Glu Mobile
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EA is purchasing Glu Mobile for $2.4 billion
Electronic Arts is acquiring the mobile game developer behind Kim Kardashian: Hollywood. The video game company has announced that it’s purchasing Glu Mobile in a $2.4 billion all-cash deal that the companies are expecting to close in the quarter ending on June 30th. EA Chief Executive Andrew Wilson said his company decided on the deal, because it believes “mobile is the fastest-growing platform on the planet.”
GamePop console offers unlimited mobile games on your TV for $7 a month
2013, the year of the mobile game TV console, marches on with a new contender: GamePop. Created by mobile company BlueStacks, the GamePop console allows users to play mobile games on their TV using the included controller, iPhone or Android smartphone. The twist on other similar consoles like Ouya and GameStick is that GamePop uses a subscription model akin to Netflix. For $6.99 a month, users get access to the entire GamePop library, which currently sits at 500 games according to BlueStacks. Those who pre-order the console this month will get it for free with a paid subscription to the service. BlueStacks tells Joystiq that there is no commitment or contract, with the only caveat being that customers must return the console if they cancel their service within one year. So, essentially, you're getting the console for 12 payments of $6.99, plus $10 shipping. We asked if users will still be able to access their downloaded games after canceling their service, but BlueStacks says that info is "TBD." BlueStacks is touting big name developer support in the form of Halfbrick Studios (Jetpack Joyride, Fish Out of Water), Glu Mobile and others. BlueStacks will be sharing 50 percent of its subscription revenue with developers, "apportioned by usage," and developers will retain all revenue derived from in-app purchases. GamePop is slated to launch this winter.
New GameSpy owners Glu Mobile shut down multiplayer servers without notice
Players of quite a few old PC games, including Neverwinter Nights, Microsoft Flight Simulator X, SWAT 4, Hidden and Dangerous 2, and Star Wars: Battlefront, are reporting that the GameSpy-powered multiplayer servers behind those titles and more have been shut off without notice. The GameSpy service was sold to publisher Glu Mobile from IGN a little while ago, so it's that company that's apparently responsible for shutting down these servers.Another one of the games affected was Sniper Elite, and developer Rebellion says its hands are tied: Glu wants to charge a lot of money to turn the servers back on, and Rebellion doesn't have the resources to transfer the multiplayer on this old title to another service. Rebellion points out that fans of the game did get seven years of service for free. And while GameSpy's matchmaking is down, players of some of these games can still connect up online manually by IP.Angry players have taken to GameSpy's old Facebook page to register their wrath, but there's no official response just yet.
Glu Mobile closes Brazil office; Washington and California studios hit with layoffs
Glu Mobile, the developers behind mobile versions of Guitar Hero and Call of Duty: Black Ops, has announced that it is closing its San Paulo, Brazil office and laying off employees in Kirkland, Washington, and San Francisco, California.A statement from the company says that it needs to hold its research and development investments flat over the next year, and to do that, changes are being made. Twenty-five percent of the Kirkland office and 5% of the San Francisco office are being let go today as part of the restructuring process.Glu's plan is to add "the necessary monetization and server-side research-and-development resources" to the company's existing titles, and "focus on increasing average revenue per daily active user company-wide." More monetization and more revenue per daily active user should help turn the company's financial future around, though game quality often suffers when those two elements are focused on. Joystiq hopes affected employees land on their feet soon.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies sinks its teeth into Android, exclusive to Xperia for 30 days
It's been a long, slow walk, but the zombies have finally made it onto Android. Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies originally launched on iOS back in December. Today it comes to Android as a $6.99 download, exclusive to Xperia hardware for its first 30 days.After 30 days, you'll be able to grab it for other Android devices, granted they're running 2.3.3 or up.%Gallery-161737%
Google brings in-app subscriptions to Android
Developers can never have too many options when it comes to ways to take your money. Google has opened the doors to In-app purchases, carrier billing and now, in-app subscriptions. Perhaps it wasn't enough that game creators be able to lure you in with perks and content you could purchase for a one-time fee, now devs can choose to hit you with a monthly charge for the privilege of using their wares. Of course, it's not all that bad. Subscription-based games aren't the only potential uses here. Customers can now buy monthly or annual subscriptions to services or publications as well. There's even a publisher API for extending the subscription beyond the walls of Google Play and your Android device. Glu Mobile will be first out the gate, turning on subscriptions in properties like Frontline Commando, but we're sure plenty of others will follow. Soon enough you might be able to get your New York Times subscription or Spotify Premium account without ever leaving the comfort of the Android app. Any handset with Google Play 3.5 or higher installed should have access to subscriptions starting today.
