Trade Wars
Confusion as Trump tariffs temporarily exempt smartphones
US administration plans to open investigations into the electronics supply chain, claims the US President
Five New Games
New release roundup: Black Mirror: Thronglets, Katamari Damacy Rolling LIVE, Rollercoaster Tycoon Classic+, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Global Divisions
Political maelstrom: Trade wars and rivalries are shaking up games and tech
How the week's upheavals are creating uncertainty as to what happens next
Supercent Game Challenge
Supercent announces 4th Supercent Game Challenge to discover future hitmakers
Enter the Supercent Game Challenge - with a prize pool of $2,000,000
Trade Wars
Trump gives most countries 90-day pause on tariffs as China trade war escalates
Most countries will see a universal 10% levy, while China is hit with new 125% charges on imports
Trade Wars
Trump tariffs come into effect as economic turmoil continues
Hardware manufacturers Nintendo, Apple and Samsung face challenges amid emerging trade wars
Pre-order Delays
Nintendo delays Switch 2 pre-orders in the US over tariff concerns
Nintendo is currently assessing the potential impact of tariffs as they may impact supply chain costs
Tiktok Pushback
TikTok deal hits roadblock as China pushes back amid Trump's tariffs
China is currently blocking any TikTok deal to ensure that Chinese laws and procedures are complied with
Hot Five
Hot Five: AppLovin wants to acquire TikTok, Supercell's film and TV ambitions, and Netflix Stories cancelled
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Tiktok Lovin
AppLovin wants to partner with "undermonetised" TikTok globally
CEO Adam Foroughi opens up on the ad tech firm's interest in acquiring TikTok and its plans for the video-sharing platform
Tick Tock
US extends TikTok sale deadline by 75 days
Buyers have until mid-June to negotiate a deal for the popular video-sharing app
Podcast | Episode 48
Nintendo Switch 2 release date reaction and Tencent's bizarre Ubisoft deal | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode 48...
Trade Wars
Trump tariffs bite just as the games industry was getting back on its feet
Ampere Analysis' Louise Wooldridge discusses the potential impacts on the sector
Finding Funds
HYBE Interactive Media secures $21m to bring K-pop artists to games
Anticipation for MMORPG Architect: Land of Exile played a key role in the latest deal
Hot Five
Hot Five: GDC takeaways, Nintendo Today app launches, and Honkai: Star Rail’s race to $2bn on mobile
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Nintendo App
Nintendo Today mobile app launches to keep fans informed on Switch 2 and more
App is free download but requires a Nintendo account
Publising Deal
Skystone Games takes US publishing rights for Mobile Legends as TikTok ban looms
ByteDance has been forced to relinquish publishing rights to the MOBA and Marvel Snap by US lawmakers
Crossovers
Subway Surfers and Crossy Road collide in first-ever crossover event
Event will include limited edition crossover characters and other surprises
Game Closure
Square Enix to shut down War of the Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius after five years
The title will remain playable until May 29th, 2025
New Partnerships
Banijay Rights and Tactile Games partner to launch Simon’s Cat Match on mobile
The title is now available on FireOS, Android and iOS devices
Spending Star
Honkai: Star Rail rockets past $2bn on mobile in under two years
The gacha RPG has taken 10 months longer than Genshin Impact to hit the milestone, but now frequently outperforms HoYoverse's flagship
Investing In India
Qila Games raises $1m to develop hybridcasual games tailored to Indian players
Funds will go towards creating new IPs and expanding its games portfolio
Partner Up
Krafton launches Creator Network to support gaming content creators
Influencers can get in-game rewards, early access to new titles, and event invites
Ready To Rumble
Behind the scenes of Sonic Rumble's delay, development and the Rovio x Sega partnership
Rovio's head of beacon growth Veli Kiviaho teases crossover content and a desire to reach "busier players"
Deal Tracker
Show Me The Money: Jam City agrees Ludia sale, Scopely's rumoured $3.5bn Niantic deal, and MTG acquires Plarium in February 2025
Our deal tracker highlights the key acquisitions, investments, and partnerships from the last month
Funding For Games
Felicity Games raises $3m to boost Indian game publishing and global expansion
Publisher aims to provide Indian studios with the tools and support to compete globally.
