Pgc Helsinki
Introducing Finnish Games Week 2024 featuring PG Connects Helsinki
Five days of games industry excellence takes place in Finland from September 30th to October 4th
Road To Victoy
Squad Busters puts on another 10m pre registrations in 11 days
Supercell's upcoming global launch has just passed its 30m total pre registrations target way ahead of schedule
Acqusitions
PlanetPlay's parent company acquires Playmob to battle climate change
PlanetPlay CEO Rhea Loucas says, "Through the combination of our gaming and sustainability efforts, we can all collectively make a difference for our planet"
In Depth
Matej Lančarič's Squad Busters deep dive: Under the skin of 2024's biggest launch yet
UA and marketing expert Matej Lančarič examines the changes made throughout the game's development and its ongoing global launch strategy
Job Cuts
Playtika eliminates CRO and COO positions in new job cuts
CEO Robert Antokol will now oversee all former COO and CRO direct reports
Resignation
Marc Whitten is out at Unity
His resignation is on the table and he'll be paid off at the end of the year with, as yet, no plans for his replacement
Soft Launch Guys
Stumble Guys dev Kitka Games soft-launches new mobile title Battle Guys: Royale
New title promises to be "most streamlined, easy-to-learn - hard-to-master" battle royale game of 2024
Layoffs
Square Enix braces for layoffs in US and Europe
IT, publishing and Square Enix Collective teams set to be hit by redundancies
Job Losses
Australian dev Mighty Kingdom layoffs of 28% of staff
Studio expects annualised cost savings of $2.1 million
New Way To Ua
Subscrible raises $300,000 to launch ad-free mobile games platform
Start-up aims to reduce UA costs and provide “uninterrupted” gaming
Pgc Helsinki
Save up to £490 on Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki - this week only!
Super Early Bird discounts end at midnight this Thursday, May 16th
Ad Strategy
Why diversified revenue streams are the key to maximising monetisation
As the monetisation landscape shifts, mixing up your ad strategies can ensure that no money gets left on the table
Futura Focus
Rising star: Why game developers are turning their attention to the UAE
Futura Digital dives into the business and legal aspects of setting up a business in the UAE
Adaptations
Free Fire Japanese anime spin-off on the way from Garena
The Garena anime will air in Japan and will also be distributed globally
Web3 Wonders
"Web3’s promise of decentralisation offers a fresh perspective on how games can be developed, played, and valued"
READYgg’s Christina Macedo tells us about creating new standards in the gaming industry through the evolution of web3
Acqusitions
Trophy Games snaps up 20 titles from Tivola Games in acquisition deal
With 20 new games in its locker, the company are moving beyond their portfolio of real-world sims and interests
Ads Growth
AppLovin revenue surges 48% Y/Y to $1bn in Q1 as it eyes non-gaming growth
“There is nothing that limits our models to just gaming,” says CEO Adam Foroughi
Pgc Helsinki
The top 10 reasons you can't afford to miss Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki
Pocket Gamer returns to Finland this October 1st to 2nd
Hot Five
Hot Five: Dubai's new Gaming Visa, April's mobile game charts, and Xbox studio closures
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Podcast | Episode 11
Xbox in turmoil, Krafton champions AI development, and Apple's iPad challenge | 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 11…
Unity Financials
Unity says restructure that saw mass layoffs is now complete as it posts Q1 2024 revenue decline
Outgoing CEO Jim Whitehurst claims there is now more positivity around the controversial runtime fee
Week That Was
Week in Views - Xbox's mobile games store is doomed to fail, Sonic meets the Angry Birds, and Apple's iPad problem
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
New Partnerships
Netflix brings new "digital theme park" Nextworld to Roblox
The early access launch of Nexworld is available now on console, mobile and PC/Mac.
