EA inviting Sim City Social refugees to Plants vs. Zombies Adventures – Last month we reported that game developer and publisher Electronic Arts announced that on June 14 it will retire three of its Facebook games: Sim City Social, The Sims Social and Pet Society. Today we’ve learned that EA is inviting Sim City Social players to play the beta for the highly anticipated Plants vs. Zombies Adventures Facebook game via emails. The game will launch publicly on May 20.

DreamWorks, PikPok and Verizon promote Turbo with mobile game and $1M in rewards – DreamWorks Animation announced it is promoting its upcoming film Turbo with a mobile game by developer PikPok, which will feature a contest with $1 million in total cash prizes. The Turbo Racing League mobile game is available on iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Android handsets and tablets, and Windows Phone 8, but players on Verizon, which is presenting the $1 million Shell-Out contest, will have access to unique content. You can read about the contest rules in detail here.

Former New York Times digital and mobile products manager joins EA’s Board of Directors – Game developer and publisher Electronic Arts has appointed Denise F. Warren to its Board of Directors. Warren is executive vice president of the digital products and services group and former chief advertising officer at The New York Times Company. The announcement comes on the heels of EA’s Q4 2013 earnings report which revealed the company earned $104 million in revenue from mobile, and its increasing focus on mobile and digital products.

Elephant Mouse launches Star Trek Rivals – Mobile game developer Elephant Mouse announced the launch of a free-to-play card battle game based on the recently released Star Trek Into Darkness feature film. The game will feature more than 100 cards for players to collect, representing characters, starships and technoolgies that appear in the film. The game is avilable to download for free from the iTunes App Store.

Sonic The Hedgehog debuts on Android – Game developer and publisher Sega announced that the 16-bit Genesis classic Sonic The Hedgehog has launched on Android. The game, which was already available on iOS, is now available to download from the iTunes App Store for $2.99.

Kabam to implement Google+ Sign-In – Social game developer Kabam announced that it will be the first games company to implement Google+ Sign-In. The new integration will provide users with a simple and secure sign-in process on Kabam.com and the ability to engage users with interactive posts, which allow players to share content and prompt friends to take specific actions in their games.

Corona Labs announces Dilbert Game Jam — Venture-backed mobile software company Corona Labs has teamed up with the creator of the Dilbert comic strip Venture-backed mobile software company for a mobile game development contest. Developers are invited to create a winning a game with the Corona SDK and Dilbert artwork. The winner will have the opportunity to publish the the game to major app stores. Additional prizes include yearlong subscriptions to Corona SDK Pro, iTunes gift cards and more. The contest runs from May 14 through July 12 with winners to be announced on July 19. You can read more about the Dilbert Game Jam here.

Google announces game services — During Google’s sixth annual I/O keynote in San Francisco Google’s vice president of Android product management Hugo Barra announced the launch of Google’s equivalent to iOS’ Game Center, Google Play game services. The new feature allows developers to add cloud sync to any game, so users can save their data like player progression and game state across any Android device. Additionally, Google Play game services adds leaderboards and achievements support as well as a new multiplayer feature. Also, game services isn’t limited to Android apps, the service can be integrated into an iOS or web app, allowing cross-platform play.

Dragons and Titans goes into open beta – Zynga partner Wyrmbyte today announced that its MOBA game Dragons and Titans has gone into open beta. You can read about our hands-on demo with the game from GDC 2013, or jump right into the game on Facebook.

Car Town to feature Fast & Furious 6 content — Game developer Cie Games announced that it has partnered with Universal Pictures to add promotional content to its popular Facebook game Car Town. You can read our review of the game here. The partnership between Cie Games and Universal will combine virtual and real-world efforts, including in-game film integration with missions inspired by the movie.

Playstudios launches Mirage — Free-to-play casino game developer Playstudios today announced it’s adding new content inspired by Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at The Mirage Hotel & Casino to myVegas. myVegas, which reached three million installs since launch, is a combination of a resource management sim and gambling title with slots and card games, as well as regular mini-games.

