Chocolate

Mitch Lasky has left the building

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 20:01:38 -0400

Mitch Lasky has stepped down from his position as Executive Vice President of Mobile and Online at Electronic Arts to become a partner at Benchmark Capital. Mobile gaming is a tough business (recall that Lasky was recently dissed on stage by Digital Chocolate's Trip Hawkins), so perhaps it's no surprise that Lasky's new role doesn't appear to have much to do with gaming. Lasky will be succeeded by Michael Marchetti, currently the COO of EA's mobile division.

Trip Hawkins: Forget 'bigger and better'

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 19:01:38 -0500

Game developers love to create bigger, better and flashier titles, which is one reason we're losing sight of what really works on the mobile phone--and losing our best developers to console and PC gaming, warns Digital Chocolate's Trip Hawkins. "There is definitely room for more originality and healthier competition," he said in his GDC Mobile keynote address. This news may not be a shock to seasoned mobile developers (especially those who have heard Hawkins talk before), but it is a good point: Writing mobile games is a tough business with a myriad of technical and business obstacles. There isn't a lot of room for error, so focus very carefully on on your customers and make sure you're doing everything possible to make you title attractive to carriers. For more on Hawkins speech, check out FierceGameBiz.

Trip Hawkins takes on Mitch Lasky

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 19:01:38 -0500

In his GDC Mobile keynote, Digital Chocolate's Trip Hawkins spoke out against the "conventional wisdom" espoused by Mitch Lasky at his 2006 GDC keynote. Last year, Lasky railed against the poor quality of most mobile games and declared that without some solid hits, many of these publishers would not survive. (See my write-up of Lasky's 2006 keynote). Hawkins rejected the idea that publishers can't survive without hit titles. A year ago, Digital Chocolate had no hits, but "we're alive and well," Hawkins declared. More on the keynote at FierceGameBiz.

QUICKLINKS: Cingular launches MySpace Mobile; First also noted headline; Much more...

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 19:01:35 -0500

Cingular, MySpace sign partnership. FierceMobileContent

Skype releases new Windows Smartphone beta. Website

Motorola issues Q software update. Forum

MobileGamesDB.com--an IMDB for gamers? Blog

Digital Chocolate partners with EMI Canada. Blog

.NET Cf's Finalizer log. Blog

Editor's Corner

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 19:01:39 -0500

Special report on mobile warez

"I guess it is flattering if we are making stuff that is good enough to steal or collect, but it's a pity these pirates won't help us pay for our costs to keep supplying them."
-Digital Chocolate CEO Trip Hawkins

I believe piracy is an important (and underreported) issue for mobile developers, so I am pleased to announce the release of a FierceDeveloper Special Report: Mobile Software Piracy. The report is by no means exhaustive, but I think it does provide a nice overview of the situation. Expect a future report on some of the specific things developers can do to deter pirates without losing customers. -Eli

Want to see more reports like this? Got a tip for a future article? Send me an email.

P.S. Next week FierceDeveloper will be hosting the Carnival of the Mobilists. If you would like to recommend a blog post for inclusion, send me an email.

QUICKLINKS: The real difference between J2ME and Flash Lite; Mobile workers: How indispensable should you really be?; Much more

Mon, 02 Oct 2006 20:01:35 -0400

What's the real difference between J2ME and Flash Lite? Blog

SlingPlayer Mobile coming to Symbian. Blog

Mobile workers: How indispensable should you really be? Article

Skype CEO says non-Windows mobile Skype will have to wait. Article

Verizon's Chocolate to get speakerphone via OTA update. Article

Ad-subsidized content doesn't work? Blog

Nokia drops price of N-Gage games. Blog

Digital Orchid buys mobile gaming firm Blue Tech. Blog

RIM reinvents the BlackBerry with the Pearl. Review

LG Chocolate goes on sale in China

Mon, 17 Apr 2006 20:01:34 -0400

The "Chocolate" phone from South Korea's LG is now available in China for $495. The tiny slider phone features a 2-inch QVGA display, 512MB of on-board memory and a 1.3-MP camera. And it looks great. Blog

Digital Chocolate announces layoffs

Mon, 04 Jul 2005 20:01:38 -0400

Digital Chocolate, the mobile gaming company and media darling, has downsized four people, including the one vice president. Blog

Interview: Craig Cooper on mobile games & VC

Mon, 23 May 2005 20:01:37 -0400

Softbank Capital Partners' Craig Cooper talks about investing in mobile gaming companies and who he's got his eye on at E3. Cooper believes that wireless gaming has suddenly attracted VC attention due to the success of a few early firms like Digital Chocolate and Sorrent. However, he's still looking for new mobile developers with talent and strong licensing deals or original IP. Interview