Metrics Boost
Behind the scenes: How adding sandwich offers to an idle merge game boosted three metrics at once
AppQuantum's Oleg Nalimov shares how new innovative offers were key to Gold & Goblins renewed success
Going Global
Honor of Kings set for June 20th global launch after $15 billion+ revenue in China
Tencent takes another stab at taking its blockbuster MOBA to global markets
Mobile Mavens
Mobile Mavens: Can Xbox's mobile games store succeed?
We ask industry experts for their thoughts on Microsoft's upcoming marketplace that aims to compete with Apple and Google
Financials
Nexon banks on $22bn IP Dungeon & Fighter being a mobile hit in China as Q1 revenue declines
Franchise has generated more than $22 billion to date, as publisher eyes as much as a 90% boost to China earnings with mobile release
Financials
Netmarble cuts losses but revenue falls in Q1 after lack of new game releases
Publisher set to launch Raven 2 in May and four more titles during the second half of 2024
Blockchain Breakthrough
Immutable Games' Guild of Guardians launches today on iOS and Android
The long-awaited blockchain game has already earned over a million pre-registrations and a limited launch in Canada
Interview
"Merge Mansion is a very young game. We still have big plans and many surprising twists in store"
Metacore’s CBO Tapio Tuomola on four years of success for Merge Mansion and what's coming next…
Epic Breach
Epic Games hit with €1.1m fine for unfair commercial practices in Netherlands
The ACM has set a deadline of Monday, June 10 2024 for Epic to address the violations
Gaming Trends
65% of Gen Z gamers spend over 3 hours a day playing video games
The study from ZBD also shows that 34% find online gaming too toxic while 57% prefer playing casual mobile games
Rising Stars
Genshin Impact still pulls in the big bucks while Squad Busters' soft launch teases blockbuster success
Sensor Tower's monthly gaming pulse for April reveals which games are the ones to watch
Partnerships
Ukie partners with Tencent Games for Video Games Growth Programme
Applications are now open for applications for companies wishing to be part of the programme
Jobs News
PlayStation names new CEOs Hermen Hulst and Hideaki Nishino
The duo replace Jim Ryan, who exited the company after 30 years
Investment Round
Gorilla Capital invests in Lola Panda educational apps developer BeiZ
Funding set to help expand the educational apps, which have been downloaded over 40 million times, into new regions and languages
Platform Expansion
Mobile legend Stumble Guys is now on PlayStation 4 and 5 with cross-progression
With more than 50 million players every month and boasting more than 600 million downloads, the mobile smash also confirms a Switch version coming soon
Podcast
Tripledot Studio’s Akin Babayigit on understanding the business behind great games | 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…
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