During the past few weeks Apple had a story with twists and turns, and, as a mobile app developer, it was impossible for us to avoid the topic.

With the erroneous rumors concerning the release of an iPhone 5, the disappointment that followed the announcement of the iPhone 4S and Steve Jobs death, Apple did hit the headlines!

 “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” – Steve Jobs

Apple is a brand that knows how to buzz. It is true that some of its products are considered to be innovative, like the first Mac, which revolutionized the IT world and favored the “personal computer” success. More recently, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad brought Apple back on the center stage and changed our way to buy and to listen to music, or even to use a phone.

This summer, Steve Jobs’ resignation as CEO was subject to extensive press coverage and threw Apple’s fanboys in complete confusion.  But that was before the death of this visionary whose products made everybody dream, at least one day.

Everybody wanted to pay tribute to Steve Jobs and most did with post-it, tweets, street arts, blog articles or videos. But despite the grief, the question of the succession was soon asked.

More than a visionary; he also embodied Apple and was the instigator of the company’s biggest success. So how will the firm from Cupertino do without its mentor?

We can already say that the transition will not be painless. Such a charismatic person cannot be easily forgotten. His successors will have to live in his shadow, and what a shadow! Steve Jobs has so much an influence on Apple that it will be hard for the firm to free itself from its creator.

In the front line, Tim Cook will have to bear the inevitable comparison between his way of running Apple and Steve Jobs one; like people did during the keynote of the 4^th of October 2011, where the new CEO announced the release of the iPhone 4S.

The disappointment

The iPhone 4S announcement was a bombshell. Most of the field experts were wrong in predicting the release of an iPhone 5, a revolutionary smartphone, thinner, bigger, with new functionality such as a better camera or backlight.

In the weeks before the launching of this new device, there wasn’t a day without a photo of a new component or a new iPhone case. The tiniest modification of carriers’ websites was also minutely studied in order to back up rumors.

The crowd, who was waiting for a whole new device, felt shafted when discovering nothing more than an improved iPhone 4. But, as you should not judge a book by its cover, the 4S is full of surprise.

Impossible is not Siri

In spite of the general disappointment after the iPhone 4S announcement, the smartphone meets with success with more than 4 million devices sold in the first three days. It represents twice as much sale as the iPhone 4 for the same period.

The iPhone 4S success is more than a commercial one, it won another unexpected battle. One of the innovations presented during the last keynote was Siri, a vocal assistant. Except for its recognized utility, the assistant makes the buzz thanks to Easter Eggs – hidden functionality or developers’ jokes – that you can find in it by asking questions.

Some answers of Siri are quite surprising as you can read on the website Shit that Siri says. A must see! But its success also relies on the hackers who try to stretch Apple rules to avoid paying for it… And they succeeded in making it available for every device.

One more thing…

Even if the iPhone 4S is a proven success, rumors about the release of an iPhone 5 are starting to spread again.

It is currently said that Steve Jobs, knowing he was about to die soon, let his colleagues work on the 4S so that he could focus on the iPhone 5. This last device he would have completely conceived could be considered as his posthumous work.

It is highly possible that the future device will meet a huge success. As the last project managed by this master of innovation, the success may be as big as for the last work of art of a famous artist.

Now, we only have to wait and see how Apple will use Steve Jobs legacy and free itself from it; or, to use a bit of poetry, if, now that the apple has fell from the tree, the pips will be strong enough to, in their turn, become apple trees…

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Read the press release.

Read the press release.

Saturday was unforgettable with Stage One awarding at Paris Games Week. It’s impatient and short-winded that the students of the 7 finalist projects were waiting for the winners names. And thanks to our host, Bertrand Amar, the suspense was finally relieved:

• The Soundtrack award went to Indjahl from Isart Digital
• The Originality award went to Speed City from Isart Digital
• The Art Direction award went to Beyond from Enjmin
• And the winning project that will be published on mobile platforms is Speed City

Congratulations to the winners and all the participants.

It’s official; the awarding of Stage One will be held on Saturday 22^nd October at Paris Games Week!

The ceremony will take place within the framework of the Forum des Métiers du Jeu video, which highlights students’ work by welcoming the Prix Etudiant du Jeu Video 2011 and Stage One.

Bertrand Amar, presenter of Star Player – a French TV show about video games – on Direct star, will give the prizes to the rewarded projects.

We are waiting for you to unveil the winners’ names!

To join us:
Paris Games Week
Paris expo – Porte de Versailles
Hall 3
Conference room 11h30-13h15

See you on Saturday!

