Gaming In Africa
Sony Innovation Fund backs Carry1st with strategic investment
The African gaming industry boasts over 200 million players and is projected to achieve a market size exceeding $1 billion in 2024
Strategic Growth
Krafton plans AI, India focus, and a 20-game lineup in 2024 roadmap
The publisher is getting set to launch two games this year with many more in development
Strategic Adjustment
Mobile-exclusive MMO Avatar: Reckoning scrapped
Archosaur Games is now providing refunds to players who participated in the Philippines-limited CBT
Hello Goodbye
Launched and shuttered in a single Tweet… Love Live! School Idol Festival 2 lives! And dies…
The Love Live! sequel gets its English translation and a global launch just as it's makers decide to pull the plug on the whole thing
Esports Growth
True Gamers secures $45m investment for esports expansion in Saudi Arabia
True Gamers CEO says it's, "A significant step towards popularising cybersports" and democratising esports in the KSA.
Pubg Revamp
Krafton plans franchise expansion and graphic improvements for PUBG
The publisher intends to expand its IP by introducing a new range of genres, platforms, play modes and graphic enhancements
Financials
Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal drives record $86 billion in games industry deals in 2023
“We predict M&A activity to steadily increase again in 2024”
China Regulations
Stock prices jump as China backtracks on gaming restrictions
Stock values of major Chinese gaming firms such as Tencent and NetEase recover as deadlines pass and China's gaming clampdown evaporates - for now
Empowering Gamers
Rize.gg wraps up pre-seed round, raises $430,000 to train and empower gamers
The company intends to allocate these funds to advance the platform's development and broaden its user base
Fitness & Gaming
Talofa Games secures $6.3 Million to build fitness-focused games
The team will use its newly secured funding to engineer and develop Run Legends as well as create new titles
Hyper-casual Growth
On Off Games lands $1.5M investment from Mobavenue in Singapore
The newly secured investment will help the company grow, develop new hypercasual titles and reach new players
A Strong Start
Pine Games secures $2.25M for mobile game development in Istanbul
The team currently has four staff and plans to grow that number to 15 for the creation of IP-based mobile games
Enhanced Player Safety
NetEase Games introduces regulation appeasing ‘Minor Mode' across all products
The move could indicate that the company expects rapid and random Chinese legislation to continue
Strategic Comeback
Activision Blizzard kiss and make up with NetEase ahead of China return
The move will see the return of Blizzard titles such as World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Warcraft III: Reforged and Overwatch to the Chinese market
Projected Surge
East Asia gaming markets target $30.8 billion mark by 2027
The study from Niko Partners shows that Japan contributes over 60% of the total games revenue in the region and has the most gamers
Antitrust Heat
Antitrust regulator hits Nexon Korea with record fine for deceptive practices
Meanwhile the company hits back, challenging the regulator's decision, claiming that its explanation has not been fully acknowledged
Aiming High
Fahy Studios charts ambitious course to reshape Saudi Arabia's games scene
The company's founders discuss their Kwalee partnership, upcoming projects and their plans to leverage the KSA's gaming landscape
Tumble Guys
Tencent and NetEase lose $80 billion in market value as China cracks down on game monetisation tactics
New rules prohibit daily login rewards, first-time purchase bonuses and rewards for repeat spend
Positive Momentum
Trinity Gaming India, Lenovo, Intel, and YouTube join forces to bolster the Indian creator economy
Partnered creators will collaborate to produce content and participate as a team in BGMI, Valorant, and CSGO battles.
New Partnerships
Naraza Technologies snags deals with four developers as it ramps up new publishing arm
Nazara intends to release around 20 games across mobile, web3, VR, and PC platforms over the next 12 to 18 months
Platform Power
Tencent is advertising DreamStar on ByteDance platforms in competition with NetEase
After a fierce rivalry, Tencent and ByteDance are finally warming up to one another
Resilient Growth
New Zealand games industry revenue surges past $270 million in 2023
The NZGDA report finds that PC is the dominant platform for developers followed by mobile, VR, and consoles
Kaiju Closure
Tencent’s Team Kaiju closes
Team Kaiju is believed to have secretly closed this June, with most staff reassigned to other projects
A Good Year
Australian game revenue soars to $345.5 million in 2023
The IGEA report showcases the country's positive growth and struggles within its local sectors.
