New Partnerships
Merak Capital and Microsoft team up to support gaming startups in Saudi Arabia
The partnership builds on Merak Capital's $80 million gaming fund
Ads Vs Apps
AppLovin to sell apps business for $900m as it focuses on ads
But ads firm didn't disclose which company would acquire its games portfolio
Global Trends
Outfit7's Jernej Česen: "Mobile gaming isn’t just about fun gameplay anymore, it’s about creating lasting memories"
We catch up with industry leaders to get their insights on the state of play in the games sector
Job News
Leo Olebe joins Games for Change as chair of the board
Olebe takes over from Tilting Point chief business officer Asi Burak, who has served as chair for 10 years
Jobs In Games
Microsoft Gaming names Kayleen Walters as head of Mojang Studios
Exec will be based in Redmond and will report to Microsoft's studios chief operations officer Helen Chiang
M&a
MTG completes $620m acquisition of Raid: Shadow Legends developer Plarium
Deal could see a further $200m in earnouts
Capybara Cash
Habby’s Capybara Go surpasses $100m in gross player spending
The US is this text-based roguelike’s third-biggest market despite being among the latest launch regions
Pokemon Power
Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has a "very high retention rate compared to other DeNA games"
DeNA made $120.4m in games profit during TCG Pocket’s release quarter, versus $9.7m in Q2
Mena Expansion
Roblox rolls out Arabic language support
The UGC platform has seen daily active users grow by an average of 80% across five MENA countries
Profitable Pokemon
DeNA’s games business profits up 8,126.8% after Pokémon TCG Pocket’s success
Nine months into its fiscal year, DeNA attributed profits surge in part to Pocket’s "strong performance"
Leadership Change
Koei Tecmo appoints Hisashi Koinuma as new CEO
He will replace co-founder Yoichi Erikawa as president and CEO effective from April 2025
Layoff News
Update: Unity lays off staff and axes Behavior team
The exact number of employees affected by Unity's latest round of redundancies remains unclear
Expansions
Mobile ad platform Adjoe opens new offices in Tokyo and Singapore
The ads platform has tapped industry experts to lead its Asia-Pacific expansion
Esports In Mena
Savvy Games Group and HP sign MoU to help Saudi Arabia learners get careers in gaming and esports
Saudi games and esports group said it will also provide skill-building opportunities through incubator programs
New Partnerships
Savvy Games Group and Merak Capital partner to boost Saudi Arabia’s games ecosystem
The partnership builds on Merak Capital's $80 million gaming fund to support the Kingdom's esports sector
Royal Revenue
Royal Kingdom surpasses $50m in player spending
Revenue for the title is on the rise after racking up $13.5m in January
Marvellous Mena
"Mobile web-based gaming is set to play a significant role in our future"
Sea Monster Entertainment CEO and co-founder Glenn Gillis discusses impact games, EdTech in Africa, funding challenges and building a climate resilience game
Valentines Day Offer
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Shifting Up
Shift Up revenue up 30% to $151m in 2024 despite decrease in Goddess of Victory: Nikke sales
The South Korean developer acknowledged "fierce" competition in the industry but asserted Goddess of Victory: Nikke’s "possibility of long-term success"
Financials
Sega’s net sales slide down 8% year-over-year as Football Manager 25 skips release
Entertainment division saw 8% growth during the past nine months
Ai In Games
KGeN and Mira Network partner to build AI agents in games
KGeN will also use Mira's APIs, like Generate, Verify, and Verified Generate to create gaming AI tools
Esports In Mena
Olympic Esports Games in Saudi Arabia delayed to 2027
The IOC did not provide a reason for the delay, but confirmed that qualification will begin this year
Pgc San Francisco
Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco 2025 latest ticket price updates and exclusive deals
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Industry Insights
How game development teams identify and hire the right junior analysts
Azur Games’ Maxim Kozhnov explains how logical thinking can outweigh technical skills when hiring analysts
Pubg Push
Krafton makes record-breaking $1.9bn with mobile revenue up 35.7% in 2024
Operating income also hit a record high, attributed to the success of the PUBG series
New Partnerships
Xsolla partners with AppsFlyer for improved web shop analytics and ad tracking
