Podcast
AR, AI, and Subscription Models — Oh, My! | Podcast
Our PocketGamer.biz team recaps GDC 2023 and riff on the topics that stole this year’s show.
Milestones
My.Games’ Left to Survive celebrates its five-year anniversary and 1.2m monthly active users
The title is a cornerstone of the company’s catalogue of free-to-play games
Podcast
Unleashing the worlds within worlds | Podcast
Charisma’s Guy Gadney on pioneering new forms of games entertainment by casting audiences inside the stories
Breakdown
Drake Star's Global Gaming Report: Breaking down the numbers, charts and more
What do Drake Star’s charts and graphs tell us about the gaming industry today?
Profile
Speaker Spotlight: Gameloft's Renee Wong on pushing your team without crunching them
The communication specialist talks us through her talk at PGC Toronto, and how you can create a healthy work environment in games
Women In Games Series
Jam City’s Radostina Zhekova and Winnie Wen on UA creativity and the rise of female gaming audiences
In part two of their series exploring inspirational women working in games, Liftoff invites Radostina Zhekova and Winnie Wen to discuss user acquisition, creativity and more
User Insights
Katya Moskalenko: “Brands need behavioural data to tap into the gaming industry's enormous potential”
Measure Protocol aims to provide brands with valuable user insights to help them make informed decisions
Game Design
Joel Beardshaw of Ustwo Games on the importance of design pillars
Joel Beardshaw shares the development process behind the mobile first title Desta: The Memories Between
Q&a
Yahaha’s Pengfei Zhang on making game development accessible to everyone
The new Co-Create game editor enables developers to work on the same game no matter where they are
Profile
Speaker Spotlight: CleverTap Gaming's Solomon Ruiz-Lichter on why some games lack originality
We sit down with CleverTap's senior director of global gaming to chat ahead of PGC Toronto
Profile
Speaker Spotlight: Moloco's Brendan O'Connor on the value of holistic marketing
We sat down with Moloco's Brendan O'Connor to talk about common mistakes in the games sector and holistic marketing
Design
The magic that makes mobile UI look good and feel great
Leanne Bayley of Atomhawk Advance chatted about the UX and UI design that goes into games, and touched on how mobile differs
Marketing
Federica Nocerino: “Marketing is connecting at the right time with the right person”
Women in Games ambassador Federica Nocerino shares her marketing expertise with the attendees at Develop Brighton
Structure
A brief chat with Embracer Freemode’s Alex Verrey
As part of Embracer’s in-house PR team and external agency Overload PR, Verrey provides some quick insights
Awards
Why the BAFTAs think mobile stands toe-to-toe with console and PC
We got the chance to speak to part of BAFTA’s game team about their views on the potential of gaming culturally, and where mobile sits in it
Doom Guy
John Romero on his career, Doom's legacy and the promise of mobile
Interview: with his autobiography about to drop, an industry legend talks to PocketGamer.biz about his love of programming and his advice for developers
Interview
Immutable Games’ CSO Justin Hulog on bridging the gap between Web3 and mobile
We spoke to Hulog about his work, Web3, and the blockchain’s potential on mobile devices
Community
How Netspeak fostered a friendly community for mobile MMO Sunshine Days
The studio aimed for a diverse staff and to challenge themselves to build a welcoming player community, co-founder Callum and chief of staff Kyra told us how
Live-ops
Trevor Williams of RallyHere: "We want to ensure that we can democratise live ops games for any size studio."
The chief revenue officer for the live service platform spoke to us about humble beginnings at Hi-Rez and plans for the future
Talks
Should you care what the UK government thinks? UKIE's Daniel Wood things you should
More attention equals better support, but far more scrutiny says the UKIE co-CEO
Narrative Design
MAG Interactive's Alice Bowman: "Adding a story to your game can add long term player loyalty"
Mag Interactive product lead Alice Bowman on the risks and rewards of adding a story to your game
Game Design
Charmie Kim: "Inventing the wheel with BeatStar"
Space Ape's Charmie Kim spoke at Develop Brighton on the development process behind BeatStar
Launches
How Hi-Rez Studios learned from not launching Rogue Company: Elite
With the game's demise - or at least permanent hold - the lessons learned by Hi-Rez were shared with others
Design & Retention
Trailmix designer Jade Ostle on how pivoting to story and merge2 boosted Love & Pies to 60% D1 retention
The designer hosted a talk at Develop: Brighton discussing the development of Trailmix's first game
No Halo Killer
ID@Xbox's Chris Charla on discoverability and launching into a saturated market
The three day conference opens with a short talk on indie devs from which game makers on all platform can draw insights
Interview
BIG Best Mobile Game award winner Martín Fernández on BIG and the developing Argentinian games space
The indie developer’s title Sequenza won the best mobile game award at the BIG Festival
Q&a
AppGallery's Jaime Gonzalo: "Alternative app platforms are providing developers with improved revenue-generating opportunities"
AppGallery aims to provide users with high quality content while ensuring that game developers feel supported
Feature
Is this the end of GAM networks on mobile?
