Tag Archives: gluu

Microsoft’s Addictive Video Game ‘Minecraft’ Reaches China

Microsoft ( MSFT ) has signed a deal with NetEase ( NTES ) to distribute the wildly popular video game “Minecraft” in China. Under the five-year deal, Chinese online services firm NetEase will introduce versions of the sandbox, or world-building, game for personal computers and mobile devices in China. “Minecraft” already has more than 100 million registered players worldwide. “We are excited to bring Minecraft to Chinese audiences, and expect our large online community to embrace this pre-eminent game,” NetEase founder and CEO William Ding said in a statement . Microsoft bought “Minecraft” developer Mojang for $2.5 billion in September 2014. Tencent Eyes Supercell Investment In other gaming news, Chinese Internet company Tencent Holdings ( TCEHY ) is in talks with SoftBank ( SFTBY ) to buy the Japanese telecom giant’s majority stake in Supercell, the Finland-based maker of some of the world’s most popular mobile games, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday . SoftBank owns 73% of Supercell, which last year was valued at $5.25 billion, the Journal said. Supercell is best known for its combat games “Clash of Clans” and “Clash Royale.” Tencent is a leader in PC games thanks to its purchase of U.S.-based Riot Games, maker of “League of Legends.” And last year, it bought minority stakes in mobile game publishers Glu Mobile ( GLUU ) and Pocket Gems. RELATED: Britney Spears Game Lifts Glu, But Big Publishers Winning

Britney Spears Game Lifts Glu, But Big Publishers Winning

Mobile video game publisher Glu Mobile ( GLUU ) got a rise Thursday from the release of a new game featuring pop singer Britney Spears. However, it’s the big game publishers like Activision Blizzard ( ATVI ) and Electronic Arts ( EA ) that are winning in the mobile games market. Glu saw its low-priced, micro-cap stock rise 7% to 2.50 in afternoon trading on the stock market today , on the release of its latest celebrity game: “Britney Spears: American Dream.” The San Francisco-based company needs another hit along the lines of its genre-defining game, “Kim Kardashian: Hollywood,” to regain its footing. Glu’s sales have fallen on a year-over-year basis for three straight quarters. And the declines are accelerating — from a 2% decrease in Q3 2015 to a 16% drop in Q4 and a 22% fall in Q1. Glu has a miserable IBD Relative Strength Rating of 3, meaning it is in the bottom 3% for performance among all stocks over the last 12 months. Another publicly traded maker of mobile games, San Francisco-based Zynga ( ZNGA ), faces similar challenges. Its sales have stalled the last two quarters — falling 4% year over year in Q4 and increasing just 2% in Q1. Zynga is known for games such as “Words With Friends” and “Zynga Poker.” Like Glu, Zynga stock is low valued, trading near 2.50 and up a fraction Thursday afternoon. Meanwhile, PC and console game giants Activision Blizzard and Electronic Arts reported solid gains in their mobile game initiatives in the March quarter. Activision stock jumped to near its all-time high after the company posted  better-than-expected first-quarter results on May 5. The Santa Monica, Calif.-based company credited the upside surprise to newly acquired mobile game publisher King Digital Entertainment and its hot titles like “Candy Crush Jelly Saga.” Activision completed its purchase of King on Feb. 23. In Q1, King’s monthly active users rose 3% to 463 million from the prior quarter. King has had three of the top 15 highest-grossing titles in the U.S. mobile app stores for nine quarters in a row. EA stock climbed to a record high of 77.15 after the Redwood City, Calif.-based company posted better-than-expected results for its fiscal Q4 on May 10. Shares were down 1.5% Thursday afternoon, near 73.50. EA was the No. 1 most-downloaded mobile game publisher in 2015, with such popular games as “Madden NFL Mobile” and “Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes.”

Kendall And Kylie Jenner Video Game Gives Glu Mobile A Lift

Freemium game publisher Glu Mobile ( GLUU ) got a lift on Thursday from the launch of its latest celebrity video game, based on reality TV stars Kendall and Kylie Jenner. The mobile game, “Kendall & Kylie,” quickly jumped to the top of the download chart on Apple ‘s ( AAPL ) App Store. On Alphabet ‘s ( GOOGL ) Google Play store, however, it ranked No. 129 on the free games chart on Thursday afternoon. Shares of Glu, a low-priced and volatile small-cap, jumped 4.5% to 3.74 on the stock market today . Earlier in the session, the stock had risen as much as 8.7%. San Francisco-based Glu has struggled to find a follow-up to its hit celebrity game “Kim Kardashian: Hollywood.” But the Jenner girls, Kim’s half-sisters, appear to have the Kardashian golden touch. Customer reviews of the new game have been highly favorable, in contrast to Glu’s previous celebrity game, “Katy Perry Pop,” which flopped. Like all of Glu’s games, “Kendall & Kylie” is free to play, but users can buy extras to enhance the game. “Kendall & Kylie” features the voices, likenesses and exclusive video messages from the Jenner sisters. In the game, players interact with the sisters as friends and mentors as they work to realize their creative and career aspirations. “Kendall and Kylie Jenner’s combined social followers have more than doubled to over 150 million since Glu’s original partnership announcement, showcasing their tremendous impact on pop culture,” Glu CEO Niccolo de Masi said in a statement . “The global awareness of each of their personal brands makes them great partners for mobile gaming.” Other upcoming celebrity video games from Glu will feature pop singers Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift. RELATED: Taylor Swift Video Game In Glu Mobile Investors’ ‘Wildest Dreams’ Zynga Stock Getting Dogged By Declining User Base .