Today's Apple Upset
Apple fail to dodge sweeping app store changes as the law closes in
The latest suit from Epic may have failed, but the changes previously demanded of the iPhone giant remain in place and will have huge implications
Job Losses
Netspeak CEO announces the loss of approximately 25 jobs
After a successful soft launch of their first game, Sunshine Days, it appears that further investment to continue its development has, as yet, not been forthcoming
Pgc London
Pocket Gamer Connects London: The Show Me The Money track
Explore investment advice and funding ideas next Tuesday, January 23rd
Tencent Tumble
Tencent's external investments have dropped 87% in two years
From healthcare to AI start-ups, the number of Tencent investments in external companies decreased from 299 in 2021 to just 39 in 2023
Influencer Insider Information
Why you’re not seeing ROI on your influencer campaigns and how to fix them
Future-ready UA strategies: 5 steps to scale ROI on your influencer marketing campaigns
Macrosoft
Microsoft talk AI and topple Apple, making them the world’s biggest public company
Microsoft shares were up 3% last week while Apple’s were down by 3%, enough of a tip to put neck-and-neck Microsoft over the top
Whiteout Wonder
Whiteout Survival surpasses $400 million in 11 months
Century Games’ frosty survival title has slid its way onto nearly 30 million mobile devices
Optimising
How much analysis is too much? The fine art of balancing data and game development
Azur Games Maxim Kozhnov shares valuable insight on how analysts can optimise their workflow
Impressive Performance
Gamelight bags 12% of all match-3 game ad spend worldwide
Data from Singular shows that the platform's AI-powered algorithm is delivering the goods on match-3, despite their presence in only 11 countries
Out Of The Loop
Double Loop may be closing before its first launch but Scopely is taking on its staff
Double Loop has struggled through a "hostile funding and marketing environment" in recent years
Your Virtual Invitation
Can’t join us in London in-person? No problem, join us from your home or office as a virtual attendee!
Book your virtual meeting ticket today and access all the immense value of PG Connects London from wherever you are in the world
Q&a
Speaker Spotlight: Verve Group's David Philippson talks privacy manifests and SKAN
"Apple plans to enforce privacy manifests in the spring, forcing advertisers to turn towards SKAN for iOS campaign measurement"
Class Confrontation
Into Games is raising £100,000 to take on class disparity in UK games
With working-class jobseekers eight times less likely to get a start in gaming, Into Games wants to make a change
Industry Outlook
2023 saw revenue soar amidst declining downloads with big name games setting the pace
Report from data.ai shows Konami's eFootball 2024 and EA's EA Sports FC 24 dominating the sports genre while Monopoly GO! continues to impress.
Gaming Trends
Monopoly GO! and Roblox impress in the latest mobile games results and trends report
Sensor Tower data also shows that casino games have now emerged as frontrunners, experiencing a consistent YoY increase in in-app purchase bookings
Rallying Relief
Capcom and Square Enix donate millions in relief funds to support victims of Japan earthquake
Donations of ¥120 million and ¥50 million from two of Japan's gaming giants will support victims of the earthquake and rebuilding efforts
Hot Five
Hot Five: Global layoffs continue, playtime rises, and Monster Hunter celebrates 20 years
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Hypercasual Trends
Hypercasual is on the slide but new titles are poised to fight back
AppMagic's hypercasual charts for Q4 2023 shows that downloads are down - 3.2 billion in 2023 versus 3.4 billion in 2022
Q&a
Speaker Spotlight: Persona.ly's Joseph Iris on leveraging contextual bandits
Iris' talk will cover how data driven creative selection works and what UA managers should expect when working with DSPs or platforms that employ them
Pgc London
Pocket Gamer Connects London: The Digital Policy Decoded and IP Unlocked tracks
Adapt your strategy to new regulations and unleash the power of intellectual property this January 22nd and 23rd
Pgc London
Pocket Gamer Connects London: The Live Ops Landscape and Game Dev Stories tracks
Improve your approach to live ops and gain insight into the game development process this January 22nd and 23rd
Week That Was
Week in Views - from Unity 'ripping off the band aid' to SAG-AFTRA's AI rollover. Here's our pick of what's hot
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Pgc London
Pocket Gamer Connects London: The Master the Multiplayer track sponsored by Photon
Hear tips and find new technology for the best multiplayer games on Monday January 22nd
Turning The Tide
Did GTA just save Netflix Games? Year on year installs are up 180%
After struggling to find an audience it appears that Netflix' gaming offering is finally starting to deliver the numbers thanks to Grand Theft Auto…
Pgc London
Pocket Gamer Connects London: The Creative Kingdom and Building on Blockchain tracks
Creative insights from Britain and beyond. plus get started with blockchain gaming this January 22nd and 23rd
Deep Dive
Game Analysis: Deconstructing Spyke Games' Tile Busters
