1）据serkantoto报道，Mobage运营公司DeNA与Namco Bandai在2011年的合资企业BNDeNA（原名为BDNA，后在2012年更名）将在今年3月31日停止运营。

观察者认为这个消息并不令人意外，BNDeNA曾发布过包括《Gundam Kingdom》以及《Macross SP Cross Deculture》等产品，但这些游戏无一成为热作（游戏邦注：这两款游戏将在未来数周关闭）。

BNDeNA-logo(from n1.81813.com)

Bandai Namco在过去不但与DeNA合作，还曾是GREE合作伙伴，它在日本市场一直是手机游戏领军力量，曾在2012年宣布其日本社交游戏用户总数为3000万。

这两者的合资公司失败的另一个原因可能是双方的发展轨道并不一致，Bandai Namco在过去12个月中的市值达到47亿美元，增加了77%，而DeNA则下跌了29%，降至32亿美元。

2）据pocketgamer报道，游戏发行商Kabam日前宣布公司基于非GAAP的2013年销售额超过3.6亿美元，预计将在2014年进行IPO。

Kabam目前员工超过750人，已成功实现从网页和Facebook的F2P游戏发行商向手机游戏公司的转型，目前有70%销售额来自移动平台。

Kabam-logo(from candou.com)

该公司有11款游戏在2013年的月收益超过100万美元，有4款游戏发布至今创收超过1亿美元。

3）据venturebeat报道，《坦克世界》在上周日仅在俄罗斯服务器中就聚集了111万玩家，这一迹象体现了免费游戏的巨大潜力。

world-of-tanks(from freefever.com)

该游戏自2011年4月上线以来，在全球玩家已经超过7500万。

4）Juniper Research最新数据预测，2014年平板手机（Juniper Research将那些功能介于智能手机和平板电脑之间，屏幕至少为5.6英寸的移动设备定议为平板手机）全球出货量将达1.2亿台，超过2013年时的2000万台。

samsung-galaxy-note(fom ibtimes.com)

市场中许多人认为平板手机将因为平价、7英寸的平板电脑盛行而逐渐失势，但三星Galaxy Note系列自2011年发布以来却一直在征服用户。苹果虽然一直在增加iPhone屏幕尺寸，但尚未推出欲与三星Note系列相竞争、屏幕更大的智能手机。

5）Consumer Intelligence Research Partners（简称CIRP）最新数据显示，许多行业人士认为苹果用户青睐更新和更轻便的设备。

CIRP对比2012年12月与2013年12月的数据，指出该时期iPad 2销量原从来的占比27%降至5%，而第四代iPad（Retina Display）降幅更为明显，从原来的43%降至13%。

ipad_figures(from cirp)

iPad Air在此期间占比则上升至41%，原版iPad Mini排名第二，占比25%。

值得注意的是，iPad Mini（Retina Display）却远落后于iPad Mini，占比仅为16%。（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）BNDeNA: Joint Venture Between DeNA And Namco Bandai To Be Dissolved In March

by Serkan Toto

BDNA, the joint venture that Mobage operator DeNA (2432) and Namco Bandai (7832) launched in 2011 and that was rebranded to BNDeNA in 2012, is ending on March 31 this year.

The news isn’t coming as a big surprise, for a few reasons.

First, BNDeNA has released pretty solid games such as Gundam Kingdom and social 3D shooter Macross SP Cross Deculture – however, it never landed a mega hit (both titles will be closed down over the next few weeks).

In addition, Bandai Namco not only cooperated with DeNA in the past but also with GREE (3632), the Mobage operator’s arch enemy (see here).

Also, unbeknownst to many people in the international game industry, Bandai Namco has always been a mobile game juggernaut (on the Japanese market) in its own right. The last time the company made a public announcement (in December 2012), it boasted a total of  total 30 million users across their social games offered in Japan.

Another reason might be that Bandai Namco and DeNA are simply on a different path with regards to growth. While Bandai Namco added 77% over the last 12 months and is at US$4.7 billion in market cap at the moment, DeNA lost 29% and is at US$3.2 billion.（source：serkantoto）

2）Kabam announces 2013 revenues of $360 million

by Jon Jordan

It’s privately-owned so doesn’t have to reveal its financials, but China/US free-to-play publisher Kabam has announced its 2013 sales were more than $360 million.

This figure is calculated under non-GAAP accounting rules.

