Denny |
December 31, 2012
Supercell finds success with tablets
Tablet gaming has been growing in popularity over the past several years. Tablet devices have managed to capture the interest and support of consumers all over the world, many of whom are highly interested in mobile gaming. Game developers are taking notice of this growing interest in mobile gaming, especially on the tablet front, and have been focusing more on developing games for tablet devices specifically. Supercell, a Finnish game developer, has taken the approach of developing games for tablet platforms before any other platform.
Developer generates $1 million in revenue daily
Supercell is a small development company comprised of roughly 70 people. Though the development studio is quite small, it has managed to etch out a great deal of success. Supercell is currently generating approximately $1 million in revenue on a daily basis, which is coming from two games: Hay Day and Clash of Clans, which are both available only for the iOS. This means that the developer has gained a significant amount of momentum since October of this year, when The New York Times reported that it was only making $500,000 daily from the same games.
Supercell overcomes Electronic Arts
Supercell has surpassed Electronic Arts in the realm of revenue generated through the iOS platform each month. This is a major milestone for any development company since Electronic Arts has long been one of the dominating forces in the game industry. Electronic Arts accounts for more than 960 mobile gaming applications that are available through the Apple App Store, all of which have been beaten by the 2 mobile games that come from Supercell.
Supercell may soon become the next super power in gaming
Supercell has established a strong presence in the mobile gaming space. Backed by strong support from tablet gamers, the developer is expected to continue gaining momentum into the future. If the developer can mimic the success of its first two games, it may soon become one of the next major development studios in the game industry.
Zynga aims to recover from trouble through re-structuring
Once mammoth mobile and web game developer Zynga has hit a very rough patch recently. The company, which is behind some of the most popular online games in the world, such as Farmville, saw its stocks crash in recent months, falling 85% from its all-time high. Zynga has been a formidable name in the mobile gaming space for years, but has been confronted with problems that may be forcing the company to re-structure and re-consider its focus on social gaming.
Developer cuts 150 jobs as part of overhaul
Over the past several months, Zynga has seen lackluster performance with many of its games. This month, the company cut 150 jobs in an effort to save itself from financial ruin and to prepare itself for a major overhaul. The overhaul is being loosely dubbed as Zynga 2.0, but it is unlikely that the game development company will stray far from its mobile gaming roots or risk breaking new ground by developing games that may not find success. Ironically, this is part of the problem that lead Zynga to its current crisis.
Developer targeted by EA in copyright lawsuit
Zynga has long been criticized in the game industry, as well as others, for its focus on quick-to-market mobile and social games that are almost identical to well-established, successful games that come from major developers like Electronic Arts. The similarities between these games are so striking that Zynga has found itself in the midst of a copyright lawsuit from Electronic Arts, which claims that the company blatantly stole and used concepts from one of its popular games. While Zynga may have etched out some early success with its approach to gaming, this success garnered the company with a great deal of attention that it may have wanted to avoid.
Overhaul may bring Zynga back to the top
Despite the myriad problems that Zynga is facing, the company’s popular games still boast of a massive following. Farmville 2, for instance, claims some 45 million monthly active unique users. Zynga has seen less success in its mobile gaming ventures and the launch of other titles, but the company may be able to pull itself back from serious crisis if it can adopt a more quality-centric development formula.
