1）据Business Insider报道，有传言称微软正准备向iOS和Android智能手机平台发布Xbox Live游戏。

该消息来自微软近日贴出的iOS和Android开发者岗位招聘消息，虽然其中未涉及具体岗位说明，但提到其工作所属部门为Interactive Entertainment Business，负责将游戏及娱乐应用移植到iOS等其他手机平台。

kinectimals(from jailbreakwire.com)

虽然微软并未正式宣布该消息，但从他们发布Xbox Live的iOS应用以及《Kinectimals》iOS版本的迹象来看，微软有可能确实在执行这一计划。

2）据gamasutra报道，位于达拉斯的id Software工作室已决定重组开发团队，裁减数量不明的人员。

其母公司Bethesda Softworks称公司通过常规的内部评估裁减这些成员，id Software经常从运营角度评估工作室的实际人员需求，但同时也表示id工作室仍在招聘合格的开发者。

rage(from inquisitr.com)

id Software去年发布的《Rage》广受好评，但也有评论称该游戏除了射击机制之外，基本上没有其他创新。

《Rage》在2011年10月发布后成了美国第四大热销零售游戏，但游戏发布之后不久，id联合创始人及主程序员John Carmack称工作室“并不认为PC是一个领先的游戏平台”，该公司目前正开发《毁灭战士4》。

3）据pocketgamer报道，俄罗斯工作室ZeptoLab最近发布热门游戏《割绳子》的网页版本，这款基于HTML5的游戏运行平台为微软IE 9（游戏邦注：该版本也可运行于谷歌Chrome浏览器）。

Cut the Rope--browser version(from omgubuntu.co)

据该公司所称，将iOS游戏移植到IE浏览器最复杂的代码库在于物理机制、动画和绘图引擎，这个IE版游戏有25个基本关卡，但用户若将该游戏添加到Windows任务栏还可以获得另外7个关卡。

4）eDigital Research和IMRG最近数据显示，在2011年圣诞节和节礼日（游戏邦注：圣诞后的第一个工作日）45%英国平板电脑用户使用这一设备登录社交网站，而2010年同期的这一比例仅为五分之一。

71%用户使用平板电脑及智能手机购买圣诞礼物，这一比例比2010年上升了1.3%。

50%受访者表示自己在网上完成多笔圣诞购物交易，18%智能手机用户也选择了在线购物途径。

IMRG高管Andrew NcClelland表示，从网页浏览情况来看，iPad和Kindle是最受欢迎的圣诞礼物。

5）Piper Jaffray分析师Gene Munster近日表示，2011年谷歌移动广告在Android及iOS设备的收益达到25亿美元，超过2010年的2倍（游戏邦注：2010年其移动广告收益为10亿美元），预计2012年将达40亿美元。

由此可见，谷歌出价7.5亿美元收购移动广告平台AdMob确实是一笔相当划算的交易。

Google Admob(from applegazette.com)

谷歌高级副总裁Andy Rubin曾在上月宣布Android设备每日激活量达70万部，相当于每年售出2.5亿部，市场份额超过了已售出近1.05亿部iPhone和4000万部iPad的iOS平台；再加上Android Market应用数量突破40万大关（取自Distimo最近数据），更为谷歌的AdSense和AdMob平台创造了更多广告机会。

Munster指出，移动平台目前在用户消费媒体的时间中占比10.1%（2008年的这一比例为5.4%），但仅占据0.9%的广告收益，不过人们关注媒体的渠道将逐步从报纸和杂志等转向移动平台。

6）独立开发商2D Boy近日宣布益智游戏《World of Goo》在iOS和Mac App Store发布13个月实现100万次下载量。

World of Goo(from familyinternet.about.com)

其中多数下载量来自iOS版游戏，有29%下载量（以及17%收益）来自iPhone/iPod Touch版本，69%下载量（以及79%收益）来自iPad平台的高清版本。

而发布于2011年6月份的Mac App Store版游戏仅占2%下载量（以及4%收益），不过这与Mac版本发布较晚有关，原来的WiiWare和Windows PC版本已在2008年10月份发布。

2D Boy指出游戏的Android版本在2011年11月份问世以来，已实现45万次免费试用版下载量，以及7万次完整版下载量。（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）Is Microsoft looking to bring Xbox Live games to Android and iOS?

