MOBILE games are a great way to play on the go, but the free-to-play titles can end up being more expensive than full-price ones.
These games usually have either annoying adverts that interrupt your gameplay, expensive microtransactions to play, or both.
There has been a change in the mobile gaming industry, with new services popping up that promise you free-to-play, ad-free, microtransaction-free games.
Netflix and Crunchyroll both offer free mobile games as part of their entertainment subscriptions, and Apple Arcade gives iPhone users access to quality games.
Epic Games recently announced that it would be joining these other services in offering a strong library of games to mobile players.
Starting near the end of 2024, Epic has promised to strengthen its services with a ‘free games’ programme for mobile users.
Epic hopes that this mobile games programme will encourage people to download the PC launcher and purchase games from there.
Epic Games Store general manager Steve Allison says that up to 50 third-party games will arrive on Epic’s mobile platform in 2024.
Allison said: “In the holiday season we’ll open up with our first third party applications.
“We probably expect somewhere between 10 and 50 of them to be ready, and the biggest thing is just going to be implementing a payment solution.
“So that may push some of these out into the subsequent months.”
Epic also hopes to add social features and self-publishing tools to the mobile app, to give even more ways to add to the gameplay.
Allison says: “There [will be] self publishing tools, which means developers can come in without any interactions with us, like they do on PC today.
“This is probably in the first half of the year, hopefully as close to January as possible.”
The first game that has been officially announced for the mobile platform is Ark: Ultimate Mobile Edition, a version of the popular survival-crafting game.
Epic also announced a new ‘Launch Everywhere with Epic’ programme which will help developers save on costs.
Developers who use the Unreal Engine to make their games will have a reduced cost if they launch their games on Epic.
Through the programme, the games can still be launched on multiple platforms as long, as they are available on Epic Games Store on launch day.
If you want to read more about mobile games, check out how Palworld is going mobile.
Get the lowdown on more of the latest Xbox releases from our expert reviewers.
For PS5 and Nintendo Switch, check out our full game reviews section.
ELIZA Samudio’s murder was ordered by then Flamengo keeper Bruno Fernandes de Souza.
This horrific story of murder, betrayal and injustice is the focus of Netflix’s An Invisible Victim: The Eliza Samudio Case.
In 2009, 25-year-old model and actress Eliza Samudio met Bruno Fernandes de Souza — star goalkeeper for one of Brazil’s most popular football clubs, Flamengo — at a party.
This encounter led to a brief affair, resulting in Eliza becoming pregnant.
When she refused Fernandes’ demands to have an abortion, their relationship took a sinister turn.
As Eliza sought financial support for her unborn child, Fernandes became increasingly hostile towards her.
He threatened her life, holding her at gunpoint and stating that she “didn’t know what he was capable of”.
Despite the clear danger, Eliza persisted in her quest for justice for her son.
In June 2010, Eliza was lured to Fernandes’ home under false pretences.
She endured six days of torture at the hands of Fernandes’ accomplices, including his wife.
The brutality culminated in Eliza’s murder, with her body then dismembered and fed to Fernandes’ Rottweilers.
The disappearance of Eliza quickly became a media storm.
As evidence mounted, Fernandes and his accomplices were arrested.
In 2013, Fernandes was sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in ordering Eliza’s murder.
The trial revealed the shocking details of the crime, including Fernandes’ admission to knowing about the murder and disposal of Eliza’s remains.
Despite the severity of his crime, Fernandes’ imprisonment was marked by controversy.
In 2017, he was temporarily released on a technicality and signed with a new football club, Boa Esporte.
Fernandes said: “I thank the club president. He opened the doors for me and I need to be very grateful for the opportunity I have.
“The goal of the club is to go up to the first division of the Brazilian Championship and that is my goal now.
“The man can make plans, but whoever gives the final word is God. I came to help and not to think of myself.”
This decision sparked widespread outrage and protests, leading to his return to prison shortly thereafter.
In 2019, his sentence was converted to a semi-open regime, allowing him to work during the day.
Fernandes announced his intention to become a mental health coach for elite athletes in 2023.
In yet another shocking turn of events, Fernandes was signed by Orion Futebol Clube, a São Paulo-based team, just two months after being released on parole.
In March 2023, the club announced the news on Instagram, posting a picture of Fernandes grinning and clenching his fist, with the caption “Backup for the position, welcome!”
The move sparked outrage among fans and women’s rights advocates, with one supporter commenting: “Total absurdity in women’s month, a month that should be exalting all of us women.”
Orion FC was reportedly the seventh club to sign Fernandes since his initial release in 2017.
On September 26, 2024, Netflix released An Invisible Victim: The Eliza Samudio Case, a documentary shedding new light on this tragic story.
The film aims to give voice to Eliza, often overshadowed by the notoriety of her killer.
It explores the systemic issues surrounding the disgusting crime and the ongoing impact on Eliza’s family, particularly her son.