Android's in-app billing makes a dent: Dungeon Defenders free on Android Market
Dungeon Defenders: First Wave cost $3 when it first came out. This week, the iOS version will cost you ninety-nine cents. But if you want to play the Unreal Engine-powered tower defense game today, you can have it for free -- developer Trendy Entertainment is now leaning on Android's new in-app billing system to pay for the whole thing. We can't give Trendy all the credit, of course, as Glu Mobile's Gun Bros and Tapulous' Tap Tap Revenge 4 are doing the same thing, but to our knowledge both of them were free to play from day one. Free-to-play gaming has been a controversial proposition in the console and PC gaming space -- most publishers would just like to sell a game once, and call it a day. On phone, however, where apps are expected to be cheap, it could indeed make more sense to charge users for items and upgrades than to have users "buy" the game. Either way, we penny-pinchers are pleased as punch with the idea. PR after the break.
Heroic sacrifices: The companies behind Guitar Hero
The Guitar Hero series touched many people, and not just by strapping plastic guitars to them. As the series reached its absurd heights of success, it caused more game developers to enter into the service of note charts and extreme rocker-dude 3D models. And now that Activision has stopped production on the Guitar Hero series and closed that business unit, we can look back at how it affected the people who made it -- the companies who either moved on or were chewed up and spat out by the Guitar Hero monster.
TUAW's Daily App: World Series of Poker Hold 'em Legend
While in Las Vegas at CES last week, I didn't have a lot of time to gamble, but I did get to play a few hands of video poker, and that combined with my preview of Full House Poker for the Xbox had me looking for a poker game to scratch the itch when I got back home on Sunday. I poked around the App Store for a few ideas, and while Pokerbot is a nice simulation, this official World Series of Poker app seems like the best version around. It's made by Glu Mobile (the same company behind the great Gun Bros), and it's a solid experience, offering up not just Texas Hold'em, but a persistent career, a nice online multiplayer mode and even Game Center integration with leaderboards and achievements. For a quick game of Hold 'em on the iPhone, it's been perfect for me. The full iPhone app is available for US 99 cents, but if you're not sold, there is a free version with some annoying interstitial ads. And unfortunately, the app's not universal -- the iPad version will set you back $4.99. Still, that's pretty cheap compared to what I'd have ended up losing at the tables in Vegas anyway.
2.8 million downloads for Gun Bros, 7.3 million for Zombie Farm
I am anxiously awaiting some stats on this past week's releases in the App Store -- over the past two weeks, we've seen some gigantic games released for iOS, and yet familiar names like Cut the Rope, Angry Birds, and Fruit Ninja are still topping the charts (along with some big EA titles benefiting from that price drop). But even if it takes a while for all of those releases to find their place on the App Store, here's news of a few more recent titles that have done well. First up, freemium shooter Gun Bros (featured as our Daily App choice a while back) has picked up 2.8 million downloads so far, and claims 175,000 daily active users so far. That's not huge, but it's a nice sizable audience for a freemium title, especially one that tends a little more towards the hardcore gamer. Glu is also supporting the app with updates, including a new planet to play on, special Christmas-themed gear, and some extra in-game currency rewards for users who update the app. Zombie Farm is doing even better than that -- the wacky cross between zombies and Farmville has earned 7.3 million downloads since launch, and is still growing at about 25% a month. Currently, the app's reviews section is full of complaints about some bugs, but nevertheless, Playforge has claimed 2.76 billion minutes of playtime, and while it hasn't shared actual revenue numbers, there's no question that players have probably spent plenty of money on the game's in-app purchases. I would call both of those solid hits for sure. We'll have to see what other big games rise to the top after this raucous holiday season on the App Store continues.
Glu assigned to next Call of Duty mobile release
Face it: despite your plans to shut yourself in with the next Call of Duty release this November, you can't possibly spend all of your time at home, can you? Don't answer that -- Glu Mobile already has: The mobile game publisher has announced its fourth Call of Duty game for mobile phones, set to be released later this year "in conjunction with" Call of Duty: Black Ops. See -- now you can leave the house this winter. Call of Duty's fourth mobile iteration will be released across a variety of carriers and app stores that support "feature phones" and smartphones. Glu Mobile prez Niccolo de Masi claims that the title "will serve as the ideal complement for Call of Duty fans and new players alike," while neglecting to provide any further details about the game. Us? We're just hoping the game comes with a pair of mittens to keep our trigger finger warm.
