Two Tactics
Too big for your rules? miHoYo tried to dodge Apple App Store fees twice in one month
Apple has scuppered miHoYo’s fee aversion tactics twice - removing apps and disabling features
Regulation
Apple and Google could be on the hook for $50.5 million fine in Korea
The KCC has sought remediation after accusing the two companies of anti-competitive practices on mobile
Expansion
Metacore opens first overseas office in Berlin as Merge Mansion hits 50m downloads
The developer has expanded rapidly over the past few years thanks to the success of their breakout merge hit
Time Runs Out
Unity CEO John Riccitiello exits after runtime fee backlash
Former IBM president James M. Whitehurst has been appointed as interim CEO, president, and board member
Generative Ai
Generative AI deals fell to 101 deals in 2023’s third quarter
The amount represents a 29% decline from 142 in the second quarter
Cloud Competition
Amazon and Microsoft cloud services to face CMA competition probe
The competition and markets authority will investigate the tech giants to ensure fair play
Profile
Company Spotlight: AppQuantum
Find out more about the mobile games publisher helping talented developers around the globe focus on making mobile games they love
Collaborations
Subway Surfers collaborate with Universal Pictures for Back to the Future crossover
The classic film will be the first multimedia collaboration that Subway Surfers has introduced
Interview
Snowprint Studios' Alexander Ekvall talks iconic IP and acquisition. "It’s challenging out there and making a great game isn’t always enough."
With Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus performing and acquisition by Modern Times Group complete, we ask their CEO out what's next for Snowprint?
Job News
Homa appoints Emma Egan-Lawless as head of user acquisition
Egan-Lawless previously held the role of growth director at AppLovin
Hot Five
Hot Five: Niantic has a new star, Epic warns of "degradation in quality", and new games hit the market
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Statistics
Konami is the king of mobile sports games in Japan - and worldwide
While best known for its big name gaming franchises, Konami's sporting portfolio on mobile is certainly no slouch
Reigning Revenue Raisers
Top 10 highest-grossing mobile games of all time
From Candy Crush and Clash of Clans to Pokémon and Lineage M
Five Great Games
New release roundup: Our weekly pick of the best new mobile games
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Week That Was
Week in Views - What caught our eyes in the last seven days
The Pocketgamer.biz team take their pick of this weeks big news, including big name games coming to mobile, unique marketing tactics, acquisitions and more
Q&a
Million Victories CEO Benoît Ducrest celebrates Million Lords milestones
Million Victories have implemented a 3D visual upgrade to its Million Lords game and is currently prototyping a new game
Stocks
Embracer Group dropped from top stocks list by S&P
The lack of faith in the group exhibited by their exclusion is a further blow to the embattled company
Investor Tips
Why investors hate content risk and how to overcome it
F4 Fund's David Kaye offers developers advice on how to entice investors
Acquiblizz
Microsoft hopes to close its Activision Blizzard deal as early as October 13
The long-running saga may finally be coming to a close
Hypercasual Report
3.5 billion hypercasual games installed in 2023's third quarter
The figure represents an 8% quarter on quarter decrease
Job Cuts
Telltale layoffs in progress at resurrected company
Redundancies are being made at The Walking Dead creator, but numbers are still unclear
Warzone Mobile
Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile delayed once again
Activision Blizzard have confirmed a Spring 2024 release date at their Call of Duty Next event
One Special Day
The games industry unites with SpecialEffect for One Special Day today!
The flagship fundraising campaign seeks to help disabled gamers
Second Studio
Trailmix’s new directors blaze a trail with second studio in Berlin
Annelie Biernat and Christopher Parschat join as studio director and creative director respectively
Analytics
GameAnalytics hits 100,000 titles hosted and 200 million daily active users
The analytics platform has benefited from a surge in interest amongst developers
Pocket Gamer Awards
Nominations are open now for the Pocket Gamer Awards 2023!
