The App Store is getting an overhaul, Clash of Clans is back on top, and Pokemon GO is very much alive

The hottest articles of last week

• 5 Apple may dump App Store top grossing charts in iOS 11

  

  We at PocketGamer.biz absolutely love the top grossing ranks - after all, what better way is there to measure success than finding out which games are generating the most revenue from their IAPs?

  Unfortunately for us, Apple doesn't seem to care about that, as it is reportedly scrapping the top grossing ranks entirely when it launches its updated App Store.

  It may not be much concern for consumers - do they really care if they can't see which game is making more money than another?

  But it could also affect app intelligence companies, which rely on the top grossing ranks to study the market, draw their conclusions and provide useful data on the mobile games market.

  
  

• 4 The App Store is getting a design overhaul

  

  If you've ever looked at the App Store and thought, "here, this could do with a facelift", then you're in luck - Apple has heard your concerns and is doing just that.

  As part of the upcoming iOS 11, the App Store will receive a major overhaul that features new layouts, new sections and a heap of new curation efforts from the store holder.

  The main change is a new "Daily" tab, which will be regularly updated (on a daily basis, even) with new apps, games and other things that the Apple Editors want to highlight.

  Games are also getting their own seperate page, instead of being lumped in with everything else, and there's more scope to add previews and gameplay videos to the individual store pages than ever before.

  
  

• 3 Are Clash Royale clones making any money?

  

  Clash Royale was big news, and it was only going to be a matter of time before other developers took the core idea of the game and started to make their own versions.

  The thing is, like with Clash of Clans, none of these games are ever going to hit the same heights - in fact, we wondered, are they making any money at all?

  The short answer: no. While some games, such as Spellbinders and Blitz Brigade: Rival Tactics have seen very moderate success, lingering in the top 1,000 grossing ranks in some categories, Clash Royale remains unchallenged.

  There's plenty of time yet though - upcoming games such as Goon Squad, Titanfall: Assault, and Tom Clancy's ShadowBreak still have a chance at walking in and messing up Clash's vibe, provided they're any good.

  
  

• 2 Clash of Clans is having its best grossing performance on the App Store in 16 months after major update

  

  A perennial hit on app stores around the world, Clash of Clans used to sit pretty at the top of the grossing charts until it was ousted by Clash Royale, Pokemon GO and others.

  But it's returned to the top spot once again, following a huge update that has launched it back to number one and kept it at that spot for its longest period in 16 months.

  The update adds a new island to play on, units to deploy, buildings to construct and a new 1v1 PvP mode that fans are sure to love.

  And they certainly seem to - as of the article's publication, Clash of Clans had been at the top of the grossing charts for nine straight days.

  
  

• 1 Reports of Pokemon GO’s death are greatly exaggerated

  

  Tell someone you write about mobile games for a living and, without prompt, they will inform you that Pokemon GO is both a) something they played once, and b) not popular anymore.

  And, as is our solmen duty as mobile games journalists, we will sigh deeply, collect ourselves and pull out reams of data that proves that no, Pokemon GO is not dead by a long shot.

  While it may not be in the mainstream eye anymore, it still retains a hardcore audience - data from Reflection shows that it has rarely dropped out of the top 10 grossing ranks on iOS around the world.

  And it still hits the top spots - Niantic's clever use of in-game events, well-timed around holidays and other events, continue to drive additional revenues and push it back to number one when they're run.