The PocketGamer.biz Top 50 developers of 2014: 10 to 1
From Colpol to ?
Considering the tens of thousands of publishers and developers who are daily making new mobile games and supporting live titles, the task of picking out the relatively small number of 50 as being 'top' may seem to be a Sisyphean exercise.
Yet, that process provides a wealth of useful information, while the rigor of directly comparing companies - one against another - forces us to think about what we mean by the term 'top developers'.
In terms of our process at PocketGamer.biz, we used metrics such as creativity, critical acclaim, sales performance, innovation especially in terms of business model, and that certain je ne sais quoi that only the best studios exude.
The full list - produced in conjunction with Chinese mobile game development platform Chukong Technologies and Everplay's Applifier gameplay video sharing technology - will be revealed daily through our Top 50 Developer of 2014 section.
10. Colopl
Change from 2013: New entry
Key games: Quiz RPG: The World of Mystic Wiz, Professional Baseball Pride
A highly prolific Japanese game publisher, Colopl has risen to the fore due to its performance on Google Play. It's a top 10 ranked company by global revenue on the Android app store thanks in the main to Quiz RPG: The World of Mystic Wiz.
Boosted by a domestic TV advertising campaign to over 17 million downloads, the game, which mixes trivia questions with card-battling RPG gameplay, was a fixture in the Japanese Google Play top grossing top 10 (also top 20 on the App Store) for most of 2013.
An English language version has since been released, although it's yet to find the wider success of Puzzle & Dragons.
Colopl isn't a one-trick company, though, with games such as Professional Baseball Pride and its Kuma the Bear franchise - something it uses for cheap user acquisition - rocketing the company's annual sales in 2013 by 230 percent to $170 million.
9. CJ E&M
New entry
Key games: Monster Taming, Everybody's Marble for Kakao, 2013 for Kakao
Part of the CJ Group - a conglomerate with activities ranging from logistics and home shopping to pharmaceutics, biotechnology, food and entertainment - CJ E&M is Korean's largest media company. As well as mobile apps and games, it has its fingers in music, TV, movie theatres and shopping malls.
When it comes to mobile content, however, CJ E&M's rise has been on the coat-tails of Korean mobile messaging service KakaoTalk. Particularly strong on Android, it's released dozens of titles, with the revenue generated from the like of Monster Taming and Everybody's Marble for Kakao placing CJ E&M as the third top grossing company globally on Google Play, behind GungHo and King.
Of course, the vast bulk of its players are Korean, yet as the Kakao platform spreads globally - notably throughout southeast Asia, Turkey and parts of Europe, CJ E&M's simple, social games will have the potential to find an even larger audience.
8. ZyngaUp 26
Key games: CSR Racing, Words With Friends, FarmVille, Zynga Poker
No one spends $527 million on goodwill (although it sometimes ends up being accounted for in this way). Nevertheless, Zynga's surprise move to acquire UK studio NaturalMotion for that amount boosts the combined entity into our top 10.
NaturalMotion had a strong 2013, in which it strengthened its CSR Racing franchise with the release of effective expansion pack CSR Classics. The much vaunted Clumsy Ninja also impressed from a technical point of view, and no doubt, there's plenty more to come from the studio in 2014.
Yet even without the deal, Zynga's new management is clearly ready to do what's required to turn around the struggling company. Headcount has been further cut and mobile gaming is now the focus, with the company's casino games and Words With Friends already performing better financially.
Sure, there's a long way to go to regain profitability, but the worm has turned, and Zynga still has $1.1 billion in cash for further acquisition opportunities.
7. GamevilUp 5
Key games: Monster Warlord, Fishing Superstars, Dark Avenger, Zenonia
2013 proved to be a banner year for Korean publisher Gamevil. Financially it demonstrated growth with its international business performing well and annual sales up 16 percent to $76 million.
Yet where the company particularly impressed has been its corporate development where it's been actively pursuing investment and equity deals with developers and rivals alike. Of course, the headline move was its $65 million acquisition of its larger Korean outfit Com2uS. The result is a company with combined annual sales of around $150 million and global scale in both development and publishing.
Gamevil has doubled down too, snapping up key partners such as Dark Avenger studio Boolean and Monster Warlord developer Everple, and investing in half a dozen more. This will create its own administrative issues, but when combined with a strong release schedule in the coming months, Gamevil certainly has the opportunity to really shine during 2014.
6. Machine Zone
New entry
Key games: Game of War - Fire Age
Active in iOS strategy games since 2009 under its previous label Addmired, Machine Zone rebranded in March 2012 on the back of a $8 million investment round.
