When a global platform like Facebook simply stops working — even for just barely an hour — the whole world takes notice. Reliability is especially critical in the mobile space, where a chaotic mess of fragmented devices, operating systems, and cloud services can render software unreliable.
Pets, the social game built into if(we)'s social network, makes a lot of money. The company is using that to fund development of a next-gen messaging app that it thinks could be the next Snapchat or WhatsApp.
Executives from a host of leading companies contributing to the mobile debate are coming together at Mobile Summit, including Google, Lyft, American Eagle, Hilton, Clorox, Zillow, Spotify, Hallmark, NY Times, Parse-Facebook, Visa, Expedia, Office Depot, TOMS Shoes, and many more.
The global future of games is most certainly free-to-play, and that means game businesses are service businesses -- and the most successful games will be played globally, but serviced locally.