EU: Apple not launching AI iPhone features a

EU: Apple not launching AI iPhone features a "stunning declaration" that it's "disabling competition"

The latest spat between Apple and the European Commission centres on the tech giant's unwillingness to launch Apple Intelligence features in the region

New release roundup: Passpartout 2: The Lost Artist, Purple, All in Hole: Sinkhole Puzzle, and more

New release roundup: Passpartout 2: The Lost Artist, Purple, All in Hole: Sinkhole Puzzle, and more

We highlight five new games that have broken cover this week

Join us at the Pocket Gamer Party Cologne 2024 during Gamescom - FREE!

Join us at the Pocket Gamer Party Cologne 2024 during Gamescom - FREE!

If you're in town for Gamescom, come along to the Tivoli for networking after dark on Wednesday, August 21st

Voting for the Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2024 is live

Finalists Revealed

Voting for the Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2024 is live

The finalists are announced and open to industry-wide voting until July 22nd

Crunchyroll expands Game Vault with 15 new titles

Crunchyroll expands Game Vault with 15 new titles

The company has also partnered with Mages to bring anime franchises to Game Vault

Netflix Games adds Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit, The Case of the Golden Idol and more in June

Netflix Games adds Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit, The Case of the Golden Idol and more in June

Cozy Grove is Spry Fox's first game since the studio joined the Netflix in 2022

In-game ads in hypercausal runners: Increasing revenue without sacrificing other metrics

In-game ads in hypercausal runners: Increasing revenue without sacrificing other metrics

Azur Games producer Milana Gelmanova shares how in-game ads helped to create a 5% to 20% revenue boost in a year

Gameloft Toronto lays off 49 staff

Gameloft Toronto lays off 49 staff

Publisher blames "ever-changing market conditions" for the redundancies

Navigating privacy and boosting one of mobile’s biggest hits: Miaomiao Li on her work at Rovio

Navigating privacy and boosting one of mobile’s biggest hits: Miaomiao Li on her work at Rovio

As part of Liftoff's Women In Games Series, Pocketgamer.biz speaks to Miaomiao Li, Performance Marketing Manager at Rovio.

CyberAgent to acquire NitroPlus in $104 million deal

Acquisition Ahead

CyberAgent to acquire NitroPlus in $104 million deal

Digital advertising firm and games publisher will support new subsidiary's efforts for global IP expansion

Nazara and nCore partner to publish FAU-G Domination

New Partnerships

Nazara and nCore partner to publish FAU-G Domination

Pre-registrations will be available on Google Play and the App Store later this year

Growing Catalogue

"Games are a long-term bet for Netflix"

VP of External Games Leanne Loombe discusses the entertainment company's plans for its games division

LinQ raises $2.3 million in seed funding to publish real-money games

LinQ raises $2.3 million in seed funding to publish real-money games

Drive by DraftKings, Sharp Alpha Advisors, MiddleGame Ventures, and a16z Speedrun participated in the funding

OV Entertainment Group acquires co-development studio Kokku and tech firm 3OGS

OV Entertainment Group acquires co-development studio Kokku and tech firm 3OGS

Kokku chief exec and founder Thiago de Freitas named CEO of OV Entertainment Group following the deals

Roblox looks towards

Roblox looks towards "4D generative AI" future

UGC platform creator opens up on its AI plans

Reports: One Punch Man: World developer Perfect World lays off as many as 1,000 staff

Reports: One Punch Man: World developer Perfect World lays off as many as 1,000 staff

The Chinese media firm is is also said to have halted worked on One Punch Man: World and Perfect New World

Northern Ireland’s APG wants

Gambling Crackdown

Northern Ireland’s APG wants "stringent, legally mandated regulations" imposed on loot boxes

The group has called for gambling mechanics in games to be "severely limited" now that the results of a public health inquiry are in

China approves 104 new games including titles from Tencent and Alibaba

China Regulations

China approves 104 new games including titles from Tencent and Alibaba

Industry giants including miHoYo and SenseTime have also established the Shanghai Yuanchuang Future Private Equity Fund

Gamelight named as headline sponsor for the Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2024

Mobile Games Awards

Gamelight named as headline sponsor for the Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2024

Event returns on August 20th to celebrate the industry's finest

Bringing real life adventure to mobile with augmented reality game Swords

Bringing real life adventure to mobile with augmented reality game Swords

Future House Studios' Adam Sidwell shares development challenges and vision for the fantasy mobile title Swords, featuring real life treasure hunting and grand prizes

Scaffold secures $1.5 million to support game startups in Canada's Alberta

Funding For Games

Scaffold secures $1.5 million to support game startups in Canada's Alberta

The initiative is sponsored by the Alberta government

Tencent, Google and Meta vets raise $45 million in Series A towards online safety startup k-ID

Tencent, Google and Meta vets raise $45 million in Series A towards online safety startup k-ID

The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz and Lightspeed Venture Partners

The great divides of the global games industry

The great divides of the global games industry

Raptor’s Rana Rahman explores the increasing sense of fragmentation in the video games industry and what impact resisting that reality could have

Garena Free Fire celebrates seventh anniversary with $4 billion in lifetime revenue

Classic Celebration

Garena Free Fire celebrates seventh anniversary with $4 billion in lifetime revenue

The celebration includes "classic features" with a focus on nostalgia

Metaplay’s Teemu Haila on scaling and saving smaller studios $1 million per year with one SDK | Podcast

Metaplay’s Teemu Haila on scaling and saving smaller studios $1 million per year with one SDK | 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…

Pokémon developer Game Freak’s first mobile exclusive is new IP, Pand Land

Mobile Manoeuvre

Pokémon developer Game Freak’s first mobile exclusive is new IP, Pand Land

Game Freak and WonderPlanet "sometimes clashed" during development but ultimately "achieved balance" with this seafaring RPG

Games veteran Mike Seavers joins Scopely as their new SVP of technology

Games veteran Mike Seavers joins Scopely as their new SVP of technology

The ex-Riot Games, Epic Games and Yuga Labs veteran is “excited about the many Scopely projects underway that I can’t yet share!”

