Roblox Studio takes aim at the mobile sector
Roblox Studio, a small game developer, has garnered a significant amount of attention and success through its kid-friendly online game called Roblox. The game allows players to create their own content in the same vein as Minecraft, though with more advanced visuals. Roblox Studio has recently launched a free, mobile version of its game that can be played on the iOS platform. Roblox Studio believes that mobile gaming is taking off in a very significant way, especially among a young audience, which is the developer’s primary demographic.
Game garners acclaim for cross-platform capabilities
Roblox offers a wide variety of online gaming elements, such as community interaction and a thriving virtual economy, as well as intensely creative elements. The game has been praised for its ability to provide players with a wide range of tools to bring their ideas to life. One of the most acclaimed features of the game is the fact that players are playing with people on other platforms, such as Macs, PCs, and now mobile devices.
Tablet proves more friendly for mobile gamers
Transitioning into the mobile gaming space has been relatively easy for Roblox Studio. The vast majority of the code used for Roblox can be used in a mobile application, so developers only had to worry about optimizing the game for play on a mobile device, such as the iPad or iPhone. Roblox Studio found that tablet devices are more accommodating to the features of the game as the platform allows for more control.
Roblox Studio expected to find success in the mobile space
Roblox Studio is one of several development companies that has adopted a strong interest in the mobile gaming space. Several of these developers have found significant success in engaging mobile consumers with gaming applications. The Roblox mobile game has already garnered a strong following, and the game is expected to continue attracting young gamers well into the future. Roblox Studio has managed to avoid some of the controversy that has surrounded the mobile gaming space in regards to the privacy of young gamers.
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.
