Privacy
Apple enters the ATT endgame as its quest for privacy enters its final battle
Now they'll require developers to explain their use of certain APIs with non-compliant apps rejected by App Store Connects from Spring 2024
Jobs News
July's Mobile Movers and Shakers: Samantha Ryan leaves EA plus hires for Supercell, Zynga and more
July has seen some significant moves by some of the industry's biggest company's - here's the highlights from the last week
Mentorship Interview
A culture of collaboration: an interview with Finland's LGIN mentoring network
"It doesn't feel like we are competing with each other. We are competing against the world,” says Suvi Kiviniemi of the Living Game Intelligence Network
Success In China
China’s gaming reportedly hit a record gamer base in the first half of 2023
The opening session of ChinaJoy delved into the country’s gaming industry
Week That Was
Week in Views - What caught our eyes in the last seven days
The Pocketgamer.biz team take their pick of this weeks big news including game ad revenue, some best practices for monetising and the moment that one of gaming's giants went mobile first
Monster Hunter
Monster Hunter Now opens for pre-registration ahead of September 14 release
The game will bring the hit franchise to mobile for the first time
Digital Education
United Nations calls for crackdown on mobile app use in schools
UNESCO has called on countries worldwide to evaluate how technology is used in school
Tencent Acquisition
Tencent acquires visual novel company Visual Arts
The move follows the company’s acquisition of Techland earlier this week
Netflix Addition
Cut the Rope returns with a twist for Netflix Games
Flipping from Apple Arcade to Netflix Games, Cut the Rope has found a new home with a new daily gameplay twist
China Licensing
Is China's gaming output back on track?
With 88 new licences granted, could the country’s regulatory issues be coming to an end?
Financials
Capcom saw $311.7 million in net sales in quarter one 2023
The company is forecasting net sales of over $994 million by the end of the fiscal year
Preservation
"Save game?" The quest to preserve classic mobile games forever
Every day great games are being lost to time and progress. We spoke to Professor James Newman a specialist in video game preservation and research about what can be done
Gaming In India
India’s gaming industry draws the line between 'online' and 'real money' gaming
The move comes in the wake of India announcing a new 28% tax on games
Data.ai Report
In-app spending hit a record $67.5 billion in the first half of 2023
Mobile spend has returned to growth following declines in 2022
Partnerships
NetEase partners with payments provider Checkout.com to “accelerate global expansion”
The payment provider will help to facilitate payment integration in new markets
Data Privacy
French regulators call out Apple’s ATT
The iPhone and iOS owner may be in hot water from European regulators
Monetisation
Free-to-play's finest: A games lawyer's guide to getting monetisation right
Isabel Davies shares her pick of great games design from across the world of mobile free-to-play
Deals, Deals, Deals!!!
Deals Digest: The Biggest Deals of 2023 so far
Every big deal from every major player all in one place. Here's the hit list of where the big money is moving
New Release
What is Pokémon Sleep? The latest craze explained
The game brings the world of sleep tracking apps to one of the world’s most beloved franchises
Q&a
Mighty Bear Games’ Simon Davis: "Blockchain technology should just exist to amplify the gaming experience"
Mighty Bear Games CEO Simon Davis discusses the untapped gaming potential of the blockchain and the challenges of today's mobile market
Collaborations
Why mobile is a crucial part of Barbie’s multimedia domination
With their new live-action movie in cinemas, Mattel are making mobile a cornerstone of their Barbie push
Deals
Sega's Rovio deal clears regulatory hurdles and gets the green light
Barring a sudden 11th hour flap, the Sega's Rovio acquisition is set to go ahead
Interview
Speaker Spotlight: Skillprint’s Davin Miyoshi on using AI to personalise your games
Skillprint’s co-founder and CPO shared how AI can help developers to better understand their players
Financials
CyberAgent sees lean financials with game sales down 27.7%
The company operates major hits in Japan such as Uma Musume Pretty Derby
Venture Funding
Valhalla Ventures launches $66 million fund for gaming investment
The firm is targeting “audacious entrepreneurs” across games and mobile
Apple Vs. Consumers
Apple's "anti-competitive" App Store woes continue with a $1 billion class action lawsuit
The suit accuses the company of acting anti-competitively with its imposition of a 30% fee on in-app purchases
Ranking
Japan's top earning mobile games continue to dominate in the first half of 2023
Pole position and number two swap places while third place holds its own
Report
Consumers spent 2.5 trillion hours on Android in H1 2023. What's does that mean for mobile?
