Gameloft, the Paris-based mobile game developer, has released a bunch of new titles this fall and it took the wraps off two more this week. Dungeon Hunter III (pictured above) is coming out of stealth mode today, and the company also unveiled Real Soccer 2012. They’re not exactly holiday-themed, but Gameloft’s believes they’ll be popular titles in the holiday app-buying season.
The pending launch of these titles shows that Gameloft is going head-to-head with major mobile game makers such as Electronic Arts, which recently unveiled its own slate of holiday mobile gaming titles. Both of the newest Gameloft games are free-to-play titles, where users play for free and purchase virtual goods with real money. Free-to-play is sweeping through the mobile game industry as the most lucrative business model.
Gameloft has already released six major games this fall on the iPhone and iPad. Those include NFL Pro 2012, Oregon Trail: American Settler, Gangstar Rio: City of Saints; Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation; Brothers in Arms 2: Global Front HD; and Fishing Kings.
The newest titles like Real Soccer 2012, which launches Dec. 15, take advantage of new iOS 5 features such as Air Play, which allows a mobile game to be displayed on a big-screen TV via a wireless connection to Apple TV. Real Soccer 2012 is part of a series that dates back to 2004. It has community features on its user interface that allow soccer fans to get their fill of player and team news. You can, for instance, watch an RSS sports news feed on the main page of the user interface. You can customize your uniforms and create your own game scenes with an editor and post them for friends to see. Oh, and you can play soccer too.
Dungeon Hunter III is a new hack-and-slash game where you swipe across the screen to imitate the slashing of a sword. The game has a top-down view of the action and comes with four worlds, each with multiple levels. The levels are set up as arenas where you have to hack away at the enemies until you’re victorious. You can customize your skills, armor, weapons and find various treasures in the dungeons. I spent a little time with the title. While it won’t win any awards, it’s not a bad way to pass the time at a Starbucks.