Gaming
GameRefinery unveils the finalists for its annual Mobile GameDev Awards, celebrating the best in mobile game design
![GameRefinery unveils the finalists for its annual Mobile GameDev Awards, celebrating the best in mobile game design](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/mobile-gamedev-awards.png)
The 2022 Mobile GameDev Awards finalists announced in seven categories covering different aspects of mobile game innovation and feature design, in USA, Japan and China.
Today, mobile game analytics specialist GameRefinery, a Liftoff company, is excited to announce that its jury has decided on the finalists for its second annual Mobile GameDev Awards. The awards recognise and celebrate innovation in mobile game design amongst developers in the USA, China and Japan.
The seven categories are:
Innovation and Excellence in Core Gameplay, (all regions)
Most Promising Soft Launch Game, (all regions) Biggest Evolver individually in USA, Japan, China Best Newcomer individually in USA, Japan, China
Best Feature Innovation, Best Event individually in USA, Japan, China and
Best Use of IP in Collaboration Events (all regions).
GameRefinery will announce the winners on the 24th of May 2022.
The 2022 Mobile GameDev Awards finalists have been selected by a panel of GameRefinery analysts, drawing on their extensive experience and expertise in games analysis.
GameRefineryâs platform tracks over 100,000 mobile games for market research, competitor intelligence, and player insights while providing more than 2,500+ in-depth game feature deconstructions and analyses.
Mobile GameDev Awards 2022 Finalists
Innovation & Excellence in Core Gameplay
The most innovative and well-executed core gameplay seen in 2021:
- ć ĺ°˝çćć źććĽ (Infnite Lagrange, China)
- Gold and Goblins: Idle Merge
- ĺĺŠćł˘çšďźéćłč§é (Harry Potter Magic Awakened, China)
- Kingdom Guard: Tower Defence
- ăŚăĺ¨ ăăŞăăŁăźăăźăăź (Umamusume Pretty Derby, Japan)
- The Ants: Underground Kingdom
- League of Legends: Wild Rift
Most Promising Soft Launch Game
The 2021 soft launch game most likely to be a breakout launch success based on gameplay:
- Apex Legends
- Clash Mini
- Star Blast
- Tower of Fantasy
- Diablo Immortal
- Honkai: Star Rail
- Star Wars: Hunters
Biggest Evolver
The game that has developed the most during 2021 in terms of gameplay:
USA Finalists:
- Merge Dragons!
- Clash Royale
- Garena Free Fire
- Lords Mobile: Tower Defense
- Rise of Kingdoms
- YahtzeeÂŽ with Buddies
- Cookie Run: Kingdom
Japan Finalists:
- ăšăăźăăťăŞăăťăľăă¤ă㍠(State of Survival)
- Shin Sangokushi
- ăăŠă´ăłăŻă¨ăšăăżăŻă (Dragon Quest Tact)
- ăăşăŤďźăăŠă´ăłăş (Puzzle & Dragons)
- ăăéçăšăăŞăă (Pro Yakyuu Spirits A)
China Finalists:
- ć¤çŠĺ¤§ćĺľĺ°¸2 (Plants vs. Zombies 2)
- ĺ¤Šč° (Revelation)
- ĺçĽ (Genshin Impact)
- čˇčˇĺĄä¸č˝ŚĺŽćšçŤéç (PopKart Mobile)
- éćç˝:ĺ˝ćĽ-çšćéçť (Contra Returns)
Best Newcomer
The best new entry into the market during 2021:
USA Finalists:
- Beatstar
- The Ants: Underground Kingdom
- Royal Match
- Kingdom Guard: Tower Defence
- Family Farm Adventure
- Zen Match – Relaxing Puzzle
- The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War
- No Limit Drag Racing 2
- Idle Lumber Empire
- League of Legends: Wild Rift
Japan Finalists:
- ăŚăĺ¨ ăăŞăăŁăźăăźăăź (Umamusume Pretty Derby)
- äşăĺ˝ďźCross Worlds (Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds)
- ăŹăźăăŁă˘ăłăă¤ăŤăş (Guardian Tales)
- ă°ăŠăłăľăŹ(Gran Saga)
- Nier Re[in]carnation
China Finalists:
- ĺĺŠćł˘çšďźéćłč§é (Harry Potter: Magic Awakened)
- çççŤé (Ace Racer)
- ĺšťĺĄ ďźTower of Fantasyďź
- ć ĺ°˝çćć źććĽ (Infnite Lagrange)
- čąéčçć游 ďźLeague of Legends: Wild Riftďź
- éčżĺ¸ĺ˝
- éé˛é˛äšć (Battle of the Golden Spatula)
Best Feature Innovation
The most innovative new feature introduced in a game during 2021
