PocketGamer.biz Week That Was: How to get a job in games, Apple's disappointing record-breaker, and Rovio turns publisher
The past 7 days in bite-sized portions
This week, leaked technical specifications for the next generation of home consoles hit the internet. Some of which, it turned out, were completely made up.
But if we confine our attention to the rumours that haven't been utterly discredited, it's clear that Microsoft and Sony are both cooking up some powerful machines.
And assuming they're built to last as long as their predecessors, the PS4 and the new Xbox will be sat beneath our televisions until 2020 and beyond.
As such, it seems certain that they will be the last home consoles of their kind.
Considering how dramatically mobile technology, free-to-play mechanics and the games-as-a-service model have all disrupted the games industry in the last three-to-five years, it's hard to imagine another home console launch making sense in 2022.
As for what exactly would take its place – I have no idea. The demand for complex, cinematic triple-A games isn't about to go away, but the way they're delivered and monetised simply has to change.
Anyway, that's quite enough soothsaying for one week. Instead, let's look back at the last seven days on PocketGamer.biz.
Platform wars- CEO Thorsten Heins suggests that RIM could sell its hardware division once BlackBerry 10 reaches the market.
- Microsoft finally reveals the launch date for Windows Phone 7.8, although it was perhaps by accident rather than design.
- Mozilla unveils two Firefox OS developer preview handsets – the Keon and the Peak.
- Apple's quarterly results show revenues of $54.5 billion and net profit of $13.1 billion. In response to this 'record' quarter, the company's stock price fell by 10 percent.
- Apple announces 47.8 million iPhones were sold in its Q1 2013 results – but analysts were expecting 50 million or more.
- In this week's edition of the PocketGamer.biz Charticle, we examine Joe Danger, and ponder whether a combination of console pedigree and premium pricing can produce grossing charts success.
- PocketGamer.biz contributor Simon Parkin distils the secrets of free-to-play success in 2013.
- Free-to-play consultant Nicholas Lovell argues that the model is, fundamentally, all about choice.
- Too many mobile games are just monetisation systems, reckons mobile newcomer S2.
- There's still a place for premium pricing, argues Fireproof Games, as it reveals how The Room turned a £60,000 investment into £1 million in sales.
- The PocketGamer.biz Mobile Gaming Mavens discuss Nvidia's Project Shield. Opinions are divided, but our group agrees that Nvidia's pricing strategy will be an important factor in Shield's success.
- Imangi Studios co-founder Keith Shepherd explains how the team ditched its old engine and started from scratch for Temple Run 2.
- PocketGamer.biz US correspondent Rob LeFebvre examines what life's like for a UK indie operating out of the States.
- Casual gamers get bored of tending crops eventually. That's where we come in, says Nival's Ivan Fedyanin.
- Consoles are dead - long live the unconsole, says Danke Games' Fraser MacInnes.
With 2013 well and truly underway, now's typically the time when the industry's great and good take a quick look around and, CV willing, consider making a swift move to a rival firm.
So, to find out how you can stand out from the pack, we spoke to the people doing the hiring at some of the leading companies in this industry, including:
- King.com's mobile guru Tommy Palm
- Boss Alien's MD Jason Avent
- Fishlabs' lead recruiter Marc Morian
- NaturalMotion's talent acquisition manager Emma McGonigle
- GREE's HR director Nick Bartlett
- InnoGames' head of HR Jan Wilfarth
- Kabam's VP of studio operations Yoko Nakao
Kicking off the 2013 conference season this week was the Mobile Games Forum. For non-attendee Keith Andrew, it was a time to reflect on the value of these industry events – particularly for independent developers.
Meanwhile for PocketGamer.biz's editor-at-large and news editor, it was a time to write lots of stories. For instance:
- You don't need a place in the top 20 charts to be successful, according to App Store optimisation panel.
- For longterm success you should look to Android, concludes cross-platform panel.
- And in a PocketGamer.biz exclusive, editor-at-large Jon Jordan revealed the first details of Rovio's move into mobile games publishing.
To see the rest of PocketGamer.biz's Mobile Games Forum 2013 coverage, take a look at this one convenient list.