New Studio
Virtuos opens new studio in Seoul
The South Korean developer is actively hiring to fill roles in the new office and is open to partnerships
Interview
How STAN aims to become India's Discord
STAN CEO and co-founder Parth Chadha talks building a Discord competitor, untapped opportunities, and identifying gaps in India's games industry.
Raining With Revenue
Wuthering Waves rides the wave to $250m after Version 2.0’s major comeback
Version 2.0 triggered a 178% spending surge on release day, followed by a 169% boost with Version 2.1
Shares Synchrony
Trump tariffs hit Japanese games companies as shares in Nintendo, Sony, DeNA and Capcom fall
US president Donald Trump’s latest 20% tariff on Chinese imports to the US appear to be having a knock-on effect on shareholders’ confidence in Japanese game makers
Expansions
Appcharge expands into North America and Korea with new leadership hires
Sean Megaw will drive North American growth while Jin Woo Hong is set to lead its South Korea operations
Ar Attraction
How Pokémon Go developer Niantic's games stack up ahead of a potential Scopely acquisition
Rumours around Scopely’s potential AR acquisitions gets us diving into the numbers behind Niantic’s whole catalogue
New Deal
Blizzard grants NetEase greater decision-making power over its games in China
Renewed partnership could lead to China-exclusive content like culturally inspired skins
New Offerings
Konami resurrects 30-year-old IP with mobile RPG Suikoden: Star Leap
The title will be free-to-play and feature in-app purchases
Tour For More
Pokémon Go Tour Unova – Global weekend made $19.8m in two days
The free event with optional paid extras saw in-game spending at its highest since the eighth anniversary last July
Valiant Victory
Goddess of Victory: Nikke hits $1bn on mobile during Romantic Valentine event
More than half of that player spending has come from the game’s Japanese players
New Approvals
China approves 110 new games including Plants vs. Zombies 3
The latest game approvals include 107 domestic titles and three foreign games
Branding News
Longstanding games services firm PTW rebrands as Side
"I’m proud that all our employees are now united under one banner"
Investment News
Triple Tap Games secures $1.2m for hybridcasual puzzle games
The team is led by former Crazy Labs and Super Huge Studios staff
China Regulations
Shanghai unveils new online game policies to ease licensing challenges
The city also introduced the Shanghai Online Game Publishing Application Service Platform
Ready To Rumble
Sonic Rumble global launch delayed to spring
The title will launch on mobile and Steam
Critical Hit
Pokémon TCG Pocket surpasses 100 million downloads
Special missions are now available until March 26th, 2025
Event Partnership
Xsolla partners with Pocket Gamer Connects to support mobile developers in 2025
Games commerce company will provide expertise in direct-to-consumer monetisation to developers across the globe
Cross-platform Release
Pokémon Champions is set to launch for Nintendo Switch and mobile
No release date set for the title
Pokemon Day
Pokémon Day 2025: Just how big a deal are Pokémon’s mobile games?
Whether it’s Pokémon TCG Pocket or Pokémon Go, the franchise has a few mobile games worth knowing about ahead of today’s Pokémon Presents
A Successful Snooze
Pokémon Sleep hits $150m mark despite slowdown since first anniversary
Japan is the app's most lucrative country at $109m to date
New Partnerships
The9 and Qing Cheng partner to dominate China’s lower-tier mobile games market
The9 will hold a 51% stake in the joint venture while Qing Cheng will own 49%.
Mobile Growth
Bilibili's mobile game revenue soars 79% in Q4 sparking company's first-ever profitable quarter
2024 release San Guo: Mou Ding Tian Xia leads the charge in growing games business
Mena Guide
Seven reasons why you can't ignore the MENA market
Discover why the MENA region is becoming a global hotspot for business growth in the games industry
Company Restructure
Big Fish Games to halt new game development and reduce investment in portfolio
Aristocrat Leisure fails to find a buyer for Big Fish following a review of its games business