- ćžćžćťĺ¨ĺ (Song-song Zong-dong-yuan, China) – Login calendar meets IAP offers
- ćžćžćťĺ¨ĺ (Song-song Zong-dong-yuan, China) – Innovative limited-time gacha event
- Garena Free Fire – Special PvP modes
- Cooking Diary – Social hangout areas
- YahtzeeÂŽ with Buddies – Kingdom feature
- Rise of Kingdoms – MOBA mode
- Puzzle & Dragons (Japan) – Synchronous PvP mode
- PUBG MOBILE – RP Activity Packs in Battle Pass
- Highrise – NFT cosmetics
- XFLAGâs Kotodaman and Monster Strike (Japan) – New gacha type with a social twist
- Ensemble Stars!! Music (Japan) – Music co-op newcomer tasks
Best Event
The best in-game event held during 2021:
USA Finalists:
- YahtzeeÂŽ with Buddies – Derby event
- POP! Slots⢠Vegas Casino Games – Win Zone event
- Gardenscapes – Klondike Expedition event
- Genshin Impact – Midsummer Island Adventure
- Call of DutyÂŽ: Mobile – Anniversary event
- Garena Free Fire – Pet Mania event
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang – Aspirants Unite event
- State of Survival – 2nd Anniversary Airship Building event
Japan Finalists:
- ăăă¸ă§ăŻăăťăŤă¤ ăŤăŠăăŤăšăăźă¸ďź ĺéłă㯠(Project Sekai Colorful Stage feat. Hatsune Miku) – New Yearâs event
- ăăŠă´ăłăăźăŤ ăŹă¸ă§ăłăş (Dragon Ball Legends) – Legends Festival
- ĺŚćŞăŚăŠăă ăˇăŤăˇăŤ (Youkai Watch Punipuni) – Collaboration event with Neon Genesis Evangelion
- äşăĺ˝ďźCross Worlds (Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds) – General events
- NieR Re[in]carnation – Collaborations events with the earlier titles in the series (NieR Automata (launch), NieR Replicant and Drakengard 3)
China Finalists:
- ććĽäšĺ (LifeAfter) – Romantic event July 2021
Â
- ćžćžćťĺ¨ĺ (Song-song Zong-dong-yuan) – June 2021 Gacha event
- 垥éžĺ¨ĺ¤Š (Legend of Yulong) – Fight the Landlord-card game event (doudizhu) in Jan
- çĽćŚ4 (ShĂŠn wÇ 4) – Event with a real-life map to beat monsters and get points
Â
- é´éłĺ¸ (Onmyoji) – recurring event with event-only customizable character
- ĺŻčąŞéşťĺ° (Fuhao Majiang) – collaboration event with China Mahjong Masters Tournament
Best Use of IP in a Collaboration Event
Finalists:
- čˇčˇĺĄä¸č˝ŚĺŽćšçŤéç (PopKart Mobile) & Ali the Fox (China)
- éŚč 洞寚 (Sausage Man) & Pizza Hut (China)
- Top War: Battle Game & Transformers
- ćąĺçžćŻĺž (Canal Towns) & Kentucky Fried Chicken (China)
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang & Hello Kitty (Sanrio Characters)
- Roblox & 24kGoldn Concert Experience
- PUBG MOBILE & Arcane (League of Legends)
- ç ĺăŽĺŚăď˝ćŚĺ˝čŚçćŚč¨ď˝ (Shishi no Gotoku – Sengoku Haousenki) & Rurouni Kenshin (Japan)
- State of Survival & The Walking Dead (US)
Gaming
More players, more revenue: mobile games are very popular among Germans
![More players, more revenue â mobile games are very popular among Germans](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/image002.jpg)
- Revenues from games apps grow in Germany by 4 per cent to over 2.9 billion euros
- Smartphones and tablets attract 300,000 additional players in twelve months
- âMobile games often attract people with little or no experience of playing video gamesâ
Games apps for smartphones and tablets continue to do well in Germany: revenues from mobile games grew by another 4 per cent to 2.9 billion euros within a year. This part of the games market has almost doubled since 2018, when revenues amounted to 1.49 billion euros. These are the figures released today by game â The German Games Industry Association, based on data collected by the market research company data.ai. Not only were games app revenues up, but the number of mobile game players also grew by 300,000 to 24.6 million in the space of a year. The average age of people who play video games on their smartphone in Germany is 40. Women tend to play more on smartphones and tablets (52%) compared to men (48%).
