Games industry roundup: EU votes to pass Article 13, Apple Arcade, and Blockchain Gamer Connects heads to Hong Kong

• 1 Mobile news and features

  

  
  Here are the five hottest stories from our sister-site PocketGamer.biz for the last week.

  Apple Arcade versus Google Stadia: Two very different visions of gaming

  PocketGamer.biz contributing editor Jon Jordan delivers a fantastic opinion piece comparing two significant announcements two of the biggest tech companies in the world and how their visions hold up for the future of games.

  Apple Arcade subscription breathes new life into premium and mobile game creativity, but may worry developers not on it

  Another opinion piece on Apple Arcade hot off the press shortly after news of its unveiling. This time, there’s a look at what the subscription service means for the future of premium games on mobile.

  Top 10 best-selling indie games on the Nintendo Switch so far

  A glimpse of the best performing games from indies on the Switch reveals Ghost Town Games’ Overcooked and Overcooked 2 are both top 10 sellers, amongst a list that includes Dead Cells, Undertale, Hollow Knight and Stardew Valley, amongst others.

  Why Apple Arcade is doomed to disappoint both players and developers

  Completing a trifecta of Apple Arcade opinion pieces, this time AppAgent’s Peter Fodor delivers his assessment of why Apple is about five years too late to releasing its subscription service.

  How does Raid: Shadow Legends engage, retain and monetise?

  Plarium’s latest strategy game is off to a promising start and our in-app inspector goes deep into the game’s monetisation methods to report why it’s doing so well.

  
  

• 2 And over on the Blockchain...

  

  Here are the five hottest stories from our sister-site BlockchainGamer.biz for the last week.

  Animoca Brands teams up with Formula One to build blockchain-backed F1 game

  Formula One hosts millions of spectators and countless sponsors, from DHL to Heineken, making any partnership a valuable one. All the more good news as Animoca Brands announces that it’s teaming up with F1 to bring the racing action to the blockchain world.

  Unlimited Tower is now collaborating with IOST

  Unlimited Tower has been remarkably busy with securing new partnerships and providing broader wallet support. More recently, the team has announced that it will be bringing the game to the newly launched mainnet of IOST.

  2D Cell game TRAPS officially joins the TRON Arcade

  The TRON Arcade is becoming increasingly populous, thanks to the appeal of the kind of support and funding it provides. One of the latest projects to get involved is TRAPS, which operates as a 2d browser game.

  Blockchain Gamer Connects coming to Hong Kong on 17-18 July

  This summer, Blockchain Gamer Connects heads to Hong Kong for the first time and tickets are on sale now with massive discounts of up to $450!

  CryptoKitties – scammer teaches community a valuable lesson

  While blockchain communities have a tendency towards being open, global, and friendly towards newcomers. But while this is the case for communities like CryptoKitties, this doesn’t mean that they’re not susceptible to scammers.

  
  

• 3 Top stories and analysis from the world of influencer marketing

  

  Here are the five hottest stories from our sister-site InfluencerUpdate.biz for the last week.

  37 per cent of global mobile web traffic comes from YouTube alone
  
  A fresh report from Sandvine has suggested that YouTube is responsible for 37 per cent of mobile web traffic worldwide, followed by Facebook and Snapchat.

  European Parliament votes to pass Article 13

  The European Parliament has voted in favour of Article 13 with a majority of 348 votes to 274.
  Article 13, full title 'The European Union Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market', is an agreement that requires social platforms such as YouTube and Facebook to take responsibility for copyrighted material.

  Instagram hashtag #ad usage rose by 42% in 2018

  Research from influencer marketing platform Buzzoole has revealed that the use of #ad grew a total of 42 per cent in 2018 on Instagram. Influencer posts on the 'Gram grew by over a million in 2018, with over 2.6 million posts recorded.

  Twitch reveals Squad Stream feature that allows multiple creators to broadcast together

  Twitch has announced Squad Stream, a new tool that allows up to four streamers to showcase their broadcasts in one place.

  Influencer Marketing Awards 2019 winners revealed

  Last week saw the first ever Influencer Marketing Awards, celebrating some of the best talent in the industry. Over 270 professionals attended the inaugural event with 23 awards being handed out across different categories