When we talk about social games today, we talk about this new generation of games that we can reach through social networks such as Facebook and more recently Google Plus. They enable us to challenge our friends and relatives and/or to progress in the game when we succeed in convincing them to join the community through a complex process of invitations and notifications.

The success of social games is yet undeniable; actually there would be more than 500 million users in the world whatever the platform is. They are bringing good times to companies like Zynga, Playfish or Pop Cap which succeeded in engaging a huge number of users and set up an efficient monetization strategy.

Whether they are tycoon, reflection or action games, their gameplay encourages players to come back often to beat their own score, extend their territory or obtain new items. The latter are an integral part of social games monetization for they are generally paid. Likewise, ingaming, which consist in integrating a brand inside the game, has many advantages for both the brand and the studio because it favors and boosts the game profitability.

However, those social games are only social by their name and the platform where they are implemented. Their social aspect mostly lays on virality, not on the relationships between players.
It is rare to find a social game that requires joining members’ forces to progress, obtain new items or unlock levels. We’re generally alone in front of our screen, challenging our friends asynchronously, hoping for earning more points. They are more casual games that, with a misuse of language, became social ones.

So what is a real social game then?

It is essential that the player can interact with the community. To brag about our score or being alone at the top is – fortunately – everything but social.

It is also necessary that players can help each other and that they feel they belong to a community – both online and offline – interactions taking place in game, progressing all together.

In other words, the members, even with individual objectives, should play with the other instead of against them only.

A sweet dream?

Not that much, real social games exist for quite a long time. If I say World of Warcraft, Age of Conan, Runes of Magic, Florensia, Rift or Dofus, does it ring a bell? All these games that we consider to be aimed at a geek audience – who still lives at his parents’ home and that has a doubtful taste for clothing – possess in fact a true social dimension.

In these MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games) members are building really strong bonds between them. Experienced players teach noobies, they apply in guilds – where admission criteria can be very selective- to accomplish a quest. Those online communities have a strong IRL (in real life) impact like guilds meetings, new friendships and more…

Likewise, online First Person Shooters (FPS) such as Counter Strike or Unreal Tournament can be considered as social. You indeed need to be a team to play and to build coordinated actions if you intend to win.

And I dare talk about Second Life! Yeah, even if it tends to become has been. We often forget that Second Life is a kind of MMORPG where we play our own role, our avatar being our personality reflection. So real social games do exist, we were just looking in the wrong place.

However, even if social games such as we call them today do not possess more than a strong virality, nothing can prevent them from getting a true social dimension. And this time is near! Studios do not lack imagination to improve the game experience and allow the emergence of real social games. So stay tuned to avoid missing the new generation of social games!

Thanks to this application you’ll be able to improve your language skills by getting access to quizzes, exercises, video and audio content available for beginners or advanced French speakers. It is also possible to communicate with other users through Openfeint and Facebook, because practice is the key to progress! You can download it here!

The app TV5 Monde, a French speaking TV channel, is now available on the Android Market. From now on broadcasting schedules, international news, video on demand can be reached with your mobile phone. The app offers many other useful tools like weather forecasts, a translator or an international motel list.

Read the press release.

Read the press release.

Read the press release.

Read the press release.

Playsoft Games and Divertis Properties Group are proud to anounce the mobile adaptation of “Spot it !”, the worldwide successfull card game. “Spot it ! : Dobble” is now available here. The press release is also available at this page (LIEN).

Enjoy !

The jury of Stage One, a contest organised by Playsoft Games, has deliberated and it has chosen 8 projects.

If you want to know these 8 projects please go to our Facebook Page ! See you at the awards session to see who the winner will be.

A lot of good news for playsoft these days ! Several of our apps are under the spotlights like our latest game “Spot It ! : Dobble” which belongs to the Appstore new apps selection. Seize the opportunity and download the game here.

La chuuute sur mer and Voici.fr are not neglected since they belong to the 25 best apps ranking of the Appstore !

Playsoft Games est un studio création de jeux vidéos pour les nouvelles générations de plateformes.

Nous développons des jeux alliant innovation et qualité sur des licences prestigieuses. Nos clients sont EA, Namco, Konami, TF1, Zoo Games etc…

Nous explorons les nouveaux domaines de création de contenus connectés et communautaires. Notre équipe est jeune, passionnée et en pleine croissance, nous renforçons notre équipe commerciale.

Poste : Ingénieur Commercial/ Chargé de Business Développement Games

CDI Début : ASAP

Bureau : Paris.