Belka Games' Irina Kurskaya breaks down Tile Busters, detailing its approach to liveops, monetisation and how it stands out from the crowd
Enhanced Player Safety
NetEase Games introduces regulation appeasing ‘Minor Mode' across all products
The move could indicate that the company expects rapid and random Chinese legislation to continue
Big Indie Pitch Stories
Big Indie Interviews: Olexiy Izvalov discusses pitching, judging, and helping emerging developers
Interview: We chat with the long-time Big Indie Pitch participant and judge to discuss experimentation and helping the next generation
Strategic Comeback
Activision Blizzard kiss and make up with NetEase ahead of China return
The move will see the return of Blizzard titles such as World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Warcraft III: Reforged and Overwatch to the Chinese market
Job Losses
Discord to cut 17% of its workforce
Following four years of success, Discord makes its second round of cuts in five months in order to redress earlier over expansion
Pgc London
Pocket Gamer Connects London: The Virtual Visions and Big Screen Gaming tracks
Explore PC, console and cloud games, plus esports and cutting edge insights into virtual and augmented reality this January 22nd and 23rd
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from bopping tank tunes to Chinese martial arts
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Job Losses
Cookie Run maker's Devsisters USA office to remain open despite layoffs
Albert Chung, director of US operations & marketing: "Devsisters USA remains committed to delivering quality entertainment to our fans and community."
Pgc London
Pocket Gamer Connects London: The Growth Track sponsored by Nexus.gg
Essential insight into user acquisition, retention techniques and how to grow your game - unmissable seminars this January 23rd
Star Stats
2023 saw record highs in time spent on mobile and almost half a million app installs every minute
Here are five key stats to know from data.ai's State of Mobile 2024
Podcast
Games Factory Talents’ Oleg Paliy on how to land your dream job in 2024 | Podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team and guests give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and and what's inside this week's episode…
Track Rundown
Pocket Gamer Connects London: The Audience Accelerator and Marketing Mavens tracks
Discover tips and guides for growing your game using the best UA and marketing techniques this January 23rd
Job Losses
Playtika to cut 300 - 400 more jobs in latest rounds of layoffs
Another 10% of the workforce are set to go following the loss of jobs through 2022 and an unsuccessful attempt to acquire Rovio in 2023
Executive Exit
Unity restructure sees six ironSource co-founders step down
New CEO Jim Whitehurst clears the decks with key ironSource figures moving to non-executive roles while Tomer Bar-Zeev will continue to serve on the Board of Directors
One-stop-shop
Coda and Activision team up for new Call of Duty: Mobile web store
As a way of celebrating the launch, players can enjoy a 50% bonus on COD Points whilst enjoying other giveaways and promotions throughout this year
Q&a
Speaker Spotlight: AppLovin's Iris Gomez Sanchis on establishing a robust user acquisition strategy
"Discovery stands out to me as a significant challenge, particularly for new game developers grappling with an oversaturated and intensely competitive market"
Job Losses
Cookie Run makers Devsisters shutters US office
Ex-staff take to LinkedIn to share the news of layoffs at the Korean company's US office
Q&a
Speaker Spotlight: Appcharge's Miikka Luotio on how webstores can account for up to 40% of game revenue
"Owning your player base will become key in the future as this will also make it easier to attribute revenue for things such as UA and more"
Sybo Celebration
Subway Surfers character crafting compo brings winning design in-game for 12th anniversary
Sybo’s endless runner is approaching 12 years, with a Craft-a-Character competition to celebrate
Pgc London
Pocket Gamer Connects London: The Webstore Wizardry and Alternative Revenue Models tracks
Join us as we explore different methods to boost revenue and the role of modern webstores on January 22nd and 23rd
Game Saver
Behind the scenes: How our relaunch reboot reignited Merge Gardens
Futureplay’s Joonas Virtanen discusses the redemption journey that led to the revitalisation of Merge Gardens
The Greatest Genres
RPGs dominate consumer spending, generating 30% of all 2023 mobile game revenue
data.ai’s new report reveals reveals that the genre generated $24.5 billion - a huge 30% of revenues - from only 3% of total game downloads
Regional Revenues
China and US accounted for more than 50% of the $107 billion spent on mobile games in 2023
data.ai’s latest report reveals all about regional revenue and download differences
Strategic Downsizing
Twitch slashes 500 jobs - 35% of its staff - in latest cuts
Despite its widespread popularity, experiencing a surge in users through pandemic lockdowns, Twitch continues to grapple with financial challenges
Ai-powered Games
ArenaX Labs raises $6M for AI-driven game development
The company aims to use gaming as a way of educating players and gain a greater of understanding as to the workings of artificial intelligence