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NimbleBit: Over half a million playing Pocket Frogs, "3-4%" buying in-app purchases
I've been playing NimbleBit's freemium Pocket Frogs game since it was released last week, and apparently I'm not the only one -- Ian Marsh tells TUAW that the game has been downloaded by half a million people so far. The company is also seeing 200K daily active users, and while Marsh couldn't share exact stats on how many people have taken advantage of the game's in-app purchases, he estimates that 3-4% of the active users have bought stamps or potions in the game. Over on Twitter, he says that the 99 cent charges are the most common, making up half of the total purchases. But the $29.99 optional charges make up 8% of the purchases, and actually contribute to 49% of total revenue. In other words, just a few people are responsible for half of the game's total revenue -- the freemium model hard at work. Marsh says that NimbleBit is working on updating the game, too. They don't plan to increase the size of the in-game frog "catalog," since the whole point of the game is to have the player make decisions about which frogs to keep and breed, but they are working on something tentatively called the "Frogodex," which would passively track every frog ever collected by players in the game. They're also considering integrating Game Center in terms of leaderboards and achievements in the future -- they originally decided to go with Ngmoco's Plus+ system because it "provides a number of services crucial to social game developers which Game Center does not," including backing up game data and doing things like browsing your friends' frog habitats. And finally, Marsh says the company has been overwhelmed by all of the positive feedback, and the feature request list "is growing faster every day." The next big update they're planning, he tells TUAW, will be "a rare new pattern color mutation" that he thinks people will like. And he also tells us to look out for "exclusive surprises in-store for upcoming holidays." Sounds like NimbleBit has a nice freemium hit on their hands, and we'll look forward to updates in the future.
What's new (and gorgeous) in iOS 4.2 beta
If you're as excited as I am about the iOS 4.2 beta being released, you probably spent the majority of Wednesday paging through all of the tech blogs and/or neglecting your responsibilities as an adult. For those of you who aren't able to experience Apple's latest firmware until November, I've rounded up all the tastiest morsels and topped them with a delicious set of screenshots. iOS 4.2 beta has some great new features for all three of the main touch devices, meaning that you can expect the following on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad come November: AirPlay: Demoed by Steve Jobs at the keynote on September 1st, AirPlay gives the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch the ability to stream music to the Airport Express and movies, photos, and music to the new Apple TV with the touch of a button. AirPrint: As wireless printing has been one of the most commonly requested features of the iPad since its launch, it's no surprise that Apple has once again put pressure on the netbook market by granting consumers' wishes for full over-the-air printing from Safari, Photos, Mail, and more (provided you have a printer that is part of the admittedly limited compatibility list). Your print queue can be managed from a new "Print Center" icon that appears in the multitasking bar. The biggest surprise? You'll be able to print from your iPhone and iPod touch, too. Changing fonts in the Notes app: In what designers and artists may hail as the greatest single advancement ever made on the platform, Apple has given users the option to change the font that the included Notes app displays. Your choices now include Apple's original "Marker Felt," the equally ugly "Chalkboard," and the wonderful, majestic king of typefaces known as "Helvetica." 'Find In Page' Search in Safari: A small but incredibly useful feature makes its debut on all devices in iOS 4.2 beta. 'Find In Page' appears below the Google Suggest search results when the user activates the search box, and it works quite similarly to Safari for Mac. Follow the gallery link below to get a closeup look at iOS 4.2, or click "Read More" to see the rest of iOS 4.2's new features that are specific to the iPad. %Gallery-102504%
TUAW preview: NimbleBit's Pocket Frogs
Since I got my new iPhone 4 a few weeks back, I've been playing more games than ever on Apple's little handheld. I just recently got back into Ngmoco's We Rule. It's probably the pinnacle of the "freemium" genre on the iPhone so far. It's free to play, very social, and very much based on timed "check-ins," where you set crops to grow and then come back in a few hours to harvest them. It puts in little blips of gameplay that move you towards a larger progress goal. The only problem is that We Rule isn't all that fun; it's a bunch of clicking and grinding. So, lately I've been wondering when someone would add a fun freemium game to the App Store. It would have to be something that was social and progressive and all that that entails, but it would also need to have a game component that was actually fun to play. Enter NimbleBit! They're following up on their great froggy platformer DizzyPad with Pocket Frogs, a freemium title that actually adds some fun to the equation and shows a lot of potential as well. %Gallery-102063%
Is Game Center limited to 500 friends?
