Esports Summit
The Esports Future Summit: 7 things we learned
Jordan’s five-year plan: lessons from industry experts at last week’s conference in Aqaba
Podcast | Episode 10
Brawl Stars smashes 2023 revenue, Square Enix’s extraordinary losses, and Haaland signs for Clash of Clans | 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 10…
Week That Was
Week in Views - Apple back themselves bigstyle, Clash bags Haaland and dreams come true at King
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Emulation Sensation
Apple and Nintendo's Delta blues: A legal timebomb or just the new normal?
Changes to EU law have placed an app able to grant free access to Nintendo games at number one on Apple's own store. So what the 'hack' is going on?
Soft Launch Success
Squad Busters has 20 million pre registrations with 30 million in its sights
Supercell's on-going countdown to the games global release just celebrated its first major landmark
Esports In Africa
Carry1st's African Cup to feature Call of Duty: Mobile tournament with $15,000 prize pool
The competition will feature esports teams from Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, and South Africa
Merging And Moving
Q1 2024 saw $2.4 billion in games industry investments, while M&As are up for the first time since 2022
Disney’s investment in Epic Games is responsible for $1.5 billion of that $2.4 billion total
Studio Closure
Paladin Studios closes its doors after 19 years
Over the years, co-developer Paladin has collaborated with giants such as Nintendo, Apple Arcade, Netflix, Zeptolab, and Bandai Namco
Earnings Report
Apple's AI plans trigger $110 billion stock buyback despite declining sales
While the company's latest results show a 10% decline in iPhone sales worldwide, Apple are bullish on what's coming next
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from the morality of AI to Dadish’s 3D journey
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Podcast
Sandsoft’s Miikka Lindgren on the opportunities within the MENA market | 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…
Starting Strong
China’s game licence approvals are falling again, but don’t panic…
While month on month numbers are down, April 2024 saw 95 new domestic game licence approvals, more than the 86 granted in April 2023
Squad Busters Science
Game Analysis: The evolution of Squad Busters
Game design expert Jakub Remiar takes a closer look at the tweaks Squad Busters has undertaken as it preps for its global launch
Job News
Ex-Zynga COO Matthew Bromberg is Unity's new CEO
Games veteran Bromberg will step into the role of CEO at Unity from Wednesday, May 15th 2024
And The Winners Are...
MENA Games Industry Awards 2024 winners revealed
Ceremony celebrates the best and brightest across the Middle East and Africa
Adding Ads
Roblox launches video ads, partnering with IAS to deliver transparent metrics
Advertisers can now use immersive video to promote to anyone over 13 in Roblox, with clear indicators from IAS coming soon
Games Invasion
LinkedIn gets games as three puzzlers go live on the workplace social service
Get ahead of the game - literally - with three more reasons to fire it up each morning
Brawling Boost
Brawl Stars has already earned more in 2024 than the entirety of 2023
Supercell's smash hit has recovered from a year-on-year decline with a strong start to the year
Voop Feedback
Revolutionising feedback: Pocket Gamer Connects partners with AI-powered tool Voop
Interview: industry veteran Geoff Glendenning on the AI startup that'll help gamers and event attendees share instant feedback
Partner Up
Partner events are the latest trend in Monopoly GO!, Royal Match and Project Makeover
GameRefinery GM Brendan Fraher delves into the rise of partner events, while also providing insights on competitive events in match-3
Loads Of Layoffs
Belka Games lays off 20% of workforce as it becomes "more critical" of future titles
At least 33 people have been let go, including a number of team leads
Neural Networks Now
AI everywhere: Using neural networks for asset creation, marketing and more
Playkot’s marketing production lead, Igor Mosin shares how neural networks have sped up the creative process and increased marketing success
Boosting Revenue
How user consent for personalised ads can significantly increase your Android revenue
GameBiz Consulting's Božo Janković on the power of personalised ads and why testing is key
The Web3 Way
Supercell invests in web3 startup GFAL led by King, EA and Activision Blizzard veterans
GFAL has closed a $3.2 million seed funding round to grow its team and accelerate Elemental Raiders
Gaming Trends
TIGA's 10-point plan for 2024 aims to boost UK games industry
The proposed initiatives include new tax credits, a games accelerator, an investment fund, and skills programs, with the potential to create 2,660 development jobs by 2028
Dubai Driving Growth
Dubai wants to be a top 10 games industry hub by 2033
UAE hopes to create a $1 billion games sector over the next 10 years
Dubai Gameexpo Summit
Dubai GameExpo Summit powered by PG Connects begins today featuring GameFounders, iDreamSky, Ubisoft, Tencent and more!
