Swrve Says It Can Help Developers Dodge Fake Purchases Made by App Pirates

Developers “need to know whether they’re attracting great-looking pirates or mediocre-looking real users.”

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Study: Gamers Play More and Spend More on Tablets vs. Smartphones

Tablets are the “mobile platform of choice” for gamers, according to a new study from research firm Frank N. Magid Associates. The study, sponsored by Diner Dash publisher PlayFirst, estimates that 61 million people play games on tablets, compared to 54 million on smartphones. The popular free-to-play business model performs better on tablets, where 31 percent of gamers buy virtual goods, spending an average of $48 each in the past 12 months. By contrast, the study reported that only 19 percent of phone gamers drop real money on in-app purchases, spending an average of $32 each in the same time.

Zynga’s Patent Portfolio Swells as It Doubles Down on Casino Gaming

Among the acquisitions this year, 33 patents from Walker Digital related to real-money gaming and gambling technologies.

Free Mobile Games Earn Most of the $10 Billion Spent on Apps in 2012

But the more important thing for developers to know is what kind of games are the most successful at monetizing free-to-play.

On the Facebook Menu at Zuckerberg’s Recent Dinner With Game Developers: Sushi and a Sliding Pay Scale

At a recent dinner, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg brought together all the top bosses in social gaming to talk shop.

King.com, the Second-Largest Social Games Maker, Jumps Into Advertising

First Zynga, and now King.com, are starting to believe that advertising could be a lucrative way to monetize social games.

Zynga’s Next Gamble: An Ad Platform

What could a Zynga-built advertising platform look like?

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Former Zynga Executive Jeff Karp Lands at GSN Digital

After stepping down as Zynga’s chief marketing officer 10 days ago, Jeff Karp is joining GSN as EVP of Mobile & Social Games. When he starts on Monday, Karp will be in charge of GSN Digital’s virtual currency business across its mobile, social and online gaming platforms. Karp was one of a handful of recent executives who left Zynga after a restructuring. Prior to Zynga, Karp was EVP of Electronic Arts’ Play label, where he oversaw The Sims, SimCity and Harry Potter.

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American Express Poaches Boku CTO Erich Ringewald

A second executive from Boku, a mobile payments company in San Francisco, has signed on with American Express. Erich Ringewald, who was Boku’s co-founder and CTO, will join the company as VP of Software Product Management for Amex’s U.S. Consumer Services business. In May, American Express hired David Yoo, an SVP at Boku, to be SVP of its Commerce Innovation team.

Amazon Expanding In-App Purchases to Include the Sale and Delivery of Physical Goods

The ability to sell physical goods inside applications is the best demonstration so far of Amazon’s tablet and commerce businesses coming together.