Views Week
Week in Views - What caught our editorial eyes in the last seven days
The Pocketgamer.biz team take their pick of this weeks big news and discuss artificial intelligence, gambling and… fishing?
Expert Insight
Spencer Arons of Rodeo Interactive: “I would be lying if I said we could have made our game without extensive knowledge of the platform and engine.”
Rodeo Interactive’s lead programmer talks tech to innovate on Roblox
Ad Tools
Mobvista launches new XMP platform for cross-channel monitoring
The dashboard lets developers track multiple analytics for their campaigns
Acquiblizz
Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal inches closer as the UK's CMA flips its decision
The authority has backtracked on its previous findings and is satisfied that the deal WON'T affect console competitors. But cloud gaming remains an issue
Dev Tools
Unity take the next step, teasing AI development tools in new video
While developing with Unity has always been fast, it looks like it might be about to get a whole lot faster…
Acquiblizz
This week in the Microsoft x Activision Blizzard deal
All the latest in one place as the EU and CMA flip-flop opinions and a conclusion draws nearer
State Of Play
Xsolla's Chris Hewish on generative AI: “You have to ask: ‘is more actually better’?”
At Xsolla’s Live at GDC 2023 event the president of Xsolla spoke about cloud gaming, AI, web stores and more.
Clever Stuff
CleverTap's new platform aims to boost live ops revenue and more
Unveiled at GDC 2023, CleverTap Gaming is an all-in-one solution for customer engagement
Q&a
Looty on monetising Roblox: “You need to throw away a lot of what you already know about building games”
Chris Haga, president of Looty Games, the creators of fantasy roguelite game Ruin, explains what makes Roblox a winner
Take-two Hearts Gameclub
Take-Two Interactive has acquired mobile retro-games subs service GameClub
The publishing giant has acquired the subscription-based start-up for an as yet undisclosed sum and purpose
Tencent Financials
Tencent’s revenue increased 0.5% year-on-year in Q4 2022
The company saw a small rebound following a turbulent year
Female Gamers
74% of women play mobile games daily
While 67% see mobile gaming as a vital source of ‘me time’
Spreading Sustainability
10 Weeks To Save The Games Industry – Week 9
Matchmade CEO Jiri Kupiainen and GamesForest.Club's Maria Wagner's journey nears its end as the pair finally reach Finland and Sweden
Partnerships
Fishing Clash to cease distribution in China as NetEase closes subsidiary studios
The game's loss is being cited as a knock-on effect of NetEase and Blizzard parting ways
War In Ukraine
Supercell blocks its games in Russia and Belarus
After phasing out titles, the last of Supercell's games are now inactive with a block in place until at least June 1
German Gamers Graded
Mobile Gamers of Germany 2023: Who’s a Heavy Player?
adjoe and Appinio report reveals that over a quarter of German mobile gamers play for more than five hours per week
Discussions
Rovio halts discussions with Playtika with no deal in sight
The Israeli publisher had been eager to make a cash offer to buy the Angry Birds developer
Unreal Graphics
Epic unveils Unreal Engine 5.2 delivering even more power to mobile
New cross-platform Unreal upgrades give developers the tools to create improved worlds and characters, whatever the host device
New Features
NetEase launches first pilot server for Infinite Lagrange
The server will allow players to test incoming features and offer feedback to the development team
14 Unmissable Tracks
Dive into future technologies and artificial intelligence at Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle!
PG Connects returns to Seattle this May 16th to 17th, get an exclusive look at all the future-gazing content we have lined up for you at the conference.
New Live Events Tracker
How to keep track of the myriad of live service events across mobile games
GameRefinery's new live events tracker offers game creators a new way to stay in control of multiple events in multiple titles - quickly, simply and cost effectively
Epic News
Epic launches Unreal Editor for Fortnite, delivering metaverse-building power to everyone
Their GDC 2023 announcement comes packed with new tech set to give the world of mobile creation a shake-up
Releases
Super Meat Boy Forever finally makes the jump to mobile
Originally intended for the platform, the game has so far only been on PC and console until now
Expert Insight
Dmitry Bobrov of ZiMAD: “How to stay successful for over ten years”
The mobile puzzle maker with over 200m users shares the secrets of effective operating for lasting, long-term success
Cross-platform
Kabam brings Unreal 5 to mobile and PC for King Arthur: Legends Rise
"Enabling our players to experience cross-platform progression and play is an essential part of what we want to offer."
