Mena Insight
"Our focus is undoubtedly on the Middle East market where we have unique advantages"
Yalla Group president Saifi Ismail on Yalla Ludo's success, MENA games industry growth, localisation challenges and upcoming games
Supercell's Superfest
Supercell to bring Clash of Clans, Clash Royale and Brawl Stars championships together in historic SuperFest
This new event, SuperFest 2024, marks the first time all three games will hold their World Finals together
Spain Special Report
Spain: A thriving hub for global video game development
With over 790 active companies, employing over 9,200 people and generating more than €1.3 billion, Spain is emerging as a key region for game development in the global games market
The Show's Over
335,000 visitors from 120 countries made Gamescom 2024 the biggest ever
310 million digital engagements… 40 million viewers for Opening Night Live… 32,000 trade visitors… We've got all the post-show stats and facts
Anime Appeal
Goddess of Victory: Nikke shifts up Japanese charts with Evangelion crossover
The crossover event generated $1.35 million on mobile on its first day
Mobile Mavens
Mobile Mavens: How to survive to '25: Part two
Our mobile mavens are back to discuss the tough year of 2024 and whether the worst will be over in 2025
New Partnerships
Xsolla partners with Savvy Games Group to grow the MENA games industry
Xsolla will establish a regional headquarters in Riyadh to help MENA developers and publishers grow their games
Hot Five
Hot Five: Squad Busters undergoes radical changes, Apple’s NFC update, and the winners of the Mobile Games Awards 2024 are…
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Mena Region
Savvy Games Group signs Memorandum of Understanding with Niantic for MENA expansion
Savvy will help Niantic establish its regional operations in Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt
New Partnerships
Volkswagen partners with AirConsole to bring in-car gaming to its vehicles
In-car gaming, building on existing mobile architecture, is on the rise with more big brands adding it to their cars' nav and entertainment touchscreens
Recruitment Drive
Savvy Games Group plots 600 new games industry jobs in Saudi Arabia
State-backed company opens up on strategy to grow local ecosystem and its global investments
Industry Spotlight
Developer Stories: Zynga’s Katie Ites on getting into games and working on Game of Thrones Legends
In our developer stories series, we highlight the talented team members currently working in the games industry
Podcast | Episode 26
The big stories and trends from Gamescom 2024 | 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 26...
Week That Was
Apple play fair, Animal Crossing stops play and Pokémon goes back to basics | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Pgc Helsinki
The very latest speakers announced for PG Connects Helsinki 2024
Just some of the 160+ EXPERTS leading our 21-TRACK SCHEDULE
Setting The Standard
Metacore celebrates double milestones for Merge Mansion
The game has passed $500 million in lifetime revenue and amassed 55 million app downloads
New Partnerships
Infinix partners with Honor of Kings and MediaTek to boost performance in mobile games
The joint lab's innovations will be integrated into Infinix smartphones going forward
Earnings Report
Mobile titles account for 76.4% of NetEase’s online game revenues in Q2 2024
Online games generated 96.1% of the segment's net revenues
Crushing It
King’s Todd Green on how the Candy Crush Saga has remained on top for 12 years
From the evolution to Candy Crush to the potential of IPs and tournaments we get the latest on one of mobile’s biggest franchises
Mena Market Growth
Sony launches MENA Hero Project incubator program for game developers
Sony is also focused on lowering the barrier of entry for local developers in the MENA region
Gamescom Takeaways
5 takeaways from Devcom and Gamescom 2024: Eastern influence, web shops rising, and Monument Valley returns
We look at some of the big stories and trends coming out of Europe's largest games expo
Interview
"When you know Africa and its history it's easy to make a game that will speak to the whole continent"
Masseka Games founder Teddy Kossoko on telling African stories through games and overcoming growth challenges in the region
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from merging minimalism to card-based combat
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Bowing To Pressure
Apple roll over and allow EU users to change default browser, delete stock apps and more
“The App Store, Messages, Photos, Camera, and Safari apps will now be deletable for users in the EU"
The End Of The Show Show
2024's biggest Devcom event ever breaks records
The annual developer's European meet-up pulled in record numbers of attendees, speakers and sessions
The Big Winner
The Mobile Games Awards 2024 publisher of the year is… Scopely!
