Tag: electronic arts

Zynga continues to struggle toward mobile games

| June 11, 2013

Mobile games transition proves turbulent for Zynga

Once-acclaimed game developer Zynga continues to work toward recovering from its recent fall from grace with consumers. The company has faced harsh criticism over the years due to its approach to gaming. Some of this criticism suggests that Zynga blatantly copied other, more popular games in order to attract consumers through confusion. After Facebook cut ties with the developer, the company has been working to reclaim its position through a strong focus on mobile games.

Zynga continues to see financial difficulty and criticism from consumers

Though Zynga believes that mobile games will lead to its eventual ascension to fame, the company is still struggling in its transition into the mobile space. Much of Zynga’s interest in mobile games comes from the success other companies have seen in this sector, such as Japan’s GungHo Online Entertainment. Even major publishers, such as Electronic Arts, have been finding success in mobile games, largely due to the simplistic nature of these games and how much they appeal to a massive number of consumers.

Mobile Games - Zynga strugglesZynga makes drastic cuts to staff

Zynga has been having trouble acclimating to the mobile space, however. The company has yet to produce a single mobile game as much of its focus is currently centered on reinventing itself. While Zynga is making progress toward embracing mobile games, the company has yet to shrug off its complications. Late last week, the company announced that it had laid off 18% of its staff throughout the U.S. This move was meant to save the company as much as $80 million annually but has done little to win the company the confidence of investors who consider Zynga’s acquisition of OMGPOP in 2012 as the mark of the company’s ultimate decline.

OMGPOP now defunct

OMGPOP is the development studio behind the acclaimed Draw Something, which is largely considered to be one of the most successful mobile games on the market. Since acquiring Zynga acquires OMGPOP in 2012 for $200 million, but has had to make several cuts to the development studio in an effort to save money. Zynga had once considered OMGPOP to be a powerful step in its journey toward mobile games, but Zynga closed the studio last week without having it produce another game.

Frostbite Go engine unveiled for mobile games

| May 17, 2013

EA - Mobile GamesEA makes a strong move on mobile games

As mobile games become ever more popular, the game industry is beginning to take steps to reach out to consumers with smartphones and tablets. Mobile platforms are beginning to become more important to game developers and publishers, largely because these platforms represent a very lucrative and active market. Electronic Arts, one of the titans of the game industry, has recently begun showing strong interest in mobile games. The company has announced that its Forstbite game engine will soon be optimized for mobile devices.

New engine could help EA establish strong presence in mobile space

EA has announced a new variant of its game engine called Frostbit Go. This game engine is being designed specifically for mobile devices. The company believes that this new mobile-centric engine will give developers a way to excel on mobile platforms. The Frostbite engine has often been praised for its capabilities and is the favored tool of DiCE, the famed developer behind EA’s Battlefied franchise. Making the Frostbite engine available for mobile games may help EA establish a strong presence in the mobile space.

Frostbite Go to focus on mobile performance

Frostbite Go is being developed with performance in mind. EA is eager to ensure that the mobile version of the acclaimed game engine is capable of bringing the experiences that gamers have come to expect across all major platforms. While mobile devices have yet to catch up to the technological performance of consoles, EA believes that the Frostbite Go engine will be a step in the right direction for mobile games, enabling developers to create higher quality titles that will enthrall consumers for extended periods of time.

EA may soon become a dominant force in mobile games

Mobile games are becoming a more important factor for the game industry. Electronic Arts is not the only company making a push into the mobile sector, but it is among the companies that have the resources necessary to quickly establish a commanding presence in this emerging market. Mobile games may help EA reclaim much of the favor that the company has lost among consumers due to recent missteps in business.