Artificial Intelligence
4 ways China’s AI industry could transform video games in the country across the world
Mobvista investigates the hot new tech and its potential effects
Game Advertising
Facebook marketing partner ZingFront aims to be a key ad creative player in global markets
A look at the company's SocialPeta and UnrealFront products
Seige
Castle Clash charges past worldwide revenue of over $550 million
Three quarters of the strategy game's audience is playing and paying through Google Play
Check
Tencent will soon require Chinese players to verify their identities against a police database
Publishing giant continues to try and appease a government looking to crack down on gaming addiction
Partnership News
Gree partners with Chinese video sharing platform BiliBili to develop new mobile games
Also plans to explore the virtual YouTuber space
Big Indie Awards
The Big Indie Awards 2018 Top 20 Countdown Part 1 - 20 to 11
We check out 20 -11 Big Indie Awards countdown highlighting the very best indie games from the last 12 months
The China Effect
Newzoo's drops 2018 global games industry revenue forecast by $3 billion
Mobile dip by $8bn, PC and console forecasts lower overall decline
Gains
Ubisoft's Yves Guillemot: Asia mobile segment "growing significantly"
Digital and back catalogue drive French firm's H1 18/19 financials
Up
Animoca Brands Q3 revenue rises 283 per cent year-over-year following Crazy success
The Chinese firm has also consolidated its position in blockchain through a string of investments and acquisitions
Found
Dragalia Lost is making four times the revenue per download of Fire Emblem Heroes in Japan
Nintendo’s action RPG has brought in $28 million over its first month
Winners
The 3rd International Mobile Game Awards SEA names its winners
In a high-quality competition, no single game stood out above the rest to take home Grand Prix winner
Global Charts
Weekly global mobile game charts: Tencent's Command & Conquer Red Alert Online rolls into China as a top grosser
Google Play and App Store rankings in the US, Great Britain and Ireland, and China for the week of October 15th to 21st
Gcap
“In 2018 one of the most punk, transgressive, brave and bad-ass thing you can do is to care about each other”
At Melbourne International Games Week, Mountains creative director Ken Wong delved into the new revolution that the industry needs
Igdc
India Game Developers Conference 2018 reveals its first wave of speakers
Five speakers from studios including Avalanche, Zynga, Geogrify and Tabtale have confirmed attendance at this year's IGDC
Gcap
“We shouldn't see similarity as a requirement for helping each other"
At Melbourne International Games Week, The Working Lunch director Ally McLean delved into how mentorship can better the industry
Event
Free expo space for indies at G-STAR
Big Indie Awards open access to free booth spaces at Korea’s leading exhibition and conference
Freeze
China reportedly halts “green channel” approvals during a government restructure
Local developers and gamers are increasingly turning to Steam to remain active in the space
Expansion
How the esports landscape will change in Australia and New Zealand over the coming 12 months
ESL managing director and EGAA chairman Nick Zanzetti gave a talk on the topic at the Melbourne International Games Week
Global Charts
Weekly global mobile game charts: Candy Crush Friends Saga inevitably dominates the download rankings
Google Play and App Store rankings in the US, Great Britain and Ireland, and China for the week of October 8th to 14th
Huge
Monster Strike and Puzzle & Dragons have grossed more than $7 billion each
More than five years later, Mixi’s game is still experiencing revenue growth
Cherry On Top
Hollow Knight dev Team Cherry snags Studio of the Year accolade at Australian Game Developer Awards 2018
Mountains also got a nod for mobile narrative game Florence
G-star 2018
Meet Pocket Gamer and Jagex Partners at G-STAR
We’ll be at the Korea show with the Big Indie Awards, a Big Indie Pitch and a sweet PG Party
Woah
Fortnite developer Epic Games to open new Australia and New Zealand branch
GDA Australia CEO Anthony Reed will be stepping down from his role to help start it up
Blast-off
NetEase’s Eve: Echoes is a mobile take on CCP’s space-faring MMO slated for a 2019 release
Mobile space sim will try to capture the full PC experience on Android and iOS
Globe Trotting
Yoozoo VP on finding the next great games market and the importance of localisation
“It’s down to them because games publishing and making there will be very different to how they are in China”
G-star 2018
Indies: Sign up now to be part of G-STAR's Indie Game Zone in November
Limited space available, register now to not miss out
Esports
Arena of Valor 2018 International Championship sports a $600,000 prize pool
Grand finals will take place in Thailand on December 15th to 16th
Region Focus
Region Focus: The opportunities and challenges facing South Korea’s lucrative games industry
In-depth analysis of the sector with comment from executives at Netmarble, Com2uS and Pearl Abyss
Indie Focus
How the Busan Indie Connect Festival is connecting developers with consumers
Event director Dustin Lee gives us the lowdown on the show
Fight
Huawei wants to take on the Switch with a $1,000 phone
Chinese manufacturer wants its new gaming phone to compete with the hybrid console
Trendy Sector
What's up with the South Korean games market?