Deal aims to provide improved ad tracking for web shop purchases
Turkish Totals
Turkish games industry success "deeply rooted" in mobile with total $935m in capital since 2020
investgame’s Five Years of The Rising Gaming Empire: Türkiye report found Dream Games has seen the highest level of investment of any Turkish games studio
Games For Sale
Supercell in discussions to transfer Space Ape games to other studios
News follows 100% acquisition of London developer last year
Highs And Lows
How Brawl Stars became a mega hit and why Squad Busters didn’t
Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen, Brawl Stars GM Frank Keienburg, and Squad Busters lead Eino Joas open up on the company's highs and lows
Record Revenue
Supercell hits record $3 billion in revenue in 2024
Finnish developer's live games garnered more than 300 million monthly active players globally
Financials
Mobile sales slump hits Square Enix profits
MMOs have proven Square Enix’s only growing games segment nine months into the current fiscal year
Dubai What To Expect
What to expect at Dubai GameExpo Summit 2025 the premier hub for MENA game industry investment
Discover exclusive insights, unmatched networking, and investment opportunities in the fastest-growing games market
Jordan Investments
Jordan eyes significant investment to grow local games and tech sectors
Speakers at the online event Expanding Horizons: Doing Business in Jordan discussed establishing private businesses in Jordan, employment law and more
Investigations
Roblox is under SEC investigation
News follows a Hindenburg report in October that claimed misrepresentation of player metrics and a downplaying of child safety issues
Earnings Report
Roblox revenue up 32% in Q4 2024 as losses narrow
UGC platform averaged 82.9 million daily active users in 2024, up 21% year-over-year
Mobile Plans
Nintendo claims it’s still developing mobile games
But the console giant’s last mobile game release was Mario Kart Tour in September 2019
Lawsuit
Roblox sues PlayerAuctions over ‘unauthorised’ digital goods sales
It claims 8% to 10% of players appealing bans for real-money trading referenced PlayerAuctions
Acqusitions
Blind Squirrel Games acquires Distributed Development
The studio will now operate as Blind Squirrel Games Colombia
Hot Five
Hot Five: Fire Emblem Heroes’ voting power, Candy Crush Solitaire broadens the brand, and Pokémon TCG Pocket hits half a billion dollars
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
American Football Special
Touchdown worthy discounts for Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco 2025
Take advantage of the American football season and celebrate with a winning offer at Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco 2025. Where chiefs are welcome and decision-makers dominate the field!
Week In Views
UK rejects calls for stronger consumer protections and Nintendo's Fire Emblem Heroes hits $1.3bn in revenue | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Earnings Report
MTG reports 7% YoY growth in Q4 backed by strong mobile performances and strategic acquisitions
Snowprint Studios made its first organic contribution to MTG's performance in Q4 2024, following its acquisition in October 2023
Financial Outlook
Take-Two's mobile portfolio fuels growth as net bookings reach $1.37 billion
Take-Two said it has major game launches planned for 2025 including Grand Theft Auto VI in the fall
New Tax Laws
Apple updates tax policies across multiple countries to comply with new regulations
Come April, Apple will operate as a Specified Platform Operator in Japan
New Partnerships
Sony’s Inzone pens multiyear deal to support Valorant Esports
Inzone will equip coach rooms, practice areas and more for teams to use and test the gear
Game Cancellation
Sega cancels Football Manager 25 over development challenges
“We're too far away from the standards you deserve.”
Job Cuts
Bandai Namco reportedly cuts over 100 jobs in the past year
Employee count has decreased by 117, from 1,294
Earnings Report
Stillfront group sees 5% drop in net revenue but reports $153.5 million in turnover for FY 2024
The firm saved money by cutting down on fixed costs, product development expenses, and marketing costs
Dubai Gamesexpo Summit
Dubai GameExpo Summit 2025 powered by PG Connects: Tickets now available
Five New Games
New release roundup: Candy Crush Solitaire, Doodle Jump 2+, The Art of Fauna and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business