Tendai Ruben Mbofana: "When I was listening to President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa delivering his State of the Nation Address (SONA) yesterday, I hoped he would finally provide solutions to the country’s economic crisis. Yet, instead of providing a detailed and accurate diagnosis on what was ailing the ZiG, Mnangagwa decided to blame everyone else besides his own administration."
The post Mr. President, you’ll never fix economy when you behave like a witchdoctor! appeared first on Nehanda Radio.
DESPERATE Brits are paying up to £2,500 to flee Lebanon on yachts amid Hezbollah and Israel’s bloody showdown.
Hundreds of civilians have escaped the war-torn terror hotbed by air and sea as Israel continues to pound the south with daily strikes.
The first plane evacuating around 180 Brits left Beirut yesterday as the Middle East teeters on the brink of all-out war.
But terrified civilians are now turning to a more unusual escape route as flights out of Lebanon quickly fill up.
Dozens of people a day are now being evacuated from Dbaye region to Ayia Napa in Cyprus – on private superyachts.
Goldeneye Superyachts owner Karl Debs has earmarked several of his yachts to ferry people to safety as Israel’s bombardment shows no sign of slowing down.
Up to seven yachts are being sent daily, each carrying around seven passengers.
Passengers need a valid passport and papers to enter Cyprus.
Frantic civilians having been forking out between £1,500 and £2,500 travel on the 75ft long yachts.
Yacht broker and captain Karl said: “Clients feel more comfortable on these private yachts rather than ferries.”
So far, 450 people have taken the seven-hour trip from Dbaye to Ayia Napa, including several Brits, Karl told the Standard.
One mum said she made the decision to flee on a yacht for the sake of her children.
She told The National News: “We were already planning on leaving, but we were hoping things wouldn’t escalate as much.
“We were waiting day by day to see what’s going to happen next.
“But when that big one hit, and when I saw my kids tremble the way they did and panic, I was like that’s it.”
Foreign Secretary David Lammy yesterday confirmed the first charter flight taking British nationals out of Lebanon had departed from Beirut.
He urged British nationals still in Lebanon to register with the Foreign Office and leave the country immediately.
But it is feared flights from the Rafic Hariri international airport may be halted by this weekend.
Defence Secretary John Healey crack British troops were ready to evacuate British nationals from Lebanon if necessary, however.
He said an extra 700 personnel, including soldiers, sailors and aviators, were on standby in the region.
Healey said: “They are ready to go if needed. I have got great confidence in our ability to do the job if required, but for now our govt advice to all Brits in Lebanon is to get out now.”
Asked if Israel’s invasion of Lebanon would see Beirut airport close, he said: “I have made very clear to the Israelis, and I know from having spoken to my US counterpart they are saying the same thing, it is vital that we as nations are able to get our nationals out of Lebanon safely.
“Israel understand that well and we will continue to make that case.”
He added: “Of course the way of avoiding this best is to see a ceasefire in Lebanon and a negotiated settlement along the lines of the UN plan that is on the table now.”
It comes after it was confirmed a US citizen has been killed in Lebanon.
Kamel Ahmad Jawad is among more than 1,000 civilians who have been killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon in the past two weeks.
Israel this week staged a ground invasion of Lebanon as the battle with Hezbollah heats up.
The focus of the operation is clearing out Hezbollah terror sites to halt rocket attacks which have driven 60,000 from homes in Northern Israel in the last 11 months, Israeli sources said.
But yesterday, fierce fighting erupted and at least eight Israel Defence Forces soldiers were killed.
Commandos are believed to have been ambushed as they attempted to clear a village infested with dug-in militia.
The blow was the first serious setback for Israeli forces attempting to push the terror group’s elite Radwan Forces north to create a weapons-free buffer zone.
Fighting has intensified in southern Lebanon after Israel poured in thousands more soldiers towards the war zone on Wednesday.
Last night, Hezbollah claimed to have blasted three Israeli tanks with missiles as they advanced towards a Lebanese border village.
The Iran-backed terror group said it “destroyed three Merkava tanks with rockets as they advanced towards the village of Maroun al-Ras.”
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said: “I would like to send my heartfelt condolences to the families of our heroes who fell today in Lebanon.
“May God avenge them, and may their memories be a blessing.
“We are in the middle of a tough war against Iran’s axis of evil, which seeks to destroy us.
“This will not happen because we will stand together, and with God’s help – we will win together.”
Israel has insisted the operation will be “limited and targeted raids” to demolish Hezbollah’s war machine near the border.
But there are fears escalations could drag the wider Middle East region into an all-out war, with Brits now evacuating Lebanon.
Hezbollah’s propaganda chief Mohammad Afif has warned its forces were “only in the first round” of a bloodbath battle.
Israel is now plotting a huge retaliation to Tuesday night’s unprecedented Iranian missile blitz.