Mobile and PC MMOs rule the roost in a sector-defining part of the world
Lineage Of Ips
Netmarble on Lineage 2 Revolution's runaway success and finding the next big hit
Simon Sim talks up the company's global strategy and M&A activity
Studio Profile
South Korean developer Ekkorr on Endless Frontier making $60m and the importance of sharing ideas
CEO Myeong Yong Shin offers up the details on the studio's work
New Pad
Lords Mobile developer I Got Games has opened a new office in Indonesia
Company celebrates opening of branch with grand ceremony and orchestral performances
Event
India’s biggest media and entertainment expo is just weeks away
25,000 visitors expected for December’s 15th festival, IndiaJoy
Top Performers
PUBG Mobile and Lineage M top download and grossing charts in South Korea in H1 2018
The top 10 grossers and downloaded mobile games across the App Store and Google Play for the first six months of the year
New Horizons
Animoca Brands' Yat Siu on why mobile games are leading the charge to take blockchain mass-market
Time to gain scale
Cutting Out A Niche
NetEase’s PUBG-like Knives Out pulls in over $370 million
97 per cent of that figure comes from China and Japan
Dead On
Chinese outfit GAEA snaps up 20% stake in Fallout Shelter dev Behaviour Interactive
The pair are currently co-developing a Game of Thrones game for mobile
Jobs News
Sega aims to improve work-life balance for employees
Japanese publisher also interested in addressing addiction
Looking Eastward
The quiet opportunity for games developers in Iran
With projected games revenues of 602m for 2018, it could be a fair market indeed
Korea
Expo space at G-STAR sold out!
Asia’s leading games industry conference and expo fills b2b show floor one month ahead of November dates
Studio Profile
NHN Entertainment on dealing with South Korea regulations and topping the mobile charts with a fishing game
Publishing business department director Sang Ho Kim discusses the company's vast operations
Social
At Game Closure the future of gaming is social
The studio's Battle Cats Galaxy and Fishing Star QUICK are currently on the LINE QUICK GAME platform
Business News
Webzen launches casual games publishing brand Appmigos
But stays clear of hyper-casual
Global Charts
Weekly global mobile game charts: South Korea's Line Puzzle tops downloads as Clash Royale makes a comeback
Google Play and App Store rankings in the US, Great Britain and Ireland, and China for the week of October 1st to 7th
Studio Profile
Webzen: "There is a lot of pressure to always acquire a new cash cow"
CEO Tony Kim gives us the lowdown on the company's plans
Summoning A Hit
Com2uS on Summoners War's rapid expansion and applying lessons learnt to Skylanders: Ring of Heroes
"I think that gaming is a hits-driven business in the same way that publishing is a hits-driven business"
Special Focus
Don't miss our South Korea Special covering the country's games industry this week
Interviews, analysis, studio profiles and region focus all dedicated to this exciting market
Found
Nintendo’s Dragalia Lost finds $16m in revenue after two weeks
$13.5m of which, comes from the US and Japan