That's been money very well spent as its hardcore iOS city-building PVP strategy title Game of War proved to be one of 2013's breakout successes. Slowly but surely it crept up the top grossing charts, hitting the #1 spot in 29 countries, and going top 10 in a further 52, including gaining the #3 position in the US and UK.
Because, as other developers have looked to make games for a more midcore audience, Game of War goes hard against that grain; being more complicated and heavily focused on relationships created through a deep alliance system. Significantly, it's also built on this devotion, self-seeding global success thanks to an in-game user-generated chat translation system.
5. KabamUp 1
Key games: The Hobbit, Kingdoms of Middle-earth, Kingdoms of Camelot: Battle for the North, Fast & Furious 6: The Movie
Kabam was already a successful free-to-play publisher before it went mobile, but since that decision its annual sales have increased 80 percent and then 100 percent, hitting $360 million for 2013.
Of this amount, around 70 percent comes from its mobile games, notably PVP strategy games The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-earth and Kingdoms of Camelot: Battle for the North.
Well balanced in terms of its success across iOS and Android, Kabam's plan is now to build out with new IP such as the internally-developed Dark District as well as published games. For example, it has the western rights to the mobile version of Chinese MMOG Wartune. It's also looking to expand from its core strategy genre with the more pick-up-and-play multiplayer actioneer Blast Zone.
For, as with King, the rumoured goal for the company is to demonstrate the widening of success prior to an IPO.
4. King
Up 3
Key games: Candy Crush Saga, Pet Rescue Saga, Farm Heroes Saga
While Puzzle & Dragons was the most profitable game of 2013, the year's other billion dollar game - Candy Crush Saga - is the poster child for popular casual mobile gaming. Indeed, there are many similarities between the two; from their object matching gameplay to serendipitous timing in terms of gaining an audience spending more and more of its leisure time glued to smartphones.
The big difference with Candy Crush Saga, however, has been the scale of its playing audience, which has been much larger and more global, if less lucrative on a per user basis than Puzzle & Dragons' niche slice.
So now the challenge for King is to ensure it can migrate those players - and their Facebook-connected friends - over to its newer mobile games such as Pet Rescue Saga and Farm Heroes Saga. This is particular vital as 73 percent of its $1.9 billion in revenue in 2013 came from mobile gamers.
3. EA Mobile
No change
Key games: FIFA 14, Plants vs. Zombies 2, The Simpsons: Tapped Out, Real Racing 3
EA Mobile continues to perform, despite being tethered to a console-focused company that is still struggling financially, being both loss-making and declining in terms of revenue.
That's not the situation for the mobile part of the business, however, which remains in rude health, both financially and creatively. FY13 sales were up 26 percent to $339 million, while games such as Real Racing 3, Plants vs. Zombies 2 and Dungeon Keeper demonstrate its designers are not afraid of reinventing old franchises for the free-to-play era.
Yet, the year has not been without issues; notably an audience that seems to get more enjoyment in criticising EA's mobile games than playing them. Still, with The Simpsons: Tapped Out continuing to motor along - it's now generated over $130 million in lifetime sales - EA Mobile remains a global player, both on Android and iOS.
2. SupercellDown 1
Key games: Clash of Clans, Hay Day
Having generated $892 million from (two) mobile games in 2013 - the second highest annual total ever - Supercell might feel aggrieved to drop one position in this year's Developer Top 50, even to sister developer GungHo Online. But that's the slight margin at the top of the most successful sector of the games industry.
Of course, many self-styled Supercellians won't care one jot. Notable for their rejection of "common" success metrics such as revenue, profit or ranking, the only thing that matters to them will be maintaining the now global success of Clash of Clans and Hay Day.
During 2013, the games were finally released on Android, also gaining traction in previously unvisited markets such as Japan and China. That's one area where the company can rightly claim to be the best in the world. Next up, there's the small matter of the company's third release, the "risky" strategy game Boom Beach - due in March.
1. GungHo Online
Up 3
Key games: Puzzle & Dragons
You can't argue with the first mobile game to generate $1 billion. That's the situation with GungHo Online's singularly successful Puzzle & Dragons.
In many ways, it's a simple experience; one which draws on the monetisation legacy of Japanese card-collection games, combined with easy-to-start-hard-to-master gem matching gameplay. What was crucial, however, was timing. With the highly lucrative Japanese mobile gaming market switching from mobile browser games to native apps, it was right place, right time for Puzzle & Dragons to ride Japan's transition to iOS and Android.
While the majority of revenues still come from Japan, the game's success has spread to Korea, North America and parts of Europe, where it continues to rise up the top grossing charts.
GungHo has also managed the operational side of the game with skill, cross-promoting with brands like Hello Kitty and games such as Clash of Clans and Batman: Arkham Origins.