Ad Monetisation Manager Felix Braberg explains GAM networks and what publishers should do as the end is in sight for GAM resellers
Pride Month
The power of Pride and the state of inclusivity in gaming
As Pride Month ends we discuss why representing the queer community is important. And where companies still need to improve
Roblox On A Roll
Stefano Corazza: Roblox’s generative AI has seen a "promising start" but is only just beginning
Roblox Studios head Stefano Corazza reveals progress in Roblox AI usage
Q&a
King's Vanesa Tate on re-crafting the soundtrack to Candy Crush Saga
After a decade of Candy Crush the team decided to revamp its soundtrack. But with a game this popular any changes required an expert touch
Q&a
King's Luken Aragon talks 10 years of keeping Candy Crush on top
Their 10 Years of Fun campaign recently reasserted Candy Crush's dominance and won our best marketing/PR award at the MGAs
Interview
Elena Grigoryan on My.Games’ new global outlook
The company has refocused from its European homeland and into the wider world, including MENA
Q&a
Pride Month 2023: How diversity and creativity go hand in hand at King
King's Sabrina Carmona, Head of Farm Heroes Saga outlines how they promote diversity and inclusivity throughout their gaming portfolio
Q&a
How Monopoly GO! became the #1 mobile board game in the world
Scopely general manager Massimo Maietti discusses launching the biggest casual game of 2023
Q&a
YOOM’s Nir David: “The potential for AI in gaming is vast, touching nearly every aspect of the industry”
Nir David explains how YOOM is utilising AI to create high quality digital characters
Q&a
Fingersoft’s new CFO Annika Suni on entering the games industry
Annika Suni will be guiding the studio’s financial strategies to ensure future successes
Ceo Interview
The rise and rise of skill gaming: exclusive interview with new Game Taco CEO Nancy MacIntyre
The boss of WorldWinner and FanDuel Faceoff reveals her philosophy of embracing a diverse gaming demographic
Q&a
Kirk Scott joins Pingle as Vice President of Publisher and Developer Relations
The global game development partner aims to “conquer the world”
Guest Post
Maximising ROI with Playable Ads: Key Strategies for Success
Mobvista’s Greg Castro discusses the state of playable ads
Q&a
Daniel Paez on expanding Web3 game Gods Unchained to the mobile market
While Web3 and blockchain games may still be unfamiliar to many the mobile platform offers an opportunity for wider exposure
Interview
Kabam’s Mark Raham on the creation of Disney Mirrorverse
Our MGA Award's People’s Choice award winner is Kabam’s latest big IP hit. But how did they tackle such a big project from such a big name?
Guest Post
Personalising gameplay: enhancing player experiences and extending game lifecycles
Skillsprint CEO Chethan Ramachandran on the potential of offering diverse experiences in the same game
Gaming In Japan
Why we want more Square Enix mobile games in the West
Bravely Default: Brilliant Lights deserves a chance to shine outside of Japan. And that's not all…
Exclusive Interview
Zynga’s Yaron Leyvand talks Take-Two, the games industry, and their secrets for success
We catch up with Zynga's executive vice president of mobile games, one year on from Take-Two’s acquisition
Interview
Mobile ray-tracing’s chicken and egg problem
Imagination Technologies’ chief marketing officer David Harold discusses the the promise of ray-tracing for mobile games and why it may only be a couple of years away
Interview
Maysalward’s Nour Khrais: “There is always an opportunity in the MENA region”
We catch up with this years Mobile Legend award winner in advance of our Dubai Game Expo Summit
Q&a
Uptodown CEO Luis Hernández on the rise of alternative app stores
Alternative app store Uptodown offers developers a new home for their apps
Interview
As Top Drives turns five Hutch’s top devs tell us what makes a hit
The developer’s pivot to racing games revived their fortunes with Top Drives the jewel in their crown
Clarity Commitment Collaboration
Navigating hypercasual through the changing landscape of mass-market casual games
From hypercasual to the future. Sunday's head of publishing explains why focusing on players is helping the company navigate the rapid evolution of the free-to-play market