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GameRefinery unveils the finalists for its annual Mobile GameDev Awards, celebrating the best in mobile game design

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The 2022 Mobile GameDev Awards finalists announced in seven categories covering different aspects of mobile game innovation and feature design, in USA, Japan and China.

Today, mobile game analytics specialist GameRefinery, a Liftoff company, is excited to announce that its jury has decided on the finalists for its second annual Mobile GameDev Awards. The awards recognise and celebrate innovation in mobile game design amongst developers in the USA, China and Japan.

The seven categories are:

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Innovation and Excellence in Core Gameplay, (all regions)

Most Promising Soft Launch Game, (all regions) Biggest Evolver individually in USA, Japan, China Best Newcomer individually in USA, Japan, China

Best Feature Innovation, Best Event individually in USA, Japan, China and

Best Use of IP in Collaboration Events (all regions).

GameRefinery will announce the winners on the 24th of May 2022.

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The 2022 Mobile GameDev Awards finalists have been selected by a panel of GameRefinery analysts, drawing on their extensive experience and expertise in games analysis.

GameRefinery’s platform tracks over 100,000 mobile games for market research, competitor intelligence, and player insights while providing more than 2,500+ in-depth game feature deconstructions and analyses.

 

Mobile GameDev Awards 2022 Finalists

Innovation & Excellence in Core Gameplay

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The most innovative and well-executed core gameplay seen in 2021:

  • 无尽的拉格朗日 (Infnite Lagrange, China)
  • Gold and Goblins: Idle Merge
  • 哈利波特:魔法觉醒 (Harry Potter Magic Awakened, China)
  • Kingdom Guard: Tower Defence
  • ウマ娘 プリティーダービー (Umamusume Pretty Derby, Japan)
  • The Ants: Underground Kingdom
  • League of Legends: Wild Rift

 

Most Promising Soft Launch Game

The 2021 soft launch game most likely to be a breakout launch success based on gameplay:

  • Apex Legends
  • Clash Mini
  • Star Blast
  • Tower of Fantasy
  • Diablo Immortal
  • Honkai: Star Rail
  • Star Wars: Hunters

 

Biggest Evolver

The game that has developed the most during 2021 in terms of gameplay:

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USA Finalists:

  • Merge Dragons!
  • Clash Royale
  • Garena Free Fire
  • Lords Mobile: Tower Defense
  • Rise of Kingdoms
  • Yahtzee® with Buddies
  • Cookie Run: Kingdom

 

Japan Finalists:

  • ステート・オブ・サバイバル (State of Survival)
  • Shin Sangokushi
  • ドラゴンクエストタクト (Dragon Quest Tact)
  • パズル&ドラゴンズ (Puzzle & Dragons)
  • プロ野球スピリッツA (Pro Yakyuu Spirits A)

 

China Finalists:

  • 植物大战僵尸2 (Plants vs. Zombies 2)
  • 谕 (Revelation)
  • 原神 (Genshin Impact)
  • 跑跑卡丁车官方竞速版 (PopKart Mobile)
  • 魂斗罗:归来-特战集结 (Contra Returns)

 

Best Newcomer

The best new entry into the market during 2021:

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USA Finalists:

  • Beatstar
  • The Ants: Underground Kingdom
  • Royal Match
  • Kingdom Guard: Tower Defence
  • Family Farm Adventure
  • Zen Match – Relaxing Puzzle
  • The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War
  • No Limit Drag Racing 2
  • Idle Lumber Empire
  • League of Legends: Wild Rift

 

Japan Finalists:

  • ウマ娘 プリティーダービー (Umamusume Pretty Derby)
  • 二ノ国:Cross Worlds (Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds)
  • ガーディアンテイルズ (Guardian Tales)
  • グランサガ(Gran Saga)
  • Nier Re[in]carnation

 

China Finalists:

  • 哈利波特:魔法觉醒 (Harry Potter: Magic Awakened)
  • 王牌竞速 (Ace Racer)
  • 幻塔 (Tower of Fantasy
  • 无尽的拉格朗日 (Infnite Lagrange)
  • 英雄联盟手游 (League of Legends: Wild Rift)
  • 重返帝国
  • 铲铲之战 (Battle of the Golden Spatula)