Phyken Media launches Wizard Ops Tactics – Independent game developer Phyken Media announced that it has released Wizard Ops Tactics for iOS and Android devices. Players take on the role of a Wizard Commander as they build a Wizard Army of Ice, Fire, Earth and Air Wizards which can be combined in 140,000 unique ways. The game is free to download from Google Play and the iTunes App Store.

Zynga adds The Country Fair to FarmVille 2 –  The County Fair will add new content to players at level 20 and above in Zynga’s FarmVille 2. The new weekly event will have players displaying their prized crops and competing with friends. Zynga said on its blog that the The County Fair is a complex feature and that will be slowly rolled out over the coming months.

Facebook recaps stats about its games ecosystem from GDC 2013 – In a blog post Monday, Facebook’s director of games Sean Ryan recapped some stats about its games ecosystem that were revealed during the 2013 Game Developers Conference. Ryan says more than 250 million users are playing games on Facebook each month, and 82 percent of the top 100 grossing U.S. mobile games and 75 percent of the top 100 grossing U.S. Android mobile games are integrated with Facebook. In 2012, Facebook paid out more than to $2 billion to game developers and saw total payers increase 24 percent year-over-year from March 2012 to March 2013.

GREE updates NFL Shuffle with new ‘Talents’ feature – Mobile-social gaming giant GREE updated its card-based game NFL Shuffle with a new feature called ‘Talents’ that is aimed at increasing the game’s competitiveness. Users can now utilize an NFL players Talent, a game-changing boost, to increase a card’s scoring potential. Talents come in the form of gameplay enhancements such as additional swaps, and shuffles, offense and defense team bonuses, and Silver and Gold Football Bonuses.

DeNA launches Transformers: Legends — Japanese mobile developer and publisher and toy maker Hasbro announced the launch of Transformers: Legends, an action card battle game for Android and iOS. We first reported on the game when it was still in development under the title Transformers Battle. In the game, players assemble a team of Transformers characters and battle their friends. By completing missions in both the Autobots and Decepticons campaigns players earn credits and recruit new characters to improve their card collection.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment releases Lego: Batman: DC Super Heroes on iOS – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and developer TT Games announced the launch of Lego: Batman: DC Super Heroes, an action adventure title for iOS. The game, previously released on consoles, allows players to join 80 DC super heroes as they take down DC villains in Gotham City. The game is available to download for $4.99 from the iTunes App Store.

Gameloft launches Iron Man 3 – The Official Game – French mobile game developer and publisher Gameloft announced that it has launched Iron Man 3 – The Official Game on Android and iOS devices. The game is an endless runner, or “endless flyer,” in which players take control of Tony Stark, guiding him through the air as he dodges enemies and collects power ups. The game is free to download from the iTunes App Store and Google Play.

Hothead steps up to the plate with Big Win MLB — Developer Hothead Games announced the release of Big Win MLB, a baseball game for iOS and Android devices. The officially licensed game allows users to create a lineup of their favorite baseball players from all 30 teams and compete against friends. The game is available as a free download from the iTunes App Store and Google Play.

Ludia launches The Price Is Right on Facebook — Social and mobile games developer Ludia announced the launch of The Price is Right, a Facebook game based on the popular television gameshow. Players will compete against their friends, as well as with the vast The Price Is Right Bingo online community, matching the randomly drawn numbers with those on their bingo cards in hopes of calling “bingo” in time to make it to Contestants’ Row.

Animoca unleashes Thor: Lord of Storms – Mobile game developer and publisher Animoca (Pretty Pet Salon series, Star Girl, Robo5) announced the launch of Thor: Lord of Storms, an action-strategy defense game based on Norse mythology (not based on the upcoming major motion picture, Thor: The Dark World). The game is available to download for free from Google Play.

Sega launches The House of the Dead: Overkill – The Lost Reels — Game developer and publisher Sega announced the launch of The House of the Dead: Overkill – The Lost Reels, a shooter title for iOS and Android based on the game released on Wii in 2009. Developed by Magic Pockets, the game lets players choose between a Story mode where they fight their way through three levels, or Survival mode, where they will face waves of enemies. The House of the Dead: Overkill – The Lost Reels is available to download for $4.99 on Google Play and the iTunes App Store.