Gaming In Africa
Morocco readies first edition of Gaming Expo 2024
The event is focused on developing the Moroccan gaming industry as a global hub
Funding News
Yellow raises $5 million to fuel AI-powered 3D modeling tool
The start-up believes YellowSculpt “is a testament to what modern AI can achieve"
Very Big Indie Pitch
Tekore Studio emerges from the shadows to win the Very Big Indie Pitch at the Dubai GameExpo Summit
Winners breakdown
Dubai Gameexpo Summit
Dubai GameExpo Summit powered by PG Connects welcomes over 1,350 attendees in 2024
More than 1,350 games industry professionals joined us for the two-day conference last week
Xbox Mobile
Xbox mobile games store launches on web in July
New marketplace to launch with Microsoft's own-IP first, including Candy Crush Saga and Minecraft
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from a round of roguelikes to a Sonic surprise
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Ios Upgrades
Apple's iPad problem isn't new hardware - it's new software
This week we got a new iPad with a new M4 processor… And it's precisely what nobody wanted. But a solution could be coming soon…
Blast From The Past
Subway Surfers Classic update set to take players back to the game's origins
The new update will bring new playable characters to the game as paying homage to its dedicated community
Dma Survey
A third of developers implementing new payment options in face of Digital Markets Act’s $18 billion opportunity
Aghanim co-CEO Constantin Andry discusses the results of a new survey into DMA awareness, and how it can significantly boost revenue and end layoffs
Loads Of Layoffs
More Xbox cutbacks hit ZeniMax with only Microsoft’s mobile ventures now unscathed
Microsoft’s Alpha Dog, Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, and ZeniMax have all been impacted this week
Battle Royale
Creating the next Battle Royale hit with NetEase’s Blood Strike
We speak with the game's lead game designer and operation planning executive to discuss the development of Blood Strike and what comes next
International Expansion
Chinese publisher iDreamSky opens office in Riyadh for first international expansion
iDreamSky president and co-founder tells PocketGamer.biz the MENA region is an exciting new opportunity in the face of other saturated markets
Super Sonic
"Rovio x Sega" is real as Sonic Rumble enters closed beta May 24th
The first title from Sega and Rovio is appropriately on mobile and the latest in the on-going Sonic series
Sporting Score
Q4 FY24 was EA’s strongest for mobile, but it still only earned them $307 million
EA released 11 titles and over 600 content updates in its 2024 fiscal year but their big bucks are being made outside of mobile
Artificial Artistry
Krafton teases AI-developed games as "limited" voice actors, writers, and level designers get the boot
At least four new AI-derived games are on the way as Krafton seeks greater affordability and efficiency
Record Revenue
PUBG maker Krafton generated 60% of record-breaking $487.7m Q1 earnings from mobile
Mobile earnings totalled $294.6 million in the first quarter of the year, up 15.5%
Tiktok Troubles
TikTok files appeal over "unconstitutional" US divest-or-ban law
TikTok claims it cannot separate from ByteDance and any concerns could be addressed less restrictively
Ad Incentive
AdInMo: "Developers must diversify monetisation to survive"
CEO Kristan Rivers shares all on the company's latest SDK
Brand Boost
New Angry Birds animated series arrives on Amazon Prime on May 21st
Angry Birds Mystery Island is the latest piece in Rovio's soaring multimedia strategy
Nintendo's Next
Nintendo releases first official statement on "the successor to Nintendo Switch"
The next console has finally been acknowledged, but details aren’t coming until later this fiscal year
Job Losses
Microsoft closes Mighty Doom dev Alpha Dog, Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks and more
Bethesda the latest in the firing line following 1,900+ layoffs at Activision and Xbox earlier this year
Nintendo Numbers
Nintendo made $10.8 billion in FY24 with mobile and IP income up 81.6%
It’s been another successful year for Nintendo, but mobile victories are harder to find
Vibrant Victory
Goddess of Victory: Nikke reaches $750 million in 1.5 years
Shift Up is celebrating Goddess of Victory: Nikke’s latest milestone with new characters and free gacha pulls
Gaming Trends
Brazil passes new bill to bolster its video games industry
The new legal framework updates the definition of electronic games to include formats such as mobile apps, web pages, and VR
Hot Five
Hot Five: Supercell’s Squad Busters supremacy, Brawl Stars bounces back, and a games industry journey at King
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Gaming Trends
Dubai launches new Gaming Visa as part of 2033 vision
The UAE city aims to unite content creators by providing employment and training opportunities
Top Charts
April 2024 mobile game charts: Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile loses launch momentum and Brawl Stars’ astronomical rise
Our monthly look at the global mobile game rankings across the App Store and Google Play