It's time to claim your fame! PocketGamer.com has opened its nominations for the best games and hardware of the year
A Glimpse Of Growth
The complete list of Netflix Games
From original IP and hypercasual to racing and match-three, December 14
Monetisation
Monetisation masterclass: How to max out ad performance in mobile RPGs
Nexter's head of business development and ad monetisation Anton Kvashnevskiy shares his monetisation strategies and ad placement tips
Acquisition
Modern Times Group acquires Pocket Gamer Award winner Snowprint Studios
Snowprint Studios are behind the strategy title Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus
Blockchain Mobile Games
The latest and most interesting mobile games on the blockchain.
Our regularly updated list of the most interesting games using blockchain technology
Mobile Moves
Leke Games expands into publishing
The casual developer is seeking independent developers to partner with in its new venture
Advertising
Niantic launches first in-game 'rewarded AR' advertising collaboration in Pokémon Go
In-game AR ads are Niantic's new hope for fresh revenue as Pokémon Go numbers slide
Studio Seed
Krafton invests $7M in former Riot and Blizzard artist’s Studio Sai
The Seed Round comes after the success of Eternights and will support development of Sai’s next game
Open Beta
One Punch Man World launches into cross-platform open beta
The title is another investment in anime-themed titles by newly formed Crunchyroll Games
Silent Hill
Silent Hill: Ascension is launching on Halloween
The revival of the classic horror franchise finally comes screaming onto mobile this month
Announcements
Agent 47 and the Hitman franchise are back for one last job… On mobile
Hitman: Blood Money - Reprisal from Feral Interactive will be a mobile take on one of the definitive titles in the Hitman series
Investment
Krafton launches India game incubator with $150k potential investment for local studios
The company is going all-in on the Indian market previously despite BGMI's withdrawal and subsequent reinstatement
Mobile Dominance
Mobile is projected to account for 56% of gaming revenue in 2023
The secrets of mobile success come under region-by-region scrutiny in the latest reports
Warcraft Goes Mobile
Warcraft is coming to mobile with Warcraft Rumble
The game is set to launch at BlizzCon on November 3
Simon, Paul & Simon's Cat
Creating Simon's Cat - an interview with Tactile Games and artist Simon Tofield
How do Tactile Games and artist Simon Tofield work together? Pocketgamer.biz finds out more about the future of feline fun.
Ai Ahoy
"Pegasus" engine may bring generative AI to Apple App Store searches
Big changes could be ahead with the implementation of a search engine developed by a former Google exec and his team
Milestones
My.Games' Grand Hotel Mania reaches four-year anniversary and hits $100m in revenue
Grand Hotel Mania joins a highly performing game catalogue including Rush Royale and Left to Survive
Job Cuts
Epic Games lays off 800+ staff: CEO Tim Sweeney expects "degradation in quality"
Speaking at Unreal Fest, Sweeney acknowledged the layoffs and discussed the company’s next course
Roblox Collaboration
Mattel and Gamefam to launch Barbie DreamHouse Tycoon on Roblox
The first official Barbie Roblox game launches on October 6
Sleuthing A Strategy
Niantic launching limited-time Pokémon Go event to promote Detective Pikachu Returns
Pokémon Go gets sleuthing one day ahead of the new Nintendo Switch title’s release
Q&a
MoreFun's Hanjin Zhang on the success and future of Arena Breakout
MoreFun Studios’ fast-paced team FPS recently surpassed 80 million registered users
User Milestones
AI dev tools provider Zibra AI celebrates 100,000 user milestone
The company's platform creates 3D assets for any virtual world or experience
Socialpoint Strategy
Zynga’s Socialpoint launches merge RPG Top Troops today
The latest mobile game from Zynga and Socialpoint dials up the strategy with wide-ranging customisation options
Australia Applications
Australia announces three new government programmes to support local devs
Risk-takers are encouraged to apply, as are mid-career Australian devs looking for a ticket to GDC
Major Milestone
Playrix celebrates 10 years of Township and major $2 billion revenue
Since Township launched, Playrix has grown from a team of 20 to 130