2022 Highlights
2022 In Review – March’s Best Bits
As the year draws to a close, we take a look back with our pick of the stories that shaped the last twelve months. Time for some March action
2022 Highlights
2022 In Review – February’s Best Bits
As the year draws to a close, we take a look back with our pick of the stories that shaped the last twelve months. This time, we zoom in on February
2022 Highlights
2022 In Review – January’s Best Bits
As the year draws to a close, we take a look back with our pick of the stories that shaped the last twelve months. Starting with… January
Acquivision Blizzard
Microsoft hits back at FTC's Activision-Blizzard block
Microsoft has called the lawsuit filed by the FTC attempting to block their Activision-Blizzard takeover 'unconstitutional'
China
Tencent chief blasts ‘corruption’ in company according to employees
According to recent reports, Tencent’s internal structure is rife with corruption and mismanagement, as Ma Huateng shifts blame
Time To Celebrate
Pocket Gamer Connects Advent Calendar: Days 23-24: A final thank you and happy holidays!
Thank you for another fantastic year from your Pocket Gamer family! Enjoy an extra 10% off on our biggest event of the year with our special Advent Calendar discount code...
Guest Post
Will UA creatives kill in-game monetisation and revenue?
It’s all too easy to push too hard with your ads strategy, but getting the best results is all about striking the right balance
Stakes And Shares
Tencent becomes second-biggest shareholder in South Korean studio Shift Up
20 percent stake in Goddess of Victory: Nikke co-creator acquired
Women In Games
Leanne Loombe, VP of External games at Netflix, talks authenticity, inspiration, and cats
"You can not innovate without creativity, you cannot create diverse games and serve diverse players without a diverse team"
Actively Acquiring
Moon Active to acquire Zen Match from Good Job Games
The associated Istanbul-based team will also be joining
Zombie Defence Success
How to turn a hypercasual game concept into an IAP-driven Hybridcasual
The latest article in Homa's Hybridcasual Insight series explores how to evolve a hypercasual game
into a hybridcasual using Zombie Defense as a case study
Cro Appointment For Mwm
MWM hires Charles Jacquet as Chief Revenue Officer
Mobile industry leader joins the France-based MWM to focus on creative apps
Women In Games
Barbara Lee of Kinetix discusses the issue of empowering girls in tech and the need for female leaders
The Head of Engineering at Kinetix is passionate about web3 and virtual worlds
Money Matters
Level up your game’s financial strategies for 2023 at Pocket Gamer Connects London!
Explore new trends in monetisation and revenue models with experts this January 23-24 at PG Connects London!
Academia
Playtika partners with Israeli universities to offer gaming related courses
Israeli mobile developer Playtika is set to partner with local universities to offer gaming-related courses
Increasing Installs
Kwalee saw 12% revenue growth and 200 million downloads in 2022
The last year at Kwalee saw it nearing the major one billion milestone
Easing Audio Ad Access
Potential problems with audio ads - and how Audiomob’s mobile gaming plugin helps circumvent them
Find out how Audiomob is helping to make in-game audio ads a more mainstream opportunity for all developers
An Epic Fine
Epic Games responds to FTC fine
The company was recently fined over half a billion dollars due to privacy concerns and unintentional payments
Lawsuits
This time it's personal: 10 gamers launch a lawsuit to block Activision-Blizzard deal
As if it couldn't get any worse. Now Activision-Blizzard is facing another lawsuit, this time from a small group of gamers
Mystical Mashup
Mystical Mixing: A Game-Changing, New Subgenre Combining Simulation & Idle
How can developers blend different genres and create something compelling and new? CrazyLabs and Cameo outline their approach to building a new cross-genre hit
Legislation
Video game legislation isn’t child’s play
Legislation around loot boxes and video game addiction all broadly target younger people, but consideration needs to be given to the much larger, older audience too
Women In Games
Patty Toledo on being female and unconventional in the games industry
The MD of 4Players.io talks to us about the appeal of interactivity and community in gaming
Diversity In Gaming
An estimated 2.3 million online teenage gamers have been exposed to white supremacist ideology
A recent report by the Anti-Defamation League found a sharp rise in online harassment
Milestones
Hypercasual developer TapNation hits 750m total downloads across their catalogue
French hypercasual mobile developer produces a wide catalogue, totalling 22 different mobile games
An Apple A Day
Apple fined over $1 million by Paris Commercial Court