It was a double win for Scopely at our annual awards ceremony live from Gamescom, Cologne
Improving Engagement
Research finds that app icon optimization can boost user numbers by up to 25%
A SplitMetrics study shows that clear and simple icon backgrounds can boost conversion rates by over 26%
A Meat-free Mission
Subway Surfers supports Playing for the Planet with in-game veggie event
Sybo hopes to see players ditch the meat and eat more plant-based meals
Breaking Up
Apple’s App Store to split in two following the departure of its vice president
Apple’s long-term head of worldwide App Store and Apple Arcade, Matt Fischer is stepping down as part of the changes
Crossovers
NetEase unveils surprise Lara Croft crossover in Nakara: Bladepoint
The crossover event will see Matari step into the boots of the legendary Lara Croft, star of the Tomb Raider series
Game Development
Behind the scenes: How pre-production allowed us to occupy a mid-core niche with a loyal audience
Azur Games producer Tatiana Vinogradova on choosing a niche and creating an audience profile for your mid-core game
Premium Pockets
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp to close, but fans can continue playing… For a fee…
A new version of Nintendo’s mobile Animal Crossing title will be available for a one-time fee
Mobile Games Awards
HoYoverse is in the Zone, winning Best Developer at Mobile Games Awards 2024
Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, Zenless Zone Zero… What’s not to love?
Jobs News
Mobile Movers: All the latest appointments and job moves from around the industry
Who's moving where?… There's new roles at FRVR, Raptor PR, Supercell, Krafton, Gadsme, Zynga, Xsolla, Netflix and more…
It's All In The Cards
Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket opens pre-registrations as release date revealed
The TCG has generated billions of physical sales - now it's time to master mobile too
Best For The Brand
Game of Thrones: Legends is a "modest" success while Marvel Snap is IP adaptation done right
GameRefinery’s July review highlights a busy month for mobile games with winners and some surprise losers…
New Mobile Studio
Industry Veteran Mohamed El Sheakh launches new MENA mobile company, Games Ventures
The company aims to “build profitable mobile games from the Middle East, for the Middle East and the world"
Ad Insights
Monopoly GO! A game that was(n’t) created for ads
GameBiz Consulting’s Božo Janković shows how ads could be implemented in Scopley’s hit game and how they’re missing out on millions
Getting Into Gamescom
Mobile sneaks into Gamescom's Opening Night Live… But blink and you’ll miss it
Netflix and HoYoverse lead the charge in mobile representation as smaller names get left behind
Mobile Games Awards
Monopoly GO! wins the prestigious Game of the Year award at the Mobile Games Awards 2024
With honourable mentions going to both Zynga’s Star Wars Hunters and Kuro Games’ Wuthering Waves
World Entrepreneurs Day
India’s video games and esports sector powers growth with over 117,000 startups
This growth has made esports and gaming a viable career for both gamers and entrepreneurs
Ai Impact
Xsolla's Chris Hewish on the impact of AI for creative workflows
“To ensure that real creative jobs aren’t lost it’s important to establish measures that balance AI integration with human oversight”
Awards Winners
Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2024 winners revealed
Check out who took home each of the 23 accolades given out on the night
New Game Launch
Monument Valley 3 to launch exclusively on Netflix this December
Netflix members can access the entire Monument Valley collection with no in-app purchases or ads
New Platform
Stumble Guys is now available on Nintendo Switch
The arrival of the game on Switch means it's now available to play on all major platforms across console, mobile, and PC
Masterclass
The best ways to design games for engagement and retention - online workshop next week
Learn how to keep your players playing with our two-hour deep-dive MasterClass
Events
The power of brands and IP: Licence Global's Ben Roberts gets set for Brand Licensing Europe, Sept 24th - 26th
What does it take to create killer gaming IP? What can you learn from the experts? And what's going on at this year's big BLE show at London's ExCel?
Ad Spending Trends H124
Global Revenue Growth and the Rise of Mini Games
SocialPeta and Tenjin release new white paper: Insights into Global Mobile Game Marketing & Ad Spend Trends for H1 2024
Major Changes
Game analysis: Squad Busters update makes radical changes on a quest for lasting success
Jakub Remiar takes us through Supercell’s latest changes to Squad Busters and what to expect next from the game
End Of The Line
Space Ape closes Rival Kingdoms and gives the game a "final farewell"
“All games have a life cycle, and Rival Kingdoms is no exception. The time has come to lay down our swords and staves and allow our kingdoms to rest."