Interview
Kian Hozouri on ByteBrew’s partnership with Mintegral
We spoke to ByteBrew’s COO and co-founder about the new collaboration and what it means for both companies
Financials
Flexion Q4 financials close with another record quarter
The alternative app store publisher saw major deals in 2022
Interview
SciPlay CEO Josh Wilson on how SciPlay reached #1 in the social casino charts
SciPlay saw a record breaking 2022, and we spoke to the company’s CEO about the company’s success
Living Legends At Gdc23
Virtual influencer Babka and cyber-cat sidekick Nushi team up to celebrate game developers around the world at GDC
Developers will be interviewed live on Twitch to discuss their latest games. Babka and Nushi are showcased at a prime location in GDC Moscone South Lobby
Podcast
Insights From PGC London 2023, Pt 1 | Podcast
Exclusive video: Check out insights from some of industry professionals that were at PGC London 2023 earlier this year
Interview
Zynga’s Mary Plaisted on diversity, equity, and inclusion
We spoke to Zynga’s senior director of diversity, equity and inclusion, talent, and social impact following the Spelman Game Jam
Loot Box Lawsuit
Loot boxes: not gambling, says Canadian judge
But by allowing the rest of the class action suit to continue, Electronic Arts aren’t out of the woods yet
Esports
DreamHack San Diego to host Snapdragon Pro Series Mobile Challenge tournament finals
The esports open will feature prominent battle-royale Fortnite as the headlining game
Seed Secured
Mystic Games seed round aims towards bringing Web3 mobile games "into the mainstream"
Veterans from King, Rovio and more looking to democratise digital ownership
Makreo Report
49% of China’s gamers play on their phones
A new report analyses the world’s biggest mobile market
Collaborations
NetEase’s Vikingard re-collaborates with MGM’s Vikings
The mobile strategy game and historical drama series crossed over once before back in September of 2022
Microsoft Merger
EU delays decision on Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard
Relax. The $69 billion acquisition decision has been pushed back to May 22
Building An Empire
Mo' ATT, mo' problems: Why Supercell’s next hit must overcome Apple’s privacy assault
Is the developer’s next blockbuster being stymied by Apple’s App Tracking Transparency rules?
Expert Analysis
ironSource's Anna Popereko: Seven ways to increase revenue from merge games
The game design consultant explains how to capitalise on one of mobile gaming's hottest genre trends
Croquet X Unity
Croquet for Unity makes multiuser games “automatically”
The new 'no netcode' JavaScript framework makes multiplayer development easier than ever before
Licences & International Releases
Tencent brings smash hit Merge Mansion to China in raft of new licences
The game is part of a slew of newly granted licences for a number of foreign titles
Partnerships
PUBG Mobile upgraded with immersive Dolby Atmos in audio update
The audio manufacturer and publisher Krafton have teamed up to boost in-game audio
Q&a
Maximilian Studios on the success of Frontlines: “You don't need a $3,000 rig or a $500 console, you can boot it up on your mobile device.”
Part one of our exploration of studios building for Roblox and their route to success
Mobile Masterworks
Mobile Masterworks: Jetpack Joyride
Taking a closer look at the game that marked the turning point from premium to freemium
British Gaming
Study finds one in three Brits are gaming during remote working hours
Ages 35 to 44 most likely to use work devices for personal activities
Big Fish In The Big Easy
Big Fish Games expands with new office in New Orleans
The company hopes to foster a diverse talent pipeline
Releases
Jetpack Collective to publish Rare Pets - Merge Game Mystery
The iOS and Android title is one of two new games being published by the company
Milestones
Subway Surfers hits 4bn downloads
Sybo’s hit endless runner hits a new milestone and doesn’t look set to slow down anytime soon
Microsoft App Store
Microsoft hopes to launch its mobile app store next year
The tech giant hopes to capitalise on changes to regulations regarding alternative app stores
Anniversaries
Netflix Games one year on
As the anniversary of Netflix’s robust gaming catalogue comes round, more information arrives about their plans for 2023