Android Games Headlines: Mario Kart Multiplayer, Zynga’s Harry Potter, Missile Command: Recharged, and more

If you’re too busy to keep on top of all the Android gaming news during the week, this is the piece of online content for you. We’ve painstakingly collated all the essential headlines from the last seven days and put them in one place. 

It’s the ideal companion piece to our roundup of the best new games and updates, so make sure you check that out too. 

Google Stadia seems to be gathering steam, and the latest new announcements look decent. Both are first-person, both are puzzlers, both are set in space, and both involve searching for missing persons. 

We’ve known about Roller Champions ever since Ubisoft unveiled it at E3 2019. But now we also know that it’s coming to mobile, as well as every other mainstream platform. The game is a sort of mashup of velodrome skating, rugby, and basketball. Don’t try this at home. 

Zynga and Harry Potter are two stalwarts of corporate brand-o-sphere, and now they’ve united for Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells, which you can think of as Candy Crush meets Hogwarts. Expect Harry Potter paraphernalia, matching, and a whole lot of #brand #synergy.

Naruto: Slugfest is an upcoming open-world MMORPG based on the Naruto franchise. It sees you picking a class, doing side quests, completing campaign missions, and that sort of thing. The graphics look slick, with dynamic lighting and weather effects, and you can pre-register now. 

The sci-fi strategy Homeworld franchise has endured a bumpy few years following the collapse of Sierra, but things seem to be coming together with the announcement that Gearbox is accepting applications for the Homeworld Mobile closed beta.

In the tradition of Space Invaders Infinity Gene and Pac-Man Championship Edition, Missile Command: Recharged is a slick, modern, neon take on a 40-year-old arcade classic. It’s coming this spring, and it’ll be free to download with a single IAP to get rid of the ads. 

Multiplayer is finally coming to Mario Kart Tour, and it will be here sooner than you think. Unless you think it’ll arrive on March 8th, in which case you’re spot on. You’ll be able to compete in real time races with up to seven other players around the world, whether friends or strangers. 

It’s quite a week to live in the Philippines. Not only did Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells soft launch there, but so did Plants Vs. Zombies 3. The latest in PopCap’s well-loved series turns the visuals 3D and overhauls the sunlight mechanic, but otherwise it’s business as usual. Expect a Western launch soon.