New Policies
Google Play developers must now disclose loot box odds
Details surrounding “randomised virtual items” must be clearly shown
Indie Mavens
Does Apple and Google's 70/30 revenue share model work for indies?
The Indie Mavens have their say on the platform's revenue share policy
Korea
South Korean government is split over the WHO’s decision to classify Gaming Disorder
The Ministry of Welfare and Ministry of Culture bash heads over the WHO decision
Moba
Mobile Legends bucks the US MOBA decline by growing revenue to $5.8 million in Q1
But the bigger picture proves that the competitive genre just isn't landing in the region
Safe
Google Play introduces new target audience features to make the platform safer for kids
All apps will need to meet the new standards by September 1st 2019
Data Study
The impact of user acquisition on organic traffic in the mobile industry
Lab Cave studies the effects across three different apps
Event
Save up to $320 on Pocket Gamer Connects Hong Kong
Early Bird offer ends next week!
Events
Gamescom is heading to Asia in 2020
Koelnmesse claims "the region has been hungry for a Tier One gaming event"
Live And Kicking
Two years on: Konami on how Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links has kept fans wanting more
90 million downloads and counting
New Studio
Sumo Leamington on how the studio looks to adapt for the mobile market
“There is no one thing that ensures success in this space – it’s quite a complex set of many things”
Mobile Monetisation
Facebook study: 57% of mobile developers say in-app ads can improve player retention
Users are six times more likely to make a purchase after seeing a playable ad
Rebranding
Mail.ru Group brings development and publishing operations under My.Games brand
58 per cent of company's 2018 revenue came from mobile
Youtube Gaming
YouTube Gaming shuts down for good today
Gaming content has been integrated back into the main platform
Network
Mobile firm EE launches UK’s first 5G network
"This is the start of the UK's 5G journey and great news for our customers that want and need the best connections"
Tariffs
The US-China trade war could see the States impose a 25 per cent tariff on game consoles
“Tariffs will hurt the American economy, its industries, and its consumers," said the ESA in response
Weekly Charts
Weekly global mobile games charts: Tencent claims top three positions for highest grossing in China
Rankings from May 13th to May 19th 2019
Education Initiative
Tencent and Roblox form strategic partnership in China
The initial focus will concentrate on education
Gotta Launch 'em All
Pokemon press conference reveals several new games and apps
Pokemon Sleep, Detective Pickachu Sequel, Pokemon Masters and more
Franchise Management
How Rovio’s licensing and games businesses have evolved over the last decade
The Finnish company's marketing director Stephen Porter guides us through the highs and lows of the last 10 years
"volatile"
Former Rockstar executive allegedly sexually harassed new employee in 2014
Jeronimo Barrera was a figure of fear at Rockstar according to an incendiary new report
Job News
King CEO Riccardo Zacconi steps down after 16 years
Will move to chairman role from July 1st, 2019
Bytedance Mobile
TikTok parent company ByteDance reportedly working on a smartphone
Sources close to the project have confirmed the plans
Done Deal
Zynga sells off San Francisco headquarters for $600 million
Company will lease space and remain headquartered in the city
Course Correction
Tencent changes Arena of Valor strategy to no longer concentrate on the West
“Letting it live or die”
Creativity Tips
Peter Molyneux on innovation and why he could have been "so much more successful" had he focused on sequels
Famed UK games designer discusses what innovation means and where to find it
Go Jake Go
Subway Surfers dives past 2.5 billion downloads worldwide
Game has just celebrated its seventh anniversary
Job News
Epic Games hires Overwatch League commissioner Nate Nanzer to drive esports
"This has been the toughest decision of my life"
Free Event
FREE London mini-summit - TOMORROW! Join us for an evening of seminars, panels, drinks and nibbles
Hear about mobile games market opportunities in the East from Mintegral, JoyPac, Ubisoft and Outfit7
Days Ahead
Tencent unveils new zombie survival game for mobile
“Code: Life” currently has no release date
Health
World Health Organisation officially recognises “Gaming Disorder” as illness
Motion was passed even with opposition from industry bodies and academics
New Mindset
Playtika opens London studio
New office is part of the newly unveiled Games Lab focused on casual development
East Meets West
East Meets West: Google restricts Huawei Android access, Gravity lifts GungHo, and Netmarble has a new flagship game
Keeping up with the news from the world's most influential games market
Hot Five
Nintendo pulls mobile games from Belgium, Blizzard's Diablo Immortal lessons, and Garena Free Fire makes $90m in Q1
The hottest stories from the mobile games industry over the last week
Event
EA, Unity, Soccer Manager, Huuuge Games and RiseAngle join the illustrious speaker lineup for Pocket Gamer Connects Hong Kong
Two-day games industry conference shaping up to make an impressive debut this July
Gotta Go Slower
Sonic the Hedgehog movie delayed
Film given new February 14th 2020 release date
Investment News
Chinese studio Code View raises over $14m for sandbox game Reworld
Title lets players create their own mobile games within it
Market Value
Australia and New Zealand games markets worth combined $3.1 billion in 2018
Former worth $2.8bn; the latter $355.6m
Nwayplay
nWay to launch new backend platform for real-time multiplayer mobile games
Tech supports game development and live ops
Investor Funds
Animoca Brands raises $2.5 million for blockchain games platform The Sandbox
Company also secures deal with South Korea’s Kakao
New Studio
Gismart opens internal hyper-casual game development studio
Studio aims to deliver 10 games within its first year of operation
Superdata
Tencent’s Honour of Kings tops the list for highest grossing mobile game globally in April 2019
Chinese giant’s Perfect Wold ranked behind in second position.
Potentially Huge
Tencent and Riot Games working on mobile version of League of Legends
Game not expected to launch in 2019
Job News
Snowprint Studios appoints Paradox and EA vet John Hargelid as new COO
Brought on to continue the company’s growth
Big Indie Pitch
SIERRA7 hits the bullseye and wins The Big Indie Pitch at Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle 2019
Seattle brings the talent at the inaugural Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle
Not Quite Iron Man
Google updates its Glass hardware with new Enterprise Edition 2
Priced at $999 per set
The Talent Game
The talent game - part two: Selecting and hiring new talent
Games Dragons consultant Philip Oliver delves into the recruitment process
Financials
Gravity and Puzzle & Dragons spur on GungHo sales to $318m in Q1 2019
Developer Gravity riding high on Ragnarok M success
It Has A Crank
Firewatch publisher Panic reveals new handheld video game system Playdate
12 games will be rolled out over 12 weeks.
Event
Pocket Gamer Connects returns to Helsinki in 2019!
Dates and venue revealed for Europe’s biggest B2B mobile games industry expo
Financial Declines
For the first time since launch Lineage 2 is no longer Netmarble’s biggest sales driver
Blade & Soul Revolution generated more revenue than any of the publisher’s other games in Q1 2019