GUANGZHOU and HONG KONG, May 13th, 2013 – Forgame Holdings Limited, a leading Chinese webgame company, today announced the completion of a strategic minority investment in Appionics Holdings Limited, the holding company of Animoca, a cross-platform app developer and publisher for smartphones and tablets for a global audience. Terms of the investment were not disclosed.

Animoca has published over 300 innovative casual and mid-core games across multiple mobile platforms including Apple iOS and Android, reaching 130 million unique users around the world. In February 2013, Animoca served 158 million game sessions. Animoca titles include the highly acclaimed Pretty Pet Series, Star Girl, Robo5 and Thor: Lord of Storms among many others. Animoca was named one of the PocketGamer.biz Top 50 Mobile Developers of 2013, and won two Gold Awards at the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2013 for Best Business and Best Digital Entertainment Software.

“Mobile games and overseas markets are two important strategic directions of Forgame’s future development,” said Mr. Kevin Wang, Chief Executive Officer of Forgame, “Animoca is our ideal partner as it has rich experience in publishing mobile apps in overseas markets such as the US, the European countries, Korea, Japan and most of Asia.”

“With its proven track record in developing highly engaging and monetizing games, and an extensive publishing network in China, Forgame is a highly complementary partner to Animoca,” said David Kim, Chief Executive Officer of Animoca. “We are excited about the opportunity to work closely with Forgame both in China and overseas markets as we expand Animoca’s portfolio into new gaming categories”

About Forgame Holdings Limited

Forgame is a leading developer and publisher of webgames in China with a fast growing mobile game business. Founded in 2009, Forgame has successfully developed and launched over 25 easy-to-access, highly engaging and popular titles such as “Soul Guardian 2” and “Charmed Westward Journey”, published through its own gaming platform 91wan and a network of over 300 publishing partners. 91wan also operates over 45 licensed games and has over 141 million registered users. The company is headquartered in Guangzhou, China. For more information, please visit http://www.forgame.com/.

About Animoca™

Animoca™ is a cross-platform app developer and publisher for smartphones and tablets for a global audience. Animoca has launched over 300 apps for Google Android, Apple iOS and other platforms. Founded in Hong Kong in 2011, Animoca games have been played by over 130 million unique users. The company launched the highly acclaimed Pretty Pet Salon series, Star Girl, My Car Salon, Robo5, Thor: Lord of Storms and many other leading titles that have accrued hundreds of Top 10 Charts entries around the world. For more information and to see a list of apps, please visit http://www.animoca.com/.

All data obtained from individual users of Animoca games located in the specified country, who used Google Play, and who played an Animoca game between March 9 and April 8, 2013. Tablets are excluded.

Samsung dominates once again, occupying more than half of the Top 10 spots in the UK, France and Germany. A similar pattern is visible in Hong Kong, Singapore, India, and the US (although Samsung’s share isn’t quite as dominant in the US).

The high-end Samsung Galaxy S2 and S3 are at the top of each list, something we found in other countries we analyzed with two exceptions: India, where low-end devices are more popular, and Japan, which was the only country where Samsung didn’t claim at least half of the Top 10 spots.

Thanks to its Xperia series, Sony emerges as the second most popular Android phone company in three key European markets. The Xperia U, which was launched worldwide May 2012 offering an affordable and stylish blend of the high and low end, is the only Sony device to appear in the Top 10 of all three countries, officially making it the most popular phone in these markets after the Samsung offerings.

There are more similarities than differences between the UK, France and Germany. With Samsung dominating and Sony claiming second place on all three charts, the only other brands making appearances in the Top 10 are HTC in the UK and Germany, and LG in France.

Join us next time for more global Android insights!

Top Android phones in the UK (Animoca network, Mar 9 – Apr 8, 2013)

Top Android phones in Germany (Animoca network, Mar 9 – Apr 8, 2013)

Top Android phones in France (Animoca network, Mar 9 – Apr 8, 2013)

Enjoy a red hot deal in the pit this weekend in My Car Salon 2! From now until end of Sunday, April 28th buy any Car Point package and you will receive 40% free bonus Car Points at absolutely no cost!

Feel the thrill and excitement of working with a pit-crew in the world’s fastest race tracks! Put your pedal to the metal and get My Car Salon 2 now – it’s free!

