Google Play game developers and players alike are getting a quartet of game-changing additions today: real-time multiplayer, leaderboards, cloud saves and achievements. And that's not all -- the latter three services will function cross-platform between Android, iOS and the web. The whole initiative is called -- unsurprisingly -- "Google Play Game Services," and it's available today in a smattering of games. Unlike Apple's Game Center application, what Google's offering is backend support for developers rather than a standalone application. Think of it more like OpenFeint than Game Center -- you can sign in using your Google+ login in-game, and that login will track your identity (including leaderboard scores, achievements and saves) across various games and devices.

Any developer launching a game on the Google Play store has access to game services, though Google isn't making it an obligation. "We won't make it a mandatory exercise, or have any certification process around it," Google lead product manager Greg Hartrell told us. "We create fantastic services that allow developers to create these great game experiences, and help promote their discovery, help retain their users and keep them engaged."

Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Handhelds, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Google

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Parisian gaming company Gameloft has pulled the wraps off its first Unreal Engine Android game, but is being rather coy about what it actually is. The teaser image -- which was released on the company's Facebook page -- reveals little more than a bloody sword and skull along with a cryptic message, saying that a clue was hidden in the artwork. Viewers were also invited to vote for the next hint, which will either be another image or a YouTube teaser trailer. Whether the macabre-looking game itself will create as much suspense as its marketing tease remains to be seen.

Filed under: Gaming

Gameloft announces its first Unreal Engine-based Android game, you figure out what it is originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 03:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The 2012 London Olympics Games are nearly upon us and the BBC just can't hold back its excitement any longer. The Queen's favorite broadcaster has released its Olympics app for both iOS (5.0 and above) and Android (2.2 and newer) devices, apps that for the most part look like wrappers for the company's mobile Olympics pages. But, that's not to say they don't offer some excellent features, like guides to every competition, the ability to save stories to read offline later and, most importantly, up to 24 simultaneous live streams of video -- once the Games actually get started in two weeks.

Continue reading BBC releases Olympics app, streams the glorious Games straight to your iOS or Android device

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BBC releases Olympics app, streams the glorious Games straight to your iOS or Android device originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 06:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mobile app revenues are expected to climb to more than USD $25bn by 2014 - fuelled by the launch of a raft of new application stores.
But while one-off downloads currently account for the majority of revenues, that will change with the increasing utilization of in-app billing, according to Juniper Research.

INTERVIEW: Sanjiv Parikh, vice president of marketing for FutureDial, talks to smartphone-biz.news about its mobile content management service and its potential to generate revenue for operators and retailers.
The company's Retail Management Solution (RMS) 4.0 allows mobile content to be directly loaded to handsets at store counters - an industry first.

Games publishers and developers will give up on Java unless operators follow Apple's lead in offering more appealing revenue shares.
That's according to a report by analyst Windsor Holden, of Juniper Research, who warns that as well as being a lost opportunity for developers it would seriously reduce the variety of games for players.