âGames apps for smartphones and tablets are very popular among Germans,â says Felix Falk, Managing Director of game. âAlthough weâve been witnessing the unstoppable rise of the smartphone for almost a decade and a half, this is still an area of the game market that continues to grow. Mobile games often attract people with little or no experience of playing video games. The mobile gaming market has grown hugely over recent years: alongside classic casual games for spare moments, complex games and even esports titles are now also firmly established. This variety is unique and one of the strengths of games apps.â
A closer look at the mobile gaming market in Germany highlights the distinctive features of the sector: around 5 million euros â significantly below 1 per cent of total revenues â is generated by the sale of individual mobile games. Revenues from online gaming services on smartphones and tablets are significantly higher, amounting to 43 million euros or around 1 per cent. 98 per cent and therefore almost the entire revenue from games apps â 2.9 billion euros â is generated with in-app purchases. These include cosmetic enhancements for playersâ own avatars along with virtual currencies and loot boxes or large story expansions.
Strong development of the German game market in 2023
The German games market showed significant overall growth again in 2023, with revenues from games, gaming hardware and online gaming services increasing by 6 per cent, to some 9.97 billion euros. This considerable rise follows a revenue increase of just 1 per cent in the preceding year. The largest drivers of this growth include game consoles and related accessories, as well as in-game and in-app purchases. At the same time, sales of gaming PCs and laptops saw clear declines in some areas.
Gaming
Games Lift 2024: These five developer teams will receive the Hamburg incubator funding
![Games Lift 2024: These five developer teams will receive the Hamburg incubator funding](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/240723_Games_Lift_Funded_Projects_PM_EN.png)
Five teams have won over the Games Lift awarding committee with their game projects. On September 9, the Games Lift Incubator will start for them as a unique support program in Germany. Included is a one-year workshop and mentoring program with international industry experts and 15,000 euros in financial support, as well as room for collaboration and exchange with the other participating teams. More than 30 experts in game design, product development, pitching, business development, press relations and marketing from the Games Lift network will share their experience with the teams to give their projects a professional start. Starting this year, the program also offers participating teams a joint trip to an international industry event. The Games Lift Incubator is organized and implemented by Gamecity Hamburg on behalf of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg.
A total of 21 teams and solo developers applied for the fourth Games Lift Incubator. The decision for the five participating teams was made by the awarding committee, consisting of Kristin von der Wense (Publishing Producer Daedalic Entertainment), Ole Schaper (Managing Director The Sandbox Hamburg (Sviper GmbH)), Heiko Gogolin (Managing Director Rocket Beans Entertainment) and Tobias Graff (Co-Founder, Programmer and CEO Mooneye Studios).
Margarete Schneider, Project Manager at Gamecity Hamburg, on the award committee’s decision: âWe are delighted with the large number of applications for our incubator and the high standard of the pitch decks submitted once again. It is particularly pleasing that we are receiving more applications from outside Hamburg, who see the city as an attractive location for starting a new business. The Games Lift Incubator provides gaming start-ups with comprehensive starting support and enables them to forge connections in Hamburg’s diverse games scene.
The five winner projects and teams for Games Lift Incubator 2024:
- ForeFeathers by Team Honeybeak
- Frisia â Cozy Villages by Rouven Cabanis
- Light of Atlantis by Duck ânâ Run Games
- Pubcrawler by Triflgard
- Tiny Garden by Tales from the Garden
ForeFeathers by Team Honeybeak is a 3D Puzzle-Platformer where players slip into the role of a penguin, who explores the sky-high ruins of an ancient civilization of birds. Traversing the flying islands with the ancient powers of flight, solving tricky puzzles and keeping the penguinâs friends away from trouble are some main aspects of the game.