Conference takes place from May 1st to 2nd
Square The Circle
Square Enix warns of "extraordinary losses" ahead of upcoming financial report
A new, more selective approach will be taken to HD game development after $140.3 million in losses on axed projects
Acqusitions
Phoenix Games acquires live operations studio PopReach Games India
Phoenix will now assume control of an extensive collection of free-to-play games, totaling over 420 million downloads to date
Listen Learn Love
PocketGamer.biz Podcast - GameFounders' Kadri Harma on unlocking the MENA games market
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…
Honkai Hoorah
Honkai: Star Rail zooms beyond $1 billion on its first anniversary
Honkai: Star Rail generated $1.3 billion in its first 12 months, with 25% from 6% of players…
New Partnerships
Man City and Norway striker Erling Haaland joins Clash of Clans
"I've been a huge fan of the game for a long time and know everything about it," says Haaland
Fabulous Fireside Chats
Hear MORE from the experts - eight MORE fabulous fireside chats from PGC London 2024
Top tips, tech and trends. Eight more fireside chats with industry thought leaders from PGC London 2024 courtesy of our friends HyprMX
Game Creation
Arkadium extends distribution network to all developers
Industry veteran Dan Butchko also joins as director of developer relations to foster external partnerships
Platform Power
Supercell-backed HypeHype to give creators 100% of revenue from user-generated content
During the early access period, creators making games on HypeHype will earn all the net revenue from their creations
Interview
ESL FACEIT and Qiddiya Gaming discuss establishing gaming district in the KSA amidst MENA growth
"We’re not afraid to imagine the future and we’re willing to take risks to be the best in the world"
Mobile Mavens
Mobile Mavens: What's the state of play for the MENA region?
Our Mavens share their thoughts on MENA market opportunities and offer advice for those doing business in the region
Dma Demands
EU ruling gives Apple six months to bring iPadOS into line with DMA demands
Apple’s iPadOS will be held to the same standards as the iPhone operating system after qualitative investigation
Jobs In Games
Fingersoft's welcoming culture draws international talent
The company currently has 118 employees, of which 20% are international staff
Building Bricks
Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen joins LEGO’s board of directors days after Squad Busters’ soft launch
Ilkka Paananen and YouTube Studio’s director of product Ebi Atawodi were appointed on April 26th
A Soda Saga
King’s Paula Ingvar: a games industry journey from "I’m not worthy!" to Candy Crush Soda’s VP of product
Paula Ingvar moved from traffic engineering to the games industry following encouragement from friends and has "only ever found it stimulating"
Loads Of Layoffs
A Thinking Ape lays off staff across game design, software engineering, art teams and more
Layoffs continue to impact the games industry as restructuring persists in 2024
Job News
GEM Capital appoints three new advisory board members
This will shape the future of gaming investing for many years to come," said GEM Capital’s managing director Roman Gurskiy
Interview
Nifty Craft founder Vince Ghossoub on making a card battler MMO and growth in the MENA region
"Nifty Craft utilises state of the art technology and is innovating in-game design, what more can I ask for"
Hot Five
Hot Five: Supercell’s Squad Busters levels up, retro Nintendo on iOS, and Genshin Impact’s worst month yet
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Podcast | Episode 09
Supercell's Squad Busters goes global, Embracer Group splits, and Apple's Vision Pro flops | 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 09…
Week That Was
Week in Views - Squads busted, Apple crushed, War zoned and Snoozin' with the Snorlax…
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Searching For Success
Meta's VR/AR woes continue with new $3.8 billion loss
The company's VR vision remains out of focus and a pivot to AI isn't going to deliver a big win any time soon
Q&a
Speaker Spotlight: Dubai Future Foundation's Faisal Kazim on leading Dubai's gaming charge
"The Dubai Program for Gaming has the goal of adding $1 billion annually to Dubai’s GDP and becoming a top ten city in terms of revenue in gaming."
Pokemon Price Hike
Pika fight… Pokémon Go just put prices up 1300% in Turkey
The move comes as a counter measure, ending months of location spoofing, robbing Niantic from earnings elsewhere… But at what cost?