Like My Car Salon 2? Visit our Product Page for more fun and exciting games for your mobile!

Fend off Ragnarok in this stylized and fun take on the Norse myths, now available on Google Play

Hong Kong – April 22, 2013 – Ragnarok approaches! Animoca (www.animoca.com), the mobile game developer and publisher behind hits like the Pretty Pet Salon series, Star Girl, Robo5 and other top-rated titles, announced today the launch of Thor: Lord of Storms, an action-strategy defense game based on Norse mythology. Offering a uniquely stylized blend of East and West, Thor: Lord of Storms lets players take up arms to delay Ragnarok, the prophesied destruction of the world. The game is available for Android devices on Google Play, free of charge.

Vile creatures are emerging from dark portals that have appeared throughout the nine worlds of Yggdrasil, the World Tree. Using simple controls and intuitive gameplay, players must defeat the sinister invaders and their powerful masters who seek to bring about Ragnarok: Loki the trickster god, the great wolf Fenrir, and the Fire Giant Surt, who will set the entire world ablaze with his flaming sword. So begins Thor: Lord of Storms.

Players choose one of three heroes as protagonist: Thor, mightiest of the gods and wielder of the enchanted hammer Mjölnir; Freya, goddess of love and sorcery; or Brunhilde, the fierce shieldmaiden and valkyrie. The two heroes not chosen for protagonist become available as summoned helpers later in the game.

After choosing a hero, players lead him/her into battle against a horde of vicious invaders. Heroes can summon a variety of troops to assist them: Viking warriors, dwarfs, elves, gnomes, and even other gods including Odin the All-Father. Thor: Lord of Storms is an action game with deep strategic elements and players will need to refine their tactics in order to advance through the levels and save the nine realms of Yggdrasil.

An extensive upgrade system allows players to improve their hero and his/her various skills, battlefield fortifications, and the troops that heroes can summon. Special items like potions, powders and extracts to provide many beneficial effects are purchasable using in-game currency. Thor: Lord of Storms was designed with automatic fighting, simple controls and helpful hints, including an in-game tutorial fully voiced by Odin himself. The result is a game that is intuitive and challenging, as well as respectful of the original source material while incorporating a healthy dose of humor.

Pricing & Availability:

Download and play for free from anywhere in the world at: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.animoca.google.thor.

Requires Android version 2.0.1 or later.

Watch a trailer of the game on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Za68_F3FAyU.

Get future updates by “liking” Animoca on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/animoca, following @Animoca on Twitter, or following the company on Google+ at https://plus.google.com/108527013632888753984/about?hl=en.

For game logo, screenshots and other assets, please contact press@animoca.com.

About Animoca

Animoca is a leading developer and publisher of mobile games and edutainment apps for global audiences. The company has released more than 300 apps across multiple platforms, with more than 160 million game downloads since its launch in January 2011. Animoca’s Pretty Pet Salon franchise and the Star Girl series have become wildly popular with audiences throughout the world, earning high acclaim from gamers and reviewers alike. Animoca also publishes popular apps for children under its Baby Cortex brand. For more information, visit www.animoca.com.

It takes more than just good looks to be a shining star, especially in Milan! You’ve got to work on your talents, such as singing, acting or modeling. Before you know it, you have graced the covers of the most popular international fashion and lifestyle magazines! Always make a good first impression on every occasion! Wear your most fashionable clothes and be in your best hairstyle and makeup!

A star should be a social butterfly. Go out and have fun with your friends and flirt with the hottest guys in the city – who knows, you might meet the man of your dreams! Collect snapshots of your Star Girl Moda Italia social life and share them with your Facebook friends!

The possibilities are endless! Reach out for your dream of becoming a shining star! Strut your stuff and show everyone you’ve got what it takes to be a Star Girl in Milan!

Features

- Enjoy beautiful Milan, Italy

- Available hip and cool clothes and accessories

- Lots of career options for you to choose

- Accomplish additional jobs and challenges to earn extra money

- Enjoy new and fun mini-games to earn extra money and bonus items

- Experience a grand shopping spree

- Meet and greet hot guys and eventually find prince charming

- Have fun chatting with celebrities with Star Chat!

