Daniel Griffiths Editor - PocketGamer.biz Daniel Griffiths is a veteran journalist who has worked on some of the biggest entertainment media brands in the world. He's interviewed countless big names, and covered countless new releases in the fields of videogames, music, movies, tech, gadgets, home improvement, self build, interiors and garden design. Yup, he said garden design… He’s the ex-Editor of PSM2, PSM3, GamesMaster and Future Music, ex-Deputy Editor of The Official PlayStation Magazine and ex-Group Editor-in-Chief of Electronic Musician, Guitarist, Guitar World, Rhythm, Computer Music and more. He hates talking about himself.

EA Games breaks into two companies

You've got to hand it to EA. Never one to rest on its laurels EA continues to innovate and isn't afraid of the odd baby-plus-bathwater mishap if a 'new vision' can be realised. That said, breaking up the legend that is EA Games into two new factions with new reporting lines and a fair few new faces, took us by surprise earlier this week and on paper is quite the gamble for a company doing very nicely thanks.

Doubtless there'll be a few noses out of joint. There's a few tried and tested managers that will have a few new, more tortuous reporting lines and there's some familiar names that are have found themselves "leaving the company to pursue new opportunities" - oops - but the meat of what's left on EA's bones post-upheaval looks stronger than ever.

Best of all there's a clarity for mobile as sports mobile games remain within EA's familiar technology group and still under the remit of Jeff Karp. Karp meanwhile sees his mobile kingdom placed on a level pegging with EA's other blockbusters for the first time with a hotline through to Andrew Wilson's jacuzzi.

Call it a statement of intent, call it smart thinking (call it getting tooled up in case Microsoft do wind up winning Aquiblizz) but we can't help thinking this is one restructure that's driven by common sense rather than the usual deckchair-shuffling pretence. 

Iwan Morris Staff Writer Iwan is a Cardiff-based freelance writer, who joined the Pocket Gamer Biz site fresh-faced from University before moving to the Pocketgamer.com editorial team in November of 2023.

Hero Wars developer Nexters to restructure as GDEV Inc

This is a pretty big move on Nexters part, but it’s a fairly smart one. After the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict a lot of developers - most prominently for us being Azur Games - made the move out of Russia. Unfortunately, they brought a lot of baggage with them due the inevitable lingering association.

By taking on a new name the company distances itself from its former home and ensures that it can move forward with a fresh identity. It also reflects a possible intention to expand beyond being “just” Nexters and instead being something bigger. After all Nexters compare the move to Facebook becoming Meta in their press release, so maybe there’s something to be taken there?

Regardless of if it’s moral conviction or pure pragmatism, Nexters is now something new. Although the development studio itself will still go by the same name, their new company will take its place on the NASDAQ and be traded under that title.

Lewis Rees Staff Writer Lewis Rees is a journalist, author, and escape room enthusiast based in South Wales. He got his degree in Film and Video from the University of Glamorgan. He's been a gamer all his life.

Angry Birds educational games are on the way

There’s an episode of the incredibly wholesome sitcom Abbott Elementary where one teacher struggles to engage one of his students, who constantly derails his lessons to talk about Bluey, the star of an Australian kids show. In the end, he succeeds in getting the student to focus not by shutting it down, but by incorporating Bluey into his lessons.

Anyone who’s ever been educated in a traditional classroom will know how easy it is for things to get derailed. All it takes is one disruptive student and everything goes out the window, but successfully engaging a child’s interests can help make learning fun. As perhaps the world’s most famous mobile gaming franchise, Angry Birds seems like a natural choice for educational games, but that doesn’t make the move any less inspired. An entire generation has grown up on the franchise, and it’s one which has seen everything from TV and movie adaptations to theme park attractions. It’s a franchise that’s instantly recognisable and, in the core series at least, has obvious potential to educate children on scientific concepts such as velocity and angles.

The move also represents a, quite frankly, amazing opportunity to foster a positive brand name. Gaming has often been considered frivolous, despite representing billions of dollars of investment, thousands of jobs worldwide and limitless hours of entertainment.

While educational games are by no means some new phenomenon, Angry Birds being brought directly to classrooms arguably represents a big move in taking the genre to the next level, and helping sceptics worldwide recognise the potential of gaming not just as a hobby or distraction, but as an educational tool.

Paige Cook Deputy Editor Paige is the Deputy Editor on PG.biz who, in the past, has worked in games journalism covering new releases, reviews and news. Coming from a multimedia background, she has dabbled in video editing, photography, graphic and web design! If she's not writing about the games industry, she can probably be found working through her ever-growing game backlog or buried in a good book.

Indian NGO Prahar calls for ban of Tencent's Undawn

Tencent hoped that its latest title Undawn, available through its subsidiary Level Infinite, would mark a comeback in the Indian games market. The post-apocalyptic zombie game shares many of its game design choices with the popular PUBG title and presents new opportunities for the giant.

It's understandable why Tencent would want to be able to expand into the Indian market. India is quickly becoming one of the world's largest mobile gaming markets with its young demographic, and the government has recognised the esports industry, making both markets projected to see significant growth in the coming years. So the release of a new game like Undawn, of course, wants to tap into that market.

Unfortunately for Tencent, within the short time of Undawn's release, some already have concerns. A non-government organisation has asked that the game receive a ban. The NGO states that the title is an insult to India and has references and ties to the Galwan incident. These references refer to uniforms and certain weaponry present in the game and that the game's launch collides with the Galwan incident.

I recently tried Undawn, and the weapons are what you would expect from any shooter or survival game released today. So while the reasoning behind this complaint may seem like a stretch, it does show that there is still a lot of friction. It will be interesting to see if the Indian government considers any of these concerns or if Tencent can finally find its place in the Indian gaming market.