Pocket Gamer Connects Aqaba
Tickets for Pocket Gamer Connects Aqaba 2025 now live
New name, new location - same unmissable two-day event coming to MENA
Pgc Summit Shanghai
3 key trends in focus at Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai
Highlighting Asian games market growth, global trends, and monetisation models
Squad Slump
Squad Busters makes $472,000 on Chinese App Store as version 2.0 is slow to ignite global fortunes
The global version has generated $1.8m in almost a month since the major overhaul
New Offerings
FunPlus launches new cross-platform publishing label Kingsglory with debut game Aniimo
The title is set to launch in 2026 for Xbox Series X|S, PC and mobile
Early Bird Tickets
One week left to grab Early Bird price offers for PG Connects Summit Shanghai
Save up to $120 (£90) by booking before midnight Thursday June 12
Market Report
Asia and MENA games markets hit $86.6 billion in 2024
Revenue is projected to reach $96bn by 2029
Ready To Launch
How to get your game published in China in 2025
MyGamez CRO Thorbjorn Warin discusses the rules and challenges of releasing a game in the country
New Games
New release roundup: Puzzle & Dragons 0, Game of Thrones: Kingsroad, Summoners War: Rush, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Million Milestone
Dunk City Dynasty achieves 1m downloads in first five days
This latest NetEase Games title has topped App Store charts in the US, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and more
Square Settlement
Square Enix and HK Ten Tree settle copyright lawsuit over Metal Storm
The pair were previously working together on Front Mission 2089: Borderscape
Revenue Rise
Nazara’s FY25 revenue up 43% to $190m after pivot to "high margin" games segments
The publisher’s games revenue increased by 95% year-over-year in Q4
Pgc Aqaba
Pocket Gamer Connects Aqaba 2025 heads to the MENA region this November
The two-day event, taking place on November 8th and 9th will make a triumphant return to the MENA region
Week In Views
Supercell's AI ambitions, Clash of Clans gets a Netflix series, and Pokémon TCG Pocket hits $1bn | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Unicorn Club
Pokémon TCG Pocket surpasses $1bn in just over 200 days
The trading card game has hit the $1bn milestone 78 days faster than Pokémon Go, based on player spending
New Partnerships
Tencent’s Level Infinite and Invest Qatar sign MoU to boost the country's games industry
Both parties will collaborate on talent development initiatives to drive long-term growth
Delivering Dragonfire
Game of Thrones: Dragonfire soft launches in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines
The strategy title is based on the popular IP’s House of the Dragon spinoff
New Medium
Thatgamecompany fuses film and gaming in new Sky: Children of the Light animated feature
The developers’ transmedia project will explore the game’s origin story
Destined Details
Destiny: Rising opens pre-registrations on App Store
Pre-registrations for the full game will open on Google Play at a later date
Launching At Lightspeed
Final Fantasy XIV Mobile launching this June in China
Square Enix and Lightspeed Studios’ upcoming release has been "specifically tailored" for mobile
New Game Launch
Nazara’s Fusebox Games launches Big Brother: The Game worldwide
UK developer taps game licence for reality TV show
Accomplished Anniversary
Dungeon & Fighter Mobile surpasses $1.3bn in first year on Chinese App Store
Nexon’s mega-hit bolstered franchise revenue by 162% in its release quarter and went on to be 2024’s biggest new mobile release
New Offerings
Why investor Jetapult is building AI platform GamePac
“Our philosophy is that tools should adapt to the studio, not the other way around," said Jetapult CEO Sharan Tulsiani
Cross-platform Curve
Nazara acquires UK publisher Curve Games for $28.9m
The deal will see Nazara take 100% ownership of Curve from Catalis Group
Netease Numbers
NetEase Games revenue rises 12% Y/Y to $3.3bn in Q1
Eggy Party, Where Winds Meet, Infinite Borders and more were named among the quarter’s successes
Mystery Opportunity
Ubisoft reveals new Asia mobile games deal as platform accounts for 22% of bookings in Q4
CEO Yves Guillemot refuses to elaborate on new "opportunity"
Reboot Results
Square Enix claims "a familiar list" of mobile games reduce odds of success as net sales fall 9% to five-year low