Star Girl: Moda Italia is now available on Google Play, absolutely FREE!

Like Star Girl: Moda Italia? Visit our Product Page for more fun and exciting games for your mobile!

Hong Kong’s leading mobile games developer wins at HKICT Awards 2013

Hong Kong, 11th April 2013 – Hong Kong-based mobile games developer, Animoca (Outblaze Ventures), received two Gold Awards at the annual Hong Kong ICT Awards, the largest and best-recognized technology awards scheme in the territory. Animoca collected a Gold award for Best Business (Start Up) for Animoca, and also a Gold award for Best Digital Entertainment (Entertainment Software) for the game Star Girl.

The assessment was carried out over a period of several weeks by the Hong Kong Computer Society and the Hong Kong Productivity Council acting on behalf of the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2013 scheme. The awards were presented to Animoca at a formal ceremony and gala on April 8, 2013.

Animoca, the consumer facing brand of Outblaze Ventures, achieved considerable success in its first two years of operation, not only reaching profitability but also becoming one of Asia’s largest app game developers and publishers.

Star Girl is a free game developed and published by Animoca, available for Android, iOS, and Amazon. Star Girl lets players create a virtual celebrity and determine her career, appearance and social life. The highly-rated game features music by Blush, the Hong Kong based girl band who made history by being the first Asian artist to reach both #1 and #3 on the US Billboard Dance Chart. Download Star Girl from Google Play, the Amazon Appstore, and Apple’s iTunes.

After receiving the awards, Outblaze CEO and Animoca co-founder Yat Siu commented: “We are deeply honoured by this recognition. The international success of Animoca in the highly competitive app game development space is a positive reflection on Hong Kong’s vibrant and rapidly growing technology industry, and these two HKICT awards recognize the uniqueness and strength of the Outblaze and Animoca business model.”

Star Girl download links:

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.animoca.google.starGirl

Amazon Appstore: http://www.amazon.com/Animoca-Star-Girl/dp/B00A9NXGAO

Apple iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/star-girl/id541835159?mt=8

About Animoca (Outblaze Ventures)

Animoca (Outblaze Ventures) was founded in Hong Kong in 2011. The company was incubated at Outblaze, one of Hong Kong’s most renowned technology companies. Animoca grew quickly to become a globally recognized multiplatform developer and publisher of entertainment applications (apps) for smartphones and tablets, accruing hundreds of Top 10 Charts entries all over the world. Animoca produces and publishes original games like the Pretty Pet Salon series and the smash hit Star Girl among many others. For more information please visit www.animoca.com and www.outblaze.com.

About the Hong Kong ICT Awards

Launched in 2006 with full support from the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, the annual Hong Kong ICT Awards aim to recognise and promote the achievements of local information and communications technology (ICT) professionals and organisations working in ICT innovation and application. For more information please visit http://www.hkictawards.hk.

Where are my Clothes?

Match what the Star Girl model is wearing in Where are my Clothes?, a simple yet engaging arcade puzzle game.

Look closely and identify which dress is being modeled by selecting the same item from the gallery as fast as you can. Be prepared to think fast, because the clothes get changed quicker than you can say “Haute Couture“. The faster you select the correct items, the more points you will earn.

Get Where are my Clothes? for Android on Google Play, FREE!

Whack a Dragon

Become a brave warrior on a quest to defeat dragons in Whack A Dragon, a unique classic RPG with absolutely hilarious Whack-A-Mole arcade style combat.

In a world where mythical creatures not only exist but thrive, big hideous dragons spread chaos and fear among inferior beings – which is to say everyone. Humans must take a stand and protect their land from the fiery destruction spread by these fierce monsters.

Choose the best weapons to smash the evil dragons and other monsters straight into extinction. Gear up with the strongest set of armor to protect yourself from relentless attack. Enjoy the colorful storybook graphics and epic dialogues with a medieval fairytale feel.

Get Whack a Dragon for Android on Google Play, FREE!

One in four Americans now owns a tablet device, according to Pew Research, and analyst firm IDC reports that the worldwide tablet market grew more than 78% year-on-year in 2012. IDC predicts that 190 million tablets will be shipped in 2013, with a forecast 48.7% growth over last year.