The company closed a secondary offering in 2013 that raised $38.5 million for early investors and key staff, and it has a cash total of more than $70 million.

It’s also expected to announce it will IPO at some point in 2014.

Across the board

With more than 750 staff, Kabam has successfully transitioned from being a web and Facebook-focused F2P publisher to a majority mobile gaming outfit, with around 70 percent of sales from mobile devices.

Across its portfolio of titles, it had 11 games that grossed more than $1 million in a month during 2013, and four of its games have generated more than $100 million during their lifetime.

As well as its internally-developed mobile titles such as Kingdoms of Camelot, Fast & Furious 6 (its fast-growing game ever) and Dark District, it’s now ramping up its third-party publishing activity with Chinese hit Wartune soon to be released in the west on mobile.（source：pocketgamer）

3）That’s a lot of armor: 1.1M people played World of Tanks on a Russian server at the same time

Jared Mosley

Some continue to doubt the validity of free-to-play games. Maybe they should talk to the over 1.1 million people who played World of Tanks at the same time this week.

The PC game, which also has an Xbox 360 version, just broke its own record for the number of simultaneous players on a server group. Over 1,114,000 gamers were connected to World of Tanks’ Russian servers on Sunday.

World of Tanks is a massively multiplayer online game developed by Wargaming. Players choose an armored vehicle, join a team, and fight each other on the battlefields of World War II. Like other free-to-play titles, the cavalry-combat simulator makes money by selling optional in-game currency (gold) for real cash. Gold can be used to access various premium options, such as extra rewards from battle and special vehicles or parts.

The payment model, which has been around for a long time, has suddenly found new success in recent years, especially for PC and mobile titles. Other examples of hugely successful members of the category are King’s Candy Crush Saga and Riot Games’ League of Legends. Nine of 10 games that made over $100 million dollars from in-game micro-transactions last year were free-to-play. The fact that World of Tanks has gathered over 75 million players worldwide since its April 2011 launch is proof that these games can successfully compete with traditionally priced competitors.

Andrei Yarantsau, the vice president of publishing for Wargaming, looked toward the future in a statement which announced the record: “Finally, we’ve breached the one-million mark. We are set to scale to even greater heights with considerable improvements planned for World of Tanks in 2014.”（source：venturebeat）

4）Phablet shipments expected to increase 500 percent in 2014

by Matthew Diener

New data from Juniper Research suggests that the phablets will cast a big shadow in 2014.

The crossover devices, which bridge the gap between smartphones and tablets, are expected to ship 120 million units globally in 2014. This is up significantly from the 20 million shipped in 2013.

Many in the market expected phablets to wane in popularity given the penetration of inexpensive, 7-inch tablets but Samsung’s Galaxy Note line has slowly won over consumers since its launch in 2011.

What’s in a name?

It’s worth noting that ‘phablet’ is a loose term that can be applied to any device with a screen larger than the smartphone-standard 3.5 or 4-inch.

For purposes of its data, however, Juniper Research required that a device have a minimum screen size of 5.6 inches to be considered a phablet.

Also worth noting is the fact that Apple does not have a strict phablet-class device in its line-up. While it’s increased the size of the iPhone’s screen between the 4S and 5 lines, it has yet to introduce a large-screen smartphone to rival Samsung’s Note line.（source：pocketgamer）

5）He ain’t heavy: iPad 2 and 4 sales bomb as iPad Air soars

by Matthew Diener

The latest figures from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners shows what many in the industry suspected – Apple customers love newer and lighter models.

Comparing the December 2012 quarter to the December 2013 quarter, CIRP found that iPad 2 sales dropped from 27 percent to just 5 percent. The 4th generation iPad – aka, iPad with Retina Display – dropped sharper still, from 43 percent to 13 percent.

The iPad Air, by contrast, gobbled up a full 41 percent of the iPad market, with the original iPad mini sneaking in at second place with 25 percent.

Interestingly, the iPad mini with Retina Display lagged behind the original mini, accounting for just 16 percent of all iPads sold.

Speaking on the data, CIRP partner and co-founder Mike Levin felt that consumers are now gravitating toward higher-priced tablets.

“Apple managed to shift significant sales to its higher-priced models… For the past year, the legacy iPad 2 grabbed from one-quarter to one-third of iPad sales. Along with the trend toward sale of models with larger storage capacities, Apple should see higher iPad average selling prices, with iPad 2 at only 5% of total sales.”（source：pocketgamer）