Feb 20, 2012 Update: They did just post record Q4 sales. And they did sign a deal to bring their games to the platform of Power 40 powerhouse Gree. We'll see how that goes. Not enough going on here for a move on the list. Not yet.
Why He's Powerful
Michel Guillemot used to run France's most famous development studio, Ubisoft, before realizing there was money in mobile gaming—before there was money in mobile gaming.
After over a decade of mostly terrible games for underpowered handsets, Guillemot's Gameloft has come into its own as iOS and Android handsets have brought real computational power to the masses. Gameloft has partnered with outside brands to create licensed products—LEGO and Avatar, for instance—but it's Gameloft's knock-offs of more mainstream titles (sorry, Michel!) that have taken the company to its current heights.
Gameloft isn't setting the gaming world on fire, but they've made a tidy company that's just one truly original title away from blossoming into an honest-to-god mobile gaming innovator.