Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from pixelart potions to arcade action
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Surprise!
Zuckerberg tries Apple Vision Pro: "Quest 3 is the better product. Period."
The guy who's been pushing VR for years doesn't rate Apple's upstart. Meanwhile the end of Apple's 14 day no quibble refunds sparks a drove of headset returns
20th Century And Beyond
Reverse: 1999 surpasses $50 million with increasingly monetised Japanese audience
Bluepoch’s launch title has surpassed $50 million in just over four months since global release
Mobile Fintech
Former Xsolla executives team up for mobile fintech company Aghanim
The company also plans to establish an advisory board consisting of key partners to improve the platform and align priorities.
Moderately Mobile
Embracer sees record $1.2 billion in Q3 earnings after axing 1,400 staff
Restructuring plans are "tracking well" but are unlikely to reach all targets by end of the fiscal year
Interview
“We went from feeling like we were finished to making nearly $100m last year!”
Space Ape Games co-founder Simon Hade reflects on the studio's eleven year journey and what the team are working on next
Developer Issues Warning
Lethal Company developer warns of mobile app "scam"
Details on the Play Store shows that an unofficial Lethal Company mobile game was released on December 21, 2023
Moving From Mobile
Only 7% of Ubisoft’s net bookings are from mobile, down 28% YoY
Ubisoft’s console lineup has brought in the bulk of its bookings in Q1-Q3
Appointments
Leadership reshuffles at Xsolla put the company's founder back in the hot seat
Shurick Agapitov is back at Xsolla, taking the CEO role as Chris Hewish moves to chief strategy officer role
Pr Power
1SP Agency acquires Renaissance PR for "superagency" status
Renaissance PR founder Stefano Petrullo has worked with gaming names from TiMi Studio to Koei Tecmo
Gaming In Africa
Disney taps Maliyo Games to develop Iwájú mobile game
”This is what we are all about: making African-inspired content," said Maliyo Games CEO and founder Hugo Obi
Publishing Power
Nitro Games strikes Autogun Heroes publishing deal with Unity’s Supersonic
Autogun Heroes originally launched in 2023 with Nitro Games as developer and publisher
Applovin Ai
AppLovin reveals AI ad creative tips as its SparkLabs team triples production
Generative AI is becoming increasingly prominent in the industry, with features such as content-aware fill becoming a boon for ad creatives
Multi-platform
Why gaming is going cross-platform and how to tackle the user acquisition problem
Adjust’s Gijsbert Pols and Upptic’s Warren Woodward discuss the growing importance of cross-platform gaming
Future Plans
Supercell reveals year-on-year declines in revenue and EBITDA but promises "big and bold changes"
All the talk this morning at Supercell's financial reveal was about restructure, more trust and less distraction
Live And Direct
Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen's annual blog for 2024: "Something absolutely had to change"
Taking to the stage this morning Paananen revealed the company's financials and spelt out his annual state of play
Industry Insights
“The mobile games industry has become stuck in the mud”: Apple’s war for its 30% revenue share
Analysts, publishers and payment providers discuss Apple's recent App Store policy changes in the US and European Union
Head Hiring
Former EA exec and mobile app recruitment specialist Jeff Chaiken joins Skybound Entertainment
Jeff Chaiken joins Skybound as senior vice president and head of corporate development and strategy
Job Losses
Scopely's Kingdom Maker team sees lay-offs
The losses centre around developer Global Worldwide and their Kingdom Maker mobile game
Gacha Giants
Genshin Impact is top for gacha earnings while Honkai: Star Rail slides
Three of the top five gacha games have had a great start to 2024, but who's moving up and who's moving down in the earnings charts?
Hypercasual Hero
Mobile revenue exceeds Take-Two’s expectations, making over $2 billion in nine months
Take-Two subsidiary Zynga accounted for 51% of the holding company’s earnings in the latest quarter
Moving Up
Com2Us pile on the style with new Hollywood HQ
An upgraded new location paves the way for the Korean company's US growth tactics and new mainstream direction
Lead Layoffs
Popcore undergoes "wave of layoffs" impacting key staff
Employees appear to have been let go on February 12 2024
Supercharged
How Supercell is transforming for its next chapter
Supercell is modernising its culture. Will it lead to bloat or will the famous Finnish developer truly expand?