By Mike Thompson

Microsoft has made no secret of how it wants to tie its Metro interface across as many devices as possible. At the moment, these devices include the Xbox 360 and Windows Phones, but rumor has it that Microsoft is getting ready to launch Xbox Live titles on iOS and Android smartphones.

According to Business Insider, rumors first began when a job posting for developers with iOS and Android experience. Though it didn’t really go into much detail about the position, it did mention that the department, Interactive Entertainment Business, works to bring gaming and entertainment apps to mobile platforms including iOS “and other mobile platforms.”

Meanwhile, a developer who works with Microsoft claims this is the plan, stating “Xbox is a client of ours. There’s no way they’ll be ignoring those other mobile platforms.”

Up until now, Microsoft’s ace in the hole for Windows Phone 7 has been Xbox Live; ads for the device regularly brag that the phone is the only one with the service built in. However, there’s no denying that Android and iOS devices own massive parts of the market, and it makes a lot of sense that Microsoft wants to gain access to audiences of that size.

Of course, Microsoft has yet to officially make any announcements, but considering they’ve already released an Xbox Live iOS app and brought the Windows Phone 7 version of Kinectimals to iOS, it sounds like it’ll only be a matter of time before one comes out.（source:gamezebo）

2）Layoffs hit id Software

by Tom Curtis

Following the October release of its post-apocalyptic shooter Rage, Dallas-based id Software has decided to restructure its development team, and has laid off an undisclosed number of its staff.

id parent company Bethesda Softworks (owned by ZeniMax Media) confirmed to Gamasutra that these employees were let go as part of the studio’s regular internal evaluation.

“As part of its standard business practice, id regularly evaluates staffing to ensure it has a workforce that meets the needs of the studio. As part of that process, some id employees were recently

let go,” said Bethesda VP of marketing and PR Pete Hines.

Despite the layoffs, Hines added that “id is still recruiting and hiring qualified developers, and development work on future id titles continues unabated.”

id’s most recent project, Rage, launched last year to largely positive reviews, with some critics saying the game was “nothing revolutionary” despite its well-crafted shooting mechanics.

After its launch, the game became the fourth best-selling game at U.S. retail in October 2011, a month that also saw major releases such as Battlefield 3, Batman: Arkham City, Dark Souls, and Forza Motorsport 4.

Rage also marked a significant development shift for the historically PC-focused id Software. Shortly after the game’s debut, id co-founder and lead programmer John Carmack pointed out that the studio does “not see the PC as the leading platform for games,” despite its heritage with series such as Wolfenstein, Quake, and Doom.

The company is currently working on Doom 4, which was first announced in May 2008. （source:gamasutra）

3）ZeptoLab launches HTML5-powered Cut the Rope on Internet Explorer 9

by Matt Sakuraoka-Gilman

There aren’t many mobile franchise that come close to matching the mainstream popularity of Angry Birds, but ZeptoLab’s Cut the Rope is certainly a contender.

However, while Rovio’s attempt to branch out to browser-based play saw the studio taking its record-selling franchise to Google’s Chrome, the Russian studio has chosen Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 9 as its platform of choice.

Delivered in HTML5, the browser-based version of the game – which naturally employs mouse-based play, rather than touch – will actually run in Chrome, but comes slapped with Internet Explorer paraphernalia.

The other, other browser

It’s job is to highlight the strength of IE9′s support for HTML5, with ZeptoLab detailing the process employed to bring its iOS smash to Microsoft’s browser.

“In bringing Cut the Rope to a new platform, we wanted to ensure we preserved the unique physics, motion, and personality of the experience,” the studio says on its official Cut the Rope IE blog.

“The most complex parts of the codebase are the physics, animation, and drawing engines. They’re complex on their own, but made even more so by the fact that all three are tightly connected and highly optimised.

“It was a daunting task: get this code into a browser while maintaining the unique personality and incredible quality that gamers are accustomed to. To accomplish this, we bet on JavaScript.”