Glu Mobile CEO steps down citing need for 'generating positive cash'
There's no doubt that Apple's iPhone has put a significant dent into the mobile game landscape, especially for non-future phone game developers and publishers. Such is the case for Glu Mobile, a company that -- while recently inking a deal to develop and distribute Activision titles on mobile devices -- seems to be going through some not so fantastic times. IndustryGamers.com reports that the company's CEO, Greg Ballard, is stepping down after six years on the job, citing the need to generate "positive cash.""This is a good time to bring in new leadership for the company, as we focus on returning to generating positive cash and begin even greater investment in next-generation mobile platforms," Ballard notes in the company's release. It's not clear at this time who will be taking the reins of the mobile developer, but we're hoping it's not these guys. [Image]
Pachter: Mobile games are a fad, EA's emphasis on sector 'misplaced'
Some people in the video game industry predict the mobile games business could eventually grow to topple the handheld gaming market, Wedbush Morgan disagrees. In its July industry report, analyst Michael Pachter estimates the mobile games industry is currently closer to $2 billion and, even with expected growth, the market may only expand to $4-6 billion in the next three to five years. In a section titled "Mobile Phone Games are a Fad," Pachter explains that, while 1 billion iPhone applications have been downloaded across 31 million Apple products sold, "it is not evident that more than 20% of these downloads are games." Suggesting the iTunes App Store has generated "under $400 million in game downloads" in its first year. Pachter does predict the mobile game industry will grow at 25% per year for a few years, but will eventually fall as competing devices enter the market. The report also calls Electronic Arts' emphasis on mobile games "misplaced." EA Mobile has grown steadily over the last few years, but the report estimates the mobile games division is -- along with that of competitors Gameloft and GLU Mobile -- "barely profitable." According to the report, finger pointing in Apple's camp should directed toward the "open forum" structure of the store and Apple's business model. Apple runs the game download service for an estimated 30% fee, leaving 70% to the game's publisher, the report claims. The section on mobile games goes on to conclude that handheld systems, like the new PSP Go, will "maintain its niche, without significant cannibalization" from the mobile games industry.
Turbine announces Nate Jones new VP of corporate and business development
Turbine announced the newest addition to their executive team today, with the appointment of Nate Jones to VP of corporate and business development. "Jones will be responsible for overseeing worldwide content and licensing partnerships, joint ventures and mergers and acquisitions for the company," states Turbine. Jones comes to Turbine from his tenure at Glu Mobile Inc., a publisher of mobile games, and has a strong background in media mergers and acquisitions. In addition he's advised companies like Microsoft, EA, Jagex and Major League Gaming on their operations in the video games industry. "Turbine has a great reputation for bringing critically acclaimed and globally recognized gaming experiences to the market," said Jones. "As one of very few leaders in the massively multiplayer online games space, Turbine is in a unique position. I'm thrilled to join the team and look forward to working with both new and existing partners to extend our leadership and realize the Company's full potential."
Rumor: EA may be sticking to Glu, Mobile that is
Electronic Arts could be looking to increase its stake in the mobile market by eating paste. A new report suggests that the company may be mulling over the acquisition of Glu Mobile, currently the third largest mobile game publisher and developer behind EA Mobile and Gameloft. Financial site Seeking Alpha cites a recent bevy of rumors regarding EA's growing interest in the Asian mobile market, followed by Glu's bolstered stock price as key indicators of a possible buyout.The move, if it happens, would certainly underscore EA's commitment to the mobile platform and games. We're just not sure if the world is ready for Diner Dash 2009.[Via Mobile Entertainment]
Glu announces its N-Gage launch lineup
While we all wait patiently for a wide-scale release of Nokia's revamped N-Gage platform, it's always fun to get learned on just what sorts of titles will be available for the rest of 2008; after all, the titles available through the First Access beta -- Creatures of the Deep, World Series of Poker, Space Impact, and Block Breaker Deluxe -- are only going to take us so far. Seasoned mobile game developer Glu Mobile has come forward to announce its '08 contributions to the platform, and with just three titles in the wings, it seems the company has done a surprisingly decent job of covering the full gamut. Speed Racer is a (you guessed it) racing title on "extreme" tracks, Super Slam Ping Pong! puts an arcade spin on the classic table game, and The Dark Knight is an action title that follows the upcoming Batman flick. The one thing we don't have in our lives is enough productivity sinks, Glu, so by all means, let's get these suckers pushed out on the double.
Burn rubber on your cell with PGR Mobile
We just received word that Xbox's beloved racing franchise Project Gotham Racing will be coming to a cell phone near you. Developed by Glu Mobile, Project Gotham Racing Mobile is setting out to be the best racing game ever! For a cell phone of course. The kudos system is still in place as well as multiple vehicles, online leaderboards and unlockable preview content for PGR4. But there is one major problem ... it's a cell phone game. We aren't cell phone game aficionados, but we know that the controls on cells are a tad limited and are the main reason why we aren't hardcore cell phone gamers. Here's to you PGR for going where few have succeeded and possibly slapping on a "I'm whoring my franchise out" sticker on your rear bumper. We only kid, because we love you PGR. Full press release after the break.