 

Best Feature Innovation

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The most innovative new feature introduced in a game during 2021

  • 松松总动员 (Song-song Zong-dong-yuan, China) – Login calendar meets IAP offers
  • 松松总动员 (Song-song Zong-dong-yuan, China) – Innovative limited-time gacha event
  • Garena Free Fire – Special PvP modes
  • Cooking Diary – Social hangout areas
  • Yahtzee® with Buddies – Kingdom feature
  • Rise of Kingdoms – MOBA mode
  • Puzzle & Dragons (Japan) – Synchronous PvP mode
  • PUBG MOBILE – RP Activity Packs in Battle Pass
  • Highrise – NFT cosmetics
  • XFLAG’s Kotodaman and Monster Strike (Japan) – New gacha type with a social twist
  • Ensemble Stars!! Music (Japan) – Music co-op newcomer tasks

 

Best Event

 

The best in-game event held during 2021:

 

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USA Finalists:

 

  • Yahtzee® with Buddies – Derby event

 

  • POP! Slots™ Vegas Casino Games – Win Zone event

 

  • Gardenscapes – Klondike Expedition event

 

  • Genshin Impact – Midsummer Island Adventure

 

  • Call of Duty®: Mobile – Anniversary event

 

  • Garena Free Fire – Pet Mania event

 

  • Mobile Legends: Bang Bang – Aspirants Unite event

 

  • State of Survival – 2nd Anniversary Airship Building event

 

Japan Finalists:

 

  • プロジェクトセカイ カラフルステージ! 初音ミク (Project Sekai Colorful Stage feat. Hatsune Miku) – New Year’s event

 

  • ドラゴンボール レジェンズ (Dragon Ball Legends) – Legends Festival

 

  • 妖怪ウォッチ ぷにぷに (Youkai Watch Punipuni) – Collaboration event with Neon Genesis Evangelion

 

  • 二ノ国:Cross Worlds (Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds) – General events

 

  • NieR Re[in]carnation – Collaborations events with the earlier titles in the series (NieR Automata (launch), NieR Replicant and Drakengard 3)

 

China Finalists:

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  • 松松总动员 (Song-song Zong-dong-yuan) – June 2021 Gacha event

 

  • 龙在天 (Legend of Yulong) – Fight the Landlord-card game event (doudizhu) in Jan

 

  • 神武4 (Shén wǔ 4) – Event with a real-life map to beat monsters and get points

 

  • 阴阳师 (Onmyoji) – recurring event with event-only customizable character

 

  • 富豪麻将 (Fuhao Majiang) – collaboration event with China Mahjong Masters Tournament

 

Best Use of IP in a Collaboration Event

 

Finalists:

 

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  • 跑跑卡丁车官方竞速版 (PopKart Mobile) & Ali the Fox (China)

 

  • 肠派对 (Sausage Man) & Pizza Hut (China)

 

  • Top War: Battle Game & Transformers

 

  • 江南百景图 (Canal Towns) & Kentucky Fried Chicken (China)

 

  • Mobile Legends: Bang Bang & Hello Kitty (Sanrio Characters)

 

  • Roblox & 24kGoldn Concert Experience

 

  • PUBG MOBILE & Arcane (League of Legends)

 

  • 獅子の如く~戦国覇王戦記~ (Shishi no Gotoku – Sengoku Haousenki) & Rurouni Kenshin (Japan)

 

  • State of Survival & The Walking Dead (US)
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Getting ready for Xmas: SplitMetrics partnership with Wargaming helps World of Warships app sail to new heights with 15% uplift in organic conversions

