Releases
Vampire Survivors surprise launches on mobile
The popular roguelike ‘bullet hell’ game comes to mobile from developer poncle, ‘100% free, for real’
Acquivision Blizzard
FTC vote to sue to block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard
The Acquisition has faced criticism for its possible effect on competitor PlayStation
Meet Our Partners
Pocket Gamer Connects partners with SpecialEffect for Pocket Gamer Connects London 2023!
We come together once more with the incredible charity SpecialEffect to support gamers with disabilities throughout the world.
Women In Games
Vanesa Tate, Head of Audio at King, talks to us about the transition from movies to games
Having recently helped to makeover the sound for Candy Crush, Tate gives her insights on being a female in the industry and why games are more inclusive than films
People Positivity
CALM research finds gaming has a positive impact on mental health
Gaming helps people to connect, CALM finds
Awards
Awards are great… but they aren’t worth fighting over
As Genshin Impact and Sonic are pitted against one another in the Player's Choice vote, we have to ask, is it worth fighting over an award?
Job News
Magic Eden appoints Chris Akhavan as Chief Gaming Officer
Magic Eden hopes the new hiring will boost its Web3 vertical
New To Netflix
ElectricNoir's Scriptic: Crime Stories is "a new category of digital entertainment" now on Netflix Games
An hour-long live-action crime drama played on mobile
Job News
Xsolla appoints Berkley Egenes to the role of Chief Marketing Officer
Egenes previously held the role of vice president of global marketing
Stocks
Embracer Group approved for Stockholm exchange
The news means that Embracer will now be traded on the Nasdaq Stockholm and not the First Growth North exchange
Make Your Games Greater
Cheat codes to master the hybridcasual genre
Homa reveals the secret design and development 'cheat codes' for creating a successful hybridcasual game
Gamerefinery Report
GameRefinery’s November 2022 report delves into the state of the mobile market
The World Cup proved to be a popular subject for events, while a Square Enix collaboration with a TikTok star failed to engage audiences
Supersonic Studio
Sega opens new California-based office to encourage creativity and facilitate streaming
Office will be a space for 235 employees across Sega and Atlus
Multiplayer
Epic debuts family-friendly cabined accounts for its games
In an attempt to appeal to parents whose kids play their various games, Epic Games is debuting a new type of ‘Cabined accounts’ for players on PC, console and mobile
Lucky Seven
Nintendo’s most successful mobile game Fire Emblem Heroes celebrates Version 7.0.0 update
Book 7, new characters, in-game celebrations and more
Representation
King leads the pack in Activision-Blizzard's 2022 representation report
Activision-Blizzard’s latest effort to be more transparent reveals information about their representation and diversity in the workplace, with mobile arm King coming out on top
A Platform To Empower
The Mirror platform aims to someday be "akin to a next-gen Roblox"
$2.3 million raised in pre-seed funding; led by Founders Fund
The Business Of Creation
Kinetix launches first AI-powered emotes
The emotes can be integrated into a variety of games and metaverse worlds
Strategy Observation
CDPR on mobile, where have they been and where are they going?
CD Projekt Red’s long-term strategy update indicated an increased focus on mobile, but their actions yesterday might confuse some. So, what’s the story so far?
Playing For The Planet
Flick partners with PlanetPlay as part of environmental commitment
The partnership includes a new Flick Solitaire deck designed by Alliga Mirguesinov.
Revenue Results
Genshin Impact makes it to $4 billion revenue as PUBG Mobile reaches $9 billion
Installs for both games are down compared to last year
Alleged Arrest
Yuji Naka reportedly arrested for second time in three weeks over insider trading allegations
Trading investigation relates to Square Enix’s Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy franchises
Collaborations
Qualcomm Snapdragon Pro Series to partner with Samsung
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Pro mobile eSports tournament will exclusively utilise Samsung devices
Drumming Up Interest
World’s Fastest Drummer game speeding towards release
The game will be released this Saturday
App Store Updates
Apple adds new price points to App Store and support for foreign currency
Apple had previously required developers to adhere to a set amount of price points for their games and apps, this latest update adds many new ones
Billions And Beyond
$1.5 billion revenue and 1.1 billion downloads weekly - how healthy is the mobile games market?
The new data.ai and Deconstructor of Fun report reveals the reality of the global mobile games market in 2022
Gaming Post-covid
China rolls back zero-covid policy, but what does this mean for mobile gaming?
