This week’s blog section has features on the illusion of skill in mobile games, level design and increased app usage. Read on to find out about the iPhone 6s app purge, developing for the holiday season and the King acquisition. You can’t miss it!
Google Maps development, the Japanese market and Firefox for iOS dominate this week’s news section!
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Blogs
“No one is actually good at Candy Crush” – Divnich
Jesse Divnich of Tilting Point says there’s an illusion of skill when it comes to the top mobile games. This is due to the popularity of games like Candy Crush or Clash of Clans which allow players to advance at a rate decided by developers, not the skill of the players. Outside of casino games, only 4 of the top 30 grossing games in the US are skill based.
Four Useful Habits for Level Designers
Make yourself into a better game designer with these 4 habits. Use all of your creativity, try out lots of ideas and get as much feedback as necessary. Geoff Ellenor’s last tip is to work “clean”. As in, deal with things as they occur rather than waiting till you think you’re finished to solve smaller issues.
Study: 57% of Users Say They’ll Use Apps More Often in the Future
In good news for mobile developers, the majority of current app users expect to use even more apps in the future. This post also has some new insight into how users decide when to delete an app. Apparently users are willing to try an app 4.5 times before they decide to keep an app for good or else delete it from their device.
How to survive the iPhone 6s app purge
With the arrival of the new iPhone 6s, some users will be downloading their favorite apps again, while forgetting others. If you’ve got an app or game on the iOS App Store, you’ll want to make sure you’re apps survive the purge.
Why the Holidays Matter to Mobile Game Developers
The holiday season is nearly upon us and a lot of mobile devs will be preparing for their most profitable time of the year. Average game session numbers surge during the holiday season, so it’s a great time for growth if you’ve positioned yourself correctly. Find out how with these marketing and monetization tips.
Unpacking the $5.9BN King acquisition price
With last week’s news about the Activision Blizzard acquisition of King Digital Entertainment, Eric Benjamin Seufert breaks down the deal and what it means for both companies. This company is now expected to have a combined audience of 500 million players.
News
Google Maps now lets third-party developers add predictive travel times to their own apps
There were a couple of new announcements about Google Maps this week, but there’s one announcement that will be most intriguing for mobile developers. Third-party developers now have access to an API for predictive travelling time. The API allows you to predict travel conditions for dates and times in the future based on historical data that Google has collected.
At $6.2 billion, Japanese mobile games market remains global #1
According to new market research, Japan is still the number one market for mobile games. Despite having fewer players than both China and the US, Japan is predicted to generate $6.2 billion in 2016. The report also found that the majority of users in China and South Korea are using Android devices for mobile gaming purposes.
Mozilla launches Firefox for iOS out of preview
Firefox is now available worldwide for iOS devices. After a public preview in New Zealand, they released their search engine app for iOS on Thursday this week. After a public statement in 2013, refusing to bring their app to iOS, it seems Mozilla have had a change of heart about working with Apple.
This Week in Mobile Development!
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