Mission : Business Développement

Poste à dominante chasse, vous développez un portefeuille clients (segmentation du marché, prospection, négociation, vente, suivi de clientèle)

• Identifier et remonter des opportunités d’affaires auprès de studio européens et mondiaux

• Réponse aux RFP, participation à l’élaboration des game concepts et des business plan des jeux mobiles et FB • Gestion de la relation client et des projets vendus Profil recherché (H/F) Vous avez un vrai tempérament commercial, un haut potentiel de la vente, vous savez adresser des interlocuteurs de haut niveau, vous avez une connaissance du marché des jeux vidéos et de l’entertainment que vous avez déjà pratiqué. Vous êtes capable de tenir un rythme de prospection et de rendez vous élevé.

• Bac plus 5 minimum, de préférence ingénieur ou équivalent

• Expérience de 2 ans minimum de vente

• Combatif (ve), vous avez fait vos preuves en prospection et devez être capable d’ouvrir des portes puis des comptes.

• Rigoureux (se), vous savez organiser votre prospection, votre temps et gérer vos priorités, utiliser un outil de gestion des contacts commerciaux / CRM.

• Vous êtes motivé(e), autonome, créatif(ve), et avez l’esprit d’entreprendre. • Vous avez de très bonnes connaissances du monde du contenu mobile et êtes passionnés de jeux vidéo.

• Vous maîtrisez parfaitement l’anglais

Rémunération

Rémunération attractive: Fixe + prime. Le variable est non plafonné Mutuelle

Pack bureautique (PC portable / Smartphone 3G)

Vous bénéficierez d’une formation à l’entrée ainsi que du support d’un parrain pour vous permettre d’intégrer au mieux la société.

Un variable garanti vous sera attribué durant cette période.

Contact Envoyer CV + lettre de motivation + N° REF à Eléonore España par mail : nicolas.bensignor@playsoft.fr

Société

Crée en 2004, Playsoft Group conçoit et développe des applications ainsi que des jeux pour plateformes mobiles.  Avec 150 collaborateurs dans 4 pays, Playsoft combine expertise technologique (iphone, Android, Windows Mobile, J2ME, web, social networks etc…), et marketing. Nos clients sont, entre autres, Konami, Le Figaro, Electronic Arts, ou encore la Fédération Française de Football.

Nous explorons les nouveaux domaines de création de contenus connectés et communautaires. Notre équipe est jeune, passionnée et en pleine croissance.

Site web: http://www.playsoft.fr/

Le stage

Basée dans les locaux parisiens (20ème arrondissement), l’équipe recherche, pour se renforcer, un stagiaire Community Manager qui remplirait ces qualités :

• Motivé

• Esprit d’initiative et autonomie

•  Intéressé par l’univers du jeu vidéo / multimédia

•  Qualité d’expression et rédactionnelle

• Maîtrise parfaitement l’anglais

• Polyvalent en marketing, stratégie commerciale et communication

• Bac +4 ou fin d’études type ESC

Vos mission :

• Contenu pour les réseaux sociaux : posts / articles / vidéos en rapport avec l’entreprise et l’actualité du secteur.

• Animation de la communauté

• Développer la connaissance de la marque au sein des différentes communautés web (MySpace, Youtube, Faceboo, Twitter, LinkedIn, Viadeo).

• Toute autre initiative pertinente pour la notoriété de l’entreprise.

• Faire une veille sectorielle et une veille des conversations des marques/sites concurrents.

• Mettre en place les outils et le reporting de mesure permettant l’atteinte d’objectifs préalablement fixés.

Votre travail sera donc de parler et de faire parler de Playsoft.

Début : ASAP

Durée : 6 mois

Rémunération : selon profil

CV, Lettre de motivation et adresse du compte twitter à :  fanny.raimbault@playsoft.fr

Those two new accounts are : The Cannes Festival and the French National Football Team !

Read the press release.

Mobile games, pads and all the new fun toys. We revisit the biggest licenses video game history. We develop new titles and original concepts.

At the Agency we are hooked on mobile brands and new technologies! We have monetization fever and we are addicted to our clients’ marketing strategies.

The application ”PLAY WITH EMILIE” entertaining and educational allows children aged 2 to 5 years old to enter the digital age with their favorite character: Emilie.

An animated book and several mini games will be available. The sound environment was created specifically for the application.

Playsoft has gotten a bit of work done and welcomes you to it’s new website that looks more like us.
Learn more about us, our business, our projects and our latest news.
Enjoy your visit!

Read the press release.

Read the press release.

Blabla soccer

blabla english

Selon les astroulogues chinois, les personnes qui naissent sous le signe du lapin sont “sophistiquées, dignes de confiance, et remarquablement intelligentes”. Ca marche aussi pour les natifs du Lapin Crétin ou bwaaah ?