Esports
PUBG Mobile Super League reveals first teams and the importance of SEA region
The new league's teams include notable esports names from all around the world
Gamerefinery Report
February was a huge month for crossovers and events
Marvel Snap introduced PVP mechanics, while Uma Musume: Pretty Derby raced to the number one spot
2023 Predictions
"Apple don't care about games" - Eric Kress takes a bite out of the mobile giant
Is it time to change course away from 'Deep', 'Core' games? Deconstructor of Fun's Kress maps out the road ahead
Creatives
Playtika takes potshots at Candy Crush with new Best Fiends ad campaign
“Download free, play sugar free”
2023 Predictions
"We're going to see declines of 5-10% in the mobile games market for two more years", claims Eric Kress
It's grim news from the keynote opener of the Google Istanbul Games Summit
Regulations
Microsoft: Acquiring mobile portion of Activision Blizzard is “key strategic objective”
The comments were made in the response to key CMA remedies for the merger
Studio Closure
Gameloft shutters Budapest Studio amid shift away from mobile
The company is aiming for success in the console and PC markets
Phasing Out
Call of Duty Mobile to be phased out when Warzone Mobile releases
The battle-royale game will supercede its predecessor as the sole CoD mobile title
Reports
UK attracts $545m in ad spend in 2022 and role-playing games top for growth
A new report suggests that 2023 will see increased scrutiny of marketing strategies
Soccer Goes Mobile
Matchday secures $21 million in seed funding
The company plans to make soccer, mobile, and Web3 games more accessible
Big Trouble In Little China
The USA’s new trade restrictions are bad news for Nvidia
The restriction would impact Nvidia’s ability to do business with Huawei
#embraceequity
International Women’s Day: Embracing Equity in 2023, learning from the women of Steel Media
Celebrate International Women’s Day with us and learn more about the experiences of being a woman in the games industry today.
Independents
Redemption Games breaks from Applovin
The studio behind Sweet Escape will now operate independently
Take-two Layoffs
Take-Two announces round of layoffs
The layoffs will primarily affect employees at Private Division
Uk Gaming Report
32.1% of UK gamers say that mobile is their favourite way to play
Mobile tops consoles and PCs to be the country’s top gaming platform
Women In Gaming
International Women's Day 2023: Bringing attention to women’s role in gaming
International Women’s Day is here and we'll be celebrating all week
Analysis
Angry Birds was delisted due to its effect on search, not sales
Rovio says Rovio Classics: Angry Birds pushed other games from the spotlight
Muus Collective Board
Paris Hilton, Sabrina Kay, and Geetanjali Dhillon join Muus Collective’s board of advisors
The studio focuses on mobile gaming and digital collectibles
A Team Of Veterans
Former Riot Games execs raise $55 million in Series A for new studio Believer
Investments came from Lightspeed Venture Partners, Bitkraft, 1Up Ventures and more
Buying Back
Modern Times Group has repurchased 176,970 of its class B shares
The company’s repurchase programme aims to increase shareholder value and optimise capital structure
Appointments
Frameplay appoints Tencent veteran Jurgen Post as chairman of board
Post also previously served as CEO of Miniclip after its acquisition by Tencent
Analytics
Apex Legends Mobile was trailing heavily behind CoD Mobile prior to its axe
New data indicates that EA’s culling of Apex Legends Mobile may be more warranted than was previously assumed
Latin American Market
Brazil and Mexico saw 20% growth in in-app spending in 2022
Brazil is the world’s #2 market for time spent in apps
Gamescom 2023
Brazil named as official partner country for gamescom 2023
This makes Brazil the first ever partner country from Latin America
Hires
Playtika makes two new senior hires
Gili Brudno and Darlan Monterisi join the Israeli publisher and developer
A New Fantasy
Square Enix to relocate main offices from Shinjuku to Shibuya
The move to the iconic location is due to be completed after the construction of a new building is complete
Closures
Ubisoft to shutter some European subsidiaries
Anonymous sources indicate that regional distribution centres will fall victim
Readying An Rpg
Immutable partners with Mineloader to speed up development of Guild of Guardians
Focusing on Web2 and Web3 aspects and economies
Releases
World of Tanks Blitz brings 3D skins to mobile
The new dinosaur themed cosmetics are the first in a new wave of more graphically demanding add-ons
Acquivision Blizzard
Microsoft may be winning the Activision war
A new decision by the FTC shows the tides may be turning in the tech giant’s favour
Mena Mobile
Driven by mobile, MENA games revenue predicted to reach $2.8 billion by 2026
Estimated 2022 games revenue was $1.8 billion
Loot Boxes
Austrian Court classifies loot boxes as gambling
The country’s court has issued a fine against Sony in a provisional ruling
Stores
Supercell to bring Clash Royale to web store
The web-based storefront allows users to make purchases for apps directly from Supercell
Monster Magala
Street Fighter: Duel announces Monster Hunter crossover with Gore Magala challenge
A monstrous crossover is on its way
Lists
Unity named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative
The publication lists 540 companies in a number of categories
Charity
British Racing Greats event to celebrate racing games for charity
The charity event will feature studios from across the racing game spectrum
Tell Us A Tale
Telltale Games pushes back release of The Wolf Among Us 2
The company hopes that the delay will help avoid crunch time
Matsuda’s Final Fantasy?
Square Enix board calls for their president to step aside
A proposal suggests that boss Yosuke Matsuda will be replaced by company director Takashi Kiryu
Users
Roblox users rose 20% from 2021 to 2022
The block-building game has slowly edged to the forefront of the metaverse
Sony Acquisition
Sony reportedly eyeing up acquisition of Take-Two Interactive
The tech giant could be preparing to unleash the latest volley in its arms race with Microsoft
Publishing
Marvel Snap publisher Nuverse follow up with Dragonheir: Silent Gods
Will be working with recently established SRGA studios
Mobile Esports
Global Esports CEO Dr Rushindra Sinha weighs in on the state of mobile esports in India
The sector is ripe for disruption, but may be unsustainable
Legal
Yuji Naka admits to insider trading in Tokyo court
The console and mobile developer and producer most famous for Sonic was arrested on suspicion of insider trading
Acquivision Blizzard
EU unlikely to demand asset dump in Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard battle
The deal has come under scrutiny from regulators worldwide
Partnerships
Rovio announces IMG as their exclusive agent for books and more
The company will manage publishing deals with book and media companies on behalf of Rovio
Global Game Jam
Yahaha Studios’ Global Game Jammers created 80 games in 48 hours
Yahaha played host to 110 jammers in Helsinki to create the country’s biggest hybrid-jam
Olympic Esports
Mobile games included in inaugural Olympic Esports Series
The global competition will culminate in the live finals in Singapore this June
New Studio
Room 8 Group unveils trailer and cinematic production studio Heroic
The studio is led by Head of CG Sandy Heslop
Financials
Playtika to halt development of new games following rocky financials
Playtika’s Q4 2022 financials revealed a few key victories, and losses
New Studio
NetEase funds Studio Flare in Tokyo
Former Marvelous executive vice president Toshinori Aoki will serve as president and CEO