Welcome to this week's edition of News by Numbers, where we highlight some of the can't-miss mobile gaming news each and very week.
Sentinels of the Multiverse: version 2.4
Have you played Handelabra Game's hero driven digital boardgame Sentinels of the Multiverse? Did you think it was too easy? If so, the game's most recent update is for you thanks to the introduction of a challenge mode. It looks like the idea is to let villains cheat. Here's App Store update info:
"So you think Sentinels is too easy? Now, each villain gets another “twist” to their rules, adding that extra delicious layer of strategy to spice up your Sentinels game. And for those who want add even more fire to the flames, Ultimate Mode allows you to play with both the rules from Advanced AND Challenge Mode at the same time. Grand Warlord Voss isn’t being cutesy anymore, oh no, he’s playing the top card of his deck every time he flips. Think you can show him a dose of justice? Or how about The Matriarch who has made all her domain cards indestructible? Or Spite, gaining an unlimited amount of HP? They dare you to try and stop their nefarious ploys!"
Bottom of the 9th: 3 outs
Speaking of Handelabra, it seems they are hard at work bringing the tabletop __game Bottom of the 9th to digital devices. As the name suggests, the __game is focused on the bottom of the ninth inning in a baseball game. There's strategy, adjusting your lineup based on player abilities, as well as luck in the throw of the dice. I've not played the game, but it's fairly popular on BoardGameGeek. No word yet on release date but we'll keep you posted.
The Warlock of Firetop Mountain: 4 interesting sales facts
I always find it very interesting when developers pull back the curtain and provide some insight into mobile game sales. Tin Man Games did just that recently on Twitter in regards to their digital recreation of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain. One tweet revealed that there may have been some debate about supporting iPhone as well as iPad.
Interesting analytic. 50% of Warlock buyers bought it on an iPhone and 50% on an iPad. SO PLEASED we ended up pushing for an iPhone version.
— Tin Man Neil (@TinManGames) March 9, 2017
Three more tweets give a little more insight on the breakdown of sales on Steam…
Fun fact: Linux accounted for 1% of our Warlock of Firetop Mountain sales on Steam. Mac was 6.5%.
— Tin Man Neil (@TinManGames) March 14, 2017
And on iOS versus Steam…
Fun Fact No. 2: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain has been downloaded almost as many times on iOS as it has on Steam, in a much shorter time.
— Tin Man Neil (@TinManGames) March 14, 2017
Worth noting that the lower pricepoint on iOS will have contributed to that. 12% of iOS buyers went on to buy extra in-app heroes.
— Tin Man Neil (@TinManGames) March 14, 2017
D&D Beyond: 5th edition digital tools
At PAX East Wizards of the Coast announced the development of D&D Beyond, digital tools for their latest edition of Dungeons & Dragons. D&D Beyond will provide a rules compendium with official content and the ability to homebrew your own, character builder, and digital character sheets and promises high-quality tools on any device. It sounds good, especially the "any device" part, but given Wizards' track record with digital tools and applications seeing will be believing. You can sign up for the beta here if you want to help bring the toolset to life.
Faeria: 6 new cards
Faeria just launched on Steam and for iPads, but ABRAKAM seems keen on making their plans to expand the game known. A new expansion named the Adventure Pouch is coming this summer and will be adding a new co-operative campaign where you will work with friends or an AI ally, co-op boss fights, and new cosmetic items and daily challenges. The Adventure Pouch is available for pre-order at a discounted price between March 15th and May 9th and those that take advantage will get 6 new cards that have been added to the game's core set as well as a special card back. The pouch's promo video is worth a laugh, but probably not in a way they intended. Faeria is out now on Steam and iPads and will be launching for Android tablets in about a month.
Battleheart 2: 16 classes
Mika Mobile provided a quick update on the development of the latest game in the Battleheart franchise, Battleheart 2. At this point they're working on the art and animation for the game's heroes and enemies. Their goal is to launch the game with at least 12 but preferably 16 heroes, four of each major archetype (tank, support, melee, and ranged dps). It's too early to peg a release date, though Mika Mobile is aiming for 2017. They've long been touting this one as a return to the magic of the original Battleheart—with the addition of cooperative multiplayer—and if so, it'll be well worth waiting for.
Rome Total War Barbarian Invasion: 28th of March
Last week I talked about the imminent invasion of Rome by barbarians. This week, we have a launch date. Rome: Total War - Barbarian Invasion is coming to iPad on March 28th. In it, you can play as the Roman Empire or the barbarian hordes. Will it be as great on iPad as Rome: Total War? We will know very soon.
UK mobile games industry: £995.1 million in 2016
The UK mobile games industry is large and growing. UKIE, a trade organization for the UK's games and interactive entertainment industry, recently stated that the industry was worth £995.1 million in 2016, and increase of 16.9% from 2015. The mobile industry makes up about a third of the £3 billion game software industry. UKIE also stated that the future may be less bright thanks to Brexit, with 40% of game studios at least considering a relocation.
That's it for this edition of News by Numbers. If you've got a news item worth sharing send it my way on Twitter @MrVigabool and it may show up in a future edition.
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