Dungeon & Fighter Mobile’s first month of iOS revenue was twice that of Honor of Kings

China Cha-ching

Dungeon & Fighter Mobile’s first month of iOS revenue was twice that of Honor of Kings

Nexon and Tencent's RPG generated $270 million on iOS in its first month, becoming China’s most-downloaded game

Epic's Fortnite fine: The precedent and potential consequences of in-game purchases in the Netherlands

Epic's Fortnite fine: The precedent and potential consequences of in-game purchases in the Netherlands

Epic Games were hit with a €1m+ bill for "deceiving children", but what can devs and publishers do to avoid being hit with similar legal action?

Fingersoft CEO Jaakko Kylmäoja on how

Fingersoft CEO Jaakko Kylmäoja on how "the best game required the best environment"

Speaking a Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2023, Kylmäoja highlighted Fingersoft’s office culture as one of its most important strengths

Square Enix still sees

Square Enix still sees "tremendous potential" in AI but is wary of the "many risks involved"

CEO Takashi Kiryu has spelled out a more risk-averse approach to AI in the latest shareholders' meeting

How to start marketing games as a developer: choosing sources and budget

Industry Insight

How to start marketing games as a developer: choosing sources and budget

AppQuantum’s Artem Sprygin shares valuable marketing advice and how you can apply it to your own project

Clash Heroes lives!… As new Supercell game Project R.I.S.E

Clash Heroes lives!… As new Supercell game Project R.I.S.E

RISING from the ashes of Clash Heroes and borrowing its assets comes a new "multiplayer, action-focused, social, RPG roguelite”

Uma Musume: Pretty Derby gets an English version - is a Western release imminent?

Uma Musume: Pretty Derby gets an English version - is a Western release imminent?

Cygames’ racer has seen huge success in Japan with over 21 million downloads and $2 billion in revenue

Monster Hunter Now on mobile cross promotes spin-off on PC and console

Promotional Power

Monster Hunter Now on mobile cross promotes spin-off on PC and console

A new story and limited-time quests in the mobile hit promote the Monster Hunter Stories re-release

UMX Studio CEO Ali Alharbi on their upcoming game, company expansion and MENA opportunities

UMX Studio CEO Ali Alharbi on their upcoming game, company expansion and MENA opportunities

"The quest for experts, the uncharted terrain of an emerging industry - these are riddles awaiting solutions"

Browser Breakthrough

"It's hard to distinguish from a native experience. And all at the click of a button"

Raf Mertens, CEO of CrazyGames on their new browser-based tech, offering multi-player experiences with zero installation required

Cat Escape maker Sunday appoints ex-SYBO Christian Balazs in shift away from hypercasual

Cat Escape maker Sunday appoints ex-SYBO Christian Balazs in shift away from hypercasual

Sunday has made a "pivotal" hire in a move to broaden into hybridcasual games

Game over for Apple as the European Commission wades in against their DMA dodge

Apple In The Dock

Game over for Apple as the European Commission wades in against their DMA dodge

It's official. The European Commission is going to take apart Apple's half-hearted adherence to the Digital Markets Act

Hot Five: Japan’s newest stars, Nordic numbers, and Tripledot Studios’ acquisition

Hot Five: Japan’s newest stars, Nordic numbers, and Tripledot Studios’ acquisition

Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz

The history and future of the mobile games industry | Week in Mobile Games podcast

Podcast | Episode 17

The history and future of the mobile games industry | 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 17...

Week in Views - Olympic esports, Gameloft's cross-play move, and what mobile gaming's history tell us about its future

Week in Views - Olympic esports, Gameloft's cross-play move, and what mobile gaming's history tell us about its future

The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories

Unity restructure continues as CMO set to exit firm

Unity restructure continues as CMO set to exit firm

Carpenter joins IronSource co-founders and Marc Whitten out the door this year

Asphalt Legends: Unite takes the racing favourite cross platform for the first time

Asphalt Legends: Unite takes the racing favourite cross platform for the first time

A new trailer showcases the game's cross-platform capabilities starring actor-turned-NASCAR driver Frankie Muniz

Who will YOU meet at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki?

Who will YOU meet at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki?

Connect with investors, publishers, indies, platform holders and more this October 1st and 2nd

Embracer Group pays up $300m to clear $1.5bn debts

Embracer Group pays up $300m to clear $1.5bn debts

Nearly $1bn of its debts will be moved to Asmodee Group when the company breaks up into three separate public entities

74% of midcore installs come from ads in casual games as iOS CPI continues to rise

74% of midcore installs come from ads in casual games as iOS CPI continues to rise

Hypercasual games still contribute 29% of installs across all genres, while puzzle games also hold strong at 37%

Squad Busters generates $28 million in first three weeks

Squad Busters generates $28 million in first three weeks

The latest numbers on Supercell's big new game launch

Narwhal Accelerator injects six-figure funding into game dev tool Magify

Investment News

Narwhal Accelerator injects six-figure funding into game dev tool Magify

Magify's Business Intelligence system platform aims to simplify the game creation process for mobile game developers

Gazeus Games' Estela Rocha and Aarki's Aman Sareen on savvy strategies for leaner teams | Podcast

Gazeus Games' Estela Rocha and Aarki's Aman Sareen on savvy strategies for leaner teams | 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…