The easing of lockdown restrictions could signal a sharp decine for the country's mobile market
Shuttering
Witcher: Monster Slayer to shut-down and developer Spokko to shutter
The Witcher: Monster Slayer, will be shut down early next year alongside its developer Spokko, whose talent will be folded into CDPR
New Acquisition
Keywords Studios to acquire Californian company Helpshift for $75 million
The company aims to become a market leader for in-app customer service solutions
Riyadh Recap
Last week's Leaders Summit demonstrated the huge potential of the $6.8bn MENA market
Saudi Arabia hosted a new type of event from the Pocket Gamer team which united games companies from around the world – here’s what you missed
Women In Games
Marika Appel has been at Supercell for over ten years, and is still as passionate as ever
The Clash of Clans Community Manager talks to us about the importance of Clash Fest, inclusivity in games and... Angry Birds
Insights
The future of the African mobile gaming market with Waheed Adam
Africa is one of the ones-to-watch when it comes to emerging gaming markets. Waheed Adam of iTouch offers us his insights into mobile movements in Africa
Milestones
Goddess of Victory: Nikke hits $70m revenue in first month of release
The shooter-gacha game has seen massive success, topping even Diablo Immortal and Genshin Impact in the charts
Music Metaverse
Animoca Brands acquires majority stake in music metaverse platform PIXELYNX
The company is helping people discover new music – and new ways to monetise it
Outside News
Chinese game services go dark in memory of former Chinese premier
A National Day of Mourning in China includes the temporary cessation of services for money online games on multiple platforms
Censorship In Games
China blamed for Goddess of Victory: Nikke censorship, despite being unavailable in China
Upcoming graphics content differs from a previously leaked beta, leading to claims that the game is being censored to appease Chinese regulators
Milestones
Homa’s Merge Master reaches 100m downloads
Homa, formerly Homa Games, announce that it and developer Fusee's title Merge Master had accrued 100m downloads
Mobile Moves
PlayStation Mobile team continues hiring spree
Veterans of Kabam, Apple, Meta and Niantic are among the team members fleshing out PlayStation's ever-expanding mobile department
Updates
Fortnite Chapter 4: Rebooting a smash hit to keep players playing
With the latest trailer and set of collaborations revealed, once again we get to see how Epic Games works hard to keep its flagship battle royale game fresh
‘tis The Season
Kick off the holiday season with the Pocket Gamer Xmas Mixer 2022 happening in London tomorrow!
Last chance to join us in the heart of London tomorrow for an evening of drinks and knowledge-sharing to mark another year of industry success!
Match Madness
Genre mashing and meta morphing: How Match 3 and casual games are evolving
UXReviewer founder Om Tandon breaks down what makes Match 3 games so popular and how they may have even greater scaling potential
Report
Saudi Arabia games report reveals a development community that's ripe for expansion
A report by Savvy Games Group subsidiary Nine66 reveals some key findings about the growing Saudi games market
Pgc Jordan
The art of adaptation. Game localisation gets taken to the next level at Babil Games
Diala Deeb of Babil Games talks to us about fine-tuning games to better become the perfect fit for new audiences and cultures
Sunsetting
Gwent sees the end of further card development as CD Projekt Red aims to hands its keys to fans
Gwent will cease adding new cards at the end of 2023 but ‘Project Gwentfinity’ will hand control of the game to its fans
Aquivision Blizzard
FTC rift signals fresh hope for Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision-Blizzard in America
The board is expected to make its recommendations regarding the deal by mid-December
Awards
In-Depth: All the winners from the Google Play Awards 2022
We’ve covered Apex Legends Mobile’s sweep of the Apple and Google Awards for 2022, but what else got the nod from the Play Store?
Mobile Revenue
Nintendo sees mobile gaming as a marketing strategy as opposed to a revenue generator
The company may see success in mobile gaming, but console remains the top earner
The Esports Scene
Delve into the esports industry with what we learned at Discover: Esports
With esports growing as rapidly as ever, we took time to connect with and learn from top professionals in the scene at this brand new b2b event
Women In Games
Sophie Brugmann: having diverse leadership teams can lead to incredible symbiosis at the top
The Head of Operations for Lessmore and editor Womenize! thinks we need more open communication in the workplace
User Acquisition
New tech aims to boost user acquisition in a post-IDFA world
With Google set to follow suit with Apple’s ‘walled garden’ approach to data privacy, companies are finding new ways of understanding their audience and marketing to them