Hot Five

Devs sue Apple over App Store fees, Stillfront acquires Kixeye, and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite conjures up 100k installs

The hottest stories from the mobile games industry over the last week

Devs sue Apple over App Store fees, Stillfront acquires Kixeye, and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite conjures up 100k installs

To help you keep on top of a busy news cycle and the latest hot topics in mobile gaming, each week we round up the five most-read stories on PocketGamer.biz.

Want to take a look at the rest of the industry? Check out our games industry roundup here with articles on blockchain, PC and the world of influencers.

Want to get the lowdown on news coming out of Eastern markets? Look no further than our East Meets West roundup.

1. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite conjures up 100,000 installs from first month in beta

Niantic’s next location-based augmented reality game uses another monster IP: Harry Potter. The title has picked up 100,000 installs during its first month of open beta in Australia and New Zealand, ahead of its global launch.

2. Stillfront snaps up Kixeye in deal worth up to $120m

The Stillfront Group is no stranger to the M&A game, this time splashing out $90 million for War Commander developer Kixeye, in a deal that could rise by a further $30 million based on earnouts.

3. Developers sue Apple over App Store fees

Apple is facing another lawsuit, this time from iOS developers over the annual $99 developer fee and 30 per cent cut it takes from all purchases on the App Store, which the suit claims violate California’s unfair competition laws.

4. The secret of Scopely’s success? How we think about IP, says CEO

Scopely has a portfolio of profitable games under its belt, recently adding Star Trek Fleet Command to its array of hits. We caught up with Scopely’s co-CEO Javier Ferreira to discuss just how it’s been so successful.

5. Roblox hits mobile revenue of $750 million ahead of its Chinese launch

The hit sandbox game continues to grow, with the latest estimates claiming the game made an estimated $36 million on mobile in May.


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Craig Chapple is a freelance analyst, consultant and writer with specialist knowledge of the games industry. He has previously served as Senior Editor at PocketGamer.biz, as well as holding roles at Sensor Tower, Nintendo and Develop.