Esports Glory
China's Wolves wins $1 million Call of Duty: Mobile World Championship
Runner-up GodLike becomes most successful Indian team in the competition after finishing second
Zenless Zenith
Genshin Impact developer HoYoverse opens closed beta for latest game Zenless Zone Zero
Title likely to see a full release in 2024
Impressive Growth
China's gaming industry bounces back with over $42.6 billion in domestic revenue
The Red Dragon's video games market has successfully bounced back, overcoming challenges in foreign markets
New Partnerships
Kwalee's John Wright on the strategy and vision behind Fahy Studios partnership
The VP of mobile publishing discussed Fahy Studio's unique qualities that led to the partnership, potential expansion into MENA, and their ambitious plans ahead
Regional Realities
India leads the charge while pricing concerns hinder Asian uptake in new monetisation report
Niko Partners' report shows that in-game purchases accounted for 87.8% of player spending in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.
New Partnerships
Kwalee and Fahy Studios partner to develop global hit games in the KSA
"We are on a journey to build Saudi's first global hit game."
Industry Pioneer
IGDC founder Rajesh Rao departs after 15 years and announces successor
“I will still be around, but it is time for the torch to be handed over."
Expanding Reach
Africa and India are in Microsoft's sights for ad-supported game streaming
The Xbox giant is planning on using ads to reach new players and expand its audience
Popularity Surge
Battlegrounds Mobile India is the fourth most searched game of 2023
After garnering an impressive $58.9 million, BGMI now sits above acclaimed titles such as Baldur's Gate 3 and Diablo IV in Google's annual 'most searched' rankings
App Monetisation
Out-of-app monetisation outside of Google Play and the Apple App Store is on the rise
Coda and Niko Partners' insight into mobile game monetisation provides alternative revenue strategies and key insights for publishers
Highest Earners
Chinese mobile publishers see an end of year revenue turnaround despite industry challenges
Tencent dominates, but other publishers are also finding success with Chinese companies holding 37 of the top 100 global revenue rankings for November
Dance The Blues
Crunch time for ByteDance's gaming ambitions
Big tech pulls back from gaming again
Gaming In Africa
The Africa Games Industry Report sheds light on the region's challenges and triumphs
Reflecting rich diversity and a youthful demographic, the Africa games market continues to witness steady rise in mobile game development as its primary platform
Big Indie Pitch Stories
Three-time Big Indie Pitch winners Minidragon on embracing failure in order to succeed
Interview: We sit down with the Big Indie Pitch winner Minidragon
What We're Playing
Mobile Game of the Week: Warhammer 40,000 Warpforge
The legendary Warhammer universe gets its own collectable card battler on mobile
Pitching Time
Pitching your game: Big Indie Pitch manager Sophia Aubrey Drake's advice for indies
We sit down with the Big Indie Pitch Manager, Sophia Aubrey Drake, to learn about her experiences with the indie community
Debtmarble
Netmarble cuts losses by 90% in Q3 despite revenue decline
Workforce reduction and original IP stem losses, but publisher still has $1.29 billion short-term debts
Here We Go
Celebrate 10 years of incredible PGC conferences throughout 2024
Look back over a decade of doing business at PG Connects and be part of the future in 2024’s event series
Investments
Developer Funstop secures $1.5 million funding from Indian investors
InfoEdge continue their investment in home-grown talent as part of India's increasingly vibrant mobile tech scene
Game Publishing
India's Nazara Technologies launches publishing division to support local and international developers
The company aims to launch up to 20 games across a variety of platforms over the next 18 months
Empowering Everyone
Empowering Everyone - How Xsolla Plans To Give Developers The Power To Find And Keep Players Content
In the era of ‘forever games’ Xsolla CEO Chris Hewish outlines the company’s goals of empowering developers to own and understand their players directly
A Glimpse Of Growth
The complete list of Netflix Games
From original IP and hypercasual to racing and match-three, December 14
Credit Where Its Due
Appodeal & Pollen VC partner to offer a new kind of mobile growth platform
New Appodeal & Pollen VC partnership offers a mobile growth platform with credit lines to scale your monthly revenues
Chinese App Stores
China’s app stores begin compliance with China’s latest regulations
Tencent and Xiaomi are among the app store owners now complying with the government’s regulations
Best Of 2023
The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers of 2023
The movers and the shakers of the last 12 months
Tencent Acquisition
Tencent acquires visual novel company Visual Arts
The move follows the company’s acquisition of Techland earlier this week