Mobile app roundup: DeNA, Take Two Interactive and Steam

DeNA Partners with Baidu -- Mobage games are now available in a dedicated section of Baidu’s Yi Android app store, thanks to a deal between DeNA’s Chinese arm and Baidu. The first Baidu Yi Android smartphone went on sale in China in January. Android, iOS grow smartphone market share -- According to comScore’s latest US mobile subscriber survey, Google now controls 47.3 percent of the US smartphone market, up from the 44.8 percent it held in September. iOS’ share rose to 29.6 percent, up from 27.4 percent in September. RIM, Microsoft and Symbian dropped by 2.9 percent, 0.9 percent and 0.4 percent respectively. Scribblenauts Remix hits 1 million downloads -- Scribblenauts Remix, the iOS adaptation of 5th Cell's hit Nintendo DS franchise Scribblenauts has been downloaded over 1 million times according the game's App Store description. The game currently costs $0.99. 11 percent of Take-Two Interactive’s third quarter revenues were digital -- Take Two Interactive has released its third quarter earnings, reporting net revenue of $236.3 million, down from $334.3 million a year earlier. The company reported 11 percent of revenue came from digitally delivered content, highlighting the performance of GTA 3 for iOS and Android. Square Enix's digital revenues up --Square Enix is reporting its net operating income from its digital entertainment segment (including console, handheld and mobile and social games) totaled $163 million dollars for the nine month period ending in Dec. 31, up 11.6 percent year-on-year. The company noted it is seeing a "continued expansion in fee-based service revenues from growth areas including content for the web, smartphones and social networking service." Humble Indie Bundle comes to Android -- The latest Humble Indie Bundle is the first of its kind to support Android games. All proceeds from the pay-as-you-wish bundles are given to charity. So far more than 100,000 copies of the latest bundle has been sold. Crytek unveils GFace, a PC-mobile social game network -- PC game maker Crytek has created a PC to mobile social gaming network. The GFace network is currently in beta and focuses on cross-platform, multiplayer gameplay. Chomp: Only 5 percent of Android downloads are paid -- According to a report provided to TechCrunch by mobile app search company Chomp, only 5 percent of Android downloads are for paid apps, compared to 22 percent of downloads on iOS. Apple introduces iPhone lottery in China -- In order to combat high demand, Apple has introduced an online lottery system for those wishing to purchase an iPhone 4S in Hong Kong. Customers are required to provide a picture ID to pick up their phone. According to a report from Apple Insider, investment bank Morgan Stanley believes Apple could sell as many as 40 million iPhones in China this year. Sega releasing microtransaction-based Playstation Vita game -- Sega’s upcoming Playstation Vita game Samurai & Dragons will be a free download from the Playstation Network and will monetize through in-game item purchases, according to Siliconera. The game is based on Sega’s iOS hit -KingdomConquest-. Rovio took lessons from the music industry on piracy -- Speaking at the Midem music conference in Cannes this week, Rovio’s CEO Mikael Hed said his company has learned from the mistakes the music industry has made in combatting piracy. Hed also revealed Rovio was in talks to cross-promote music content. Later in the week KISS singer Gene Simmons revealed his group has been in talks with Rovio about an Angry Birds/KISS crossover. Nexon merging with Nexon Mobile to focus on mobile games -- The Korea Herald is reporting Nexon will be merging with its affiliate Nexon Mobile in order to focus on its growing mobile business. Apple shipped more smartphones than Samsung in the fourth quarter -- UK-based Juniper Research is reporting that the 37 million iPhones Apple sold in the fourth quarter accounted for almost 25 percent of the 149 million smartphones shipped during the period, more than its closest OEM competitor, Samsung. DeNA, GREE continue legal slugging match -- DeNA and GREE are continuing to play out their rivalry in the Japanese courts. In November, GREE sued DeNA, claiming the company was pressuring developers to sign exclusive contracts. According to Serkan Toto, DeNA is now suing for damages related to GREE’s actions. IBM buys WorkLight -- IBM has bought Israeli HTML5 developer WorkLight to bolster its mobile strategy. IBM did not disclose the terms of the deal, but it is reported to be somewhere around $70 million. [Launch] Steam App now available -- Valve’s Steam mobile app has left beta after less than a week, and is now available as a free download on both iOS and Android. [Launch] Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective now available on iOS -- Capcom’s left-field DS game Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is now available on iOS. The game is free to download and comes with the first two chapters. The entire game is unlocked via in-app purchase. Our full review of the game can be found here.

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Mobile app roundup: DeNA, Take Two Interactive and Steam

Kathleen De Vere

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Kathleen De Vere