Tapjoy Launches Asia Fund

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Tapjoy has announced that it has launched a $5 million Tapjoy Asia Fund, designed to help mobile developers create free-to-play games for Android and iOS. It will give developers some money to get started, access to ad networks and development expertise.

“We are committed to helping developers bring fun, engaging mobile games and experiences to market successfully,” said Mihir Shah, Tapjoy CEO. “Providing a level playing field in which developers large and small can have their apps discovered will only strengthen the mobile marketplace for everyone. It is our hope that the Tapjoy Asia Fund will be as well received as the Tapjoy Android Fund we launched in the U.S. last year which resulted in 155 new apps being developed.”

Tapjoy currently has over 20,000 mobile applications and reaches more than 600 million mobile consumers. The company’s ad-funded payment platform and app discovery marketplace is used by thousands of app developers.

Internet Explorer Support Coming To Xbox 360

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Rumors are that Microsoft is testing out versions of Internet Explorer 8 on the Xbox 360. This will allow users to surf all parts of the Internet from their living room.

Furthermore, Kinect support for both gestures and voice will be baked into the experience. This will work with existing Bing functionality and will quickly bring up relevant pages.

No date is set for the roll out of these features, but it is likely that they will be unveiled at E3 and likely rolled out with the dashboard update in the Fall.

Source: Verge

Avengers Battle For Earth In New Game

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Ubisoft has announced that they are working on Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth. The motion-controlled game will release for Kinect and Wii U and will focus on the Secret Invasion storyline from the comics.

“We are excited to team up with Marvel Entertainment to bring some of the most iconic comic book characters from the Marvel line-up to life in motion-gaming,” said Tony Key, US senior vice president of sales and marketing at Ubisoft. “Fans of the Marvel universe and superhero games are going to love the extensive combinations of characters, motion-controlled moves and competitive gameplay.”

“For the last few years, Marvel has positioned itself to deliver the absolute best in entertainment, be it in film, animation, comics or games,”  said Andreea Enache-Thune, senior vice president of games and digital distribution at Marvel.  “Partnering with Ubisoft is a big part of that ongoing movement. We are confident that Ubisoft’s talent matches Marvel’s own commitment to making the Avengers: Battle for Earth the best in the motion-controlled gaming category.”

For more information on Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth, please visit www.AvengersBattleForEarth.com.

Peter Moore Talks Primacy Of Retail

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To Electronic Arts COO Peter Moore, retail is still primary for his company’s business. While the company is committed to digital sales, most of the revenue will come from retail, which also presents a viability bonus.

“Once we get that disk installed in the tray of an Xbox or a PS3, we then look at our consumer on an ARPU basis,” Moore said. “We love what retail does for us. We love its ability to create massive launches and create excitement. GameStop probably sees three million hardcore gamers walk through their doors every day, and that’s a marketing opportunity for us.”

Moore also believes that many consumers are still cautious about spending much online. “A lot of our consumers don’t own credit cards. A lot of our consumers are still afraid of what happened to the PlayStation Network when 77 million accounts were accessed by Anonymous in 2011,” Moore said. “A lot of our consumers prefer to go into retail buy those Xbox Live or PlayStation Network cards, and retail gets a very strong margin on that. For retail, if they can evolve to be not just a physical media purveyor, but a digital media purveyor, it’ll play a very strong role in our business going forward.”

Moore was also keen to emphasize the benefits of day one DLC. “The other key thing is selling digital content on the day of launch . . .When we sold Mass Effect 3 back in March, we saw a 40 percent attach rate that first week to DLC at GameStop in the United States. Not only are you selling a $60 game . . . you’re selling $20 DLC, so the sale becomes $80,” Moore said.

Source: Gamasutra

Social Network Game Growth Slowing, Says Study

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According to a study by Frank N. Magid Associates, 38 percent of social network users play games, up slightly from 36 percent in 2011. However, prime demographics have been playing the game less – including fewer than 43 percent females age 12-44, fewer than 43 percent of users age 12-17 (down from 54 percent in 2011) and about 36 percent of users 25-44 (down from 40 percent in 2011) reporting playing on a weekly basis.

The amount that they are willing to pay has also gone down; the average social network gamer who spends money on these games indicates that they are spending $51 vs. $78 last year on average. This year 34 percent of gamers say they are planning to spend less on social games in the next year vs. 22 percent who say they will spend more.

Among console players, a third say they have bought DLC in the past with the average DLC consumer currently spending about $50 per year. Spending is expected to grow in the next year to 45 percent of gamers. This percentage includes those individuals who have not bought DLC in the past but plan on buying in the near future.

Internet usage is also growing with console users as more than two-thirds of Xbox and PlayStation gamers in the U.S. go online multiple times a week using their console, while non-gaming activities now account for about a third of all time spent online on a connected console among those gamers. Online spending is increasing and online play has shown no signs of slowing; in fact, online console player penetration is likely to grow by 10 percent or more next year as more console players are connecting for the first time.

With more than half of Xbox and PS3 owners wanting access to their game networks via their mobile phones, consumers clearly want cross-platform connectivity.

Sims Social Not On Life Support, Says EA

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Reports are that The Sims Social, which has gone from 66 million monthly active users to just 15.8 million, will be handed off to Playfish India, which will set up its eventual closure. Electronic Arts, for its part, completely refutes the report.

“The misinformed article stating that The Sims Social is on life support couldn’t be further from the truth,” EA said in a statement. “The Sims Social continues to be EA’s top social game, supported by a dedicated team of 75 in the U.K. and U.S. and will see a robust and steady stream of new game-expanding content as it continues to build upon its thriving community and drive continued success. We have no plans to walk away from a very successful game based on one of the most popular brands in video game history.”

Source: Venturebeat

Angry Birds — 1 Billion Downloads

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Rovio today thanked all their fans for downloading Angry Birds in all its incarnations a billion times. The company promises, “this is only the beginning of our story, keep your eyes peeled for what’s coming up next from Rovio!”

Unite To Unlock

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Ubisoft has already released a one-minute trailer for Assassin’s Creed III, but it’s just a small portion of a longer gameplay trailer they plan to unveil soon. However, the timing of the trailer release will be up to fans, though. Gamers can channel their collective excitement for Assassin’s Creed III to band together in a valiant effort to unlock the world gameplay premier of Assassin’s Creed III in the Unite to Unlock campaign. This program asks gamers to enlist their friends through Twitter and Facebook in a unified effort to reveal the gameplay of Assassin’s Creed III. Ubisoft is directing fans to the Facebook app to jump in.