Unity Adds Playnomics Analytics

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In the hopes of expanding its game engine services, Unity Technologies has acquired Playnomics, a company that provides analytics for game developers.

Playnomics is just the latest addition to Unity chief executive David Helgason’s team, through confirmation of various sources.

The deal follows Unity’s previous purchase of Applifier, a Helsinki-based creator of the Everyplay platform, which specializes in video sharing for mobile gameplay.

Although a purchase price wasn’t disclosed, more details on the acquisition, as well as what Unity has in mind for Playnomics’ services, should be revealed soon.

Source: VentureBeat

Google Expands +Post Ads Services

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In an effort to get its +Post ads division off the ground, Google has announced that it has expanded the program, which will allow specific brands to use monetization tools for its Google Plus-oriented accounts.

With the new program, two new features are being introduced – promoted Hangouts on Air and automatic post promotion, which will link to said Google Plus accounts.

Not everyone can take part, however, as Google has posted certain requirements must be met. These include having a Google Plus page that has at least 1,000 followers, utilizing a post that contains content relevant to the proper audience, and opting to share endorsements for Google Plus pages.

With the new features, Google says that they will help marketers “create compelling ad experiences and make it easier to extend the reach of (their) social content.

Source: The Next Web

Millennials Mixed On Ads

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When it comes to digital ads in preference of traditional advertising, there is some preference, but not always the same effectiveness — at least, according to a poll from Adroit Digital.

The poll indicates that millennials have certain preferences when it comes to ads. With the January 2014 study, smartphone users were asked about what they like more — digital or traditional. 36 percent believe that digital ads are more effective, but 28 percent stated that they believe that they were both quite effective.

A different study from Goo Technologies (conducted by Harris Interactive) digs a little deeper, stating that, while digital ads are more influential, 18 to 34 year olds are more likely to ignore online ads, including banners and search engines, in favor of more traditional TV, radio and newspaper ads.

A majority of these users ignore banner ads altogether, while around two in five males and half of females don’t bother with social media or search engine ads.

Source: Emarketer

Core Gamers Take The March Spotlight

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Core gamers are back in favor as publishers roll out next-gen titles for $936 million digital games market. This analysis comes from SuperData CEO, Joost van Dreunen:

Core gamers are once again becoming the industry focus as social and mobile game platforms soften and saturate.
Several key releases on digital console and in the free-to-play category suggests a re-engagement of publishers with traditional core gamers. After a period in which casual gamers on social and mobile platforms were all that mattered, the traditional gaming experience returns with publishers seeking to stake their claim at the beginning of the new console cycle.

The digital games market continues to grow, reaching $936 million in total sales in March, up 9 percent year-over-year. Saturation and increasing marketing expense on mobile and social platforms level the digital playing field for incumbent publishers. Titles like Titanfall, Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm target traditional gamer audiences, as Zynga and King struggle to repeat their initial success with casual audiences.

Activision/Blizzard readies a new volley of branded blockbusters.
After a successful launch on PC and Mac, Activision released Hearthstone in select markets on iPad. In Australia, Canada and New Zealand, all three key test markets before its release in the U.S., the game quickly managed to break into the top fifteen of grossing titles. Overall, the digital collectible card market shows both strong adoption and retention among gamers, with a 12 percent conversion to spending and an average revenue per paying player around $27 in the United States. As its second card game spin-off of its World of Warcraft franchise, Hearthstone is in a much better position to both appeal to existing and new players on digital platforms.

At the same time, Blizzard Entertainment is building the buzz around Heroes of the Storm, its much-anticipated MOBA title featuring characters from across its various franchises. The game is not out yet (and is, in fact, becoming notorious for its tardiness), but the announcement of its Tech Alpha to test out the game’s infrastructure suggests it is getting ready for showtime. Provided its release date falls within 2014 or even early 2015, Heroes of the Storm might prove a capable contender, competing with incumbents DotA2 (Valve) and League of Legends (Riot), and claim a piece of the global $2 billion dollar worldwide market for MOBA games.