Its digital entertainment business saw net sales decline by 17%, though profit rose through reduced expenses
Hot Five
Hot Five: Squad Busters 2.0, Tencent’s game sales up 24%, and Sonic Rumble’s tentative 2025 release
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Job Cuts
KLab offers voluntary redundancy to 100 staff after three years of losses
Financial struggles are partly due to the delayed global launch of EA Sports FC Tactical
Revenue Rise
Tencent game sales up 24% Y/Y to $25bn in Q1 with Honor of Kings, Delta Force and Brawl Stars pulling their weight
Games accounted for nearly $6bn in Q1 revenue, or 24% of total earnings
Dungeon Driver
Nexon’s revenue surpasses $780m this Q1 as Dungeon & Fighter Mobile China drives 60% franchise growth
The developer’s operating income increased by 43% YoY, though quarterly profit fell by 27%
Acqusitions
Team Vitality expands into Southeast Asia with Bigetron Esports acquisition
Bigetron Esports will rebrand as ‘Bigetron by Vitality’
Earnings Report
Aristocrat Leisure hit with $74m Big Fish impairment charge after cuts
Big Fish Games will solely focus on evergreen titles and halt new game development
Lost Link
Square Enix cancels geolocation game Kingdom Hearts Missing Link
The title was announced in April 2022 and has had multiple beta tests, but details have remained sparse
Event Report
Biggest ever Dubai GameExpo Summit draws over 1,400 game professionals from 70 countries to engage with the vibrant MENA games market
Third iteration of the region’s leading conference hosted as part of the Dubai Esports and Games Festival 2025 celebrated innovation, supported new talent and encouraged investment
Tarrifs
US and China agree to cut tariffs for 90 Days as Trump admin rolls back on trade war
President Trump claimed a "total reset with China" following the tariff reduction deal
Regulations
New South Korean law mandates foreign game companies to appoint domestic representatives
Firms with ₩1 trillion in sales or 100,000 users must comply
Network Away
Discover your next connection at the Dubai GameExpo Summit 2025
Discover which companies you may meet, from talented indie developers to major brands, at the global games industry event on May 7-8.
Week In Views
What an IPO means for Discord, Pocketpair challenges Nintendo, and Switch 2 fuels apps surge | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Games Incubator
Krafton’s Gaming Incubator taps six Indian startups for second cohort
Developers will receive financial support ranging from $50,000 to $150,000
Lawsuit
Pocketpair pushes to invalidate Nintendo’s patents in Palworld lawsuit
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are seeking ¥5 million ($32,800) and an injunction against Pocketpair
Valorant Mobile
Riot Games’ Valorant Mobile set for China launch
Hero shooter coming to global markets at a later date
Upcoming Release
Final Fantasy XIV Mobile could be launching August 29th
The mobile adaptation is listed on the Chinese App Store for a launch this summer
App Acceleration
Nintendo app installs surge after Switch 2 Direct while its mobile games go unnoticed
Mario Kart Tour missed out on a download spike despite Mario Kart Word’s full reveal
Unity China
Unity 6 pulled from China in favour of localised engine
Change aligns with Unity's strategy to comply with local regulations
Indian Iphones
Apple airlifted $2bn worth of iPhones from India in March to evade Trump tariffs
The imports marked a substantial increase from January and February
Pgc Summit Shanghai
Connect with the world's biggest games market at Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai
West meets East through a little PGC magic before the wonderful madness of ChinaJoy
Market Report
Gaming VC deals rose 35% in Q1 2025 to $373m
But deal value was down 41% year-over-year
Mena Month
The big deals that have shaped the Middle East's games industry over the past year
We take a look at the acquisitions, partnerships and other deals in the Middle East's growing market
Triple Crossover
Sonic Rumble's IP collab Crossover Event 0: Sega Stars is for soft launch players only
The event, which stars characters from Super Monkey Ball, ends one day before the global launch date of May 8th
China Launch
Supercell’s Squad Busters is heading to China
App Store sets April 22nd release date with Tencent set to publish title