Apple’s environmental concerns, IMGA International Award, Google Play successes and other news of the week for the mobile developer

In Germany, Google Play bypassed the App Store

What many expected, while others were afraid, begins to come true. The first large market in which Google Play revenues exceeded App Store revenues, and this is not anywhere else, but in Germany! Last year, it became the sixth market in the world in terms of total revenue from the App Store and Google Play. And in Europe, only Great Britain overtakes it in terms of revenue.



Judging by the dynamics and the fact that the number of downloads on Google Play has exceeded and is actively breaking away from the number of downloads on the App Store, we can assume that the trend will continue and will intensify.



What is interesting, but not surprising: 85% of the revenue comes from games, and what is especially interesting and surprising is the distribution of income from these games according to their place in the top. Games from 11th to 100th place make the biggest contribution, and games from 100th and higher places make a very significant contribution. This have not happened before.

View the full report on the App Annie website .

Apple Green Data Centers

Apple announced an investment of € 1.7 billion for the construction and launch by 2017 of two data centers in Europe. Like all Apple data centers, the new buildings will be fully powered by clean renewable energy from day one of launch. Apple will also work with local partners on new renewable energy projects, such as using wind power and other sources of electricity.

The environmental impact of new buildings will be the smallest of all Apple data centers operating today. Centers located in the Irish county of Galway and the central Danish region of Jutland will provide Apple online services, including the iTunes Store, App Store, iMessage, Maps and Siri, for users throughout Europe, both of which are designed with a total area of ​​166,000 square meters. in a way that brings added value to society at locations.

As part of a project in the Irish Athenrai, Apple will restore land to plant native tree species in the Derridonnel Forest, which was previously used to grow alien tree species. The project also includes an open educational space for local schools and a walking trail for residents of the area.

In the Danish city of Viborg, there will be no need for additional generators, taking into account the location near one of the largest electrical substations in Denmark. The complex is designed in such a way as to absorb excess heat from the equipment inside the center and direct it to the local heating system for heating nearby houses.

Quick Start Viber Games

One of the most popular instant messengers in Russia, Viber launched its gaming platform Viber Games in late February. And already two of the three games that appeared on the window appeared in the Russian Top 6 App Store.


At the moment, the Viber gaming showcase features: three-in-a-row Viber Candy Mania, a bubble breaker with a red cat starring Viber Pop and Wild Luck Casino slots. Of these, Viber Pop got to 5th place in the TOP 6, Viber Candy Mania - to 6th.

Google swallowed Toro startup

Startup Toro , which helps developers promote their mobile applications on the social network Facebook, was acquired by Google, which confirmed this message. The Toro team will join the Google mobile advertising department, but the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The start-up will continue to work with its old customers, will continue to optimize their advertising campaigns and send reports, but it does not seek to attract new ones, and, possibly, will stop it altogether, advising to look for other optimization methods.
It should be noted that earlier Toro attracted $ 1.5 million from a number of investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Greylock Partners, SV Angel, General Catalyst and others.

In an announcement on their website, Toro co-founders write that the takeover of the Internet giant will give startups the necessary resources and ample opportunities, which will positively affect their mission: “Make developers' lives better!”

Winners of the XI International Mobile Gaming Awards

Last night in San Francisco hosted the annual IMGA Award , awarded for the best mobile games in different categories. For the first time IMGA was held back in 2004, then among the nominations were such as “Best Java Game” and “Best Game up to 1MB in Size”. Since then, much has changed, but now it can hardly be called the Mobile Oscar - profile publications hardly write about it, and the intrigue is not the same. But who knows, the mobile igrostroy is developing rapidly - and maybe all the best for this award is yet to come.

We present you the list of winners: Monument Valley

Grand Prix Best fast game Crossy Road Guilty pleasure: 2048








The name of this nomination can be translated as “shameful pleasure”. It quite accurately reflects the meaning of the category, given that the competitors of 2048 were Flappy Bird, Kitty Powers' Matchmaker, Desert Golfing and Goat Simulator. The prize in this nomination is awarded for the first time.

Best storyline
80 Days

Best game play
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft

Technological achievement
Vainglory

Best sound and graphic design
Tengami

Best game with a sense of
Papers, Please

Best multiplayer game
Soccer Physics

Tapjoy predicts user behavior

Tapjoy launches a new analytics and monetization platform that will enable IAP monetization and advertising tools.

The platform’s innovation is the Future Value Map tool, which can, by analyzing large data sets, predict user behavior. Based on these data, it will be decided which approach will allow you to get more revenue from the user: advertising or IAP.

“Freemium - developers understand that a very small percentage of users generate the main income. With the Future Value Map, you can predict the LTV (life time value) of each client and personalize it for its IAP, ”said Steve Wadsworth, CEO of Tapjoy.

The platform will not be free, but Tapjoy promised to return part of the amount if the number of demonstrations of advertising is 4 times higher than the monthly audience of the application.



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