The Internet Explorer version launches with 25 levels as standard, with 7 more available should users pin the game to their Windows taskbar.（source:pocketgamer）

4）45 per cent of tablet owners accessed social networks over Christmas

by Zen Terrelonge

Up from 20.8 per cent in 2010.

eDigital Research and IMRG say almost half of all UK tablet owners used their devices to log into social networks on Christmas Day and Boxing Day in 2011, compared to a just fifth during the same period in 2010.

The results comes as eight per cent of consumers now opt for their tablet to connect to the internet.

86 per cent of all UK consumers went online over the two days, rising by one per cent, according to the report.

Derek Eccleston, head of research at eDigitalResearch, said: “Looking at the results, we can see that the internet is now a crucial part of everyday consumer life. Many see logging on during Christmas and Boxing Day as the norm, especially when trying out new gadgets and Christmas gifts.

“The rise in tablet use and social media sites is an indication for retailers of what’s to come in 2012 and it’s important to optimise shopping and browsing use across all available channels in order to boost income and customer loyalty.”

While going online appears popular after the Christmas shopping rush, 71 per cent of consumers used devices including smartphones to shop for presents beforehand, rising 1.3 per cent from 2010.

Further results show that 50 per cent say most of their Christmas shopping is completed online, as 18 per cent of smartphone owners also choose the online shopping method.

Andrew McClelland, chief operations & policy officer at IMRG, said: “iPads and Kindles were among the most wished-for gifts this Christmas and their popularity as a means for accessing the web is booming. The phenomenal popularity of social media is also continuing to grow at a remarkable rate, with over double the amount of people logging onto them over Christmas Day and Boxing Day compared with 2010.

“Social networks and tablets need to be considered as a key part of any retailer’s marketing strategy, as the opportunities for consumer engagement through these channels are becoming very apparent.”（source:mobile-ent）

5）Google mobile ad revenues to hit $4bn in 2012?

by Zen Terrelonge

Up from $2.5bn in 2011.

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster says Google’s mobile advertising on its Android OS and Apple’s iOS grew from $1 billion in 2010 to more than double that in 2011, and that this is set to significantly increase again this year.

It all makes Google’s purchase of Admob for $750m look like decent business.

Munster, said: “On the advertising side, one source shows that Android is doing well as a percentage of mobile ad impressions on their network, which we believe makes sense since a greater portion of Android apps are free versus paid.”

He also highlighted that with Android dominating a 50 per cent share of the market worldwide, the OS “ultimately becomes the biggest platform for mobile advertising both for Google and the industry.”

Last month, Andy Rubin, Google’s senior VP of mobile claimed there are 700,000 Android devices activated each day. That’s equivalent to 250 million sold per year, putting it ahead of iOS, which had approximately 105 million iPhones and 40m iPads sold.

Following this news, app analyst Distimo revealed Android Market had reached 400,000 apps, which provides a large opportunity for Google to capitalise on in-app ads with its AdSense and AdMob platforms.

Munster continued: “Mobile now accounts for 10.1 per cent of time spent with media, up from 5.4 per cent in 2008, but only 0.9 per cent of advertising dollars.

“The shift to mobile will likely come at the expense of other over-indexed media like newspapers and magazines, but as we know from the shift to online advertising, the shift is likely to be slow and steady.”（source:mobile-ent）

6）World of Goo reaches 1 million App Store downloads

by Eric Caoili

Newsbrief: Indie developer 2D Boy’s acclaimed puzzle game World of Goo has seen 1 million downloads on the iOS and Mac App Store after debuting on the platforms 13 months ago.

The studio says most of the downloads came from the iOS versions — 29 percent of the downloads (and 17 percent of revenues) were from World of Goo’s iPhone/iPod Touch version, while 69 percent of downloads (and 79 percent of revenue) was from its more expensive HD Universal edition with iPad support.

The Mac App store game, which debuted in June, made up only 2 percent of downloads (and 4 percent of revenue), but a Mac version separate from the storefront already released much earlier in November 2008. World of Goo originally shipped for WiiWare and Windows PC in October 2008.

2D Boy notes that the Android version, which was introduced in November 2011, has already seen 450,000 downloads of its free demo and 70,000 downlods of its full version — during the same period of time after the iOS game’s launch in December 2010, World of Goo sold 180,000 copies. （source:gamasutra）