The tech giant is accused of imposing abusive commercial clauses on French app developers
Ftc Vs Epic
FTC fines Epic Games $520 million
The fine was imposed de to allegations of privacy violations and unwanted charges
Recruitment
InnoGames boasts of salary transparency success
InnoGames has boasted of filling all 19 of their available vacancies within two months after publishing the salary bands for their roles
Shuttering
Crash Bandicoot: On the Run, to shutter in 2023
The endless runner spin-off from the iconic Crash Bandicoot franchise will close it’s servers on February 16th
Green Gaming
Niantic planted 301 thousand trees throughout 2022
The company has released a new post showcasing its social impact throughout the year
Women In Games
Lisa Hau, CSO of Bidstack "Gaming fosters creativity, connectivity, collaboration and communities"
As part of our celebration of Women in Games, Lisa Hau gives her thoughts on the perception of females in the industry
Monetisation Masterclass
Monetisation masterclass: learn how to take your game to the next level
Join experts from Anzu, Unity and Wildlife Studios for an in-depth dive into in-game ad monetisation
Academic Achievement
Voodoo Academy hits new highs
Voodoo Academy program celebrates admission milestone with new game artists track and opens to hybridcasual
Women In Games
Iryna Afanasyeva of Sandsoft talks about how games can inspire people of all backgrounds to dream big
"Games wield real power...We can direct this power to make this world a better place"
Pumped Up Kicks
Step into the metaverse in your new sneakers from Scottie Pippen and Orange Comet
Basketball legend Scottie Pippen has teamed up with NFT blockchain blockbuster Orange Comet to launch his own range of sneakers for the metaverse
Hypercasual Hits Becoming Harder
Hypercasual is becoming harder says Sunday MD
Sunday’s Managing Director, Christoph Sachsenhausen refects on the challenges of the hypercasual market - and how the company plans to stay on the cutting edge
Women In Games
Vickie Chen discusses the growing presence of women in mobile gaming
From gamer to CEO: Vickie Chen discusses her history in the industry, and how it's developed.
Views Week
Week in Views - What caught our editorial eyes in the last seven days
The PocketGamer.biz team reflect on a week of Apple bashing and award giving
Women In Games
Darya Steel on the journey from playing games to working with them
Gameram's Chief Community Manager Darya Steel discusses the evolution of the games industry
Market Analysis
Only 20 percent of mobile gamers are fully engaged when playing
(And the other 80 percent do so while multitasking.) A new report from LoopMe delves into the global gaming market
Insights
Nware talk cloud gaming, mobile and more
Madrid-based Nware is one of many cloud gaming companies throwing their hat into the ring, we spoke to them about their views on the industry and where they’re going
Legislation
EU calls for greater player protections in video games
As part of a number of recent announcements and initiatives, the EU consumer protection committee has called for controls on loot boxes and increased player protection
Sea Market
FIFA Mobile enjoyed a 92% increase in downloads in South East Asia
The latest November numbers are in and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang led the way in terms of both downloads and revenue
Trends In 2022
Azur Games summarises trends in gaming through 2022
Idle, puzzle, strategy and more outlined in genre-based trends
Regulation
What does Finland’s lootbox law actually do?
Loot Boxes may fallen out of vogue as a target of gamer and regulator ire, but their control and restriction is still being debated by regulators
Artificial Intelligence
AI promises to make your game for you. But there’s a catch.
Procedural generation is nothing new in games, but can 'Generational AI' actually make a difference?
Summoners War
Summoners War celebrates the festive season with holiday updated
New dungeons, new raids, and new game modes are coming to the franchise
Updates
Netmarble's Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds sees seasonal holiday update
The mobile spin-off of the Miyazaki-inspired console games now sees a holiday-themed update for the winter period
All About Indies
Six reasons why indie developers need to be at Pocket Gamer Connects London 2023!
Take part in all the unmissable opportunities we have lined up for indie developers at PG Connects London this January!
Acquiblizz
Phil Spencer on the mobile potential of the Activision-Blizzard acquisition
Spencer explained the move in more detail in an interview with the Second Request Podcast.
Alternative App Stores
"It's essential to the flourishing of digital culture." Adrian Hon on the importance of alternative app stores
With Apple opening up to alternative storefronts the Six to Start CEO discussed the benefits of widening sales opportunities