This Week in Mobile Games - The Years Start Walkin' and They Don't Stop Walkin'

This Week in Mobile Games: Simogo's Legacy, Genshin's Nostalgia, and a RAMpocalypse

It's the end of February, a month many love to hate. Here in the tropics, we're bracing for the impending heat and humidity of March, seeking refuge in air-conditioned rooms and finding solace in video games. Let's dive into the latest mobile gaming news, starting with a look back at a studio that helped define the platform.

The Simogo Legacy Collection: A Celebration of Mobile Gaming's Golden Age

While technically not a mobile game release, the Simogo Legacy Collection is essential for anyone interested in the history and potential of mobile gaming. This collection, available on Nintendo Switch and PC, gathers seven games developed by the Swedish studio Simogo, founded by Simon Flesser and Magnus "Gordon" Gärdeback. Simogo was a prominent iOS developer, earning accolades from prestigious events like the BAFTAs, the Independent Games Festival, and the Apple Design Awards.

The Simogo Legacy Collection includes Kosmo Spin, Bumpy Road, Beat Sneak Bandit, Year Walk, Device 6, The Sailor's Dream, and SPL-T, all released on the Apple App Store between 2010 and 2015. Unlike some perfunctory classic game collections, this one adapts the games for new platforms while celebrating their mobile roots. The main menu resembles an iPad, with each game having an App Store-like profile. On the Switch, you can even play vertically, mimicking the experience of holding a large smartphone. Bonus materials include playable prototypes and supplementary media like the Year Walk novella and companion app.

The games themselves are delightful. Even the simpler ones have a sense of whimsy and melancholy that sets them apart from the stereotypical one-handed mobile distractions. Kosmo Spin is a cute take on Breakout with a circular playing field. Bumpy Road is a platformer where you manipulate the road to guide an elderly couple through their memories, conveying a sweet romance alongside goofy car physics. Beat Sneak Bandit uses rhythm-based mechanics in a charming heist theme, predating titles like Crypt of the Necrodancer. SPL-T involves splitting squares to form score-boosting blocks, which promises a satisfying sense of accomplishment once mastered.

The collection's highlights are Year Walk, Device 6, and The Sailor's Dream, collaborations with writer Jonas Tarestad. Year Walk is a moody, mysterious first-person adventure based on the Swedish custom of Årsgång, a haunting tale of seeing a vision of the future. Device 6 is a reading game and the best game-based equivalent to House of Leaves yet made. Playing Device 6 on Switch is recommended, as rotating the screen and listening for clues enhances the experience.

The Sailor's Dream combines the metafictional elements of Year Walk and Device 6 into a tale of guiding a sailor to different islands, each with a small story. One gimmick of The Sailor's Dream uses Apple's AirPrint feature to produce illustrations and messages, which isn't possible on the Switch. However, this is a small compromise for making these games accessible to a wider audience.

The Simogo Legacy Collection underscores the transient nature of the mobile game scene. Simogo released the collection to preserve the games, which were in danger of disappearing due to OS updates and hardware changes. This highlights the irony that the perceived continuity of app compatibility on iOS has not translated into long-term game preservation. Today, the mobile game market is dominated by live service titles that can be shut down quickly if they are not successful.

The growing trend of developers releasing games on multiple platforms is a welcome response to this problem. The Simogo Legacy Collection offers a look back at a bolder, more inventive, and more joyful era of mobile game development.

Genshin Impact Luna V Update: Returning Home

It's hard to believe that Genshin Impact is approaching its 6th anniversary, a game that helped usher in the current era of mobile gaming. Following Fortnite's lead in embracing nostalgia, Genshin Impact's upcoming "Luna V" update, titled "Homeward, He Who Caught the Wind," returns players to Mondstadt, the game's starting zone, on February 25th.

The update features the "Echoes of Memory" event, where players relive altered retellings of the game's early storyline. The trailer shows commentary on the opening cutscenes and reunions with familiar Mondstadt characters like Diluc, Fischl, Venti, and Jean. Players will also meet Varka, the Grandmaster of the Knights of Favonius, who has been missing for years.

Varka joins the playable roster as a dual-wielding Claymore user who can deal both Anemo damage and another elemental damage type based on his teammates. Players can also try to recruit Flins, Skirk, and Escoffier.

Keeping up with Genshin Impact is challenging due to the size of each new zone. It's not as easy as diving into a new chapter of Fate/Grand Order.

Concerns about miHoYo's use of generative AI are also growing. A recent report mentions miHoYo's commitment to using generative AI in its development pipeline, with Honkai Star Rail benefiting from Large Language Models from MiniMax. Genshin Impact's Miliastra Wonderland mode also faced criticism over the use of AI voiceover in its English-language tutorial videos.

While it's important to be skeptical of AI hype, the potential use of AI in game development does temper excitement for future projects.

RAMpocalypse: A Threat to Mobile Game Hardware

The AI hype bubble is impacting the availability and cost of computer memory. The insatiable demand for memory from companies building AI data centers has led memory manufacturers to shift production away from consumer products. Micron, for example, is exiting the consumer RAM business to supply these lucrative deals. PC gaming enthusiasts have seen prices for RAM and NAND memory rise significantly.

Valve delayed its Steam Machine and Steam Frame hardware, and Sony is considering pushing back its plans for the next PlayStation console by as much as 3 years (to 2029). Nintendo is also considering raising the price of the Switch 2.

This memory crisis will affect all consumer electronics, from laptops to smartphones to cars. IDC suggests that smartphone makers could cut production targets and/or raise prices by 10% to 20% in the next year or two.

While memory manufacturers are working to increase RAM supply, it will take until at least 2028 to build out more production capacity. This could mean a tough few years for those in the market for new electronics.

A potential slowdown in hardware advancement could set a spec floor for new games. Mobile game developers may be less inclined to push graphical capabilities, which could benefit those who want to get more out of their current devices.

News Tidbits

• Digital Extremes' Warframe is now available on Android via Google Play with cross-platform saves and play. Players who download and start playing before March 4, 2026, will receive a free Cumulus Collection pack.
• Girls' Frontline 2: Exilium received the "Corposant" story event, adding Alva and Balthilde to the roster.
• Lasengle announced a mid-March 2026 release window for "Ordeal Call II" in Fate/Grand Order.
• Nexon Games reported losses of approximately $41 million USD for 2025, citing declining sales and development costs for new projects like "Project RX."
• NetEase reported significant growth in its games segment, driven by online games like Identity V, Diablo Immortal, and Destiny: Rising. Where Winds Meet and Ananta are also generating buzz, although Where Winds Meet's use of LLM-powered "chatbot NPCs" has sparked some controversy.

That's all for this time. Stay safe, stay cool or warm depending on your location, and don't spend all your free time on Fortnite.