Game Insight brings 2020: My Country to Android – Russian mobile and social game developer Game Insight announced that 2020: My Country is now available on Google Play. The game is the sequel the Game Insight’s city management sim My Country, which garnered more than 17 million players from around the world.

Sega releases Godsrule: War of Mortals on browsers – Game developer and publisher Sega announces that it has released Godrule: War of Mortals on browsers. Godsrule is a free-to-play social strategy game similar to those frequently seen on Facebook and elsewhere on the open Web. The game was previously avilable in open beta. You can read our review of it here.

Former Unity execs announce new studio, tablet game — Framebunker, a games studio founded by Unity Technologies Co-Founder Nicholas Francis and former Unity Creative Director Charles Hinshaw, announced Static Sky, a game for tablets that mixes elements of Diablo, XCOM and Blade Runner. You can read more about the new studio and game on Framebunker’s official website.

Playdemic Launches Quiz Buddies – Social and mobile game developer Playdemic announced the launch of Quizz Buddies, a new, fast-paced trivia game for Facebook and iOS. The game is free to play, but players can spend money to remove the ads or buy more credits with in-app purchases. Inside Social Games readers are probably familiar with Playdemic through its hit games Village Life and Gourmet Ranch.

Chillingo announces Zya – Mobile game develper and publisher and Electronic Art subsidiary Chillingo announced that it will collaborate with Los Angeles-based entertainment developer Music Mastermind to publish a music creation game for iOS titled Zya. The game will allow players to create to mix and mash-up famous tracks to create new ones. Zya will release on phones and tablets this summer.

5th Planet Games hires Mike Thompson — Core mobile and social games developer 5th Planet Games announced that it has hired former gaming industry journalist and Inside Social Games Lead Writer Mike Thompson as its new creative writer. Thompson will be responsible for developing storylines and writing narrative for 5th Planet’s upcoming new titles.

Gameloft launches Dungeon Hunter 4 for Android – French mobile game developer Gameloft launched dungeon crawler Dungeon Hunter 4 for Android this week. Click here for our review of the iOS version of the game.

Former Zynga Boston employee raises $2.25M for new game studio Proletariat – Seth Sivak, a former lead designer from the defunct Zynga Boston office, raised $2.25 million for his new game studio Proletariat. The raised amount in equity funding appeared in an SEC filing. Proletariat’s first release came back in March, with word game Letter Rush for iOS.

Game Insight launches Battle Towers on Android – Russian game developer and publisher Game Insight announced that it has published strategy game Battle Towers on Android devices. The game is available to download for free from Google Play.

Zynga appoints John Doerr to Board of Directors – The social gaming giant today announced it has appointed John Doerr to its Board of Directors. Doerr started his career at Intel, and has gone on to back companies like Google, Amazon and Intuit. The news comes on the heels of Zynga’s changes to its executives’ compensation packages.

Disney launches Mittens for iOS – Disney Mobile Games and Metro Games have launched Mittens, a physics-based puzzle game. It’s available now as a $0.99 download from the App Store for iPhone or a separate “HD” version for iPad for $2.99, and carries additional in-app purchases to unlock later levels early — and also one additional in-app purchase for an extra level pack that is not part of the main game. Read our full review here.

GSN Digital launches Deal or No Deal Slots on Facebook — The new slots game based on the hit television game show is available through the Games by GSN multi-game portal on Facebook which you can find here.

NAMCO BANDAI released Tekken Card Tournament — The games publisher and developer announced the release of Tekken Card Tournament, a free-to-play card trading game based on the fighting game franchise. The game is currently available to download from the iTunes App Store, Google Play and Amazon App Store.

Ludia and King Features launch Popeye Slots – Social and mobile game developer Ludia and Hearst Media subsidiary King Features partnered to launch Popeye Slots. As its title suggests, the game is a Popeye-themed slots app for iOS. You can download it for free here.

Mode 7 will bring Frozen Synapse to iPad in May – Game developer Mode 7 announced that it will bring its turn-based tactics game Frozen Synapse to iPad in May. The game was originally released on PC and received critical acclaim for its innovative user interface and clever game mechanics. A version for Android tablets will hopefully follow shortly after the iPad release.