Zynga is starting to fall behind, struggling to monetize on par with the big boys.
Earlier we observed an improvement in user spending as a result of the user shake out on social gaming platforms. Consistent with this, we recorded another month-over-month increase in conversion, reaching 2.3 percent in March, up from 1.9 percent just six months ago. Despite this market improvement category leader Zynga has yet to show comparable results, and reported a conversion rate of 1.7 percent in its most recent earnings reports. Efforts to stem the tide by focusing more aggressively on the highly-monetizing social casino category has so far failed to deliver. Across its social casino titles Zynga currently earns about $0.13 per daily active user, compared to the $0.17 minimum of its closest competitors in the space.

King’s second act is under close scrutiny, as their key franchise tops out.
After a souring IPO, King continues to be under close watch by shareholders and publishers alike. Despite heavy scrutiny, the company’s core franchise Candy Crush Saga showed a 1.2 percent improvement in overall spending month-over-month. In terms of monthly active users the game shows signs of saturation: after a period of continued growth, its mobile audience held steady in March with marginal growth (+0.3 percent) and a 2.1 percent decline among social players. Likely, the firm is preparing a takeover bid to maintain its momentum and reduce imminent churn. Meanwhile, King’s rival Supercell released Boom Beach late-March and managed to shoot up in the rankings, driven largely by the company’s strong cross-promotion among its Clash of Clans player base.

Titanfall refreshes digital PC and console offerings.
After several months of Call of Duty (Activision), Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag (Ubisoft) and Grand Theft Auto V (TakeTwo Interactive) dominating the charts, EA’s innovative first-person shooter breaks the chain. Launching on both PC and Xbox One, Titanfall (Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts) offers a fast-paced sci-fi shooter experience where players alternate between agile game play as soldiers or powerful titans pilots. Seated precisely between the traditional first person shooter genre and the recently emerged “mech” genre, Titanfall is exclusive to Microsoft platforms (the Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Windows PC). In the U.S., one in four gamers who also regularly purchase additional digital content prefer first person shooters, making it the top ranked genre on digital console. Overall, the digital console and PC category increased two percent, month-over-month.

Tiny Tanks Take Tinseltown!

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Pre-Flight Instructions For Laughs

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Most Popular Steam Games Revealed

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Ars Technica recently revealed a report showing which titles were the most popular on Valve’s Steam service, and it appears some older favorites continue to be high on the list.

Leading the group on the report is DOTA 2, Valve’s strategy title, which currently has over 25.9 million players. In close second is the classic third-person strategy/shooter Team Fortress 2 with 20.3 million, and Counter-Strike: Source with 8.9 million players.

What’s surprising, though, are that some games are owned by players, but have never been opened or activated. Source is the leading title on this list, with an estimated 3.1 million players who bought the game but never touched it. The original Counter-Strike is at an equal amount, while the zombie shooter Left 4 Dead 2 is close behind with 2.1 million.

Most of these purchases seem to stem from sales on the service, although it’s a bit odd that players don’t ever open them up, not even for an hour’s worth of play. Then again, with more popular multiplayer games like DOTA 2 and Team Fortress 2, they probably just haven’t found time for them yet.

Source: Ars Technica

Xbox One Summer Launch For China

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After months of attempting to figure out when to launch its console in the market, Microsoft has finally confirmed that the Xbox One will finally arrive in China this July.

BesTV, the Chinese media company that works closely with Microsoft in partnership, revealed the information this week, and also confirmed that the company would assist in appointing a new CEO for it.

According to estimates, the Xbox One is expected to sell through 100,000 units in China at launch, with more sales to come. Games are already set to sell for a lower price, going for around 300 RMB, or $48 in U.S. dollars.

This launch is a major one for Microsoft, following the country’s lifting of a decade-long console ban last September. Sony and Nintendo, meanwhile, are still figuring out their plans.

Source: GamesIndustry International