Q&a
Speaker Spotlight: Layer AI's Burcu Ozcengiz on supporting art teams' workflow with AI
"I'm excited to share my perspective on how it’s possible to use AI to produce game art faster while staying human"
Q&a
Speaker Spotlight: AppsFlyer's Adam Smart on ad creatives and market saturation
"We'll navigate the added complexity of fostering cross-departmental cooperation to enhance and evolve creative strategies"
Pgc London
Get the most from your publishing deal at PG Connects London
Take your game's launch to the next level with the Publishing Power track this Tuesday January 23rd
Week That Was
Week in Views - Developers speak their minds, Apple gets sneaky, and why old games are the best
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
The Sky's The Limit
Thatgamecompany on what comes next for Sky: Children of the Light in 2024
Art Director, Cecil Kim shares on joining thatgamecompany and the journey from mobile to cross-platform for Sky: Children of the Light
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from pirate pals to wrestling rivals
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Pgc London
Turn recruitment into retention at Pocket Gamer Connects London
Industry experts share strategies for talent acquisition, diversity, resilience and navigating setbacks this Monday January 22nd
Developers Speak Up
GDC's State of the Industry report reveals AI concerns, redundancies worries and a drive to unionization
It's certainly not all fun and games in the latest GDCC report as over 3000 game devs share their thoughts on what the future holds
Growing Globally
Network Effect & Organic Growth - Effective Scaling In The Post-IDFA World
Social First's President and Founder Mikko Kähärä tells us how the studio has found a way to effectively scale its games - cost-effectively - in a post-IDFA world
Q&a
Speaker Spotlight: Uplifted's Itai Raveh discusses why UGC can be a game-changer for engaging players
"Tailoring the creative aspect to resonate with the target audience is crucial in the games sector"
Q&a
Speaker Spotlight: TikTok's Noam Zada on underestimating the transformative power of cultural resonance
"Overlooking the integration of gaming into the cultural conversation can hinder a game's potential reach"
Big Indie Pitch Stories
Big Indie Interviews: Quang Nguyen discusses being passionate and finding new in the old
Interview! We chat with the long-time Big Indie Pitch participant and judge to discuss experimentation and helping the next generation
Podcast
Gamelight’s Günay Aliyeva on the AI algorithm that revolutionises UA | 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…
Winning The War
My.Games' War Robots returns to China
Following a loss of licence in 2021 which it won back in 2023, a new deal with publisher iDreamSky now sees the game return to one of its top three markets
Launchpad
Launchpad: Check out these six new and upcoming games ahead of Pocket Gamer Connects London 2024
We shine a spotlight on a select few games that have recently launched or are set to release in the not too distant future
Q&a
Speaker Spotlight: FastSpring's Tony Markov on how alternative distribution platforms help power better profits
"By establishing an independent sales channel, developers can avoid the large fees, directly enhancing profitability"
Pgc London
Hear how to build a better games industry at PG Connects London
Explore the ways we can all help create a more a more positive future for everyone this Monday January 22nd
Pgc London
Celebrate the best in indie development at PG Connects London
Learn how to survive and thrive as a smaller studio in today's competitive games development landscape next Tuesday January 23rd
Beating The Odds
Tough times for games? Here are five ways that Belka Games has weathered the storm
Belka Games, Ivan Larionov tells us how the company was able to push through the toughest of times
Flagship Funds
Leslie Benzies' Build A Rocket Boy studio raises $110M for "flagship" trio of projects
RedBird Capital Partners leads investment in Build A Rocket Boy’s Everywhere, MindsEye and Arcadia
Q&a
Speaker Spotlight: Monstercat's Gavin Johnson
Johnson has spearheaded successful collaborations with Fortnite, Rocket League, Beat Saber, Roblox, Paladins, SMITE, and others
More Job Cuts
Support studio PTW cuts 45 positions as game industry layoffs continue
The impacted workforce primarily consisted of QA workers, but job cuts also extended to other departments
Studio Closure
Co-developer THREAKS to close after 15 years
Game development at the company is to cease, but work with their Super Crowd Entertainment events brand continues
Job Cuts
Layoffs confirmed at Choices: Stories You Play maker, Pixelberry Studios
The layoffs will affect various roles, spanning from QA staff and producers to artists and programmers
Google Says Go
Google lays off 1,000+ employees in stealth as AI takes on the workload
Employees from ad sales, hardware, AR, Pixel, YouTube and more have been quietly let go through the month
Pgc London
Your guide to the hottest markets at PG Connects London
Facts, figures and insight into the latest industry trends from all over the globe with the Global Trends track next Monday January 22nd
Back From The Dead
Plants vs Zombies 3: Welcome to Zomburbia soft launches in the UK and other select regions
The hugely popular action puzzle game is back. It's time to enjoy classic Plants vs Zombies gameplay with another new twist
Q&a
Speaker Spotlight: SocialPeta CMO Summer Liu on marketing trends and the potential of augmented reality
"The next disruptor might be an entirely new medium that hasn't been conceptualised yet"
Rising Stars
Netflix's Grand Theft Auto re-releases dominate December's mobile app rankings
Data.ai's monthly gaming pulse for December reveals which new games globally are the ones to watch
Pgc London
Get practical tips on every aspect of game development at PG Connects London
Essential advice about making games with the Developer Toolkit track next Tuesday, January 23rd
Successful Defence
Homa wins Craft Island court case against Voodoo, ending almost three years of uncertainty
Voodoo had accused Homa of "maintaining confusion" through similarities between Homa's Craft Island and their own Lumbercraft
Pgc London
Pocket Gamer Connects London: The Game Maker Insights track sponsored by Room 8 Group
Gain hands-on game development insight next Tuesday, January 23rd
Go Speed Racer!