So with tablet sales not slowing down any time soon, let’s see which Android tablets are currently the most popular on the Animoca network of Android users.

All data obtained from individual users of Animoca games worldwide who played an Animoca game on a tablet device between February 18 and March 20, 2013.

Top Android tablets worldwide (Animoca network, Feb 18 – Mar 20, 2013)

Error margin: +- 0.1%

Sample size: 978,000

Assumption: there are 75 million Android tablets in circulation worldwide

Immediately you’ll note that  4 of the top 5 tablets, and 6 out of the top 10, are of the smaller variety, featuring 7-inch screens. This should come as no surprise, given that one in every two tablets shipped last quarter had a screen size of less than 8 inches.

Once again we note the prominence of Samsung devices; apparently, the Korea-based company dominates tablets as well as smartphones. Next up, the Amazon Kindle and Kindle HD account for more than 12% of the tablets on our network – quite remarkable for devices that are still not globally available. The popular and zippy Google Nexus 7 came in 6ᵗʰ place, suggesting that Google will be a significant player in the hardware wars.

Once we account for Samsung, Amazon, and Google, the rest of the field is wide open. After the top 7 tablets, the devices claiming under 1% of the Animoca Android network became too numerous to list here. In fact, given an error margin of 0.1% and the slight differences between tablets in 8th place and onwards, we cannot be entirely sure of the correct ordering.

What we can be confident of is that tablet sales won’t slow down any time soon, and that developers should be creating mobile apps built to suit their users. Knowing which tablet or tablets you are developing for is useful knowledge – not only screen size, but also other hardware specifications.

When we looked at Japan we saw what seemed to be a preference for one-handed gaming on smartphones being used in portrait mode; perhaps the popularity of 7-inch tablets has something to do with a similar global trend. Of course, it could just be that the 7-inch tablets strike an ideal balance of price, portability, and form factor.

Join us next time for more Animoca data, and be sure to follow us on Twitter for additional insights!

Best Business Award (Start-Up): Gold Award for Animoca (Outblaze Ventures)

Best Digital Entertainment Award (Software): Gold Award for Star Girl

The HKICTA is the leading technology awards programme in this part of the world. This scheme is backed by the Hong Kong SAR Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, and exists to recognize and promote the best achievements of the territory’s technology industry.

If you don’t know much about the Hong Kong technology scene, consider that Forbes recently named this city the world’s top technology capital to watch after Silicon Valley and New York.

Here is a photo of a few Animocans at the gala dinner and presentation ceremony:

Grabbing two of the top awards at the most prestigious awards event in the city is a fantastic accomplishment for Animoca and we are all immensely proud. The production team behind Star Girl in particular was so excited that their game won top honours that they promptly managed to break the trophy with their excessively enthusiastic handling.

Good job we have two awards! Fortunately the trophy was quickly repaired after we succeeded in calming down the Star Girl team.

Animoca would like to thank all our fans and players, whose support helped us to win these awards. Thank you for following us, supporting us, and playing Animoca games!

Robo5

Robo5 is now available on Google Play! This highly-praised game is a mind-bending, steampunk-inspired marvel of puzzle and story-telling. And it’s free!

Who is Robo #5? What is his purpose? All we know is that he is a battered robot in a desolate future wasteland. Help Robo #5 push, pull and drag his way out of the towering piles of scrap before his ancient batteries fail; guide him on a search for self-knowledge. With every level you complete, you’ll uncover more of Robo #5′s history, identity, and purpose. Can you unlock the deep and dark secrets of Robo #5?

Get Robo5 for free on Google Play!

Shopping Tower

Shopping Tower is a retro-styled time management game in which you take on the hectic role of manager in a shopping mall.

Don’t let the cutesy 8-bit graphics and super simple controls fool you! Shopping Tower may look cute and harmless but the combination of fun and challenge will catch you by surprise! You must direct the mindless mall-people to the right shops, where they will be served by personnel. As the mall grows and becomes more popular, you’ll have to manage the growing number of customers with speed, concentration and skill.

You can hire more staff, open more shops, and upgrade facilities in order to improve the mall-people’s unfettered compulsive consumerism. Numerous challenging surprises are also in store, from busy holidays to demanding VIPs and much more!

Get Shopping Tower for Android on Google Play – it’s free!