In Frisia â Cozy Villages by Rouven Cabanis the player gains control over an uninhabited Northsea island and is tasked with building a functional, yet cozy and beautiful little town. Inspired by the frisian architecture of the Dutch and German Northsea coast, Frisia aims to create a cozy gameplay experience in harmony with simple town-building and strategy game mechanics.
Light of Atlantis by Duck ânâ Run Games is a 2D puzzle metroidvania in which players take on the roles of various robots with individual abilities to explore the sunken ruins of Atlantis. By draining and releasing water into the various rooms, the robots shape their environment and improve their chances against different enemies. Light of Atlantis was part of the Gamecity Hamburg prototype funding in 2023 and received in the same year the German Computer Game Award (Deutscher Computerspielpreis) in the category âBest Prototypeâ.
Pubcrawler by Triflgard is a co-op PC game in which up to four players need to work as a team, to navigate a giant, mechanic, wandering pub through an apocalyptic wasteland. In the process, they must complete a variety of challenging tasks that can only be mastered as a team. Working together efficiently, pleasing the different guests and keeping a cool head even when the giant pubcrawler faces technical issues are the key to a successful journey.
In Tiny Garden by Tales from the Garden players slip into the role of a deity who fills a deserted planet with life. Together with their servants, a group of cute leaf creatures that must be protected from evil spirits, they plant a constantly growing garden. As soon as the garden is fully grown, the evil spirits can be soothed and the player can move on to the next planet in help.
Gaming
MainStreaming Announces Appointment of Nicola Micali as Chief Customer Officer
![](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/9-8.jpg)
MainStreaming, an iMDP INTELLIGENT MEDIA DELIVERY COMPANY, which is redefining the CDN market with its innovative Edge Network services, announced the appointment of Nicola Micali as its new Chief Customer Officer (CCO).
With a track record of improving processes and efficiency and creating go-to-market strategies, Harvard alumnus and former Akamaite, Nicola Micali joins MainStreaming with the goal of solidifying a customer-centric organisation that prioritises long-term relationships, customer experience (CX) and satisfaction, ensuring MainStreamingâs continued business growth and market leadership.
Nicola brings a wide range of professional experience as a Leader of Customer Success & Professional Services at Akamai for over 10 years, where he was responsible for services and overall revenue. He developed the services strategy for the Americasâ media & entertainment, gaming and partners verticals exceeding all revenue targets year after year. Nicolaâs expertise in leading technical customer-facing teams has resulted in higher customer satisfaction and successful worldwide streaming events.
With a Masterâs degree in Business Administration and Management from Harvard, Micaliâs educational background further enhances his capability to lead and innovate in the Edge video technology sector. As Nicola steps in as CCO, he will play a pivotal role in guiding the entire customer lifecycle journey. His expertise in customer success positions him perfectly to lead MainStreamingâs efforts in providing world-class service to a global clientele.
MainStreamingâs CEO, Antonio G. Corrado, said: âQoS for our customers and QoE for end users are at the core of our streaming business. It is the best proxy for customer satisfaction for us. We are happy to welcome Nicola Micali, who demonstrates his expertise in customer success. Together, we are set to strengthen our commitment to being a customer satisfaction-oriented company, leveraging our world-class services directed to broadcast-quality standards that are requested by industry players.â
MainStreamingâs video delivery technology is meticulously developed in-house, offered as managed private Edge Network to help broadcasters, OTT TVs and content owners overcome the toughest challenges of live streaming at scale, addressing the limitations of classic CDN and enabling new application solutions on the Edge.
âI am honored to join a team that is on a mission to write a new chapter in video streaming delivery, setting new standards, and paving the way for the future of TV. I am ready to contribute to MainStreamingâs innovative approach and customer-centric philosophy. Together, we are set to revolutionize how the streaming industry approaches Edge Network architecture for live streaming, emphasizing a more distributed, ultra-low-latency, energy-efficient, and globally scalable design,â Nicola Micali said.
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