Tag: zynga

DeNA joins Entertainment Software Association

| January 27, 2013

DeNA joins ESAESA welcomes latest member DeNA

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a U.S. game industry trade group, has announced that DeNA, a developer of social mobile games, has joined its ranks. With the inclusion of DeNA, the ESA now boasts of 36 companies from throughout the U.S., as well as several other countries, all representing the various aspects of the game industry. DeNA will bring its expertise in social mobile gaming into the mix, which is expected to be a major benefit to the trade group because of the increasing focus the industry has begun to place on the mobile space.

Social mobile games growing in popularity

Social mobile games are extremely popular. Companies like Zynga and Storm8 have pioneered this field of gaming, showing just how willing mobile consumers are to play these games over the past few years. Mobile games themselves are widely popular, but when social elements are introduced into these games, they become much more enjoyable for some consumers. As such, social mobile gaming has begun to gain the full support of the game industry, with interest even coming from developers that have traditionally been solely involved in console gaming.

DeNA finding success around the world

DeNA is based in Japan but recently established a strong presence in California through its acquisition of San Francisco-based Ngmoco last year. This acquisition provided DeNA with a significant amount of attention throughout the global game industry and positioned the developer to enter into partnerships in China, New Zealand, Canada, Brazil, and elsewhere. DeNA has established a very extensive network of connections, making its social mobile games widespread and common in several of the world’s most popular gaming markets.

Developer poised to compete with GREE more aggressively

The developer’s primary rival in the social mobile gaming space is GREE, a Japanese social networking and Internet media company with a heavy hand in the game industry. GREE is responsible for many of the most popular mobile games in Japan and the rest of the Asian market and is one of the reasons DeNA has had to expand into other markets to find success. Backed by the ESA, DeNA expects to find the clout it needs to compete with GREE more effectively.

Storm8 surpasses 10 million daily users for its games

| January 25, 2013

Storm8 mobile gaming surpasses 10 million usersStorm8 reaches major milestone in mobile gaming

Mobile gaming is quickly becoming a field that cannot be ignored. While much of the game industry continues to hold a strong focus on traditional platforms, some developers are adopting an exclusive focus on the mobile space, producing games that are designed specifically for mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablets. Storm8 is one such company. The developer was founded by former Facebook engineers who had a strong passion for games and the company has recently been making waves in the mobile gaming space.

Developer catching up to the dethroned Zynga

Zynga, the former champion of mobile gaming, recently announced that it saw 33 million daily active users in July of 2012. While this is somewhat lower than what the developer had seen in previous years, it shows that Zynga still holds a strong grip on mobile gaming, even amidst its downfall. Storm8, however, is catching up very quickly. The developer recently announced that it has reached the 10 million daily active users milestone.

Social games mark success for developer

Storm8, which was founded in 2009, has developed a variety of mobile games that have garnered a massive fan base. Like other companies involved in mobile gaming, Storm8 tends to design games to be addictive and provide instant, or near-instant, gratification. These games are generally easy to get involved in and require a modest time investment to see any reward. While gamers do not have to spend hours playing Storm8 titles, they typically do because these games have strong ties to social networks, encouraging community more so than solitude.

Developer finds success despite lack of funding

Storm8 is somewhat unique in the game industry, especially in the mobile sector, in the fact that it has not yet taken any funding from investors. With the poor performance of Zynga in public markets and the rapidly evolving nature of the funding landscape, investors are showing more caution in regards to the ventures they support. Storm8 has little to worry about, however, as the developer has managed to etch out significant success without having to rely on the investments of outside parties.