1）应用开发商OpenSignal分析今年下载应用的68.2万台Android设备的数据显示，有1万1868台是完全独立的设备，而去年的这一数据仅为3997台。

这种现象表明，Android设备的分裂趋势有增无减。

谷歌自己发布的数据也显示，仅有37.9%的Android设备运行最新版操作系统Jelly Bean，这一比例仅略高于Android 2.3 Gingerbread，该操作系统早在2010年就已发布，目前所占份额仍然达到34.1%。

2）据pocketgamer报道，Strategy Analytics最新数据显示，Android平板电脑在今年第二季度全球平板电脑出货量中占比67%，微软Windows平板电脑出货量却同比上年增长800%。

该季度平板电脑出货量超过5000万台，Android平板电脑为3460万台，同比上年增长87%。

苹果iPad出货量为1460万台，同比上年下降14%。发布不满一年的iPad mini该时期出货量超过1460万台。

Windows平板电脑市场份额为4.5%，而黑莓PlayBook仅占比0.1%。

Strategy指出，平板电脑应用的相对不足，仍是这一设备的一大问题，开发者针对这一平台创造应用的动力也较为欠缺。

3）据彭博社报道，有知情人透露Zynga最近又有三名高管离职，他们分别是游戏高级副总裁John Osvald，游戏副总裁Nathan Etter（游戏邦注：报道称他已在迪士尼互动部分谋职），以及Zynga博彩游戏部门主管Jesse Janosov。

这三人都是在Zynga新任首席执行官Don Mattrick就职不满一个月内离职。

4）据venturebeat报道，谷歌日前宣布现在绑定Google Play Games的游戏已经突破1000款，成千上万玩家已经通过Google+帐号参与多人模式游戏。

《PBA Bowling Challenge》开发商Concrete Software发现，自从整合了Google Play Games，其玩家在游戏中投入时间增加了15%。手机游戏开发商Glu则称《Eternity Warriors 2》绑定该服务之后，第七天的用户留存率上升至40%。

5）据mobile-ent报道，Facebook日前推出Facebook手机游戏发布服务，旨在为中小型开发商提供分析工具、指南、推广内容等服务，其首航合作伙伴包括5th Planet、Brainbow、Certain Affinity、Dragonplay、Gameloft、Gamevil、KiwiGames、Outplay Entertainment、Space Ape和WeMade Entertainment等公司。

6）据pocketgamer报道，韩国开发商Devsisters（成立于2009年）日前宣布旗下游戏《Oven Break》下载量已突破2000万次，另一款2D跳酷/平台游戏《Cookie Run》（2013年4月通过Kakao游戏平台进入Android和iOS市场）至今下载量已达1000万次，日活跃用户为300万，5月份在韩国Google Play游戏营收榜单位居第一，在苹果App Store排名第六。

据App Annie数据显示，Devsisters在5月份位居Google Play全球应用营收公司榜单中居第10名（游戏邦注：EA第9名，King第8名）。

这家25人团队的公司计划与创梦天地（iDreamsky）合作，把《Cookie Run》引进中国市场。（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）This is what the sorry state of Android fragmentation looks like (in charts)

Ricardo Bilton

The latest data is in, and Android fragmentation is worse than ever.

So says app maker OpenSignal, which has spelled out in dizzying detail just how many different Android devices are being used today.

Via its eponymous app, OpenSignal helps users find the best Wi-Fi networks and cell signals for their devices. After looking at the 682,000 Android devices that downloaded the app this year, OpenSignal found that 11,868 them were completely distinct. That’s a big increase over last year, when the company saw only 3,997 distinct devices.

The situation is even more  interesting when you consider which version of Android those devices are running.

According to Google’s own numbers, only 37.9 percent of Android devices are running Jelly Bean, the latest version of Android. That number is only slightly higher than that of Android 2.3

Gingerbread, which still commands a 34.1 percent share in spite of being released in 2010.（source：venturebeat）

2）As iPad sales fall, Android now accounts for 7 out of every 10 tablets shipped

by Keith Andrew

While Apple’s admission that iPad sales fell by 14 percent during the firm’s most recent quarter came somewhat out of the blue, Strategy Analytics appears to have the answer.

The company’s latest numbers suggest that – coupled with iPad’s decline – shipments of Android tablets have soared, with devices running Google’s OS accounting for 67 percent of shipments
in Q2 2013.

