Multiple Milestones
My.Games' Tacticool reaches 30 million downloads milestone with $75 million in revenue
More than 1 billion users are registered in My.Games’ titles across its library
Interview
Immutable Games’ CSO Justin Hulog on bridging the gap between Web3 and mobile
We spoke to Hulog about his work, Web3, and the blockchain’s potential on mobile devices
Promotion In Partnerships
Roblox appoints Christina Wootton as chief partnerships officer
Wootton has been with Roblox for close to a decade
Community
How Netspeak fostered a friendly community for mobile MMO Sunshine Days
The studio aimed for a diverse staff and to challenge themselves to build a welcoming player community, co-founder Callum and chief of staff Kyra told us how
Acuiblizz
FTC to appeal against the judge’s decision in Microsoft case
A San Francisco judge denied the regulatory body’s preliminary injunction against Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard
Live-ops
Trevor Williams of RallyHere: "We want to ensure that we can democratise live ops games for any size studio."
The chief revenue officer for the live service platform spoke to us about humble beginnings at Hi-Rez and plans for the future
Anniversary Arrival
King of Avalon surpasses 100 million installs in time for seventh anniversary
FunPlus’ strategy MMO reaches seventh anniversary with celebrations underway
Scopely Acquisition
Savvy Games Group closes acquisition of Scopely
The acquisition highlights mobile’s place in Saudi Arabia’s games strategy
For Glory
Apps VS Mobile Games: Who came out on top in H1 2023
Data.ai report reveals insights into consumer spending during the first half of the year
Talks
Should you care what the UK government thinks? UKIE's Daniel Wood things you should
More attention equals better support, but far more scrutiny says the UKIE co-CEO
Goliath Games
June’s three most lucrative mobile games all came from China
Sensor Tower reports on the 10 biggest revenue generators worldwide
Data.ai Report
In-app spending hits a record $67.5 billion in Q1 2023
Consumer spend rose 5.3% while downloads increased 3.2%
Konvoy Report
Venture Capital funding fell 38% in Q2 2023
Despite the decline, the gaming industry is on track to hit $201 billion this year
India To Implement
India plans to hit online mobile games with 28% tax
There is no distinction being made between games of skill and chance
Global Games Network
ByteBrew achieves 10,000 developers in its first two years
ByteBrew celebrates its second anniversary with the news that over 10,000 developers around the world are now active on its platform.
Reconsidering Remote
Is remote working losing its luster? Michail Katkoff shares thoughts on new survey
Deconstructor of Fun’s survey looks at hybrid and remote working within the games industry
Narrative Design
MAG Interactive's Alice Bowman: "Adding a story to your game can add long term player loyalty"
Mag Interactive product lead Alice Bowman on the risks and rewards of adding a story to your game
Game Design
Charmie Kim: "Inventing the wheel with BeatStar"
Space Ape's Charmie Kim spoke at Develop Brighton on the development process behind BeatStar
Joining In Japan
New studio Denkiworks aims to bring "East meets West" perspective with Project Tanuki
A trio of former Q-Games designers and programmers have formed a new Kyoto-based studio
Making Magic
Harry Potter: Magic Awakened generated $2.3 million in first week of global release
NetEase’s version generated $1.3 million; Warner Bros. Games’ made $1 million
Acquiblizz
California judge denies the FTC’s preliminary injunction against Microsoft
The FTC’s attempts to scupper Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard have hit a roadblock
Mena Is Changing The Game
More than 65% of MENA gaming revenue comes from mobile
Boston Consulting Group’s latest Game Changer report emphasises the growing passion for gaming throughout the region
Launches
How Hi-Rez Studios learned from not launching Rogue Company: Elite
With the game's demise - or at least permanent hold - the lessons learned by Hi-Rez were shared with others
Making Money
From Peak Speed to Honkai: Star Rail – who to watch in the Chinese games market
Sensor Tower’s June report reveals 39 of top 100 global publishers come from China
Design & Retention
Trailmix designer Jade Ostle on how pivoting to story and merge2 boosted Love & Pies to 60% D1 retention
The designer hosted a talk at Develop: Brighton discussing the development of Trailmix's first game
Creatives