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Wargaming, a leading game developer, teamed up with SplitMetrics, an app growth solutions company, to boost conversion rates with seasonal Christmas-themed screenshots for the launch of its game World of Warships: Legends.
Coinciding with the game’s soft launch in Brazil, the Philippines, Canada, and France ahead of the Christmas holidays, Wargaming wanted to capitalise on the seasonality effect to influence its app engagement without advertising.
By working with SplitMetrics Agency, a leading mobile growth agency, Wargaming increased conversions by an average of 15% on iOS across App Store storefronts in Canada, the Philippines and France. Canada experienced the highest conversion rate increase with 31.45%, followed by the Philippines (9.61%) and France (3.44%). On Android, the Brazilian Google Play storefront experienced the highest conversion rate increase with 6.68%.
SplitMetrics Agency focused on A/B testing as its core strategy. The agency optimised visual assets, analysed performance and tested various creative hypotheses. Using SplitMetrics Optimize, the agency’s experts ran experiments to identify the best-performing illustrations for both the App Store and Google Play product pages.
A key hypothesis tested during this project was whether tailoring visuals to each region during Christmas would have an impact. For France and Canada, the images were adjusted to include a winter theme featuring snow, fireworks and a Christmas tree. For the Philippines, the agency used white ribbons, a local Christmas tradition, along with fireworks and ornaments displaying the country’s flag. And for Brazil, fireworks and ornaments decorated with the Brazilian flag.
During this testing period, there were no in-app events or paid user acquisition campaigns, allowing the performance changes to be directly attributed to the updated screenshots.
Thomas Kriebernegg, General Manager, SplitMetrics Agency, said: “Christmas is one of the main calendar events that app marketers need to prepare for, especially in the gaming category.
“The World of Warships: Legends case study is a great example of how seasonality can significantly impact your app’s performance and give you a boost in users. And this can be achieved without an advertising budget. It can all be done organically when you have the right calendar event, great graphics and A/B testing.
“As in the case of the Wargaming game, a comprehensive analysis and testing strategy increased its conversion rate by an average 15% across three markets.
“It is essential that app marketers forward-plan for any relevant calendar events. It’s also important to note that Christmas may not be relevant for every app but if you’re unsure you can always try A/B testing to see what works. And keep optimising.”

The post Getting ready for Xmas: SplitMetrics partnership with Wargaming helps World of Warships app sail to new heights with 15% uplift in organic conversions appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Nolimit City revisits the brutal factory life in Outsourced: Slash Game

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Nolimit City takes you back to the grind with its latest release, Outsourced: Slash Game. For those who thought their consumerist cravings were a safe indulgence, think again. Following in the footsteps of Outsourced, this new addition pulls back the curtain on the sweat and sacrifice lurking behind those everyday luxuries—this time with a dash of danger. Outsourced: Slash Game is the studio’s second venture into crash-style gameplay, the first being xCrash™ in Skate or Die – but this time it’s a standalone crash game!

In Slash Game, players have to make some cutthroat decisions as a laser traces the outline of their hand, increasing the multiplier with every pass. Players hit “stop” to cash out, locking in the multiplier when they feel the timing is right. After which, they will be shown the potential winnings if they wouldn’t have stopped. But here’s the catch: if players hesitate a second too long and the laser slips, all the winnings are lost. A live scoreboard displays the Top Win, Top Miss and Last Round, so that players can keep track of their previous rounds.

Outsourced: Slash Game is not a familiar Nolimit City slot to some players but could cause some excitement with an increasing multiplier and a maximum payout of 1,500x the base bet. Outsourced: Slash Game, unlike Nolimit City’s high-volatility slots, is rated as ‘Medium Volatility’ but don’t let that fool you as it still includes the risk of losing your hand.

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Per Lindheimer, Head of Product at Nolimit City, said: “Get back to work, will you? We’re bringing players back to the unrelenting factory floor of Outsourced with an all-new twist. Slash Game is a standalone take on our crash-style games, and it’s packed with plenty of heart-stopping moments (and maybe a few hand-stopping ones, too). We’re thrilled with how it turned out and we hope that our fans will be too!“

‘Outsourced: Slash Game’ will be available to all Nolimit City partners on November 5th, 2024.

