些玩具的具体上市时间以及售价。
（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

1）PopCap games to be preloaded on Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini and Mini pro

By: Simon Sage

PopCap and Sony Ericsson have just announced a partnership that will put classic games like Plants vs. Zombies, Peggle, and Chuzzle onto the upcoming Xperia Mini and Mini Pro Android smartphones. This is the first time PopCap’s games have landed on Android devices in Europe, though they’ve been available in the U.S. through Amazon for a few months now.（source:intomobile）

2） Unity Technologies Secures $12 Million In Funding

by Tom Curtis

Engine developer Unity Technologies announced that it has secured $12 million in a series B financing round, which the company will use to accelerate its plans to expand into Asian markets.

The funding comes from the China-based WestSummit Capital and the Singapore-based iGlobe Partners, in addition to Unity’s current investor, Sequoia Capital.

“For our next expansion phase, we decided to work with WestSummit Capital and iGlobe Partners because of their incredible understanding of and networks in Asia — our most strategic growth area — and their understanding of the region’s market dynamics,” said David Helgason, co-founder and CEO of Unity.

Raymond Yang, founding partner of WestSummit Capital and new inductee into Unity’s board, added, “We see China as the largest growing market for Unity Technologies, and we are strategically well positioned to help the company further penetrate the market and realize the full potential of doing business in China.”

Last month, Unity expanded its business in the UK by moving to a larger studio located in Brighton, East Sussex, where the company will offer QA, development and training and consulting  services. （source:gamasutra）

3）1bn smartphone shipments a year by 2016

by Tim Green

One in four will cost $150 or less.

Juniper Research says smartphone adoption will more than triple between last year, when 302m were shipped, and 2016.

Basically, the smartphone will become the majority choice by this time, aided by low budget Android models.

That said, the premium market will remain robust, with NFC, 3D and Biometrics fuelling the appetite for top-end devices.

Report author Daniel Ashdown said: “in developed markets, many consumers will want to upgrade from a feature phone to a smartphone, but still pay a feature phone price.”In emerging markets though, lower average consumer spending power and lack of operator subsidies will make a low price point essential”.（source:mobile-ent）

4）Rovio ‘Betting Everything’ On Angry Birds, Targeting 1 Billion Fans

by Kyle Orland

Rovio CEO Peter Vesterbacka says his company is “betting everything” on the ultra-popular Angry Birds brand, saying he’d like it to be “the first entertainment brand with a billion fans.”

Speaking at the Casual Connect conference in Seattle (as reported by VentureBeat), Vesterbacka said reaching such levels of popularity would “take us two or three years to do.” The goal, Vesterbacka said, was to make Angry Birds in to a long-term brand on par with Mario or Mickey Mouse.

Included in Vesterbacka’s plans for growth is a hope to become China’s most popular entertainment brand by next year, he said, with planned launches across a number of Chinese mobile devices and even a flagship store devoted to Angry Birds merchandise.

Angry Birds officially launched in China in May through a partnership with Chinese mobile games network Downjoy. But sales from such official efforts in the highly-populated country are likely dwarfed by derivative knock-offs and pirated versions on jailbroken iPhones.

Vesterbacka addressed this concern at the conference, saying the only way to fight it was with quality. “Instead of sending lawyers, we are building products,” he said.

As for putting all the company’s eggs in a single Angry Birds basket, Vesterbacka said he realized Rovio was unlikely to create another product that had such an immense impact.

“Game makers buy into their own bullshit,” he said. “You think you can make hit after hit. We know how hard it is to do that, so we are betting everything on Angry Birds.”（source:gamasutra）

5）Game Insight Says it is Netting $1M in Revenue From Top-Grossing Android Game Paradise Island

By AJ Glasser

Russian developer Game Insight is probably best known to Western audiences on Facebook for its 6waves-published titles Mystery Manor and Resort World, but its reach goes well beyond that in the international market and now it’s expanding onto Android with freemium game, Paradise Island (pictured).

Game Insight’s VP of Business Development, Darya Trushkina, reveals to ISG that Paradise Island is currently generating $1 million net revenue — and that’s with neither ads nor offer walls; just pure organic growth and income from in-app billing. This convinces the developer that there’s no need to build an iOS version, let alone port any of its social games to iOS.

Game Insight instead plans to release another Android game based on its newest social game, Crime Story.（source:insidemobileapps）

6）Sid Meier’s Pirates! sailing the App Store seas on iPad from tomorrow

by Anthony Usher

The multi-award winning open-world pirate adventure Sid Meier’s Pirates! is setting sail tomorrow for Apple’s iPad.

The game sees you take to the helm of your trusty ship in search of your kidnapped family.

You can, of course, forget about your family and go on a pillaging spree, or battle your rivals as you focus on becoming the greatest pirate who ever lived.

Other pirate activities include chasing trade galleons, attacking cities, pursuing other romantic relationships, and drinking copious amounts of grog. Probably.

Website IGN states that the transition to Apple’s iPad feels natural and that the controls have shifted well.

Sailing is handled by touching the screen in front of your vessel’s bow, and you fence with opponents using simple swipes.

