Emerging Apps on the iOS Top Grossing List: Fantasy, Killers & Golf Rise Up the Charts

To cover a wider range of new games and developers, we're covering titles in their first appearance at the top of the iOS charts. The top grossing apps list held more free games than normal this week, with two free-to-play titles that have an in-app purchase for the full game after a short demo. It's a choice that is becoming more common with developers, despite the unpopularity of it with users who download the app in expectation of a full game. New Top Titles Within iPhone Top Grossing Apps List Final Fantasy III -- After making it into this week's top paid app list, the Final Fantasy III port to iPhone has also made its way onto the top grossing app list as well at #5. Developed by Japanese console developer Square Enix, the original game was released back in 1990 and re-released in 3D in 2006. This new iPhone rendition was released March 16th and currently runs at a pricey $15.99. Contract Killer -- The folks over at Glu Mobile have a new (March 24th) free game by the name of Contract Killer, where players take on the role of a hired sniper, and it's already at #22. Monetized through in-app, virtual currency purchases, the game's design is reminiscent of social games in that actions consume slowly recharging energy, coaxing players that wish to play more to buy currency. Glu Mobile is a publicly traded San Francisco mobile games developer founded in 2001 and with multiple international offices. Haunted Manor ~ Lord of Mirrors -- Free to download, Haunted Manor ~ Lord of Mirrors is a puzzle-adventure game that monetizes itself through an in-app unlock purchase for the full game. Developed by Big Fish Games, players must explore an haunted mansion and uncover the mystery of its abandonment. Big Fish Games is a larger casual games developer with offices based in Seattle, Vancouver, and Cork, Ireland, that is looking to focus more on the mobile space. The game is currently #27 on the top grossing iPad list and it's in-app unlock is 40% off at $2.99. It was released March 24th. Tiger Woods: My Swing -- In at #34 is the $9.99 application from Shotzoom Software, TigerWoods: My Swing. Released March 23rd, the app allows users to practice their golf swing via a video analysis and instruction from Tiger Woods, comparing their swings with his. As for Shotzoom themselves, they are a young outfit from Arizona, founded in 2007, that focuses on mobile apps for active lifestyles such as golf and baseball. Eternal Legacy -- Though it is technically not a "new" title, we wanted to include Eternal Legacy from Gameloft. Currently, the Final Fantasy'esque role-playing game is #44 having moved up the charts, due to being sold for $0.99, and despite being released back in December (the 8th). However, the game is back to $4.99. Gameloft is one of the larger developers and publishers in the mobile space. Established in 1999, the international company also has titles on many of the core consoles as well. Minute To Win It -- Released March 16th is Minute To Win It at #46. Developed by Capcom Mobile, the $1.99 app is based off of the NBC game show of the same name, tasking players to compete in simplistic mini-games that utilize everyday household objects in a unique fashion. Capcom Mobile is a smaller part of the 30-year-old, Japanese game development veteran, Capcom. New Top Titles Within iPad Top Grossing Apps List Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery -- The highly stylized adventure game of Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery recently found its way on the top paid iPad charts, and now the $4.99 game is #11 on the top grossing iPad charts. Developed by Capybara Games, a small, yet award-winning, Toronto-based indie group, the game features the step-by-step adventure of an unnamed monk on a "woeful errand" with a design emphasis on the audiovisual. In our review, we found it to be a very high quality game. It was released March 24th. Haunted Manor ~ Lord of Mirrors HD -- The iPad version of casual game developer Big Fish Games' adventure-puzzle game, Haunted Manor ~ Lord of Mirrors HD comes in at #14. Players aid the character of Stan Riddle as he attempts resolve why the mansion has been abandoned and where its owner has gone. Free to download, the game is monetized through an in-app purchase that unlocks the full game. Currently, this price is 50% off at $4.99. Contract Killer -- Publicly traded, California-based mobile games developer, Glu Mobile, makes another appearance with the iPad rendition of Contract Killer. A shooting game where players assassinate targets from a sniper's vantage point, the app is actually free-to-play. The title monetizes itself in the same way as social games do, by selling virtual items and currencies to recharge players There are also special items and weapons to keep them playing more during one sitting. The title was released March 24th, and is currently #21 on the top grossing apps list for iPad. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 for iPad -- Tiger Woods makes a second appearance on the list, but this game is from a different maker. In at #28 is the $9.99 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 for iPad. Developed by the international games giant, Electronic Arts, the game is an iPad port of the popular Tiger Woods PGA Tour franchise. The game has a moderate social integration, allowing players to compare shots, view leaderboards, and challenge friends, all through Facebook. Synchronous head-to-head multiplayer is also available. The game was released today, March 29th. Paradise Island HD -- This isn't a new game but it's popped up on the charts again after launching in late December. Paradise Island HD is a virtual sim type of game that allows users to create a beach side paradise for tourists. This free-to-play game monetizes itself through in-app purchases ranging from $3.99 to $99.99 and is currently #31 on the top grossing iPad charts. It was developed by Game Insight, a Russian company based out of Moscow. This young company (founded in 2009) focuses primarily on social and browser-based games. Burn the Rope HD -- The iPad version of Burn the Rope, Burn the Rope HD, saunters its way onto the top grossing iPad list at #44. The application is developed by Big Blue Bubble, a Canadian developer founded in 2004 whose titles are focused around the mobile and console (Wii) spaces. The company has also developed games, experimentally, on Facebook. Burn the Rope HD was released March 18th and runs $4.99. War Pinball HD -- The last new title to the top grossing list is War Pinball HD, which is a simple pinball game centered around classic war movies such as Platoon or Missing in Action. This $2.99 application is currently #46 on the list and is developed by a small Ukrainian mobile developer called Gameprom.

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Emerging Apps on the iOS Top Grossing List: Fantasy, Killers & Golf Rise Up the Charts

Christopher Mack

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Christopher Mack