Casual Gaming News: 6/29/20 – 7/5/20
We’re back again to break down the gaming news for this week. If you have any suggestions for news headlines we’ve missed, let us know in the comments!
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery Award-Winning Developers Say Mobile Gaming Is The Future Of Entertainment
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery was created in 2018 by developer Jam City under Portkey Games. According to Jam City’s narrative director Kimberly Hamilton and co-founder Josh Yduado, the Covid-19 pandemic has proven mobile gaming to be the future of entertainment.
As huge fans of mobile gaming (obviously), we’re excited to see this prediction and hope it’s true! More people need to realize there are so many underrated app games out there. A lot of them are of console-quality, with amazing controls and gameplay! The in-app purchases are usually fairly priced, although sometimes not, but we don’t mind spending money on games we love.
Read more at Forbes here.
Apple Revives and Refreshes Game Center in iOS 14
Game Center was added to iOS 4 back in 2010 and was a key part of mobile gaming, but it’s taken a back seat in the past couple of years. However, Apple’s latest software release, iOS 14, is set to revive Game Center, and there’s a redesigned Game Center dashboard available on iOS, tvOS, and macOS that games can take advantage of. Users will be able to view their achievements, leaderboards, and Game Center profiles directly within various games and through the updated Game Center section in the settings app.
Game Center used to be such a great way to compare achievements with friends but unfortunately, it never got the recognition it deserves. So hopefully with the help of iOS 14, Game Center will become more widely used.
Read more at Mac Rumors here.
Apple Shifting Apple Arcade strategy, Canceling Development of some games
Apple is shifting its strategy in order to keep subscribers interested. According to a new report from Bloomberg, Apple has canceled the contracts for some games still in development. While Apple ended contracts, it still paid studios based on the development milestones they already hit. The company also told developers that it would work with them on future titles that meet the new requirements.”
Although it’s sad to see indie developers face financial woes due to their contracts being canceled, it’s important to note Apple knows it’s customer base and wants to keep them. If they’re pushing out random games no one enjoys, they’re more likely to fail. So although a difficult business decision, it’s needed in order to keep Apple Arcade alive.
Read more at 9 to 5 Mac here.
Apple’s App Store Continues to Earn More Money than the Google Play Store
A recent study made by analytics firm Sensor Tower confirms that iPhone users tend to spend more money in the iOS App Store than Android users do in the Google Play Store. According to the study, over $32.8 billion USD was spent in Apple’s App Store during the first half of 2020, including in-app purchases, premium downloads, and subscriptions.
This comes as no surprise as we personally feel the Apple app store is a lot more visually pleasing and easier to navigate. And let’s be honest, Apple has a better choice of games too. Of course, Google Play has its perks too but nothing beats Apple’s games. They also have a one-up with Apple Arcade.
Read more at Mobile Syrup here.
Investment in the Gaming Industry Is a Safe Bet Now
Since the restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, gaming has provided a welcome direction to the people stuck at home looking for social interaction and entertainment. Because of this, the global video game industry continues to see huge growth in playing time and sales despite the widespread economic disruption caused by the pandemic.
Jeferson Valladares, a Lisbon-based game industry expert, agrees that this coronavirus-proof sector is a good area for investment. “The last couple of months were very good for gaming… COVID-19 has actually just propelled gaming forward,” Jeferson, co-founder and CEO at Doppio Games told Via News in an interview.”
During this pandemic, we’ve also seen a huge interest in gaming from people who usually don’t care for it. It’s been a brilliant way to distract people from the terrible things that are going on in the world. Social media can become toxic to be on all the time so gaming can be the perfect distraction!
Read more at VIA News here.
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