Investment
Turkish mobile startup Fuse Games receives $2m investment
The studio is making a big play of the use of artificial intelligence in the creation their games
Sunny Days
Netspeak celebrates fourth anniversary with more than 1.5 million Sunshine Days downloads
In-game milestones include 32 million harvested plants and over 1,000 items sold
Consultation
Indian NGO Prahar calls for ban of Tencent's Undawn
The organisation previously lobbied for the BGMI ban
Webedia Gaming Europe
Webedia expands gaming interests with Webedia Gaming Europe
Catalina Lou has been appointed to the role of senior vice president of global gaming
Gaming Africa
Senegal sets up a new gaming hub
The country is aiming to become a focal point for West Africa’s gaming industry
Summer Celebration
Genshin Impact to host real-world summer events in Paris, New York and Berlin
The game’s first-ever summer festival is coming this July
Payments
Japan to stop Apple and Google charging through proprietary payment systems
Alternative payment systems will need to be offered
Moving On
Nicola Sebastiani has left head of mobile position at PlayStation
Pursuing a new opportunity
Partnership
Animoca Brands partners with Japanese Web3 company Matsui
Animoca has been trying to expand its global reach after divesting from the US
Play With Pride
38% of Finnish gaming professionals identify as LGBTQIA+
The country had a higher proportion of LGBTQIA+ workers in the game industry than the worldwide average
Week That Was
Week in Views - What caught our eyes in the last seven days
The Pocketgamer.biz team take their pick of this weeks big news including MiHoYo's star performance, gaming in India and never-ending legislation woes…
Monopoly Go!
Monopoly GO! had the biggest casual launch of the last five years
New figures from Scopely show that Monopoly GO! is already off to a flying start
Job News
Playdigious appoints Abrial Da Costa as CEO
Da Costa brings more than two decades of experience to the role
Events
Why Toronto is the place to be for PG Connects 2023!
The provincial capital of Ontario is the next setting for PG Connects in 2023
Now Hiring: Sunday
Sunday: Your Next Opportunity for a Career Leap
Looking for your next role in mobile games? Find out more about the company, culture and team at Sunday - the Hamburg headquartered publisher with a bold vision for the future
Sneak Preview
Network with the likes of Jawaker, Unity and Sandsoft Games at Dubai GameExpo Summit next week!
Get a sneak peek of some of the companies joining us in Dubai next week! Don’t miss your chance to connect with the biggest names in the industry
Milestones
Diablo Immortal passes $500m milestone
It’s only the 15th game to pass this threshold in its first year
Sensor Tower Report
Honkai: Star Rail races past Genshin Impact in overseas revenue
MiHoYo’s latest game continues to be a massive success according to the latest data
Fluent Report
48% of Gen Z-ers have at least four gaming apps downloaded
A new report by Fluent delves into the world of app downloads
New Studio
Krafton opens new deep learning-focused studio, ReLU Games
The studio will be Krafton’s 11th independent developer
Tencent X India
Tencent eyes a comeback in India with Undawn
The game’s titles were removed from India but Tencent is ready to return via Level Infinite
Partnerships
Hutch to partner with Forza's Turn 10 for standalone racing game
The studio behind Top Drives is set to tackle working with Microsoft's top driving team
Markets
Tencent and NetEase regain momentum as licences return
But licences volumes are still below their equivalent levels from 2017
New Report
Mobile dominates total gamers in America
But mobile still lags in time spent in-game, reports Insider Intelligence and eMarketer
Milestones
TikTok becomes first app to surpass $1 billion consumer spend in single quarter
The milestone puts it above competitors such as Tencent's Honor of Kings.
Closures
Co-developers of Subway Surfers, Kiloo, to shut its doors
The studio’s staff were served a notice of termination to take effect at the end of June
Funding
Million Victories secures $6.5m in funding
The money came as part of a series A funding round
Funding
UK video game industry to benefit from additional $5m boost
The boost comes as part of a larger plan to boost creative industries by $50bn
Acquiblizz
A US judge has blocked Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard
Despite being approved around the world, the biggest acquisition in gaming history still faces significant hurdles
Artificial Intelligence
ChatGPT app reaches 351,000 downloads in the UK
The generative AI platform has proved a winner in mobile app form
New Partnership
Azerion’s GameDistribution announces a new partnership with Moonlander.ai
The companies aim to revolutionise game development with AI powered gaming
Announcements
Is Samurai Shodown coming to mobile on Netflix Games?
A now-private video, widely shared, indicates the SNK title would be released soon on Netflix Games
Legislation
Google's ads business under threat from EU Commission
The European Commission has sparred with Google before
Launches
Krafton launches pre-registrations for Clash-like Defense Derby
The title will be developed by RisingWings
Web3 Wonder
Hybrid Web3 game NFL Rivals approaches 1 million installs in 6 weeks
15% of revenue generated through Web3 item resale between players
Legislation
India to enact new laws prohibiting three types of mobile game
The new regulations are both a clarification, and an incredibly broad set of factors to be interpreted
Deal Disruption
Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard sued by FTC
The Federal Trade Commission aims to block the acquisition sooner rather than later
Restructuring
Embracer announces restructuring programme after disastrous Q4 financials
After a massive $2bn deal fell through at the eleventh-hour, Embracer is in damage-control mode
Closures
Mobile sports game developer Nifty to close after five years
The announcement was made in a LinkedIn post by CEO Jon Middleton
Ubisoft X Level Infinite
Ubisoft partners with Level Infinite to launch Assassin’s Creed Jade
The companies are also partnering to launch Tom Clancy’s The Division Resurgence in Southeast Asia
Animoca Brands
Animoca Brands to shift focus away from US markets
The company’s cryptocurrency, Sand, has been named an unregistered security by the Security and Exchange Commission
Apple Vs Epic
Apple and Epic ask US court to reconsider the ruling in their dispute
The ongoing battle between the companies takes yet another turn
Partnerships
WeMade acquire 20% stake in external developer StandEgg
StandEgg will be the first external developer to work with WeMade, and will produce two titles based on Anipang
Sales
Improbable sells off defence business in pivot to metaverse
The company has worked in mobile previously
Teaming Up
Activision Blizzard piles in to support Microsoft’s CMA appeal
UK regulator to face Microsoft and Activision Blizzard together in cloud gaming appeal
Hypercasual Acquisition
AI Games FZ acquires Good Job Games’ hypercasual portfolio
Good Job Games has a successful track record in user acquisition
Week That Was
Week in Views - What caught our eyes in the last seven days
The Pocketgamer.biz team take their pick of this weeks big news including Apple's Vision Pro, what Netflix did next and a welcome 'light touch' to UA
Financials
MiHoYo made more money than either EA, Activision Blizzard and Embracer
The Genshin impact developer is cagey with financials
Happy Anniversary
Alchimerge: Merge and Crafts celebrates first anniversary
The game has added graphical and character customisation enhancements to mark the occasion
Pre-registrations
Kabam opens preregistration for cross-platform title King Arthur: Legends Rise
The game will be Kabam’s first cross-platform title