China Regulations
Will China’s new regulations push game publishers towards other emerging markets?
Nativex general manager Tiffany Ou looks at what's to come
To The Future
NetEase sets up a new studio in Tokyo to focus on next-generation games
The studio is hiring PC, console and mobile specialist
Going Retro
Sega continues mini console trend with upcoming Game Gear Micro
Comes to Japan on October 6th
Esports In Africa
Esports Federation president Emmanuel Oyelaki on the growth of games in Africa
"Esports has gained a lot of prominence and governments are officially recognising it as a sport"
Missingno
What happened to Pokémon Sleep?
One year on and we still are none the wiser as to what the iOS and Android game is
Making Money
NetEase launches a secondary stock exchange listing in Hong Kong
It aims to raise between $2 billion and $3 billion
This Week In China
This Week In China: Game for Peace cracks down on cheaters as the police crack down on in-game gambling
The biggest stories direct from Beijing
Expansion
Square Enix branches out into "entertainment AI" with forming of new company
Square Enix AI and Arts Alchmey Co. will spearhead research and development
End Of Battle
Terra Battle developer "heartbroken" to end service six years after launch
RPG from Final Fantasy creator will shut on June 30th, 2020
Full Throttle
KartRider Rush+ zooms to 10 million global downloads in two weeks
3.57 million daily active users
Splash The Cash
Tencent is investing $70 billion into tech infrastructures
Including cloud computing and cybersecurity
Stood Up
Konami's LovePlus Every to shut down 10 months after launch
Dating simulator will cease operations on August 5th, 2020
Pride
Netmarble sales up 11.6% as Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross starts strong
"We are anticipating significant growth in sales and profitability in our second quarter"
Splashing Cash
Tencent acquires 20% stake in Japanese games firm Marvelous
"In comparison to Western companies, there is a widening abyss in terms of development capability and financial clout"
Indie View
The Big Indie Interviews: Willem Delventhal on making award winning games for cats
What does it take to make a game that's fun for both humans and cats?
This Week In China
This Week In China: NetEase's big reveals from its 520 conference and Chess Rush lands in China
The biggest stories straight from Beijing
Digital Showcase
Japanese developers and publishers join together for New Game+ Expo on June 23rd
Sega, SNK, Koei Tecmo, Spike Chunsoft, and more are due to take part
China Covid-19 Growth
China’s mobile game revenue reaches $7.7 billion during COVID-19
Yodo1 digs into the data
Mygamez Funding
MyGamez partners with Small Giant Games on Empires & Puzzles' Chinese Android launch
Fingersoft, Small Giant Games, Peter Vesterbacka, and more contribute to new funding round
No Direct
Report: Nintendo is not holding a Direct for the foreseeable future
Will surprise-drop new trailers instead
Valhalla!
NetEase unveils Norse mythology-inspired mobile AAA game Project Ragnarok
Going cross-platform on mobile, PC, and console
Netease Financials
NetEase's mobile games catalogue pushes revenue to $2.4 billion
Mobile represented 70.3 per cent of all online games
Pandemic Delay
Kingdom Hearts: Dark Road faces delay due to the coronavirus
Square Enix still wants a spring release
New Studio
Kwalee to open its first international studio in India
Located in Bangalore
Where's The Fire?
Garena's Free Fire records 80 million daily active users
Its previous record was 60 million in March 2020
This Week In China
This Week In China: ChinaJoy 2020 goes ahead and FriendTimes Inc. changes its name
The biggest stories direct from Beijing
China Hit Worst
Nexon's revenue and profit falls year-on-year in Q1 due to Covid-19 pandemic
"Nexon has been spared the turbulence due to minimal physical contact with consumers"
Strong All Around
Sega profits rocket by 421%, video games up 50% too
"Strong competitive mobile enviroment"
Square Enix Financials
Dragon Quest Walk and Romancing SaGa Re;univerSe help lift Square Enix mobile revenues to almost $1 billion
Profits rise by 9.38% overall
Tencent Financials
Tencent sees a 26 per cent revenue increase year-on-year in Q1 2020
Mobile games generated ¥34.8 billion ($4.9 billion)
Hard To Bell-ieve
Animal Crossing: New Horizons shifts nearly 4 million units in Japan
Best-selling Nintendo Switch game in the country yet
Winner Winner
App Annie: PUBG Mobile generates largest consumer spend overseas for China-based developers in Q1 2020
Rise of Kingdoms from Lilith follows in second
Component Shortages
Report: Nintendo Switch production facing delays due to Asia lockdown
"Nintendo wouldn't be able to produce enough units for the shopping season"
Chinajoy Goes Ahead
ChinaJoy 2020 is still taking place despite the coronavirus pandemic
Shanghai event still scheduled to take place from July 31st to August 3rd.
Safety First
Tokyo Games Show and Paris Games Week become latest victims of Covid-19
TGS moves to digital while PGW looks ahead to 2021
Newzoo Report
China games revenue set to exceed $46 billion in 2024
Mobile games revenue generated an estimated $18.5 billion in 2019
This Week In China
This Week In China: Mahjong Soul sees success in Japan while Love and Producer scores its own anime
The biggest stories straight from Beijing
Hyper-casual Success
How to find hyper-casual success with rapid testing and development
Hyper-casual isn't just a mobile game genre—it's a very specialist process of game development
Mmorpgs Rule
South Korean mobile games market still grinding
Crunching the data with App Annie
Hells Bells
Animal Crossing: New Horizons shifts 11.77 million units in 11 days
Fastest-selling Nintendo Switch game ever
Nintendo Financials Q4 Fy19
Nintendo's mobile business grows by 11.5% year-over-year, Switch tops 55 million
Revenue up nine per cent year-on-year
Claim A Freebie
Amazon Prime members in India to get free in-game content for mobile titles
Variety of titles included
Saved By The Bells
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp clears $150 million in lifetime revenue
$7.9 million generated and seven million installs in April 2020
Learning From China
What western publishers can learn from China's Coronavirus response
Nativex's general manager of EMEA Leticia Ye takes a closer look
Open For Buisness
Japan's Computer Entertainment Rating Organisation reopens on May 7th
It was shut due to the coronavirus
Game Down
Honor of Kings crashes on Chinese Labor Day
Tencent blamed the AI
This Week In China
This Week In China: Wind Fantasy returns on mobile, and an Animal Crossing: New Horizons grey market is growing
The biggest stories direct from Beijing
Mamma Mia
No Nintendo E3-style Direct planned for the first time since 2013
Multiple sources suggest video presentation has been pushed until Summer
Stricer Regulations
China mobile games market update: stricter regulations on the horizon
Yodo1 shares tips on making your game China-ready
Feel The Music
Sega launches a music brand
Launching soundtracks via other labels in Japan