Rene Ritchie at TiPb recently noticed that Apple's new Game Center seems to be capped at 500 friends, which another user was able to confirm. After receiving 500 friend requests*, Rene noticed they stopped coming in. He figured that was the end until he saw a tweet from fellow Game Center user MuscleNerd: "So much for my not-so-secret plan to break GameCenter! They're capping my friend count at 500 (as soon as I delete 1, I get 1 new request)." After some testing, Rene confirmed the same thing. As soon as one request was deleted, another popped up. So, if you've got a lot of requests waiting beyond 500, you won't see them. As Rene correctly points out, most people won't have this problem as 500 is a heck of a lot of friends. Still, it's something to keep in mind lest would-be friend number 502 thinks he's being ignored. *I know 9 people. Including my children.
Sega bringing Chu Chu Rocket, others to iPhone soon
Sega America hosted an iPhone gaming event earlier this week, and the lineup of titles they've got coming to the App Store this fall is a gamer's dream: Chu Chu Rocket (my favorite Dreamcast game!) is coming to iOS, along with classic side scrollers Gunstar Heroes and Altered Beast, Sonic the Hedgehog Episode 1 (the brand new 2D version of Sonic), and a free-to-play strategy/RPG MMO called Kingdom Conquest. TouchArcade was there at the event, and they say that Chu Chu Rocket is all you hope it will be, the new Sonic looks excellent, and Kingdom Conquest sounds like an intriguing mix of genres. Card battling, empire building, and RPG questing all built into one Sega-published free-to-play title? Chu Chu and Sonic already have their pedigrees, but it doesn't sound like you can go wrong with that last one. What a lineup from Sega for this year -- I'm actually more excited about their iPhone releases than I am about anything they're bringing out on consoles or any other platform. Unfortunately, there's no mention of Game Center in any of these previews, but all of the games seem to have multiplayer of some sort, from 1-4 players over both Bluetooth and wifi. So it's probably a pretty good presumption that they'll be Game Center-enabled in some way. So lots to look forward to in the next few months. Should be fun.
PopCap making 25% of business in mobile space, sees future in social gaming
PopCap's Dave Roberts spoke with TechFlash recently, and revealed that about 25% of the company's profits are coming from the mobile division. You'd think that the iPhone would be a huge part of that (and it is), but it turns out the iPhone isn't alone -- Java/BREW versions of the games are also very popular for older wireless phones. In that sense, PopCap is a different iPhone game company -- rather than depending on Apple and the App Store for profits, it's a true cross-platform developer. Roberts says the company is aiming for social gaming next -- Zuma Blitz is going to be the next big push, and PopCap is very tuned in to the relationship between the iPhone and Facebook. "Our customers love it," Roberts says about combining iPhone games with Facebook stats. "It is really sticky. It gets people excited about playing." It'll be interesting to see what PopCap does with Apple's Game Center -- presumably, they'll include the functionality in their games sooner rather than later. Finally, Roberts says that a lot of casual game companies have come and gone in mobile gaming, but PopCap has endured, mostly because they simply work hard on making great games, and selling those in as many places as possible. "We've made more money on mobile gaming than probably any other company except for EA, just by doing our thing," he says. And as anyone who's enjoyed a Plants vs. Zombies marathon will tell you, we're glad they did.
Games updated for Game Center (soon)
As you might have noticed if you've added a few friends in Apple's new Game Center service, the backbone social components are working great. But where, exactly, are all of the games? Developers have actually had access to Apple's service for quite a while now -- it was introduced to them under NDA way back at WWDC. But for some reason, Apple seems to be waiting on approving Game Center-enabled games. Fortunately, they're coming, probably as soon as Apple can approve them. Touch Arcade forum member Project-79 has been keeping track of which games have said that they'll be Game Center-enabled. As soon as updates roll out for games like Field Runners, Flight Control, Super Mega Worm and Angry Birds, you'll be able to jump in and earn achievements with them. Keep in mind that some of the best games on Game Center are still to come: Gameloft's Dungeon Hunter 2 was leaked via a Game Center screen, and of course we're all waiting to see what Epic Games' Project Sword looks like, ever since it was shown off with full GC functionality at last week's Apple event. There are games coming for Game Center, and they should be here soon. Update: Apparently Ms. PAC-MAN is the first game to get updated with Game Center support. You might want to wait, though -- we've heard it's not a very good version.
Sound the klaxons: iOS 4.1 now available for download
As announced last week, the new version of the firmware should fix some deeply annoying issues (if you've inadvertently muted or hung up a call with your earlobe, raise your hand). It also adds Game Center, HDR photos, high-def video uploading, TV show rentals and dramatic improvements to the lot of iPhone 3G owners. Chime in below or on our Facebook page with your 4.1 upgrade experience! %Poll-52468%
iOS 4.1 is live, available to download right now
If you can just put down Angry Birds for one minute and plug your iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod touch 2nd generation, iPod touch 3rd generation, or iPod touch 4th generation into iTunes, you should be in for a pleasant non-surprise: iOS 4.1 is finally out and ready for your consumption. It's not a huge update, but Game Center is an exciting addition (for the few, proud devices that are getting it), and we're sure your face will be happy to stop getting accused for iPhone 4 hang-ups with the long overdue proximity sensor fix (shots of the changelog are after the break). Let us know how 4.1 is treating you in comments below.
iPhone 3G left out of the Game Center fun, 2nd gen iPod touch gets picked last
Thought that every iOS 4.1 device would be compatible with Apple's Game Center mobile and social gaming platform? We're sorry to say that's not the case. Initially it was looking like both the iPhone 3G and second-generation iPod touch would be left out, having to take their copies of Kickety-Kick Ball Bounce Out and go home. But, Apple is now confirming that second-gen touch models will be included after all, however the iPhone 3G is still not invited, nor are first-gen iPhones and iPod touches. That means the final compatibility list includes the iPhone 3GS and 4, along with second, third, and fourth generation iPod touch models. Everybody else: you're out.
Game Center is live... mostly
iPhone developers report that Apple's Game Center has finally gone live. Formerly limited to a sandbox-only development environment, accounts and friends that were created for the sandbox will not apply to the live production system on Apple's servers. Game Center is now prompting for new credentials -- and developers are sharing usernames on Twitter. Older accounts and friends were wiped out yesterday to prepare for the live system. The server is reportedly having some start-up issues, including connectivity and crashing issues, but developers who were limited before are now able to create full accounts and full-on matchups. Currently, Game Center is live in 4.1, which we expect to arrive soon. Developers can submit Game Center applications to iTunes Connect using the 4.1 GM seed. Once the app and iOS 4.1 are available, we'll have a full review. Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Game Center coming in iOS 4.1, Epic Games working on Project Sword
Steve Jobs just showed off some screenshots and functionality for Game Center, which will be officially releasing with iOS 4.1 next week. The official app will provide social networking features for App Store games, including friends lists, achievements, "auto matching" (the rest of the world calls that matchmaking), challenges and a host of other cross-platform features for gamers on Apple's mobile platform. Jobs also invited a few gentlemen from Epic Games onstage to show off "Project Sword," a gorgeous title running in the Unreal Engine inside iOS. It's an action RPG title that's coming soon with full Game Center integration, and the demo featured practically instant multiplayer fighting from a third-person perspective, as well as first-person world exploration. Seriously, this thing looked great, but you don't have to take my word for it -- Epic has already uploaded the very same environment shown in the demo as a free app, so go download and check it out now. It does require an iPhone 3GS or better, but man that's a good looking game. Game Center is finally coming out with iOS 4.1, which Jobs said would be available next week. Looking forward to it!
Apple claims 50 percent of portable gaming market, iPod touch 'outsells Nintendo and Sony combined'
Nintendo famously called Apple the enemy of the future in the video gaming space, and by golly, it looks like the Japanese giant was right; Steve Jobs just told an audience that the iPod touch alone outsells Nintendo's DS and Sony's PlayStation Portable combined, worldwide. How many games iPod touch users actually play and for how long wasn't discussed, but Jobs said 1.5 billion "games and entertainment" apps have been downloaded -- again, on the iPod touch alone, never mind all those iPhones. Update: As many fine readers have suggested in comments, this particular statistic seems a little hard to swallow, given that the Nintendo DS alone sold roughly 132 million units -- a good bit less than the 120 million iOS devices Apple claims, and only some of which are iPod touch -- as of the Japanese company's July earnings report. We've contacted Apple for clarification and hope to be able to explain the discrepancy soon. Check out our liveblog of the keynote event right here!
Rumor: Social networking coming to iTunes
There's been lots of rumors in the past about iTunes going to some sort of a cloud-based service, with the ability to store or access music remotely over the Internet, but the new word around town is that what's actually revealed at the event next week won't be quite so ambitious. Peter Kafka over at All Things Digital now says that instead of streaming, the new iTunes might be more social, with iTunes accounts serving as nodes on which users can share recommendations for apps or songs, or even share playlists or song information. You wouldn't actually be able to share music, but the idea would be to lay the groundwork on a more connected iTunes system, and set up the music software as not only a location to store your personal music, but to connect with others through the media. Sounds interesting, and of course a rumor like that dovetails right into what Apple is working on with Game Center, where iTunes accounts will serve as the portal for connections in and around App Store games. This current round of speculation also includes improvements for the web-based version of iTunes pages, and presumably improved ways to browse and post app reviews and recommendations. As always, we'll have to see. Nothing's confirmed until Steve walks out on stage and shows it to us, so even if Apple is working on a system like this, there's no confirmation we'll see it at the event next week until we, you know, do.
