Production Plan
Enhanced burn-down chart: How to estimate game production timelines more accurately and reliably
Cubic Games project manager Gennady Khmyznikov discusses the team's experiment with the enhanced burn-down chart
Women In Games
From Candy Crush to Love & Pies: Trailmix’s Philippa Layburn shares her mobile marketing journey
As part of the Women In Games series, Liftoff speaks to Philippa Layburn, User Acquisition Lead at Trailmix Games about her career, the challenges of UA and the changing face of the games market
Week That Was
The Unity Runtime Fee aftermath, more Xbox layoffs, and Monster Hunter Now's $225m year | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Mobile Mavens
Broken trust, a dark 12 months, but a positive sign: Developers react to Unity axing the Runtime Fee
Our industry experts share their thoughts on the big news, which comes one year after the Runtime Fee was first announced
Out Of Time
Unity charts a new path forward without the "catastrophic" Runtime Fee
Unity has killed off the Runtime Fee, but is it too late?
Big Plans
“Treating what we are building not just as a game but as a social platform is very rare"
Social First’s CEO Kim Soares on securing funds to fuel the development of a new cross-platform MMO title that champions social connectivity
Podcast
Google lead shines a light on the games industry's top trends | Podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team and guests give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode…
Mena Insight
"Awareness remains one of the biggest challenges in the MENA region"
Classy Games Studios founder Jamie McClenaghan discusses building a team in the UAE and the challenges of operating in an emerging games hub
Devs Fight Back
Mobile gaming’s secret and not so-secret new blockbusters
It's a tough market, but a number of mobile games, new and old, are making waves
Going Mobile
Behind the scenes: Bringing one of Africa’s oldest board games to life on mobile
MENA industry insider Stephen Sandmann discusses the development of Mancala Adventures with the Carry1st team
Industry Spotlight
Developer Stories: Trailmix’s Philippa Layburn on her career in games and playing a part in powering Love & Pies’ success
In our developer stories series, we highlight the talented team members currently working in the games industry
Mena Growth
"Our focus on AI ensures we deliver the best possible experiences in our games"
YallaPlay CEO and founder Kareem Seddik talks localisation, leveraging AI in games and the company's focus on real-time multiplayer titles
Mena Insight
“Hitseeker is a platform that enables Kwalee to publish games with minimal human involvement"
Kwalee's lead technical product manager Waqas Khan on the new Arabic-edition of Hitseeker and its potential to boost the MENA games industry
Mena Means Business
Savvy Games Group strikes key deals to power MENA industry growth
As string of partnerships and investments this week are focused on building the Middle East into a gaming powerhouse
Indie Insights
Incredible Indies: Planting The Green Book for cross-platform pollination
Developer Eugene Lazebny on the challenges of being an indie and how Tapteek’s latest green-fingered project came to life
Mena Insight
"The key to infiltrating a market is being able to understand it"
Tafra Games CEO and founder Ziad Elgabaly discusses PC and console expansion, upcoming mobile games and the MENA funding landscape
Rebranding
“We’re one of the only platforms that enables mobile developers to publish their web3 games on app stores”
READYgg recently rebranded to PLAY with a continued focus on bridging the gap between web2 and web3 gaming
Engaging Audiences
How to engage with a broader audience in today’s tougher games climate
Proxima AI’s CEO Alex Song on how developers should adapt to market changes and the increasing role of social media
Mena Insight
"Our focus is undoubtedly on the Middle East market where we have unique advantages"
Yalla Group president Saifi Ismail on Yalla Ludo's success, MENA games industry growth, localisation challenges and upcoming games
Spain Special Report
Spain: A thriving hub for global video game development
With over 790 active companies, employing over 9,200 people and generating more than €1.3 billion, Spain is emerging as a key region for game development in the global games market
Mobile Mavens
Mobile Mavens: How to survive to '25: Part two
Our mobile mavens are back to discuss the tough year of 2024 and whether the worst will be over in 2025
Industry Spotlight
Developer Stories: Zynga’s Katie Ites on getting into games and working on Game of Thrones Legends
In our developer stories series, we highlight the talented team members currently working in the games industry
Setting The Standard
Metacore celebrates double milestones for Merge Mansion
The game has passed $500 million in lifetime revenue and amassed 55 million app downloads
Crushing It
King’s Todd Green on how the Candy Crush Saga has remained on top for 12 years
From the evolution to Candy Crush to the potential of IPs and tournaments we get the latest on one of mobile’s biggest franchises
Gamescom Takeaways
5 takeaways from Devcom and Gamescom 2024: Eastern influence, web shops rising, and Monument Valley returns
We look at some of the big stories and trends coming out of Europe's largest games expo
Interview
"When you know Africa and its history it's easy to make a game that will speak to the whole continent"
Masseka Games founder Teddy Kossoko on telling African stories through games and overcoming growth challenges in the region
Breaking Up
Apple’s App Store to split in two following the departure of its vice president
Apple’s long-term head of worldwide App Store and Apple Arcade, Matt Fischer is stepping down as part of the changes
Ai Impact
Xsolla's Chris Hewish on the impact of AI for creative workflows
“To ensure that real creative jobs aren’t lost it’s important to establish measures that balance AI integration with human oversight”
Events
The power of brands and IP: Licence Global's Ben Roberts gets set for Brand Licensing Europe, Sept 24th - 26th
What does it take to create killer gaming IP? What can you learn from the experts? And what's going on at this year's big BLE show at London's ExCel?
