Great Advice
Anzu welcomes former Activision Blizzard exec Ruben Dehouck as new strategic advisor
"In-game advertising offers developers and publishers a compelling new revenue stream, but only if it's done right"
Top Advertising
Facebook takes the top spot for mobile advertising
It charges more than Google for games ads
Checkmate
Why indie developer Matthew English is looking to reinvent chess for a new audience
"If we had an unlimited budget we’d continue making Tschess the best game it could possibly be."
Trend Survey
Download the Mobile Games Developer Trends Autumn 2020 report
Hypercasual games and new monetization methods come out on top in the latest PocketGamer.biz industry survey
Switched
Nintendo Switch could be the best-selling console this holiday season
Games spending will hit $13.4 billion in November and December
It's Getting Wild
League of Legends: Wild Rift is coming to iOS
No release date has been given
Check It Out
Apple reveals its new iPhone 12 range
With 5G capabilities
Enter The Upside Down
MyTona teams with Netflix to bring Stranger Things to Cooking Diaries
"Fans can look forward to unlocking many Stranger Things themed rewards and mementos"
Nvm Support
UK National Videogame Museum receives $522,000 grant
Cash will keep the organisation going until next spring
Talking Heads
The Pokémon Company International, Niantic, THQ Nordic, Imperia Online and Crunchyroll all confirmed to speak at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #4
Revealed: the second set of speakers for the fourth online-only conference in the series, this November 9-13
"not Representative"
ASA bans "misleading" Gardenscapes and Homescapes Facebook ads
Only 0.03% of players reach the end content.
Two Become One
Streaming platforms Huya and DouYu are merging
Tencent will have a 67.5% stake
Monetisation
Unity launches Game Growth Program to support free-to-play indie games
"Great games often go unnoticed, especially within the indie segment"
Price Is Right
Update: Nintendo to lower the cost of Joy-Cons in the US
They will cost $39.99
Publishing Programme
JoyPac launches HyperFuel to aid in developing hypercasual titles
"The idea behind HyperFuel is to replicate the kind of hands-on input and access to resources that accelerators are so good at"
Machine Smarts
Vungle adapts to post-IDFA era with acquisition of automated UA platform AlgoLift
Taking a probabilistic approach
Going Public
Roblox confidentially moves forward with IPO plans
Still to determine if it is a traditional IPO or direct listing
Remote Working
How Roblox software engineer Corey Robinson began designing levels at 14
"Being able to share ideas that I had in my head and turning them into a medium that others could experience was so exciting."
"progressive Strides"
Com2uS purchases Out of the Park Developments
"We expect OOTP to become a key part of our officially-licensed sports management product lineup"
Alleged Assault
Pro Splatoon player faces allegations of sexual assault on a minor
Tokyo-based team Creatives cuts ties with player
Master The Meta
Master the Meta: Why Genshin Impact is far more important than you think
This week, Master the Meta focuses down on the huge success of Genshin Impact
It's Mario
Super Mario 3D All-Stars tops the monthly charts with physical sales alone
Across the Middle East, Asia, Europe and Africa
Surf The Web
Gizer launches its esports service on the web
"A mobile browser was a natural progression for our service. Our goal has always been focused around convenience"
Development Aid
Two Hands Games joins N3twork's NSP with Champion Strike
The programme was launched earlier this year
Re-launch
From a flop to the top: how to re-launch a mobile game
PickFu's CMO discusses how to breath life into old titles
To Battle!
Lion Studios launches its first co-developed title Ancient Battle
"Looking beyond hyper-casual, we worked closely with Mandrill VR on Ancient Battle to create a game that really stands out"
Make An Impact
Genshin Impact racks up $100 million in under two weeks
"Without a doubt the most successful launch for an original IP from a Chinese dev"
Unreal Protection
US judge part grants and part denies Epic's injunction against Apple
There is "potential for significant and serious ramifications for Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft and their video game platforms"
Discount Ends
Event double combo prices rise at midnight - save now on Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #4 and G-STAR Global Game Exhibition 2020
PGC Early Bird offer ends and G-STAR’s ticket prices double - TONIGHT! Save 20% with our joint package deal
The Living Dead
Donut Lab raises $1.6 million for Kids vs Zombies
“It’s for those who want to feel like kids again"
Blocked
Pakistan blocks TikTok due to "immoral" and "indecent" clips
"We are hopeful to reach a conclusion that helps us serve the country's vibrant and creative online community"
This Week In Asia
This Week in Asia: Genshin Impact generates $60m in revenue while Voodoo preps to launch titles in China
Our collection of the latest news and stories from Asia
For Equality
Employees speak out about systematic sexism, racism and abuse at Twitch
Streaming platform denies the allegations levelled against it
Speaker Spotlight
Speaker Spotlight: Cheesecake Digital CEO on the benefits of industry volunteering
"It is a great way to network, learn new skills and understand more about the industry."
It's Mario
Super Mario 3D All-Stars was Japan's best-selling game in September
Switch games accounted for 79.2 per cent of all games sales
Myappfree
MyAppFree lets you promote games and acquire users for free
The latest feature introduced by MyAppFree lets developers boost their installs while performing link building and branding activities at the same time
Back And Forth
The US government is contending TikTok's temporary protection
The app should have been banned last month
Make It Happen
Microsoft is looking at a web-based xCloud app for iOS devices
"We absolutely will end up on iOS with Game Pass"
Money Money Money
Consumer spending on mobile games hit $20 billion in Q3 2020
Pokemon Go was the top-grossing game
Welcome To China
Voodoo's titles are launching in China through The9
"Through our strategic cooperation with Voodoo to jointly publish and operate a variety of casual games in China, we can leverage the popularity of high-profile game IPs in the Chinese market"
Cheat On Your Rpg
AFK Arena has a new ad campaign featuring Elijah Wood
"Here I am playing a version of myself that's stuck in a love triangle between a needy orc and a casual mobile RPG game"
You Want S.t.a.r.s
Resident Evil film reboot cast unveiled
This new take will be closer to the source material than the Paul WS Andersen series
Speaker Spotlight
Speaker Spotlight: Indie dev Anna Jenelius on narrative in games and industry maturity
"If you want to make games, make games."
Ninten-no
Nintendo's theme park not opening till 2021
A Mario cafe and shop will open on October 16th
Hybrid Event
DevGAMM 2020 goes online and offline on November 9-20 - tickets are available now
DevGAMM goes hybrid with both online and offline aspects of the conference, inviting industry professionals from around the world to take part as well as holding networking events in live venues
Go Pro
The first all-female team joins Honor of Kings esports league
"Most teams believe that female gamers are not as capable as men"
Simply Business
Yodo1 launches free Business of Mobile Gaming course
The course lays out everything from monetisation and app store features to community management and influencer marketing
Going Mobile
Google Stadia now fully supports mobile data streaming
At a resolution of 720p
Acquisition
My.Games acquires a majority stake in mobile games dev Deus Craft
"We are happy to welcome Deus Craft to the My.Games family"
Shall Not Be Named
Genshin Impact prohibits players from saying "Taiwan" and "Hong Kong" via in-game chat
There are strict rules that Chinese studios must abide by