Start your week right with our quick take on the stories that are impacting the mobile industry right now.
To help get you primed and ready for another week in mobile gaming, we’ve curated the biggest stories you need to know from the last seven days.
1) Dubai launches new Gaming Visa as part of 2033 vision
Dubai has launched a new Gaming Visa in an attempt to attract talented individuals, artists and creators to the country.
The move is part of Dubai’s Program for Gaming 2033 - through which it plans to create some 30,000 jobs in the games sector. The latest initiative comes as investment and competition in the games and wider tech space heats up in the MENA region.
2) Nintendo made $10.8 billion in FY24 with mobile and IP income up 81.6%
Propelled by The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Nintendo’s mobile and IP revenue surged by 81.6% year-over-year during the last fiscal year.
However, hardware sales fell by 12.6% year-over-year as the Nintendo Switch enters the end of its lifecycle and the company gears up for Nintendo Switch 2. Though hardware sales were down, digital sales increased by 9.4% Y/Y.
According to AppMagic data, Brawl Stars broke back into the top 10 top grossing chart for the first time since February 2019 in April, the title’s meteoric rise continues unabated.
Meanwhile, Call of Duty Warzone: Mobile fell from the No. 1 most downloaded mobile title in March to No. 51 in April. Daily revenue has also seen a decline, and while April sales were up in March, revenue appears to be trending downward.
Check out the charts for a full picture of April’s top revenue generators, most installed games, and top publishers.
4) Goddess of Victory: Nikke reaches $750 million in 1.5 years
Shift Up’s Goddess of Victory: Nikke has crossed $750 million in revenue in 1.5 years. According to AppMagic data, 61% of sales come from Japan, while 17% emanates from the US.
The company is celebrating the milestone with free items for players including SSR character Kilo and 10 Standard Recruit Tickets for free pulls on the gacha.
5) Microsoft closes Mighty Doom dev Alpha Dog, Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks and more
Microsoft has made deep cuts at Bethesda with the closures of Mighty Doom developer Alpha Dog Games, Redfall studio Arkane Austin and Hi-Fi Rush maker Tango Gameworks. Roundhouse Games, meanwhile, is joining ZeniMax Online studios to work on The Elder Scrolls Online.
Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty said the company wanted to focus on “high-impact titles” through a “reprioritisation of titles and resources”.