Women In Games
Ad monetisation: Fanatee’s Beatriz Dias on the importance of preserving user experience
As part of Liftoff's Women In Games series, Beatriz Dias, the monetisation manager at Fanatee discusses her work with ad revenue, quality and the balance with optimising the player experience
Interview
"Africa is on track to become a top three market globally for mobile games"
Pan African Gaming Group chairman Jay Shapiro on building a network of game developers and sharing Africa's rich history of stories through games.
Performance Boost
Using a Multiple Paid Pass to boost player choice, rewards, playtimes and revenue
Gradient Universe founder Oxana Fomina explains how the next step from the familiar Battle Pass could be your next step to improved monetization
Gamescom Tips
Mobile Mavens: The expert's guide to surviving Gamescom
How to avoid the crush, be at the best party, and make all the best connections. Our Mavens give their tips and tricks for getting the best out of Europe's biggest games show
Industry Sustainability
Sustainable Games Alliance forms to make the games industry a leader in global sustainability efforts
Non-profit group, led and backed by industry veterans, aims to create unified reporting standards to tackle sector's environment impact
Test Of Time
SYBO’s CEO Mathias Gredal Nørvig on Subway Surfers 12 year run
Subway Surfers recently celebrated its 12 year anniversary with a return to its classic look
Q2 Financials
Unity CEO Matt Bromberg talks “strengthening the bond with our community” at Q2 financials roll out
As second quarter results exceed guidance for both revenue and EBITDA there are bold plans, shock departures and new appointments at Unity
New Publisher
Digital Bandidos: "We are not a chop house where you will get lost in the shuffle"
CEO Steve Escalante on launching a new publisher during a time of industry turmoil
Enduring And Delightful Experiences
Spinning a great yarn: Webby winning developers on creating captivating narratives
Following its recent Webby Award win for Beyond Hogwarts, Jam City’s Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery team shares its strategies for creating stories that delight and endure.
Winter Is Coming
Working with world class IP: How Zynga made Game of Thrones: Legends a hit
Executive vice president, Yaron Leyvand discusses the recent launch of Game of Thrones: Legends, working with big brands and that advertisement with Kit Harington
Anniversary Celebrations
Nine years of Seekers Notes and 43 million downloads across 195 countries
Seekers Notes core producer Anastasiia Vorobeva on keeping competitive in the hidden object genre and the impact of community
Big Moves
Nazara’s $100m M&A war chest takes India’s largest games company global
CEO Nitish Mittersain on why Nazara could invest even more in deals and his ambitions of growing the company to a $10 billion valuation
Interview
"Jordan's talent pool offers significant potential for growth and innovation"
Chickmania Entertainment head of studio Mustafa Swiedan discusses the company's new initiatives, cross-platform aspirations and MENA challenges
Turning Up The Heat
US judge finds Google guilty in landmark search and advertising monopoly case
It’s not just you. Yes, Google did create, and is running an illegal monopoly on search and advertising
Bungie Breakdown
Is Destiny Mobile to blame for Bungie’s fall from grace?
Insiders are coming out of the woodwork to portion blame within the troubled giant
Interview
"Cross-platform games are the future of gaming"
Mad Hook Games CEO and co-founder Hazim Al-Hanbali discusses shifting mobile game mechanics and the challenges of finding talent
Data Intel
The future of mobile market intelligence
A look at the state of the data sector and why visibility is set to be a key challenge for generating accurate estimates
Industry Insights
How to survive 10 years in the games industry while failing
Bigfoot Gaming co-founder and CEO Joao Batista on how his team spent a decade to make its first successful game and offers advice on how you can do the same
Battle Royale
Celebrating seven years of Garena Free Fire's success
Free Fire's global marketing lead, Cindy Chen talks to us about what has kept the game going over the past seven years
App Intelligence Magic
AppMagic’s CEO on raising $3m, market intelligence price wars, and ad revenue estimates
PocketGamer.biz speaks to Max Samorukov about the state of market intelligence and its plans for the future
Interview
"Navigating the MENA region's funding landscape specifically in Saudi Arabia has been quite promising"
Starvania Studio CEO and co-founder Meaad Aflah discusses her studio's latest project and the opportunities and challenges facing Saudi Arabia's games industry