Furthermore, Microsoft may have been forced to write down $900 million thanks to flagging sales of its low-end Surface RT tablet, but shipments pf Windows tablets have a whole are up 800
percent year on year.

Sailing ahead

Tablet shipments at a whole are now at more than 50 million a quarter, with Android accounting for 34.6 million of those – up 87 percent year on year.

“Android is now making steady progress due to hardware partners like Samsung, Amazon, Google and white-box tablets which, despite the fact that branded OEMs are lowering price-points and putting pressure on the white-box manufacturers, are still performing well,” said director of tablets Peter King.

“Apple iOS shipments were 14.6 million iPads in Q2 2013 which declined 14 percent annually. In the same quarter a year ago the first Retina display iPads were launched which could partly explain the decline as there were no new models in this quarter.

“However, to compensate that, iPad mini which was not available a year ago, now freely available was expected to take the figure higher than 14.6 million.”

iPad mini is struggling to lift overall iPad sales

Race for third place

Strategy Analytics figures suggest this is very much a two horse race between Android and iOS as things stand, with the company describing Microsoft’s hand in the market as “niche”.

However, Windows now boasts a share of 4.5 percent – well ahead of BlackBerry’s PlayBook on 0.1 percent and comfortably up on the 0.5 percent the range boasted just after launch in late 2012.

“Microsoft has reduced prices by $150 and other vendors even more; they are still not cheap, but are much more where they should be to compete,” concluded Strategy Analytics.

“The shortage of apps continues to be a problem, with seemingly little incentive for developers to work on the platform.”（source：pocketgamer）

3）Zynga’s execs continue exodus as 3 more abandon ship

by Keith Andrew

The bad news from Zynga continues to flood in, with Bloomberg reporting three more executives have left the social games giant in quick succession.

The site claims “people familiar with the matter” believe Zynga’s senior VP of games John Osvald has handed in his notice just days after the company posted a net loss of $16 million in its most recent quarter.

Also heading out the exit door is Zynga’s VP of games Nathan Etter – who Bloomberg believes has taken a job within the interactive division at Disney – and the head of the company’s casino division Jesse Janosov.

Changes

The departure of Janosov is perhaps easiest to understand, given coupled the release of its latest financials with the news that it’s pulling out of the online gambling sector, canning
plans to obtain the relevant license in the US.

All three exits come less than a month after Zynga unveiled Don Mattrick as its new CEO, though the company’s reluctance to confirm – or even comment on – the departures means we’re unsure as to whether the executive changes have been actioned from the top down or not.

“I joined Zynga because I believe Mark’s pioneering vision and mission to connect the world through games is just getting started,” said former Microsoft man Mattrick at the time of his appointment.

“Zynga is a great business that has yet to realise its full potential. I’m proud to partner with Mark to deliver high-quality, fun, social games wherever people want to play.”（source：
pocketgamer）

4）Google trumpets early success of Play game services on Android

Jeffrey Grubb

Google thinks it’s on to something with its Google Play game services, and it is trotting out some successful developers to convince other studios to hop on board.

The search company introduced its suite of gaming features that add multiplayer, leaderboards, and more to mobile titles about two months ago. Last week, it introduced the Google Play Games app that centralizes the gaming experience on Android.

It’s up to developers to take these features and make something out of them, and that’s probably why Google recently published a pair of blogs on its Android-developers portal that speak
specifically about the early successes of the Play game services.

The company noted that over 1,000 games have already integrated Google Play game services. Thousands of players have logged in with their Google+ accounts to play in multiplayer matches in games like PBA Bowling Challenge, to compete on leaderboards in games like Riptide GP2, and unlock achievements in games like Osmos.

PBA Bowling Challenge developer Concrete Software has found that its players are spending 15 percent more time in its title since it started using Google Play game services.

“The Google Play game services were straightforward and easy to implement,” Concrete Software chief executive Keith Pinchelman said in a statement. “We had been researching options for
multiplayer services, so when Google Play game services came out, it was an easy decision for us. Not only were they easy to integrate, but the features have worked flawlessly.”

Concrete used Google’s tools to enable the real-time multiplayer, leaderboards, and achievements, but it also uses the service for cloud saves. That means players can start a game on the
tablet and continue it later on the phone.

“You can see in the reviews how people immediately raved about the new game experience,” said Pichelman. “Using the game services in PBA Bowling Challenge was a huge success, enough so that we are now going back to our other titles and adding the features to them as well.”