The post Nolimit City revisits the brutal factory life in Outsourced: Slash Game appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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CS2 Intel Extreme Masters Rio 2024 SuperComputer: NaVi to bounce back after Blast Fall Final loss

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Final: Natus Vincere (36.5%) to beat Team Vitality (28.1%)

Semifinal 1: Natus Vincere (52.6%) to beat MOUZ (16.3%)

Semifinal 2: Team Vitality (47.7%) to beat G2 Esports (18.7%)

Quarterfinal 1: G2 Esports (39.8%) to beat FaZe Clan (32.8%)

Quarterfinal 2: MOUZ (35.9%) to beat Eternal Fire (24.7%)

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Group stage

  1. Natus Vincere – 48.7% to finish 1st; 17.0% to finish 2nd; 84.1% to make playoffs

  2. Team Vitality – 40.8% to finish 1st; 17.4% to finish 2nd; 77.7% to make playoffs

  3. G2 Esports – 19.3% to finish 1st; 20.4% to finish 2nd; 56.7% to make playoffs

  4. MOUZ – 14.5% to finish 1st; 21.8% to finish 2nd; 53.0% to make playoffs

  5. FaZe Clan – 13.9% to finish 1st; 21.0% to finish 2nd; 50.2% to make playoffs

  6. Eternal Flame – 40.7% to finish 1st; 16.2% to finish 2nd; 40.7% to make playoffs

  7. Liquid – 16.3% to finish 7-8th; 35.7% to make playoffs

  8. Virtus.pro – 15.4% to finish 7-8th; 29.9% to make playoffs

  9. Astralis – 28.9% to finish 9-12th; 31.5% to make playoffs

  10. The MongolZ – 32.7% to finish 9-12th; 25.4% to make playoffs

  11. Complexity – 34.3% to finish 9-12th; 21.2% to make playoffs

  12. Heroic – 26.8% to finish 9-12th; 23.5% to make playoffs

  13. paiN – 36.5% to finish 13-16th; 21.0% to make playoffs

  14. FURIA – 36.4% to finish 13-16th; 20.9% to make playoffs

  15. 9z – 44.7% to finish 13-16th; 14.6% to make playoffs

  16. Imperial – 49.1% to finish 13-16th; 13.9% to make playoffs

It has been quite the run for NaVi despite their loss with back to back grand finals in recent weeks but CSDB.gg’s predictive model suggests there will be no let up for the Ukrainian esports organisation.

G2 will also be looking to build more momentum in preparation for Majors season with NiKo on a quest to finally get over the line this year to win his first major title. Hopefully Rio won’t have to see a repeat of his reaction in the semifinals at BLAST Premier Fall Final 2024 where he punched a hole in a table after losing out to Team Vitality in a key moment.

However, the hosts of Intel Extreme Masters Rio 2024 may want to lockdown any nearby furniture and reinforce their desks if G2 are set for disappointment at the semifinals stage as predicted by the CSDB.gg SuperComputer.

A victory in Rio could be even more consequential for how the end of the year shapes up for the leading teams on the circuit. The Valve Global rankings have both teams close at the very top (NaVi at 1988 and G2 at 1953) meaning a win for either team could hand them a key advantage when it comes to who enters the Majors as top seed. 

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Back-to-back wins in T1 events for G2, should they prosper in Rio, would set the Berlin-based team on an incredible trajectory going into the winter months.

Meanwhile, Brazilian hopes for glory look slight according to the CSDB.gg SuperComputer with FURIA, the team co-owned by Neymar, having only been given a 20.9% chance of even making the playoffs. 

They are the leading contenders to make an impact for the home crowd but there are other teams flying the flag for Brazil with paiN and Imperial also set to give it their best to give local fans something to cheer on.

In terms of forecasted matchups of note, G2 and FaZe Clan could offer up a fascinating encounter in the quarterfinals should both teams qualify, with each organisation rated as having a strong chance of making the semis with little to separate them should they meet.

How was the CSDB.gg CS2 Tournament SuperComputer created?

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The CSDB.gg CS2 Tournament SuperComputer is a predictive model created using world ranking points, team quality ratings and performance trends. An element of randomness is also included in the model to avoid the best teams and players always winning, to reflect the fact that upsets can happen.

Every tournament is simulated 1,000 times with the results aggregated into a percentage rating of the chances teams or players have to achieve the predicted result.

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