QOTD: It’s-a-Me! Mobile Strategy!

We recognize that there are a lot of smartphones and tablets out there … We’re also doing a lot of experimentation of what I would call the little experiences you can have on your smartphone and tablet that will drive you back to your Nintendo hardware.

— Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Amie, in an interview with King 5 News in Seattle. Nintendo has long resisted bringing its IP to mobile devices.

Zynga Names Clive Downie as New COO

A new exec with a past in social and mobile gaming.

New Zombie-Shooting Game for iOS Claims to Be First Mobile Title With Cooperative Campaign

Are you tired of zombies yet? Maybe playing in real time with your friends will fix that.
multiplayer emg v1

Google Play Skates Into Second Place in Mobile Gamer Spending, Past Nintendo and Sony’s Handhelds

iOS is still in first place by a considerable margin, though.

Voices

Rovio Hires Nokia Executive as COO

Rovio Entertainment Ltd. has tapped a longtime Nokia Corp. executive as its new chief operating officer, at a time when the maker of Angry Birds looks to pivot from a hot Nordic game developer into a global entertainment powerhouse.

Are Gamers Waiting for the New Consoles, or Have They Moved On?

Will it ever again be the right time to launch a videogame console?

Seven Questions for Gree’s SVP of Studio Operations, Anil Dharni

The Japanese-based mobile games company still has ambitious plans for the U.S., although they’ve changed.

Zynga Shares Soar 11 Percent as New Jersey Moves Closer to Online Gambling

That’s the biggest spike the stock has seen in ages.

News Byte

Zynga Game Vets Raise $1.4 Million to Start Bee Cave Games

Bee Cave Games has raised $1.4 million in funding to build casino games. The Austin, Texas, company was founded by Erik Bethke, Nimai Malle and Jeremy Strauser, all of whom worked at Zynga on games, including Mafia Wars, Texas Hold’em Poker and Bingo. The round was funded in part by its own employees and from publicly held Glu Mobile. The company’s first game, Blackjack Casino, is in private beta on Facebook, and there are mobile versions under development.

Zynga Bringing Real-Money Gaming to Facebook in the U.K.

Allowing Zynga to conduct real-money gaming in the U.K. on Facebook will open the floodgates for gambling on the social network.