Mtg Manoeuvre
MTG pulls the trigger on a Monumental Kongregate acquisition
The two studios will join with MTG taking 30% of the new company which will be led by Monty Kerr, current Monumental CEO
Rising Stars
Hypercasual rules as dating sim Love and Deepspace is January's app ranking breakout star
Data.ai's monthly gaming pulse for January reveals which new games globally are the ones to watch
Japan Generation
Japan generates 50% of worldwide geolocation game spending
Niantic and Square Enix lead the way for player spending in location-based games
Web Store Wave
Niantic moves Pokémon Go redeem codes exclusively to web store
As the use of web stores grow in popularity, it's Niantic's turn to play the game with exclusive offers on board
State Of Play 2024
Xsolla releases a new winter 2024 edition of the State Of Play report
Xsolla provides insights into video games by taking a look back and providing insights into what is to come in 2024
Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow
Gaming veteran Chris Heatherly raises $3 million for new game venture
Shima Capital led the funding round with participation from Sfermion, GSR Markets, Arca, Lyrik Ventures, Flying Falcon, Press Start Capital, and 32-Bit Ventures.
Lawsuit Triumph
Jury delivers Skillz a $42.9 million victory in AviaGames patent lawsuit
"We’re very pleased with the verdict. It’s a step in the right direction to promoting fairness in our industry," said Andrew Dahlinghaus, general counsel of Skillz
Podcast
Mistplay’s Gabriel Lewis on leveraging loyalty to keep paying players coming back | 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…
Gamemasters Summit
Deconstructor of Fun, Google and GameAnalytics lead Kwalee’s Gamemasters Summit speaker lineup
More than 30 speakers have been confirmed for the show
Hot Five
Hot Five: Apple and Roblox embrace AI, a Match Factory milestone, and Warframe mobile gets further funding
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Week That Was
Week in Views - Elden Ring goes mobile, Apple gets artificially intelligent, and Fortnite goes Disney
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Mobile Mavens
Mobile Mavens: Jobs 2024: How to find the best talent and land your dream role
Our Mobile Mavens share their thoughts on the current hiring and careers landscape
Charity Milestone
Humble Bundle reaches $250 million mark in support of charities worldwide
"We’re proud to have brought funding and awareness to some of the most urgent social and environmental issues over the years," said Kamini Tiwari, VP of social impact at Humble.
Financials
Sega Sammy's entertainment profits slide by 52.5% Y/Y despite Rovio sales boost
Angry Birds developer had its worst quarter for game sales in three years following Sega acquisition
Mobile Gaming Ecosystem
Matchingham Games' Ginger Joy spin-off secures $1.26M for Web3 gaming
Ginger Joy aims to develop Web3 games specifically designed for mobile devices
Done Deal
Jagex changes hands for the sixth time in ten years
Current owners Carlyle to sell Jagex to CVC Capital Partners and Haveli Investments following extended negotiations
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from time travel masters to Netflix spinoffs
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Brand Integration
Room 8 Group expands with PUGA and Massive Black integration
The integration is expected to streamline processes, foster innovation and expedite project delivery
Google Rules
Time's up… So how did the top 100 grossing games respond to Google’s CMP requirements?
GameBiz Consulting's Božo Janković shows how the top mobile games have coped with Google’s latest requirements
Ai Insights
Apple has acquired more AI companies than any of its competitors
Think that Apple are behind on AI? Siri is just the visible tip of the iceberg with this year's iOS and iPhone set to leap ahead
2024 Mobile Games Trends
Cracking the Code: CrazyLabs' Gaming Experts Reveal 2024 Mobile Gaming Trends
The CrazyLabs team dig into the key changes and challenges facing the mobile games market in the year ahead - with expert insight and advice for studios worldwide
Microsoft Mucks Up
FTC cries foul at Microsoft’s 1,900 layoffs with Activision Blizzard merger under threat
Microsoft counter claim that Activision Blizzard were already planning layoffs before taking them on
Quality Assurance
Square Enix commits to improving game quality following failures
A new system is set to be unveiled in spring, with various sources from the conference call indicating its implementation in April.
App Stores
Digital Turbine invests $10 million into Korean app marketplace ONE Store
Companies partner in South Korea, with plans to expand globally in the near future
Indonesia's Intentions
Publishing in Indonesia? New laws could require you to set up a company there
The Indonesian government is looking to update its legal requirements for game publishers in order to avoid being "just a spectator"
Mighty Mobile
Krafton earned record-breaking $1.4 billion in 2023 with 66% from mobile
Krafton’s mobile earnings grew by 34.5% in Q4