Games industry roundup: Inside Switzerland's games industry, CryptoKitties dev's new game, and YouTube confronts issues
While PocketGamer.biz focuses on the world of mobile gaming, it's always a good idea to keep an eye on the trends, controversies and opportunities of other sectors.
To that end, each week we round up the hottest stories as selected by our expert editorial team across our network of sites that includes PCGamesInsider.biz, InfluencerUpdate.biz and BlockchainGamer.biz.
Looking for a mobile roundup? You can check out our Hot Five here. You can also catch up on all the news coming out of Asia in our East Meets West roundup here.
Learn more about all these sectors of the games industry at Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle on May 13th and 14th or at Pocket Gamer Connects Hong Kong on July 17th and 18th.
Hottest stories
Over on PCGamesInsider.biz, there's a look into Switzerland's young games development scene, an interview with Kitfox on why it's making sword smooching game Boyfriend Dungeon, and Slightly Mad discusses the uncertain future of its Mad Box hardware.
In the blockchain space, the CryptoKitties dev showcases its new game Cheese Wizards, and CryptoWars developer Experimental raises $500,000 in seed capital.
On InfluencerUpdate.biz meanwhile, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki has published a blog post delving into content creator frustrations with the platform, Snapchat's user base is growing, and PewDiePie calls for an end to the "subscribe to PewDiePie" movement following the Christchurch attack.
#1: PC game news and insights
Here are the five hottest stories from our sister-site PCGamesInsider.biz for the last week.
Swiss developers give us the lowdown on the local games scene and tell us what it needs to grow
Why Kitfox is making sword smooching game Boyfriend Dungeon
“We hope by the end of it, it's a game more about humanity than blacksmithing,” says designer and co-founder Tanya Short
Future of Slightly Mad's Mad Box console "questionable" following Google Stadia announcement
And the name of the hardware might change if it ever comes out
Destiny had around six million monthly active users before Bungie parted ways with Activision
Developer acquired publishing rights in December 2018
America's Federal Trade Commission has received 129 complaints about Star Citizen
New report paints game's development as "incompetence and mismanagement on a galactic scale"v
#2: Blockchain game news and insights
Here are the five hottest stories from our sister-site BlockchainGamer.biz for the last week.
Better Brie-lieve it: CryptoKitties’ dev showcase new game Cheese Wizards
The development and marketing teams behind CryptoKitties have an interesting approach to advertising and viral marketing. If this wasn’t made readily apparent thanks to the promotional videos for its game. The Dapper Labs team will certainly remind you with its latest game title.
Binance Chain and DEX are now supported in Enjin Wallet
While Enjin places a great level of emphasis on its multiverse and creating an entire ecosystem around it. It isn’t shy when it comes to striking up partnerships and extending the kind of reach its token and users have.
Experimental raises $500,000 in seed capital
The development team behind CryptoWars has successfully raised a total of $500,000 in runway funding this week. With this capital, the Experimental team intends to staff up and get thoroughly situated in Argentina.
Crypto Sword and Magic lands on EOS
Crypto Sword and Magic has officially landed on the EOS mainnet this week, bringing more RPG action for players. Much akin to RPG games like 0xWarriors, CS&M is a turn-based RPG, which decided on EOS to bring blockchain solutions to over 700,000 MAUs.
Zombie Battleground becomes ‘Relentless’
Zombie Battleground is not shy about making changes to the game in order to punch into the mainstream.
#3: Influencer news and insights
Here are the five hottest stories from our sister-site InfluencerUpdate.biz for the last week.
YouTube CEO confronts communication issues, copyright claims and ad removal
A blog post published by YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki has touched on some of the current frustrations for creators on the platform.
Snapchat Q1 report shows user growth after a rocky 2018
Snap released its Q1 financial report last week and the results suggest that the company is recovering after a disappointing 2018.
Facebook unveils new design and a fresh focus on 'privacy' at annual F8 keynote
Facebook's annual F8 developer conference kicked off last week. CEO Mark Zuckerberg detailed some changes coming to the platform this year, as well as new developments for Facebook's other products, including Instagram, WhatsApp and Oculus.
Leading YouTuber Felix 'PewDiePie' Kjellberg has called for his fans and the world to stop pushing the 'subscribe to PewDiePie' meme, following a shooting in New Zealand last month.
Instagram unveils new features designed to combat online bullying
Instagram is currently trying out new features with a strong focus on anti-bullying, including an 'away' mode that users take time away from the platform without deleting their accounts.