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Layoffs hit Rovio, DeNA drops Mobage, and we explain how Windows 10 can earn full marks

The past 7 days in bite-sized portions

Layoffs hit Rovio, DeNA drops Mobage, and we explain how Windows 10 can earn full marks
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Funding news dominated the headlines this week, with Stolen Couch Games, adtech startup Remerge, and Danish outfit Hugo Games receiving $315,000, $1 million, and $4 million respectively.

Over in the east, a localisation expert from Spellgun explained why Chinese gamers are demanding more pay-to-win games, while Japanese social mobile gaming network DeNA dropped the Mobage brand from its platform.

We also found out how well Crazy Taxi: City Rush has been monetising, while PocketGamer.biz's resident Windows expert Keith Andrew revealed how Windows 10 can earn full marks.

As always, there's plenty more news in the sea, so find yourself a steak knife and prepare to devour this week's succulent 12oz Week That Was.

Industry Voices

User acquisition, retention, and discovery

In our most recent Charticle we found out how well Crazy Taxi: City Rush monetised.

Monetisation

Tools & Platforms
  • In a somewhat surprising move, Japanese social mobile gaming network DeNA dropped the Mobage brand from its platform.
  • Even though it feels like there's a new virtual reality head-mounted display every week, the VisusVR, which cherrypicks the best options from both of the virtual reality set-ups, has really caught out eye.
  • A rumour has sprung up that Epic is preparing to make an aggressive push into the virtual reality game development arena by handing out Unreal Engine 4 licenses to Oculus Rift dev kit owners.
Funding, acquisitions, personnel and shuttering
  • Angry Birds developer Rovio has laid off 16 percent of its staff due to the firm building a team based on 'assumptions of faster growth'.
  • Hugo Games, the Danish developer behind the Hugo series of games starring a lovable troll, raised $4 million in a private placement.
  • Mobile adtech startup Remerge lifted the lid on a $1 million seed funding round led by Point Nine Capital.
  • Stolen Couch Games, the development outfit behind the upcoming Animal Crossing-inspired Castaway Paradise, received $315,000 in funding from private investors.
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Chris Kerr
Chris Kerr
What do you call someone who has an unhealthy obsession with video games and Sean Bean? That'd be a 'Chris Kerr'. Chris is one of those deluded souls who actually believes that one day Sean Bean will survive a movie. Poor guy.