Q&a
Lisa Bridgett on the creation and evolution of DREST
DREST brings fashion to mobile with over 280 fashion and beauty brands involved and a growing player base
Industry Updates
No E3? No problem. Here's where to network and get games industry business done this summer
After a bumper PGC London, Pocket Gamer Connects has got your 2023 sorted as the show returns to Seattle, Toronto and Dubai!
Expert Analysis
Achieving the impossible: Croquet founder David A. Smith on breaking the barriers for multiplayer games
Present at the dawn of computing and powering the next-level of network, Croquet aims to make multi-user experiences easier than ever to create and enjoy
Metaverse Moves
VRChat makes the jump to mobile
The Quest-based chat platform goes looking for a wider audience
Bafta Awards
How did mobile do at the BAFTAS?
The annual BAFTA game awards once again reiterates a trend in the industry
Events
E3 2023 has been cancelled. So what the hell happened?
E3 is dead. Again. Why is it that the games industry loves a games show, but doesn't want E3?
State Of Play
Case study: Boosting revenue in Solitaire Grand Harvest
Game mechanics go under the microscope… We go in deep with a case study that boosted its revenue despite key industry challenges
Netease X Blizzard
Breaking down the break-up of NetEase and Blizzard
NetEase allegedly suggested it could sway the government’s decision regarding Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard
Roblox Advertising
Roblox’s new advertising preempts legislation but still sees criticism
Although the new moves have been praised, some argue more is to be done
New Acquisition
Keywords Studios acquires influencer agency Digital Media Management
The social media agency will join Keyword’s Engage division
Ai Development
Yahaha’s code-free design engine steals the show at GDC
Their demonstration allowed the creation of nearly 800 games
Spreading Sustainability
10 Weeks To Save The Games Industry – Week 10
Matchmade CEO Jiri Kupiainen and GamesForest.Club's Maria Wagner's journey draws to a close with interviews with developers in the Czech Republic
Put Players First
Are in-game ads the answer for developers? We asked Marc Merrill of Riot Games
Anzu co-founder and CEO Itamar Benedy talks to Riot Games co-founder and president of games Marc Merrill about the growing value of in-game advertising to indie and AAA developers alike
Weplay Expansion
Turkish game investment fund WePlay Ventures expands to Europe and Asia
The company has invested in other 15 startups and poured money into mobile
Ea Layoffs
Electronic Arts is cutting 6% of its workforce
The gaming giant is the latest company to announce large-scale layoffs
Life Is Game
Wemade Championed a Paradigm Shift in Envisioning the Future of Blockchain Gaming at GDC 2023
CEO Henry Chang and core WEMADE members presented a vision of the future of blockchain gaming centred around the company’s WEMIX PLAY platform
Apps & More
What to expect at Apple's WWDC 2023
It's official. The dates for Apple's big dev event are out there and the speculation on what will be unveiled can really begin…
Loot Box Legislation
Australia proposes a crackdown on loot boxes and in-game gambling
The proposed changes would impose an advisory age limit on loot boxes
Subway Surfers
Sybo talks “evergreen” Subway Surfers success
CEO Mathias Gredal Nørvig discussed the success of the game at GDC
Feature
The hyper-casual landscape in 2023: Trends and insights for developers
Azur Games publishing lead, Sergey Martinkevich shares insights on the development and monetization of hyper-casual games
Data
Mobile Global Esports collaborates on AI-driven data analysis
Data from players will tie them to physical locations in order to target special offers
New Hires
Softonic appoints BBC veteran Andy Webb as VP of Product
Webb will spearhead the company’s mobile strategy
Artificial Intelligence
Ubisoft clarify the use of AI-script writing Ghostwriter
The tech has not yet been implemented but Ubisoft are already reassuring human creatives of their safety
Aaa Vs. Mobile
Why are AAA publishers still struggling to make it on mobile?
Mobile gaming dominates the games space, but AAA game makers are failing to effectively enter the market
User Acquisition Augmented
Start with UA Automation: Scale your mobile apps, while saving time & costs
With the costs and complexities of user acquisition campaigns increasing - how can games companies utilise automation to keep costs down - and stay in control?
Financials
Mag Interactive's Q2 strategy pays off, delivering highest ever revenue
Their interim report indicates that Mag Interactive are back on track for the year ahead
Ten Square Financials
Ten Square reports $116 million in revenue in 2022
The company’s revenue is down compared to 2021, but already shows signs of rebounding
Appointments
Room 8 appoints David Lalonde as head of mobile service line
Will oversee growth strategy for growing portfolio of studios
Milestones
My.Games’ Left to Survive hits 60 million players worldwide
One of a number of milestones for the company and their subsidiary studios
Netease Anime
NetEase Games enters the world of animation with Anici Anime
The new brand will further the company's interests outside of games
Don’t Miss Out
10 reasons why you need to attend Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle!
Join us in Seattle for the most anticipated conference of the summer! You can currently save up to $280 with our limited time Early Bird discount
Executive With Experience
Debbie Bestwick to step down as Team 17 CEO after more than a decade
She will continue working with the company in a new role
Ai Integration
Moonlander.ai delivers multiple AI tools under one game dev SDK
The kit aims to lower the barrier to entry for aspiring developers to make use of AI power
Sensor Tower Report
The USA, India, and emerging markets are leading the way in app installs
But predictions state that China is poised for a resurgence in the coming period
Equality In Games
Zynga India spearheads tech meetup for women in games
The meetup followed International Women’s Day
Passionate Players
CS:GO reaches new player record as gamers aim to test Counter Strike 2
1.5 million gamers played concurrently on 25 March
Financials
NetDragon announces 2022 full-year financial results
Coming off the back of significant partnerships and deals in 2022
Data
Mobile game spend up almost 30% compared to pre-pandemic levels
Mobile bounces back after a dip in 2022
Huuuge Revenue
Huuuge saw a 57.3% year-on-year increase in net profit in 2022
The company hit a record high adjusted EBITDA of $82.3 million
Pokemon Power
Indian Pokémon Unite tournament boast biggest prize pool ever
The esports event takes place between April and June with $75,000 up for grabs
Granting Games
Spring has sprung. 86 new Chinese game licences flower this March
The 2023 tide continues to turn with as the volume of new Chinese licence approvals continues to grow
Game Accelerators
Wings Interactive announces Elevate mobile game accelerator in collaboration with Netflix
As with other projects from Wings, the aim will be to elevate indie game development
Newzoo Report
Paid competitive mobile gaming set to generate $16 billion in revenue by 2024
The gaming segment will account for an estimated 14% of the mobile market
Indian Market
Nazara CEO: Indian market playing catch up with game monetisation
Despite the growth of India’s mobile gaming sector, the country trails in effective monetisation
Stellar Star
HoYoverse’s Honkai: Star Rail to release in April 2023
Mobile and PC releases are coming ahead of PlayStation launch
A Game Of Risk
81% of biggest mobile games are vulnerable to basic cyberattacks
Promon finds that a mere 1 in 357 games could identify malware
Releases
PlaySide Studios announces Dumb Ways to Die 4
Pre-orders are now open with a teaser trailer and the announcement of a release date
Dubai Gameexpo Summit
Dubai GameExpo Summit powered by PG Connects announced for June 21-22
Two-day summit for the global games industry to take place alongside Dubai’s large scale GameExpo event attracting thousands of consumers
Racing Ahead
Ace Racer zooms to 1 million downloads as devs showcase new technology
The tech behind NetEase’s graphically enhanced new game was shown off at last week’s GDC
Appointments
Nexon appoints two new directors to its board
The announcement is in addition to the reappointment of three directors