Game Center not supported on iPhone 3G and second gen iPod touch
There's bad news for those of you with old iPhones. Apple has confirmed that the latest beta of Game Center is a no-go for anything older than an iPhone 4. That means that iPhone 3Gs and second generation iPod touches are out for Apple's social gaming app. It's probably for the best; you've likely already heard about all of the issues that 3G iPhones are having with iOS 4.0, and freeing itself from the requirements of the older hardware means that Apple should be able to make Game Center as good as it can be. But if you have an iPhone 3G and were looking forward to trying the new app from Apple, you'll have to change plans. Either go grab yourself an iPhone 4 (which is what I'm still planning to do -- my original iPhone is looking super old at this point), or stick with the social gaming networks that you've already got access to.
iOS 4.1 beta 3 now available to developers
Hey, that was a quick week for beta 2, wasn't it? Beta 3 is now available to developers, and according to MacNN it yanks support for Game Center from iPhone 3G's and second-gen iPod touches. Go grab that sucker and let us know what else you find, aside from the proximity sensor fix and additional parental controls for FaceTime and Game Center.
iOS 4.1 beta 3 breaks loose (update: Game Center killed on iPhone 3G and second gen iPod touches)
Member of the illustrious iPhone Developer Program? Well, aren't you special? So special, in fact, that you're once again being granted access to a highly-coveted iOS build that the unwashed commoners can't get: yet another beta of iOS 4.1. This time around, it's beta 3, suggesting that Apple might be getting close to having this thing ready for the mass market; after all, it's been just a week since beta 2, and Apple tends to accelerate the pace when a release is drawing near. Now, what about that iPad version? Update: Looks like there's some bad news for legacy users in this update... namely the fact that Game Center compatibility for second gen iPod touches and the iPhone 3G has been dropped. Thanks for nothing, Apple! [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
WWDC 2010: Mighty Mighty Good Games
Not all of the developers on the App Store are starting up gigantic companies or breaking new indie ground. A large number of them, like Darren Sillett and his wife Samantha of Mighty Mighty Good Games, are just experienced programmers who choose an idea and stick with it, iterating and testing to see what works and what doesn't on the App Store. Sillett's biggest app is one of a few versions of Sudoku on the iPhone, but since day one, he and his wife (former Microsoft developers -- Sillett actually worked on Windows Vista) have been playing with this idea of word games on the iPhone, and they've tested all of the tricks. They've released free versions, included ads, tried different pricing and versions, and so on. As a result, they've found success with over ten million downloads of their free apps and over 200k in paid-app sales. Sillett told me that his next big step will be to bring some of his apps to the iPad, and he's planning on going universal. While there will be some extra stuff in the iPad version, he thinks that universal is the best choice for his customers, at least while he's testing the waters. We also talked at length about iAds; Sillett says that ads have proven more beneficial for him in just the last few months, as ad companies and customers have really started to move the market along.
OpenFeint hits 25 million users, announces 2.5 beta release
OpenFeint has announced that they've reached 25 million users on their social networking service for apps on the App Store. That's an astounding number, and not only does it represent an amazing achievement by the folks at Aurora Feint, but it hints at just how big Apple's official Game Center service will be (whenever they get around to, you know, implementing it). Just for comparison, location networking service Foursquare is still racing to try and hit 3 million users, so in just over a year's time, OpenFeint has picked up many times that number. Those users represent almost a third of the iDevice market and over 85 million devices across 1900 different developers. The service has also announced that they're bringing out the beta of version 2.5 for developers to implement in their iPhone apps and games. The new version includes a revamped API, which will allow for both turn-based and "action replay" multiplayer (a functionality that Game Center won't yet offer, as far as we know); it's also Game Center compatible, so developers who implement OpenFeint in their games will be able to easily transition to Apple's official service when it comes out (that's what we heard from Jason Citron a little while back, too). OpenFeint 2.5 is in beta right now and will arrive on iPhones later this summer.
Walmart opens Gamecenter online store
Walmart has opened a new online store for video games: "Gamecenter" (not to be confused with the GameFly mobile app of the same name). From the looks of it, Walmart is out to compete with Amazon, specifically in the online pre-order business. Gamecenter is offering lots of pre-order incentives, including e-credit and bonus game content, for several of the big releases this year. There don't appear to be many, if any price reductions on standard retail games if pre-ordered (compared to Amazon typically knocking several dollars off of the competition's price), and Walmart's shipping for a single game is set at just under a dollar. The best pre-order deal on Gamecenter currently offers a $50 eGift card when you pre-order three games together from a predefined list; and your choices must be for the same platform, Xbox 360 or PS3. Still, there are some noteworthy games on the list, including Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Crackdown 2, Dead Rising 2, Medal of Honor, Fallout: New Vegas and Final Fantasy XIV. There are also several offers on single pre-orders, with Call of Duty: Black Ops including a $20 eGift card. The Legendary and Limited Editions of Halo: Reach also come with $20 credits, and several other pre-orders include $10–20 cards.