New reports show a 4% increase in time spent on Android - more than ever before
Ranking
Honor of Kings tops Weibo’s trending list with Honkai: Star Rail in hot pursuit
The microblogging site is one of China’s most popular social media sites and offers an interesting insight into the market
Download Report
Garena Free Fire rides Spider-Man's success to top June 2023's most downloaded mobile games
The results are in with familiar names rubbing shoulders with old classics
Stillfront Financials
Stillfront earned over $174 million in revenue in Q2 2023
Mashup and casual titles remain the company’s most profitable, however other genres are gaining momentum
Gameanalytics Report
USA game ad revenue to reach $130 billion in 2025
But currently only accounts for less than 6% of total ad spend in the USA
Q&a
Scriptic’s Nihal Tharoor: “AI is essentially another creative tool in the toolbox, not a replacement.”
Formerly known as ElectricNoir, Scriptic create interactive experiences on mobile
Growing Your Game
Socialisation in gaming: The trend for increased retention and revenue
Gameram’s chief partnerships manager Valeriia Diu explains how your community can help your game grow
Back With A Bang
PG Connects Toronto welcomes over 750 attendees from 37 countries for two days of insightful discussions and networking!
Our third conference in Canada welcomed over 750 delegates from 374 companies, 110 speakers, and represented 37 countries
Advertising
What does Roblox’s new ad network look like?
Behind the scenes on their new 'immersive ads' which echo the trend and ride the rising wave of intrinsic advertising
Talks
How Failbetter flubbed, then rescued the launch of Mask of the Rose
Communications director Hannah Flynn gave us the inside track at Develop: Brighton
Feature
The great casual game revival
Lessons from the past, hypercasual’s evolution, and opportunities for the post-ATT future
Deals
Is the Kahoot deal an endorsement of edtech & party games, or a move to private for mobile?
The multiplayer quiz title is used widely in educational settings
Gaming Report
India accounted for 15.29% of game downloads in the first six months of 2023
One of the world’s biggest mobile gaming markets continues its meteoric rise
Podcast
AR, AI, and Subscription Models — Oh, My! | Podcast
Our PocketGamer.biz team recaps GDC 2023 and riff on the topics that stole this year’s show.
Milestones
My.Games’ Left to Survive celebrates its five-year anniversary and 1.2m monthly active users
The title is a cornerstone of the company’s catalogue of free-to-play games
Investment
GameStake Technologies raises £630,000 in seed funding for “rewarded play” gaming
The company is pursuing the “rewarded play” style of monetisation
Clash Of The Titans
Eggy Party's success intensified NetEase & Tencent's war for casual supremacy
The tech giants have long been at the top of the mobile games space, but NetEase's recent win has raised the stakes
Job News
July's Mobile Movers and Shakers: Gameloft appoints a new lead game designer while MYSTiC gets a new CMO
July has seen some significant moves by some of the industry's biggest company's - here's just a few
Very Big Indie Pitch
Hero of Aethric conquers the competition and wins The Big Indie Pitch at Pocket Gamer Connects Toronto
Winners breakdown
Investment
New studio Closing Theory raises $2.3m investment
The studio was co-founded by two previous members of the company Macro
Here Be Dragons
Dragon Quest Champions surpassed $10 million two weeks after release
The game is closing in on Dragon Quest Walk in Square Enix’s mobile revenue share
Success In Funding
Singapore’s Eyeball Games raised $1.5 million for blockchain pool game
The fund highlights Singapore’s growing place in the mobile gaming industry
Podcast
Unleashing the worlds within worlds | Podcast
Charisma’s Guy Gadney on pioneering new forms of games entertainment by casting audiences inside the stories