Moving into high gear - see the brand new Triple-A Racing Kingdom at PGC London!
SuperGears Games' Racing Kingdom is one of over 90 new titles to be showcased at PGC London - PG.biz finds out more from studio CEO Yasin Demirden
Media Partnership
PocketGamer.biz named media partner for first-ever Gamemasters Summit
Free digital conference takes place on February 21st, 2024
Layoffs Looming
Thunderful Group to lay off 20% of workforce in the first half of 2024
Approximately 100 staff members will be exiting the company as a restructure gets underway
Hyper-casual Growth
On Off Games lands $1.5M investment from Mobavenue in Singapore
The newly secured investment will help the company grow, develop new hypercasual titles and reach new players
Mag Millions
MAG Interactive’s Q1 EBITDA up 671,033%
UA challenges lead to 21% net sales decline
Gotta Earn 'em All
Pokémon Masters surpasses $300 million in lifetime player spending
After Pokémon Go, Masters marks The Pokémon Company’s second-biggest mobile game by revenue
A Strong Start
Pine Games secures $2.25M for mobile game development in Istanbul
The team currently has four staff and plans to grow that number to 15 for the creation of IP-based mobile games
Business As Usual
Despite new regulations Apple will still be able to charge 27% on external platform payments
While following new regulations to the letter, new changes to the Apple App Store Guidelines ensure that they'll get paid no matter what
The Place To Be
You can't afford to miss the networking event of the year in San Francisco!
Join us as industry titans from all over the globe converge in San Francisco for the ultimate networking experience!
Q&a
Speaker Spotlight: LBC Studios' Solon Bucholtz on cross-platform and AI trends in games
"I think the ongoing effort to make games cross-platform and make the experience interchangeable is really important"
Pgc Stories
PGC Stories: "It's so refreshing to have this platform to share and learn together"
MAG Interactive's Chris Peters and Titan AI's Fabien-Pierre Nicolas share their favourite PGC memories
Today's Apple Upset
Apple fail to dodge sweeping app store changes as the law closes in
The latest suit from Epic may have failed, but the changes previously demanded of the iPhone giant remain in place and will have huge implications
Job Losses
Netspeak CEO announces the loss of approximately 25 jobs
After a successful soft launch of their first game, Sunshine Days, it appears that further investment to continue its development has, as yet, not been forthcoming
Pgc London
Pocket Gamer Connects London: The Show Me The Money track
Explore investment advice and funding ideas next Tuesday, January 23rd
Tencent Tumble
Tencent's external investments have dropped 87% in two years
From healthcare to AI start-ups, the number of Tencent investments in external companies decreased from 299 in 2021 to just 39 in 2023
Influencer Insider Information
Why you’re not seeing ROI on your influencer campaigns and how to fix them
Future-ready UA strategies: 5 steps to scale ROI on your influencer marketing campaigns
Macrosoft
Microsoft talk AI and topple Apple, making them the world’s biggest public company
Microsoft shares were up 3% last week while Apple’s were down by 3%, enough of a tip to put neck-and-neck Microsoft over the top
Whiteout Wonder
Whiteout Survival surpasses $400 million in 11 months
Century Games’ frosty survival title has slid its way onto nearly 30 million mobile devices