Ramping Up Revenue
"Unconventional characters" and "respect for creative freedom" drive Reverse: 1999’s $100m success
We sit down with Bluepoch’s development team on building a successful gacha with a brand-new IP
Dissolved
Bandai Namco Online to shut down after 16 years of operation
There's no word on whether staff are going to be affected by this move
Funding News
KGeN secures $10 million for web3-powered ‘gamer controlled’ economies
The latest raise brings the company's valuation to $500 million
Cloud Gaming
MTN and Telecoming partnership brings cloud gaming to mobile in South Africa
Players in the region can now stream Steam titles directly to their smartphones
Sinking Spending
Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis surpasses $100 million
Square Enix’s RPG hits the mobile milestone after over a year and slowdown in monthly revenue
Critical Hit
Game Analysis: The winning formula behind Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket
Jakub Remiar takes a deeper look at how the latest Pokémon game is securing more than $4 million a day
Acqusitions
Game District acquires majority stake in Türkiye’s Gleam Games
Gleam Games CEO is now chief strategy officer at Game District
Partnership
Xsolla and Com2uS forge strategic partnership to offer payment and backend services to developers
Both companies are looking to expand their collaboration with new directions for cooperation
Pokemon Power
Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket surges past $100 million in 17 days
The card collector game is averaging almost $6.4 million per day in player spending
Funding For Games
Merak Capital launches $80 million fund to support MENA games start-ups
The accelerator consists of a brief virtual bootcamp, followed by a 14 to 16 week core program
Six Month Milestone
Solo Leveling: Arise hits 50m players and $139m revenue in first six months
But player spending in Netmarble’s RPG is on the decline
Dual Listing
Art outsourcer Winking Studios begins trading on the London Stock Exchange
Market cap projected at £66 million
Investment News
Funstop Games secures $5 million to accelerate game development and expand globally
The studio will use the funds to accelerate its development efforts and expand its portfolio
Jobs In Games
Jobs in Games: Dash Studios' James Ohia on how to get a career as a chief technology officer
In this series, we highlight the talented team members working in the games industry and how they got their break
Monster Money
Monster Hunter Now’s Carnival Global a "roaring success" with 151% revenue surge
The paid event was a global adaptation of Now’s first in-person event, Carnival 2024: Shibuya
Mena Market
MENA start-up investments decline 52% to $134 million in October
UAE start-ups raised $61.8m across 15 deals, while Saudi Arabia-based start-ups secured $50m from over 21 deals
New Studio
Tencent’s Lightspeed Studios opens new Japan studio
Experienced game director Hideaki Itsuno will helm Lightspeed's Japan studio
Investment News
Animoca Brands raises $10m to expand metaverse platform Mocaverse
This latest round follows previous funding totalling $31.88 million
Universal Appeal
Why the universal language of games means you don't have to rely on localisation
Angry Birds, Tetris and Candy Crush Saga are examples of gameplay attracting global appeal, says YallaPlay CEO Kareem Seddik
Awards Winners
Jordan Games Awards 2024 Winners revealed
Ceremony celebrates the best and brightest across the country
Pgc Jordan
Pocket Gamer Connects Jordan begins today
Two-day conference features star speakers, the Jordan Games Awards, networking opportunities, and much more
Mena's Rising Star
How government investment is fueling rapid growth in the MENA region
The fast-growing market is levelling up its gaming ecosystems and development talent
Esports In Mena
British International School Riyadh partners with NES to propel esports education in Saudi Arabia
The partnership is in line with the KSA's Vision 2030 initiative
Nikke Numbers
Goddess of Victory: Nikke celebrates second anniversary and nearly $900m on mobile
Shift Up’s popular gacha game is celebrating its second anniversary from a past antagonist’s perspective
New Offerings
Kakao Games partners with Lionheart Studio for triple-A MMORPG game codenamed Project Q
The upcoming game will launch for PC and mobile next year
Pocket Power
Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket surpasses 10 million downloads and $23m revenue
Japan makes up 45% of player spending during the game's opening five days, followed by the US
Mario Music
Nintendo Music brings classic game soundtracks to mobile devices
App features music from hit IPs like Mario and The Legend of Zelda, but fails to credit artists
Games First Takeaways
4 takeaways from Supercell’s Games First Helsinki 2024
We round up the insights from a day of deep dives into the industry and game design practices
Marvellous Mena
Table Knight Games' co-founder Ghada A. AlHudaithi talks MENA challenges, company expansion and exploring new genres
"There has been a lot of vast opportunities for funding and support from Saudi Arabia and other venture capitals in the MENA region"
Pay To Play
Monster Hunter Now tests Pokémon Go event formula with Carnival Global
Now’s first in-person event is getting an online follow-up for players who couldn’t attend in Shibuya
Pocket Premium
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete goes premium on December 3rd
The premium replacement will allow players to transfer their data up until June 2nd, 2025
New Approvals
China approves 128 new games including Supercell's Squad Busters
China has consistently approved over 100 domestic video games each month, while foreign game approvals occur approximately every two months
Strategic Growth
Redwood acquires majority stake in Indian games streaming start-up Loco for $65m
The deal will see Loco expand to global markets
Pgc Jordan
Pocket Gamer Connects Jordan conference tracks revealed
Nine tracks designed to unlock game development success
Jordan Games Industry
Finalists for the inaugural Jordan Games Awards 2024 are live!
Winners will be revealed on November 10th, as part of Pocket Gamer Connects Jordan 2024
Big Indie Pitch
Pitch your indie game at next month's Pocket Gamer Connects Jordan
The Very Big Indie Pitch offers the chance to gain expert feedback and get coverage of your game
New Offerings
NetEase and Marvel Games to launch new RPG mobile Game Marvel Mystic Mayhem
Prepare to peek into the “deepest fears" of Captain America, Moon Knight, Scarlet Witch
Mena Market Growth
UAE games market revenue could reach $492 million by 2027
Sector forecast to hit $421m by the end of 2024
New Partnerships
Xsolla and Uzbekistan's IT Park sign deal to open game development academy in 2025
The academy will focus on training local talent and fostering new opportunities for game production
Pgc Jordan
Jawaker, iDreamSky, Mad Hook, and more join the speaker line-up for next month's PG Connects Jordan
Submit your talk and take the opportunity to be featured alongside them
Destiny Mobile
NetEase partners with Bungie for Destiny: Rising mobile game
Limited access closed alpha test starts in November
Mena Market
MENA investments recovers after 63 startups raised $282 million in September
This marked a 234% increase month-on-month and a 607% rise year-on-year
Funding News
Krafton leads investment round in India studio Deftouch to scale King and develop new games
Krafton India co-led the round alongside T-accelerate Capital and Lumikai Fund
Riding The Waves
Wuthering Waves coasts to $150 million
The Shorekeeper’s release helps surge revenue, but a monthly decline is yet to overturn
Top 50
What the Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2024 tells us about industry trends
We analyse merge category growth, how hypercasual publishers have transformed, and the secret blockbusters from the past year
Best Of 2024
The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers of 2024
The mobile movers and shakers of the last 12 months revealed!
Job Losses
Nexon America lays off “small number” of staff
Publisher establishes Western Development Group headed by Hanbyeol Oh
Genshin Goliath
Genshin Impact hits $6.3 billion in time for fourth anniversary, but is it running on fumes?
HoYoverse’s flagship game dipped below $1 billion in annual revenue for the first time
Esports Integrity
Moonton Games teams up with Esports Integrity Commission to promote fair play
The partnership aims to enhance esports integrity through information sharing, education, policy development, and risk management
Top 50
Find out who's in the Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2024 next week
The big reveal will take place on October 2nd live at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki