New Partnerships
Hyperfusion partners with The Game Company to power cloud gaming in MENA and GCC
Both companies are focused on giving players a “near-lag-free" gaming experience
Loads Of Layoffs
Microsoft’s latest layoffs reportedly impact Call of Duty Warzone: Mobile and Warcraft Rumble teams
Warzone: Mobile has generated less than 10% of Call of Duty: Mobile’s revenue in respective first six months
Funding News
Campfire secures $3.95 million for AI-native gaming
Sprites is designed to allow developers to build human-like AI characters
Game Cancellation
Scopely aims to retain employees after scrapping unannounced project
The company wants to keep all employees from the cancelled project as long as there is a "role and/or game experience that's a mutual fit"
Hot Five
Hot Five: iPhone 16 reveal, Monster Hunter’s mega year, and The Elder Scrolls: Castles out now
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Podcast | Episode 28
The Unity Runtime Fee is dead! | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and and what's inside this week's episode 28...
Week That Was
The Unity Runtime Fee aftermath, more Xbox layoffs, and Monster Hunter Now's $225m year | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Mobile Mavens
Broken trust, a dark 12 months, but a positive sign: Developers react to Unity axing the Runtime Fee
Our industry experts share their thoughts on the big news, which comes one year after the Runtime Fee was first announced
Multi-platform
Join the Big Screen Gaming Summit at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2024
Explore latest trends in the world of console, PC, XR and web3
Monster Milestone
How Monster Hunter Now claimed $225m in its first year through innovation, inclusion and evolving monetisation
Capcom’s monster IP and Niantic’s location-based gaming know-how prove a winning formula
New Beginnings
Supercell invests in new Finnish studio Redly Games led by former game lead Theo Chow
The Helsinki-based studio is working on a cross-platform 3D adventure game built with Unreal Engine 5
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from an Elder Scrolls spinoff to competitive cosplay
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Investment News
Nazara invests $117 million PokerBaazi parent Moonshine
India games firm picks up 47.7% stake in the company
Excecutive Fallout
Annapurna Interactive faces mass resignation over leadership dispute
Negotiations to spin off the video game division as an independent entity fell through when Ellison withdrew from further talks
Out Of Time
Unity charts a new path forward without the "catastrophic" Runtime Fee
Unity has killed off the Runtime Fee, but is it too late?
It's Over
Unity cancels infamous Runtime Fee
Unity backtracks on the Runtime Fee that sparked anger, confusion and a boycott
Job Cuts
Microsoft cuts 650 jobs in its Xbox games division
The cuts will largely impact corporate and support roles within Activision Blizzard
Big Plans
“Treating what we are building not just as a game but as a social platform is very rare"
Social First’s CEO Kim Soares on securing funds to fuel the development of a new cross-platform MMO title that champions social connectivity
A New Entry
Sega’s Yakuza Wars is revealed to be a mobile game
The Facebook page appears to have leaked some information on the upcoming title
Job News
Homa appoints ex-BoomBit CTO Szymon Sirocki as new lead mobile architect
Sirocki joins Homa to strengthen its mobile tech stack
Investment News
InMobi lands $100 million for AI-driven expansion and acquisitions
InMobi will use the funds to propel its AI development and deployment efforts
Ai Integration
Kinetix launches its $1 million fund initiative to accelerate AI-UGC in games
The AI emote creators will offer selected developers up to $75,000 to bring its user-generated emote technology to their games
Big-form Investment
PUBG developer Krafton invests $89.5m in audio and short-form video streaming firm Spoon Labs
Deal represents publisher's largest investment in a non-gaming company
Funding News
Turkey's Cypher Games raises $10m to take on match-3 market filled with "too many average-quality titles"
Seed investment round led by The Raine Group
Podcast
Google lead shines a light on the games industry's top trends | Podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team and guests give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode…
India Insights
Why India's mobile gamers are more willing to spend in battle royale hits Battlegrounds Mobile and Free Fire
New report delves into player habits and market dynamics in the country
Portfolio Power Up
52 Entertainment welcomes "millions of new players" through Blackout acquisition
The casual games dev behind Word Search Quest and Bubble Shooter Rainbow joins 52 Entertainment’s portfolio
Jobs Roundup
September's Mobile Movers: Asmodee appoints CEO, Nintendo of Europe shake-up, 1Up's new venture partner, and more
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
Philosophy Focused
Mother Games raises $5 million to fuel its games ambitions
Its debut title Le Zoo is veering away from "traditional mobile games that exploit the dopamine system to addict players"
India Games Industry
Nazara invests $2.2 million in gaming community platform STAN
Nazara secured the deal through its subsidiary Nazara Dubai FZ
Platform Power
Live ops platform Magify raises €1 million to enhance AI and reach new markets
Magify has raised further funds towards democratisation, product development and more
Mena Investments
MENA startup investment drops to 76% in August 2024
UAE-based startups led investment with $55.7 million raised across 13 deals
Esports Growth
Gosu Academy expands into the UAE to fuel esports growth
Esports coaching and education provider's existing presence in the Middle East will support the UAE's growing games community
Out Now
The Elder Scrolls: Castles is out now as a "spiritual successor" to Fallout Shelter
Bethesda’s latest game opts for simulation and in-app purchases over grand action RPGs
Deep Dissatisfaction
Ubisoft minority investor calls for new CEO, studio sales and company to go private
AJ Investments’ open letter to Ubisoft is concerned about Ubisoft’s reputation among gamers
Organic Opportunities
Empire Games will function as "new external team" after Huuuge Games investment
Huuuge sees potential in Empire to contribute to its organic growth
Game Regulations
Korea clears bill to regulate overseas gaming firms
The bill requires foreign game companies to appoint a domestic agent
Esports Growth
FPT Telecom and GAM Entertainment partner to elevate esports in Vietnam
The partnership will also pave the way for students to compete in local and international esports tournaments
Profit Plummet
Huuuge Games’ profits down 30.6% YoY but top games hit major milestones
Despite declines in revenue and profit this Q2 Huuuge Casino and Billionaire Casino both surpassed $2 billion in lifetime revenue
Ai Safety
SAG-AFTRA signs interim agreement with 80 games to ensure AI protections
By agreeing to the terms this will ensure that voice talent is appropriately protected
Mena Insight
"Awareness remains one of the biggest challenges in the MENA region"
Classy Games Studios founder Jamie McClenaghan discusses building a team in the UAE and the challenges of operating in an emerging games hub
Release Reveal
Tencent’s upcoming RPG Honor of Kings: World set for 2025 release date
Spin-off set to launch across multiple platforms
New Iphone
iPhone 16 packs ‘30% better’ gaming performance
Apple claims new A18 chip runs 30% faster and with 30% less power than last-gen
Real Revenue
Roblox developers to earn real currency on PC later this year
Developers will be able to earn real currency directly rather than save and convert Robux
Ambition Ahead
Roblox is on a mission towards one billion DAUs and "10% of all gaming revenue"
a party system plan has been revealed in an effort to drive player communication
Partnership Extension
Enthusiast Gaming extends NFL Tuesday Night Gaming partnership for third season
“The sports and gaming communities have become even more interconnected,” said chairman and interim CEO of Enthusiast Gaming Adrian Montgomery
Hot Five
Hot Five: Final Fantasy falls, Unity shares down to decade low, but Coin Master hits the jackpot
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Ai-powered Games
Jabali launches AI game engine Project Makina in closed Beta
Project Makina is a generative AI tool suite designed to simplify the creation and publishing of games
Leading Into 2025
Save the date: Pocket Gamer Connects London is back on January 20th to 21st 2025
As we return to Pocket Gamer Connects London 2025, after two decades, we're gearing up to make it more exciting than ever
Closure Imminent
Dutch Game Garden is closing after 17 years
"In the coming months, several regular activities, such as the successful Network Lunches, will continue as planned," said managing director JP van Seventer