Favourit reveals social sports betting platform for iOS – A new social sports betting platform named Favourit launched on iOS. Favourit also revealed that it secured $3.6 million in funding. Favourit allows users to download the app and place their bets, get live scores, follow unique insights into the game from tipsters as well as peers, and track leaderboard rankings. You can download the app for free here.

Glu Launches Frontline Commando: D-Day — Mobile game developer Glu Mobile celebrated 35 million downloads of Frontline Commando with the launch of a sequel, Frontline Commando: D-Day. The World War II third-person shooter is free to download from Google Play and the iTunes App Store. You can read our full review of the game here.

Square Enix launches Mini Ninja’s — Game developer Square Enix launched its Mini Ninjas game on iOS. Other games in the Mini Ninjas franchise were previously released on the Nintendo DS, Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. The iOS version is a runner game featuring the cartoon ninja characters and is priced at $0.99.

Into the Dead rises on Android — PikPok’s first-person zombie-themed endless runner game is now available to download for free on Google Play. You can read our full (and favorable) review of the previously released iOS version of the game game here.

Windows Store grows its game lineup — Microsoft has announced a list of new games that were released on the Windows Store during GDC or will be released in the upcoming weekend. New titles include PopCap’s Bejeweled, Glu’s Samurai vs. Zombies, Disney’s Temple Run Brave, GameHouse’s Emily’s Wonder Wedding and more.

Sega announces Puzzle Pirates for tablets – Game developer and publisher Sega announced that it will release developer Three Ring’s Puzzle Pirates on the iPad and Android tablets in the spring and summer of 2013. The tablet version of the game will feature full cross-platform play with the currently available versions of the game for PC, Linux and Mac.

PlayJam will begin shipping GameStick dev units next week – PlayJam, the creators of the Android-based games console GameStick, showed off the GameStick Storefront, running on a GameStick development unit at the Game Developers Conference this week, and also announced that developers can get their hands on the GameStick dev unit and free GameStick SDK starting next week. The GameStick will be launching with compatibility for 50 games in various genres, with titles like Riptide GP, Shadowgun and Smash Cops, as well as media apps like XBMC and Netflix. GameStick’s business model is revenue share-based, splitting revenues 70-30 from any in-app purchases or upfront premium price of an app. The GameStick plus a controller will run for $79, and $99 for the GameStick, controller and connectivity dock. Look for a full retail launch in a couple of months.

EA Mobile shows off upcoming mobile titles – Earlier this week at the Game Developers Conference, Inside Mobile Apps got their hands on three upcoming mobile titles from Electronics Arts, including TMi Trivia, Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar and Tetris Blitz. Trivia game TMi Trivia, which is set to launch in spring for iOS, features asynchronous multiplayer and trivia content that remains fresh, receiving new questions often from sources like Variety, Spin and a user’s own Facebook friends. Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar, a spiritual successor to Ultima 4, is a synchronous co-op RPG for iOS, featuring dungeon crawling and tons of loot collecting. We were told the game is “coming soon.” Puzzle game Tetris Blitz is a new Tetris game that adds a twist to the Tetris formula, altering gameplay into short rounds of Tetris in two-minute bursts, with usable power ups. Look for it in the spring.

Mega Run launching April 4 for Android – Canadian mobile game developer Get Set Games announced that it will launch auto-running platformer Mega Run for Android on April 4. The game, which first released for iOS, is packed with 80 levels across five worlds. Read our review for the iOS version here.

Global Gaming Initiative aims to get players into the charity game — Today at GDC, we sat down to chat with The Global Gaming Initiative, a for-profit gaming group who makes games to benefit charities. That may sound confusing, but it actually works pretty simply: The GGI partners with a charity it researches (to ensure it’s legitimate) and then creates a premium game where installs and IAP help support said charity. The example we were shown was Sidekick Cycle, a Tiny Wings-like runner on iOS benefitting World Bicycle Relief. We’re told every 387 installs of the $0.99 app will pay for a high-quality bike to be delivered to a child in need in Africa. An interesting element of the game is that there’s a graphic showing how close the game is to delivering its next bike every time an IAP is made. The GGI tells us it’s planning to release games on iOS and Google Play for now, and Sidekick Cycle will be out sometime in the coming months. If you’re interested in checking out the GGI and its message of “change in your pocket”, head over to the company’s website to learn more.

