Party On
PocketGamer.biz's ChinaJoy 2017 party and networking guide
Keep up with all the best networking opportunities with this handy list
Yahoo Game Plus
Yahoo Japan launches HTML5 and cloud-based browser games platform Game Plus
52 companies already signed up to provide titles for the platform
Blasting Off
Hypernova Interactive raises seed funding from first-time games investor Kae Investments
Two-man developer has released two games so far
Switch Online
Nintendo launches Switch Online companion app for voice chat and organising online matches
Free to use until the full online services kick in
Apple China Jobs
Apple promotes VP of Wireless Technologies Isabel Ge Mahe to VP and MD of Greater China
Leading China-based teams and improving co-ordination in the country
Rising Costs
Mobile game development costs in Japan have risen as high as $9 million per game
Serkan Toto looks into the rising cost of making a game
From Partner To Owner
Taptica cements position in Japan by acquiring marketing firm Adinnovation
Partnership leads to complete acquisition
Apple China Data Centre
Apple to build first data centre in China to comply with stricter data storage laws
Partners with Guizhou-Cloud Big Data on new centre
Spoils Of War
Summoners War hits lifetime revenues of $890 million as it surpasses 80 million downloads
Currently a top five grossing game in the US and Canada
Next In Line
Line launches games publishing division after NextFloor acquisition
NextFloor CEO Min Kyu Kim to head up new unit
Monster Match
GungHo teams up with Capcom for Puzzle & Dragons and Monster Hunter crossover event
New multiplayer dungeon lets three players battle cooperatively
Business News
Private equity firms invest in Chinese mobile game developer Since Times
Company previously backed by Tencent
Vaulting Ambition
What happens when global expansion goes bad: A cautionary tale from Japan
What GungHo and Mixi learned from GREE and DeNA
Gree Melbourne Shuttered
GREE shuts down Melbourne studio less than two years after it was first opened
Around 50 jobs lost, with more redundancies in Berlin and San Francisco
Champions And Revolutions
Netmarble scores top five grossing ranks in 77 countries with just two games
Marvel Contest of Champions and Lineage 2 Revolution take over the world
Shanghai Shindig
Join KamaGames and Pocket Gamer for 'High Roller' party time during ChinaJoy 2017
Come network the night away with fellow mobile games industry chums
Running On
Super Mario Run surpasses 150 million downloads seven months after launch
Fire Emblem Heroes has less than a tenth of the downloads but generates more revenue
Acquisition Of Dragons
Chinese developer NetDragon buys LA educational games studio JumpStart
Plans to utilise IP and partnership with Dreamworks
Eye On Asia
Thailand mobile game trends: Garena dominates through licensed games
Niki Partners Analyst Daniel Ahmad on what the charts tell us about the local games industry
Expanding Footprint
Smartphone manufacturer Foxconn plots $5 billion investment in India
Move will help companies get around new taxes and import duty
Unrestricted Revenues
Tencent says Honor of Kings gameplay restrictions won’t impact bottom line
Under 12s make up just a small proportion of paying user base
Indian Mavens
Is Reliance Jio's affordable 4G benefiting Indian mobile game developers?
And does greater engagement lead to greater profits?
United Front
First ever Unite India to run alongside NASSCOM Game Developer Conference in November 2017
Events will run alongside each other at the same venue
Mighty Start-up
Ex-Nonstop Games devs open new studio Mighty Bear Games in Singapore
Start-up working on an MMORPG for mobile
First Contact
Star Trek actor George Takei boldly goes into mobile gaming
Named as Creative Director of Fifth Journey
Business News
Razer aims to raise $600 million from Hong Kong IPO
Date and valuation of flotation undisclosed
Jetting Off
Mech Mocha on creating a new benchmark for Indian localisation with Jetpack Joyride
CEO Arpita Kapoor sets out the studio's ambitions
Restricted Access
Tencent limits gameplay sessions for kids playing Honor of Kings in China
Users under 12 can only play for one hour a day
Raining Money
Line's mobile puzzler Disney Tsum Tsum racks up $1 billion in lifetime revenue
Surpasses 70 million downloads
Southeast Asian Intent
Nexon completes iDCC acquisition to establish Nexon Thailand
Builds upon 49% stake and established Southeast Asian presence
A Major Slice
China makes up 25% of the world's spending on games
Chinese games market expected to hit $29 billion in 2017
Get Into Sea
CloudMoolah offers up its top tips for publishing your mobile game in Southeast Asia
COO Jonathon Sze talks publishing, partners, and payments
Coming Soon
Asian top grosser Lineage 2 Revolution set for US launch in 2017
Further Asian launches successful
Critical Force Seoul
Critical Ops developer opens South Korean office and targets Asia after hitting 22 million downloads
The mobile FPS lines up a new target
Shanghai Pitching
The Big Indie Pitch heads to Shanghai for ChinaJoy on July 28th 2017
Indie dev event arrives in China in order to shed some light on one of the most unexplored mobile markets in the world
I Got A Fever
WonderPlanet's one-thumb puzzle-RPG Crash Fever smashes eight million downloads in just under two years
Big in-game celebration happening now
New Ratings
South Korea's GRAC enhances game rating system through international cooperation
Discussion with Valve, Google and Microsoft to enhance follow-up management to protect users as well as joining IARC
Esports In China
Tencent outlines five-year plan to create $15 billion eSports industry in China
Theme parks, tournaments, merchandise, the lot
Strong Start
NCSoft's Lineage M tops South Korea's iOS grossing charts in seven hours
5.5 million pre-registered players already enjoying the game
Tencent Investment
Tencent makes $72 million strategic investment in Chinese developer Ourpalm
Strengthens the relationship between the two tech giants
Cosmo Kong
Gamevil partners with Dungeon Link developer Kong Studios to publish next game Cosmo Duel
An innovative PvP match-3 puzzler is on its way
Publishing Deal
Kakao snags rights to publish hit Chinese game Onmyoji in South Korea
Game will be put in front of Kakao Talk's 40 million users
Guide To Japan
The Western mobile developer’s checklist for launching in Japan
AppLovin's Johannes Heinze dishes out some key tips
Live And Kicking
Two years on: Netmarble on the evolution of Marvel Future Fight
Game Director Jin Oh on the game's life so far
King Of The World
Tencent's Honor of Kings the world's top grossing mobile game in May 2017
App Annie breaks out some figures
Brighter Future
Silicon Studio acquires real-time global illumination tool Enlighten from ARM subsidiary Geomerics
Where does that leave Geomerics?
Talkin' Bout A Revolution
Lineage 2 Revolution sees English language soft-launch in Asia ahead of worldwide release
Already a top ten grossing game in Macau, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia
Level Up
Level-5 acquires Keiji Inafune's studio Comcept
Currently developing mobile title Dragon Colonies
Competitive Spirit
Com2uS on the potential of Summoners War as an eSport
Com2uS USA CEO Casey Lee sets out his ambitions
Pay To Play
"Many gamers are fed up with F2P": Why Lakoo is bringing subscription-based games to mobile
Tencent-backed Hong Kong studio explains its strategy