Games industry roundup: Women are "underserved" in mobile games, Facebook's Libra cryptocurrency and the FTC is investigating YouTube

• 1 Mobile games news and insights

  

  Here are the hottest stories from PocketGamer.biz

  Empires & Puzzles racks up 34 million downloads

  Small Giant Games' hit title has reached the number one grossing position in 57 countries on the App store and 24 on Google Play, according to the company.

  Artist who sold photo of potato for $1m joins Animoca Brands as creative director

  Conceptual artist Kevin Abosch is famous for portraits of famous figures around the world, as well as selling a photo of a potato for $1m. He's also got experience in the blockchain - a key area of investment in recent times for Animoca Brands.

  “Women are most definitely underserved in the mobile games market”

  We caught up with Hutch CEO Beatrice Fischel-Bock to discuss the firm's new interior design game Style Spaces, a game platform she says is created for women, by women.

  Dozens struck by layoffs at Amazon Game Studios

  Amazon is also said to have cancelled some unannounced games as it continues to struggle with its development division.

  Ustwo names new CEO as it heads into multi-game development

  Board advisor Maria Sayans has been named as the studio’s CEO. She’ll be responsible for driving company growth and devising strategy. Dan Gray meanwhile has been appointed as chief creative officer and Peter Pashley, previously head of development, has taken on the role of chief development officer.

  
  

• 2 Blockchain games news and insights

  

  Here are the top stories from BlockchainGamer.biz

  Craft your own NFTs through the WAX Creator

  There are plenty of dimensions to the WAX platform that users, developers, and dApps can benefit from. According to William Quigley, this is where the value of the platform comes in, and with the introduction of its new creator, this value just got more substantial.

  Facebook releases whitepaper for its global currency – Libra 

  Facebook has been developing its cryptocurrency concept for some time. Now, the whitepaper for what we now know as ‘Libra’, has officially been published. There has been a lot of noise and speculation along with the currency’s ongoing development.

  FCFL teams up with WAX to bring football collectables to blockchain

  WAX The Worldwide Asset eXchange, or WAX as we know them, offers its various partners a great deal of potential with its platform and services. One of the newest entrants to the WAX ecosystem is the Fan Controlled Football League (FCFL) ahead of the beginning of its 2019 season.
  
  0xGames introduces us to its third title

  0xGames is the development team behind a number of well-received games like 0xUniverse; one of its first titles, and 0xWarriors – the first to integrate with multiple chains. But now, the team has revealed its latest title – 0xRacers.

  F1 Delta Time’s Monaco 2019 Racer sells for $33,200

  While not rising to the same kind of heights as the ‘1-1-1‘ NFT, F1 Delta Time has concluded its latest auction. On sale was the digital love letter to the Monaco Grand Prix, rightfully dubbed ‘Monaco 2019’, which officially sold for a winning bid of 108 ETH.

  
  

• 3 Influencer marketing news and insights

  

  Here are the top stories from InfluencerUpdate.biz

  YouTube under FTC investigation for failure to protect children

  YouTube is reportedly under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) following allegations that the platform has violated children's privacy.

  Twitch has acquired social media relic Bebo for $25m

  Streaming behemoth Twitch has quietly bought social networking site Bebo.

  Ninja announces debut book on how to be good at games

  Gaming superstar Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins has unveiled his first book as part of a deal with Ebury Books.

  55% of children born after 2010 create regular video content

  A recent study by Beano Studios shows that 55 per cent of children under 10 are creating regular video content across a range of devices.

  Twitch and Teespring announce new partnership for streamers to sell merch with ease

  Twitch has announced a new partnership with Teespring, the platform allowing independent artists to design and sell products.