This was just announced by CMP in a press release.  I am honored to be selected to speak at GDC Mobile this Feb 2008.  It is way cool to be in the same lineup as Mitch Lasky, John Szeder, DC Collier, Rob Tercek and others.  I have been a fan and attendee of the Games Developers Conference since as long as I can recall being in the games biz.

Back in the day, EA’s stance on GDC was, “There are only two reasons to go to GDC: to look for another job, or to divulge company secrets.”  I am sure there is plenty of blabbin and headhunting going on at GDC, but there is way more happening too.  I regard GDC as a reunion for honor roll students.  Friendly rivaly, tough competition, lots of learning, but most of all comraderie with one’s accomplished peers.

My talk is in the Design Track and will discuss the Best and Worst mobile game ever.  Hope to see you all in February 2008 at the SF Moscone Center for GDC.

In the past two weeks, shares of mobile game publisher Glu (GLUU) have tanked nearly 50%.  The business press have attributed the plunge to: 2008 guidance, revenue outlook, European troubles, brokerage cuts, take your pick.  The bottom line is that Glu was worth about 10 bucks a share last month, and now it is about half that.  This makes Glu a prime candidate for acquisition.

Glu is a really good mobile publisher, with strong studios, good distribution, terrific licenses, and up-and-coming internal IP.  With a market cap now at $157 million, cash reserves of $72m, and revenue of $63 million, this time is ripe for someone to acquire Glu for just 1.5X revenue.  This is a deal by any measure.

Who is in the market for a strong mobile division that could become instantly profitable after eliminating merger redundancies?  Warner Bros. has a relationship with Glu and recently acquired Travellers Tales.  WB has previously announced a $500m video games fund. Comcast is on the short list of media companies that lack a mobile branch.  IAC would benefit from mobile diversification. Heck, even EA would have made sense at one point, but Glu’s loss of Hasbro, and deals with EA’s rivals (Activision), would now curtail their interest. Microsoft has licensed them IP, and would benefit from an instant mobile infrastructure. 

And the long shot prediction to acquire Glu…(cue drumroll, hold envelope to forehead)…Popcap.  Popcap is swimming in cash, has games at Glu, and their concentration of Popcap casual game IP could make Popcap/Glu the #1 mobile publisher.

Some casual game developers and publishers think the best was to capture the mass-market is to make games for the lowest common denominator.  Toddlers being that common denominator.

The infantilization of casual games is underway.  Here is a look at some recent titles: Super Granny, Carrie the Caregiver, Chocolatier, The Scruffs, Baby Luv, SuperCow, Snowy, Sally’s Salon, Pet Vet, and Paradise Pet Salon. None of these titles or themes can possibly appeal to an adult. 

It is like some developers think the word Brøderbund translates as “casual game”.  Games similar to the ones my kids play on my old 486 PC are showing up on casual game portals.  The edutainment classics from back in the day are resurfacing as casual games for grown-ups.  And they are not even mining the cool classics like Choplifter, Bungeling Bay, and Karateka.  What is next?  MCF: Carmen Sandiego?  KidPixDash?

Isn’t anybody even TRYING?  Making games for clicktards and babies will only help you capture those demographics.  The way to grow the industry, and grow revenue, is to grow the art, and push the state of the art.  Make games that are stickier, have broader appeal, generate more word of mouth, grab more buzz. 

I know of more mommies in my wife’s Mommy Club that play WoW more than play Bejeweled.  Even Texas Holdem has been repositioned as sexier and more approachable than ever.  These examples have expand games into the mass-market.  They are doing it right.

There is nothing wrong with recycling a classic mechanic.  Moreover, it is a pretty smart thing to do.  But, for the sake of your users, improve upon the original.  Making a very complex game simpler is one way to do that.  Re-making Zoombinis for adults is not.

90% of the world has never played a casual game.  They will not be more likely to do so if the gameplay and theme are dumbed down.  Just because more people CAN play a game, does not mean more people WILL.  Respect your users (and the vast majority of potential users) with appropriate themes with broad appeal, and fun gameplay that is easy to play yet difficult to master. 

Don’t treat gamers like they are wearing diapers.  Unless, of course, your game is World of Warcraft and they are on a marathon Red Bull fueled mission to level up to 70 in a weekend.