Ico Partners' Fanny Moreaux on what makes creative partnerships key to an authentic campaign
It's not just twitch streamers and influencers that developers should be focusing on says ICO Partners' communications manager
Beckoning Blockchain
Mighty Bear Games is swapping blockchain platforms days before new game launch
Mighty Action Heroes to release in open beta on Arbitrum
Development
Rogue Company: Elite’s global launch on indefinite hold
Hi-Rez revealed the news at a talk for Develop: Brighton 2023
No Halo Killer
ID@Xbox's Chris Charla on discoverability and launching into a saturated market
The three day conference opens with a short talk on indie devs from which game makers on all platform can draw insights
Interview
BIG Best Mobile Game award winner Martín Fernández on BIG and the developing Argentinian games space
The indie developer’s title Sequenza won the best mobile game award at the BIG Festival
Prospering Poland
Poland enters top three European countries in games industry workforce size
A new report finds Poland has overtaken Germany in workforce size, though remains behind in revenue
Appsflyer Report
War in Ukraine, Covid, and ATT: Analysing the downturn in the market
AppsFlyer delves into the state of mobile’s unprecedented decline in past years
Stocks
Playtika bounces back as bank upgrades mobile developer from "Underperform" to "Neutral"
The upgraded rating saw a small but noticeable rise in stock price by 4%
Appsflyer Report
Global app install ad spend projected to hit $94.9 billion in 2025
The total represents a rise of 20% from the current figure
Meet Your Next Partner
Network with the best in the business at Pocket Gamer Connects Toronto!
Get to know the companies attending PG Connects Toronto next week, don’t miss your chance to catch up on the latest innovations in the world of games
Niko Partners Report
Five biggest mobile genres of 2022 in MENA and Asian markets revealed: RPG leads the pack
The RPG genre generated 50% more revenue than strategy, MOBA, puzzle, and battle royale games combined
Blockchain
Sega cools off on blockchain gaming after Rovio acquisition
Mobile could be the way forward for the home of the hedgehog
Jobs
Industry Moves: Hirings and Promotions around the Mobile Games Industry; July 10, 2023
Yat Siu joins a crack team of Web3 enthusiasts, CEO of Nine66 goes back to VC and a NetEase vet joins Sega
Mavens
Mobile Mavens: What do app downloads direct from Facebook mean for the industry?
We round up expert industry opinions on the potential of an app store within Facebook
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 the launch of Threads, authorities caught on with their hand in the till and Vision Pro woes…
Netease Lawsuit
NetEase emerges victorious in Onmyoji lawsuit
The court found that the film Soul Gods League of Masters had plagiarised the game
Acquisition
Keesing Media Group acquires casual games developer CoolGames
The two companies will seek to push further into the casual games market
Network Away
Virtual meeting tickets for PG Connects Toronto are available now! Secure yours while you can
Join in meetings remotely at PG Connects Toronto this July 19-20 from wherever you are in the world using your virtual ticket
Last Chance
Grab your ticket to Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki before midnight on July 13th and save up to £330!
Last chance to use our Early Bird discount and save £330 for our Helsinki conference this September!
New Studio
Tokyo Broadcasting System to start new gaming spin-off TBS Games
The new company will focus on console, PC and mobile
Female Gamers
37% of gamers in Asia are female, with mobile as their preferred platforms
The gender split in the mobile-first SEA region is more even
Stocks
NCSoft stock down 36.6% since January, with further dip after lacklustre pre-reg for Blade & Soul 2
The company has taken big hits in the past year due to slow performance
Threads
Pulling the Threads: Inside social media's latest trend
Meta’s Twitter competitor has launched to great success with over 50 million users so far. But what are its aims and what's its story?
15 Unmissable Tracks
Get the latest in Web3, artificial intelligence and host of future trends at PG Connects Toronto
PG Connects Toronto is happening on July 19th-20th, get an exclusive look at all the amazing content we have lined up for you at the conference
Publishing
Marvel Snap publisher Nuverse announces new title, Bleach: Soul Resonance
The publisher will be tackling another major IP, this time from anime