TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 12, 2026--
Fuller, Inc. announced today that Block Blast!, developed by Hungry Studio, has been selected as the winner of the App Ape Award 2025 Special Award. Hosted by Fuller, the App Ape Award is based on insights from App Ape, Fuller’s mobile app analytics service widely used across Asia. Selection is informed by metrics including MAU, activity rate, and app store review ratings.
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Hungry Studio continues to strengthen its long-term focus on the Japan market. Guided by the core value of “ Experience Equality,” Block Blast! is designed to be intuitive and easy to pick up, fitting naturally into Japanese players’ daily lives. The game’s growth reflects the team’s focus on refining a barrier-free experience that respects every player.
In Japan, Hungry Studio is deepening this strategy through tailored events. During the 2025 year-end and early 2026 New Year period, the team launched a limited-time campaign titled “ブロックブラストハイスコア！ご当地No.1を目指せ！！”. The campaign was met with strong enthusiasm in Japan. Hungry Studio plans to build on this momentum with continued Japan-focused localization events.
“We’re honored to receive this recognition, which reinforces our belief that steady improvements and player respect sustain long-term growth,” said Jason Wang, VP of Brand Marketing at Hungry Studio. “We will continue prioritizing Experience Equality and Japan-tailored operations to ensure players can enjoy the game at their own pace.”
Strategically, Block Blast! will continue to expand its Japan-focused localization. The team is dedicated to strengthening locally rooted events, operations, and community engagement to deliver lasting fun for Japanese players.
About Hungry Studio
Hungry Studio is a global casual gaming and entertainment company built on experimentation and powered by data-driven innovation. Founded in 2021, the company focuses on the development and publishing of casual games. Its flagship title, Block Blast!, ranks among the world’s leading casual games, reaching 70M DAU and 300M MAU as of December 2025. Leveraging a robust A/B testing framework and continuously evolving product capabilities, Hungry Studio is building a scalable global casual gaming ecosystem for players and brand partners.
BlockBlast! App Ape Award 2025 - Special Award
Chris Bassitt is staying in the AL East.
The Baltimore Orioles agreed to an $18.5 million, one-year contract with the right-hander Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the agreement was pending a physical. The deal includes a $3 million signing bonus, and Bassitt can earn $500,000 in performance bonuses if he starts at least 27 games.
Bassitt, who turns 37 on Feb. 22, has reached that number of starts each of the last five seasons.
ESPN was the first to report on the contract.
Bassitt went 11-9 with a 3.96 ERA for AL champion Toronto last year. He has pitched at least 157 1/3 innings in each of the past five seasons, and only once in the last eight seasons has he posted an ERA above 4.00.
Bassitt joins a Baltimore rotation that includes Shane Baz, Trevor Rogers and Zach Eflin. Baz was acquired in a December trade with Tampa Bay, and Eflin re-signed with the Orioles for a $10 million, one-year contract.
After two straight years in the playoffs, Baltimore finished last in the AL East with a 75-87 record in 2025. It made a big splash in free agency when it signed first baseman Pete Alonso to a $155 million, five-year contract in December.
But the Orioles could use an improved rotation after last year's starters ranked 24th in the major leagues with a 4.65 ERA. Team president Mike Elias said in November the team was trying to find "whether it’s ‘top’ or ‘front’ or ‘top half’ of the rotation, all those buckets.”
That was after Baltimore traded right-hander Grayson Rodriguez in a deal for outfielder Taylor Ward — and before the Orioles landed Alonso. Since then, they have added Baz and brought back Eflin.
Still, after Ranger Suárez (Boston) and Dylan Cease (Toronto) signed elsewhere in the division, and with Framber Valdez now in Detroit, not much seems to have changed in how Baltimore is approaching its rotation. The Orioles haven't made any long, big-dollar commitments to their starters, instead adding to the rotation via one-year deals or trades.
Before last season, Baltimore signed Charlie Morton, Tomoyuki Sugano and Kyle Gibson to one-year deals, and the aggregate result from those three was quite disappointing.
Bassitt arrives with a better recent track record than Gibson had, and he's a good deal younger than Morton was. The Orioles can also hope for better health from Kyle Bradish, who made six starts last year, and a full season from Rogers, who went 9-3 with a 1.81 ERA over 18 starts in 2025.
The Orioles hold their first full-squad workout of spring training on Monday.
AP Baseball Writer Jay Cohen contributed to this report.
This version has been corrected to show Rogers had a 1.81 ERA.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
FILE - Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Chris Bassitt throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the seventh inning in Game 4 of baseball's World Series, Oct. 28, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