Eutechnyx bringing NASCAR games to mobile — Eutechnyx, the developer behind NASCAR’s various console games, revealed to us that it’s expanding its titles onto iOS and Android. Based on the build we saw, the mobile version of NASCAR The Game: Inside Line has some stunning graphics and will also be able to leverage all the cars and racers from NASCAR itself. According to Eutechnyx VP, Commercial Scott Jones tells us the game will play with CSR-like mechanics, with a cutscene showing how you perform. Meanwhile, the company also is working on NASCAR Draft, which will feature asynchronous strategic multiplayer mechanics. The game gives users ten moves to play each round, like choosing to pass or draft behind other cars, and will again show a cutscene updating one’s standing in the race; Jones tells us the title’s been designed off of board game ideas. These games are coming sometime later this summer, and we’re also told Eutechnyx is currently in the process of considering the possibilities of bringing NASCAR games to social platforms.

Wizard Ops Tactics brings tactical strategy to mobile and web — We spent some time checking out Phyken Media’s Wizard Ops Tactics on the floor of GDC Play today. The game is a fully 3D version of fantasy-themed tactical strategy action, with gameplay reminiscent of classics like Disgaea or Final Fantasy Tactics (there are definitely some goofy attacks and animations that certainly feel like they’d appear during the former). From what we got to see, the strategic combat — which is online only, there’s no single player mode — was pretty fun and the graphics looked truly gorgeous. The game is due out on web, Android and iOS sometime this Spring and will feature Facebook Connect, as well as other social sharing mechanics.

Creative Assembly announces free-to-play Total War: ARENA – PC strategy game developer and makes of the Total War Franchise today announced Total War: Arena, a free-to-play game mixing elements of real-time strategy and MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) gameplay. Creative Assembly  Lead Designer James Russell announced that the game was under development in the company’s U.K. studio during its GDC 2013 session. Total War: ARENA will be the company’s first free-to-play title. It will allow players to recreate famous battles from history in large scale, team-based matches. Players can sign up for the upcoming closed beta tests here.

Playdek raises $3.8M in Series A funding – Digital tabletop games publisher Playdek announced it has raised $3.8 million in Series A funding led by Qualcomm Ventures with participation from IDG Ventures, ff Venture Capital and existing investors Deep Fork Capital, Greycroft Partners, Jari Mohn and other angel investors. — The new funds will be used to expand the company’s ability to launch more games such as the upcoming Agricola, as well its online community platform. Launching later this year, the Playdek community platform will encourage digital tabletop players to connect with special events and tournaments.

Godsrule close to launching on iOS — We got to see a demo of Sega and Gogogic’s social strategy game Godsrule: War of Mortals on iOS today. The game was running on an iOS app (as opposed to being played on the web like the desktop version), but provided a synchronous cross-platform experience with the game’s web build. Not only can players play with others regardless of the platforms they’re on, but they can carry the game over for a synchronous play experience between web and iOS. Also, since we ran our review earlier this month, Gogogic’s also updated the game so it contains leaderboards. We’re told the tablet version of the game is in the refinement stage and will launch soon.

Unity 4 now Facebook functional — Unity Technologies today announced it’s joined with Facebook to launch an improved experience for Unity-powered games on the social network’s platform. This is likely to be perceived as a major improvement for developers looking to tap into core gamer audiences on Facebook, as 84 million male gamers between 18-35 years old play on Facebook each month (representing approximately a third of Facebook’s monthly active gamers).

PerBlue updates Boardtastic 2 — Since launching Boardtastic 2 for Google Play in February, social mobile developer PerBlue released a major update for the game. Now, players can earn hard currency Gold in a punishing Prize Mode, receive permanent bonuses and buffs and enjoy an updated multiplayer mode that encourages competition between them. Since February, the game’s been installed on Adroid devices 1.6 million times.