Sid Meier’s Pirates! will be available for the iPad tomorrow for £2.49/$3.99, but that price will rise to £4.99/$6.99 from Monday the 25th.（source:pocketgamer）

7）Heyzap launches free personalized game recommendations on Android

Dean Takahashi

Heyzap is expanding its offerings as a mobile platform provider. At first, it enabled users to “check in” to their mobile games to tell their friends what they’re playing. Now the company is analyzing the check-in data to offer free recommendations of Android games that users are more likely to accept.

As such, the company is attacking head-on the problem of discovery, which is one of the hardest problems to solve in an era of virtually unlimited mobile apps. If Heyzap helps game developers and users deal with the discovery problem better, there could be some serious money in it for the San Francisco company.

“We think we can deliver Netflix-style personal recommendations that users will appreciate,” said Immad Akhund, co-founder of Heyzap, in an interview. “No one else is attacking game discovery in this way.”

Other companies such as Flurry offer game recommendations based on user purchases and other activity. But Akhund said that Heyzap believes it can come up with more accurate recommendations because it takes into account how often you check in with a certain game. If you play that game seven times a week, Heyzap is more likely to suggest games that are similar to that title.

An iPhone update will come later. Heyzap uses collaborative filtering to predict which games you’ll want to play next. It takes into account your play history, including how often you play a title. If you have been checking into Millionaire City by Digital Chocolate, Heyzap will make a recommendation to you based on data from people with similar gaming tastes. The more you check in, the more accurate the recommendations. Heyzap also looks at what your friends are playing.

Heyzap, which focused previously on monetizing flash games on the web, launched its first mobile check-in app back in March and its software development kit is now designed into 310 games. Heyzap has powered millions of game installations and Akhund said that it doubles the rate of app downloads a user makes.

Heyzap is also adding location information for its check-in data. Users can see what their friends are playing and, if the user grants permission, they can also see where people are playing games. That could be useful for people who want to play in tournaments or multiplayer sessions.（source:venturebeat）

8）WildTangent recruits game developers for Android launch

Dean Takahashi

Online game service WildTangent has rounded up a trio of game publishers to provide titles for its upcoming Android games launch, the company announced today.

Its upcoming Android games service will include titles from Glu, GameHouse and Halfbrick, the Redmond, Wash.-based company said.

WildTangent has long offered web-based games on the PC, with more than 175 million monthly users. But the entry into Android games will test the company’s ability to shift into one of the hottest mobile markets. Android is gaining considerable momentum, despite Apple’s early head start in mobile.

Consumers will be able to play the premium versions of WildTangent’s Android games for free if they’re willing to view ads, or they can rent them for a fraction of the retail price. They can also purchase any titles they want to own through the service. Any rental fees apply toward subsequent purchases.（source:venturebeat）

9）Mobile social network Mig33 launches game developer platform

Dean Takahashi

Mobile social network Mig33 is launching a program for game developers to create games for its platform that reaches more than 50 million users..

The Singapore-based company has millions of users for its feature-phone-based mobile social network in territories such as Africa and Indonesia. Now it has established a way for game developers to create games that can be played in all of its territories, all in the name of creating a lucrative virtual economy. The games can also be played on phones that use the social networks of Mig33′s key partner, Japan’s Gree.

Mieg33 first announced the switch to mobile social games in November and is now executing on that plan.

Naoki Aoyagi, CEO of Gree International, said in an interview that Mig33 is strategic because it has an opportunity to bring mobile social networking and games to the rest of the world, beyond established markets such as Europe, Japan and the U.S.（source:venturebeat）

10）Flash studio Arkadium opens up mobile office in Toronto, plans 10 releases in next 12 months

by Keith Andrew

A measure of it intent, Flash games specialist Arkadium has not only announced a move into mobile development, but also the establishment of an office tasked with focusing on the venture.

Arkadium’s new Toronto base – to be staffed via a sweep of talent in the area – will serve up a total of 10 titles for the mobile market over the course of the next 12 months, with a focus on HTML5, Android and iOS development.

Mix and match

The games themselves will be a mixture of fresh releases, and ports of the studio’s existing library.

“With mobile game market sales anticipated to grow to $11.7 billion by 2014, it’s the perfect time for us to have a dedicated team focused on our mobile efforts,” said CEO Kenny Rosenblatt.

“We’re excited to bring new IP to the iPad and Android and to port our library of 300 plus games to HTML5, insuring their continued enjoyment for the foreseeable future.”

The move is being billed as the latest in a line of transitions for Arkadium, which originally set out to produce online games for the casual market over ten years ago.

The firm recently moved into social game development launching a range puzzle based titles across Facebook, including Mahjongg Dimensions, Writer’s Blox and Solitaire Heaven. （source:pocketgamer）

11）Cut the Rope gets plush toys, new update

By Jim Squires

In an interview with ZeptoLab’s Semyon Voinov earlier this month, we asked if there were any plans to let consumers get their grubby little mitts on some Cut the Rope merchandise. We were told “we have tons of merchandising items in the works,” and it looks like they’re starting to surface sooner rather than later. To coincide with the announcement of their upcoming “Toy Box” update, the Cut the Rope team have unveiled the very first real world Om Nom toys.

Making their debut at the San Diego Comic Con this week, there’s no word on when this adorable little collection of Om Nom’s will be made available, nor at what price. Still – who wouldn’t want to put one of these little guys on their desk?（source:gamezebo）