Competition
Win Indie Showcase space at Pocket Gamer Connects London - new closing date
You could demo your work to 2,500 games industry professionals free!
Soulful
Netmarble’s Blade and Soul Revolution tops iOS grossing charts in South Korea one day after launch
The MMORPG will launch globally in 2019
Hatched
Hatch set to bring games streaming service to Android TV as part of premium membership scheme
Premium scheme pencilled in for a Q1 2019 launch
Reach For The Stars
Supercell launches Brawl Stars globally
The next billion-dollar mobile hit?
Growing Up
India set for first-ever independent games trade body
Local studios come together as sector matures
Star Launch
Brawl Stars: “We at Supercell have never prepared more for a game launch”
Brawl Stars releases globally on December 12th
Walking The Line
The delicate balancing act behind midcore match-three Sega Heroes
Finding core-casual sweetspot
Funded
Analytics platform AppOnboard eyes up London and Seoul offices following $30m funding drive
Los Angeles-based company claim $15m will come in off the bat from Breakaway Growth
Charts
Weekly global mobile games charts: Kabam’s Marvel Contest of Champions enjoys Western surge in player spending
This week's charts cover the period from November 26th to December 2nd
Is It Over?
China establishes Online Games Ethics Committee as end of games freeze nears
20 reviews have taken place, nine games rejected under new regulations
Hot Five
Playtika snaps up Wooga, who is buying Zynga, and Jam City layoffs
The past weeks hottest articles
Funded
UK games industry receives a tasty slice of the government’s $25.5 million creative industries boost
Games in education program Digital Schoolhouse to receive $255,000 in funding
Brexit
Creative Industries Federation urges the UK government to safeguard the $129 billion sector post-Brexit
TIGA welcomes the report with open arms, calling for particular support for UK games
Event
Gaming Istanbul 2019 announces PlayStation and HP OMEN as exhibitors
Turkish B2B and B2C expo set for January return
Moba
NetEase is bringing Super Evil Megacorp’s flagship MOBA Vainglory to China
Mobile-exclusive MOBA is also coming to PC and consoles in 2019
Zoned
MZ picks up Wells Fargo exec for chief financial officer role
Has experience with IPOs and M&A activity
Winner Winner
Mountains takes home Best Mobile Game prize from The Game Awards 2018
Matt Makes Games’ Celeste also took home prizes for Best Indie Game and Games for Impact Award
Indie Mavens
Where do indies and innovative ideas fit in the current mobile games market?
Our indie Mavens weigh in
Investment
Pocket Gamer Connects London 2019 launches Investor Connector
Making it easier than ever to get one-on-one time with investors that are ready to spend
Halo Effect
Why the Epic Games Store could reposition Android as the gamers’ mobile ecosystem
The power of open
Jobs
A new mobile Pokemon game may be in the works
The Pokemon Company is looking for a principal game designer on an unnamed mobile game
Labo
Nintendo Labo named one of Time Magazine’s inventions of the year
Top 50 inventions list praises Nintendo's cardboard controls for "helping gamers create their own fun"
Oh Dear
Apple removes strategy game from the iOS App Store for featuring the Taliban
The development director at the studio who published the game shared the news on Twitter
Breaking Out
Patents, platforms and IPO: How mobile-first esports platform Skillz is planning for bigger things
CEO Andrew Paradise explains
Check
Mobile acquisition and management firm Maple Media snaps up Banana & Co’s mobile games portfolio
Games include Checkers, Hearts, Mahjong Match! and Sudoku
Jobs In Games
From RuneScape to Love Island: Fusebox's Sarah Longthorne on how to land a job as a narrative designer
"Writing in a group opens you up to constructive criticism, which is kind of like a ‘frenemy’ for most writers. It hurts, but it’s good for you."
Epic
Sensor Tower: Epic Games’ Fortnite makes $1.2m a day for November on iOS alone
The battle royale has now made $385 million from iOS
On The Go
App Annie claims mobile games will snap up 60 per cent of worldwide gaming revenue next year
Increased power and cross-platform successes could see handhelds take almost two-thirds of the gaming pie
Acquired
Mobile measurement company Adjust purchases Acquired.io
Acquired.io’s technology set to be fully integrated with Adjust by H2 2019
Teach
Supercell clashes games skill shortage with free new coding school
Finnish developer puts significant funding behind the free Helsinki program
Indie Spotlight
How Super Entertainment's Spin Rhythm is designed to combine flow with flare
“Spin Rhythm makes use of all the available inputs and gestures of a touch screen to make players feel like they are inside the music, almost composing as they play like some interdimensional DJ”
Award Winners
Star Trek: Trexels II picks up Studio Game of the Year at India GDC Awards 2018
Winners revealed at ceremony
Solid
Roblox builds up revenues of $25m for October
The revenue haul represents a 67 per cent increase year-on-year
Lost And Found
Nintendo’s Dragalia Lost hatches over $50m in just over two months
The RPG is still only available in the US, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau
Into The Swing
Playdemic CEO Paul Gouge explains how Golf Clash is getting more competitive with clans and potentially esports too
Two years on, plenty to come
Huge
Epic is launching its own Android games storefront off back of Fortnite success
Launching soon with a curated selection of games
Charts
Weekly global mobile game charts: Ironhides’ Kingdom Rush Vengeance off to strong start in UK, US and China
Covers the period from November 19th to 25th.
Fantastic
Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire made on average $1 million a day in November
Combat-focused city builder earned $30 million worldwide throughout last month
Nice
Soomla snags $2.6m in funding to boost mobile monetization measurement platform
The funding was led by JAL Ventures with further investment from existing partners
Catch ‘em
Pokemon Go catches $80 million worldwide revenue in November
Worthy catch marks a 50 per cent year-over-year increase
Magic
Gameloft’s Disney Magic Kingdom soars to $114 million in lifetime revenue
Enchanted park builder has also reached over 70 million downloads since 2016
Winner Winner
Tencent’s PUBG Mobile crowned best game of the year on Android by Google
King’s Candy Crush Friends Saga and Team Alto’s Odyssey also given nods
Indie Delight
Donut County and Gorogoa named iPhone and iPad game of the year by Apple
Alto’s Odyssey and battle royale games also given the nod
Early Bird Expands
Mobile still has ‘plenty of opportunity’ says Henric Suuronen, launching $30 million Play Ventures fund
Ex-angel investor upscales
Igdc Begins
“By the games industry for the games industry”: India Game Developer Conference kicks off
Rebranded event aims to promote emerging sector
Global
Tencent and NetEase saw a 382 per cent increase in international mobile games revenue during 2018
China’s game freeze hasn’t stopped the country’s biggest players going global
Chicken Dinner
PUBG Mobile revenue grows 166 per cent to surpass Fortnite for the first time
Brendan Greene’s handheld battle royale earned $12 million in the week ending Black Friday
Holiday
US mobile games revenue hit $55.8 million all-time peak over Black Friday
This year’s bargain holiday market the most successful day for mobile gaming in the US ever
Royale
PUBG Mobile hits 30 million daily active players and 200 million downloads in eight months
Handheld battlegrounds held the second highest MAU count among all mobile games this quarter
Guest Feature
How the changes to SEIS/EIS tax relief affect UK developers
Consultants Adam Betteridge and Ella Romanos break it down