The Walking Dead is on sale — Just in time for GDC, Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead is on sale across all platforms. From now through Wednesday, April 10, the iOS version of the game’s episodes are 40 percent off. Each episode is $2.99, or you can buy the entire Multi-Pack for $9.99 on the Apple App Store.

Club Penguin team members form new studio — Club Penguin co-founder Lance Priebe and former Studio Head and VP of Global Operations for Disney Online Studios Pascale Audette have teamed up to form new studio Hyper Hippo Productions. Hyper Hippo’s first game, Mech Mice, will launch later this year and will be meant for children over ten-years-old.

Gameloft gets in on the UNO game — Mobile developer  Gameloft revealed the upcoming launch of UNO & Friends, a new version of the classic card game, which will launch soon for iOS, Android and Facebook. No definite launch date’s been given, but you can head over to YouTube for some quality trailer action.

Over 10 million people play Rage of Bahamut — Love it or hate it, Rage of Bahamut just had its one-year anniversary. As a result, we’ve been given a handy infographic showing off various highlights about the game, like how it’s in the top three grossing apps on Google Play in 25 countries now and been mentioned on Twitter over 2 million times.

Scopely launches Mini Golf Match-up [Launch] — Social mobile dev Scopely this week launched Mini Golf Match-up on iOS. The game was developed by Rocket Jump Games, one of the partners recently announced by Scopely. Since launching, Mini Golf Match-Up’s already hit the No. 1 spot on iTunes in 24 countries.

Playdek discounts Penny Arcade for PAX East — Playdek’s got another sale going on! This time, in honor of PAX East, the digital hobby game publisher has put Penny Arcade the Game: Gamers vs Evil on sale for $0.99. The sale ends on March 24.

Gameloft launches Order & Chaos Duels – French mobile game developer Gameloft announced the launch of Order & Chaos Duels, a card battle and collecting game set its  fantasy Order & Chaos universe. The game is available to download for free from the iTunes App Store and will be made available on Google Play “very shortly.”

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment opens WB games San Francisco — Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment  today announced the formation of a new game studio in San Francisco, WB Games San Francisco. The studio will open this year and focus on creating free-to-play, mobile, social and browser-based games. The studio will be located in the same offices as San Francisco-based Flixster.

Overhaul Games wants help putting Baldur’s Gate on Android — Overhaul Games is planning to launch Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition on Android but wants some player insight about which Android devices they should prioritize for the release. If you have an opinion about what device you’d like to see the game on, head over to the official forums.

Magneto squares off against Hydra in Avengers Alliance — I swear, Marvel: Avengers Alliance is trying to re-tell the Acts of Vengeance storyline from the 1980s. In Chapter 11 of Avengers Alliance, Magneto “declares a grand plan for New York” and suddenly his mutant forces wind up in an bloody free for all with Hydra and the Red Skull.

Moonlight Online getting a new look — IGG’s Moonlight Online is about to get a brand new redesign that will be far less cutesy than before.  ”We’ve done away with all the mushiness and shininess of any teen pop movies,” IGG says. The new version of Moonlight Online will be available for free download on March 20, 6:30 PM.

Max Awesome hits Google Play [Launch] — Chillingo launched Rebel Crew Games’ Max Awesome on Google Play this week. The game contains 60 levels where players guide the titular Max on his quest to achieve daredevil fame and glory. You can also challenge your friends in the game via Facebook.

Aliens are coming to SimCity Social — SimCity Social’s latest update is bringing the UFOs back to the game. The game’s about to undergo an alien invasion, so players are being tasked with ramping up their cities’ defenses ahead of the attack (which is set to start in two days).

Eat Eat Hooray! comes to iOS [Launch] — The Playforge, developer behind Zombie Farm and Zombie Farm 2, this week announced its newest iOS game Eat Eat Hooray! Players have to help the Morps rebuild their capitol city and travel to other worlds as they seek to undo the mischief created by “renowned dinosaur wizard” Rasputin.

Totems goes up on iOS [Launch] — Mobile developer Timecode just released its first game, Totems, for iOS. Totems is a strategy board game where players strive to conquer the most pieces of territory on the map. The game is currently on sale for $0.99, but will normally sell at $1.99.