Mobile developer Glu, which produces games like Samurai vs. Zombies 2 and Eternity Warriors 2, is also finding additional success with Google’s new gaming features. Since integrating the
Play game services, the developer says it’s seen a 40 percent increase in seven-day user retention for Eternity Warriors 2. Play sessions also jumped 20 percent.（source：venturebeat）

5）Facebook to make revenue share from new ‘Mobile Games Publishing’ arm

by Zen Terrelonge

Teams Gameloft, Gamevil and more to push their games globally across all branded apps and build on 260m Facebook gamers.

Facebook and mobile have a blooming relationship and the public display of affection was recently shown more than ever as 41 per cent of ad revenue now comes from devices.

However, Facebook Mobile Games Publishing has been launched today, a service which looks to offer small to medium-sized developers a head-start in getting their mobile games noticed as the market continues to become increasingly crowded.

Facebook will pocket a revenue share in exchange for securing its partners ‘high-quality, long-term players,’ analytics tools, and guidance, with promotional content pushing games across
its apps.

5th Planet, Brainbow, Certain Affinity, Dragonplay, Gameloft, Gamevil, KiwiGames, Outplay Entertainment, Space Ape and WeMade Entertainment are all on-board for the pilot launch.

The firm has tackled app discovery through mobile app install ads, as seen with recommendations being pushed to Facebook users’ Notifications, but the new scheme is designed to support
those that can’t afford to pay big bucks upfront.

Victor Medeiros, software engineer at Facebook, said: “We continue to see record numbers of people playing games on Facebook, and the games ecosystem is steadily growing as developers keep building high-quality desktop and mobile games people love to play.

“With more than 800 million monthly users of our mobile apps and more than 260 million people playing games on Facebook, we are using our unique reach and targeting capabilities to help
games in our program find and engage a valuable audience of the right users.

“This program is designed to reach people who already play games on Facebook with new games that may interest them. For example, we will help strategy game fans find strategy games and casual game enthusiasts find casual games.”

The company continues to position itself as a huge marketing beast, with Unilever, Pimm’s, and Pepsi shouting about the power of Facebook’s mobile ads.（source：mobile-ent）

6）After conquering Korea, Devsisters signs a deal to bring top grossing game Cookie Run to China

by Jon Jordan

When Korean developer Devsisters was formed in 2009, you couldn’t even buy an iPhone in Korea, let alone download apps.

That’s changed over the years, of course, with the Korean App Store finally getting its own dedicated game category in 2011.

It did mean that the company’s initial focus was overseas markets, particularly the US.

And it saw success, with its Oven Break game downloaded over 20 million times.

Can’t catch me…

That’s nothing compared to the impact of its spiritual successor, Devsister’s latest game Cookie Run, however.

Released in Korea via the Kakao Games Platform on Android and iOS in April 2013, the simple but addictive social 2D runner/platformer has broken records.

With 10 million downloads to-date, it has 3 million daily active players, and was the #1 top grossing Google Play game in Korea during May (also #6 top grossing on the Apple App Store), already generating the company ‘double-digits million dollars’ in revenue.

According to market intelligence outfit App Annie, this is enough cash that Devsisters was ranked the #10 top grossing company on Google Play globally during May.

To put that into context, EA was ranked #9 and King ranked #8.

Cracking China

It’s a state of affairs that makes Devsisters’ CEO Jihoo Lee a very happy if very busy man.

In an over-night visit to the ChinaJoy conference in Shanghahi, it’s clear that he’s not sitting on his laurels.

He expects a soon-to-be-released update will boost the game back to the top of the Google Play charts in Korea. It’s dropped a couple of spots during July.

Lee has also just signed a deal with publisher iDreamsky to bring the game to the Chinese market.

“Our goal is to be #1 in China,” he says. “Outside of Korea, China is the key market for us.”

And there’s more

That doesn’t other international expansion isn’t on the cards. Japan is likely to follow China, with the US release pencilled in for early 2014.

Lee says the 25-strong team can’t do everything at once.

“We’re focused on success. Providing a high quality game, rather than being fast,” he says.

Of course, when it comes to the China, the game will have to be culturalised, as well as the shrinking the current 30 MB file size to under 20 MB to meet the data restrictions of the local market.

The final element of Devsisters’ current business opportunities is merchandising, with Lee proudly showing photos of prototype cookie character – ninja, zombie, ice skater – plushies and t-shirts.（source：pocketgamer）