Releases
Bandai Namco and DeNA to release Takt Op Symphony for Western audiences
The title will be available in English officially for the first time
Gamerefinery Report
Betas, events, and releases: How did mobile gaming do in March?
GameRefinery examines the performance of the market over the month
Events & Awards
It's Awards Season: Vote for PG Connects and come to the Mobile Game Awards
If you love Pocket Gamer Connects London, don't forget to vote for us. And don't miss our own Mobile Games Awards next week too!
Rebrand & Investment
Grand-Attic games, formerly Hadi, raises $5.3 million
The cash and rebrand came as part of a seed-2 round
Collaborations
PUBG Mobile launches Be@rbrick collaboration
The popular collectible figurine franchise is the next major collab for the battle royale smash
Job News
Aristocrat Leisure appoints Jennifer Aument as non-executive director
Aument brings more than 25 years of infrastructure and leadership experience to the role
Next News
Next Games, A Netflix Game Studio announces changes in leadership team
Saara Bergström will assume the role of studio lead, while Teemu Huuhtanen will be leaving the company
Midterm Discount
Save up to $180 on your Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle ticket with our limited time Midterm discount!
We’re coming to Seattle this May 16-17, secure your ticket to the show today and save up to $180!
Strategy
InnoGames to undertake a “strategic realignment” and job cuts
The studio - home to Forge of Empires - is owned by Modern Times Group
Events
Scottish Games Week returns October 30 to November 3 2023
Back once again, it's Scotland's biggest and best games conference and networking event
Ai Ads
Creative.Ai Aims To Redefine Gaming Ad Production With Generative AI
Chief creative officer says, ‘It’s time for the industry to evolve, and leverage the advancements in Generative Al’
Creative Block
Creative firm Talenthouse inches from failure
The company secured a high-profile investment from Animoca Brands in 2019
Netease Lawsuit
Pop star Jay Chou sues NetEase for copyright infringement
Chou claims that NetEase’s latest campaign for Tianxia III led fans to believe the game had a “specific connection” to his music
The Rise Of Mobile
Gaming app installs are up 10% compared to 2022
Adjust’s new report delves into the state of 2022’s mobile industry, and how 2023 is shaping up so far
Partnership
Milky Tea Games partners with new majority owner, Aonic
The studio was behind one of the Apple Arcade’s launch titles
Mobile Legend
Join us at the PG Mobile Games Awards next week and meet the trailblazing legends of the mobile games industry!
See who wins our prestigious Mobile Legend award in-person at the PG Mobile Games Awards on April 20th, book your ticket to the show today!
Success In Funding
Reactional Music raises $2.05 million in pre-series A funding round
The platform aims to connect music and players for game developers
Launches
Scopely follows Savvy acquisition announcement with launch of Monopoly Go
Their first game since their big news acquisition last week
Esg
Tencent pushes “Tech for good” in latest ESG report
The company's environmental, social and governance report highlights their 2022 achievements
Mobile Dominance
92% of gamers are exclusively using phones
The world’s biggest gaming platform in numbers
Unity For Humanity
Unity announces the winners of its 2023 Unity for Humanity Grant
The winners will receive a share of a $500 thousand prize pool, plus mentorship and technical support
Milestones
My.Games’ War Robots hits $750m milestone on its ninth anniversary
The pvp mech combat game was developed by Pixonic
Games Go Crazy
CrazyLabs achieves six billion downloads in six million years of play!
the hyper and hybrid-casual games specialist has announced that it has had over six billions downloads of its titles around the world
Rumours
Could Playtika be a target for a buyout?
After a strategic review last year resetting the company's course, buyers are reportedly showing interest
Konvoy Report
Gaming market to reach $201 billion in 2023
Asia dominated Q1 in terms of deal value, but came second to America in terms of volume
Charity
Make your game part of the Play for Türkiye relief bundle via Itch.io
Proceeds from the bargain bundle will go to charities assisting those affected by the Turkish earthquakes
All About Dubai
Travelling to Dubai this summer? Prepare for your journey with the Pocket Gamer guide to Dubai ahead of the Dubai GameExpo Summit!
Joining us in Dubai this June 21-22nd for our first ever conference in the UAE? Learn everything you need to know ahead of time
Releases
NetEase’s cutesy battle royale, Eggy Party, to launch in the Philippines
The take on the Fall Guys formula will launch April 21 for Android
Data.ai Report
Japan and South Korea lead consumer spend by device in 2022
Data.ai’s State of Mobile Gaming 2023 report analyses the sector’s performance across markets and demographics
China Changes
Chinese game licences in 2023 could surpass the past two years combined
Niko Partners points out the positives of recent changes in China
Regulations
Mobile game exclusivity triggers $32m fine for Google
Outdated exclusivity practices are cited as stifling competition
Retain Retarget Reduce Churn
Retain your players with retargeting - a masterclass from Adikteev
Adikteev offers expert insight into the latest techniques to predict churn, retain players and increase revenues
Football Funds
Soccer Manager creator Invincibles raises £1m for two new games
Investment is the latest in repeat funding from Mercia
Join Us In London
One week to go until the PG Mobile Games Awards! Join us in Central London next week
Connect with the best in the mobile games industry at the PG Mobile Games Awards next week on April 20th! Limited tickets are still available for this highly anticipated event
Moves & Merges
BoomHits to merge offices with Skyloft Studios
The two Turkish studios will now operate under one roof
Data.ai Report
Consumers spent an average of $1.6 billion on mobile gaming per week in 2022
Data.ai’s State of Mobile Gaming 2023 report delves into the market’s performance
India
Indian battle royale game Indus passes 1.5 million registrations
With a fourth playtest announced in order to further polish esports features
Playx4 May 2023
Korea's leading B2B games event - PlayX4 - returns for 2023 - with online and live events supported
PlayX4 Korea’s leading B2B games event PlayX4 will be held on May 11th & 12th 2023 with both on and offline participation supported
Lord Of The App Store
Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth set for May 10 release
The game will launch in iOS and Android
Rovio Analytics
Rovio gives insight into its game analytics approach
The company’s director of analytics discussed the topic in a new blog post
Turkish Gaming Market
Why localisation is essential in the Turkish gaming market
A recent Gaming in Türkiye report offers insights into adapting for a local audience
Acquiblizz
Sony claims CMA narrowing scope of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is “irrational”
The tech giant has been one of the deal’s biggest opponents
Sony Handheld
Is Sony going remote with its next handheld console?
Speculation is rife for what, if it happens, Sony’s new handheld gaming console will do
Market Insights
9 out of 10 adults in the UAE play video games – learn more about the region ahead of the Dubai GameExpo Summit!
Get to know the MENA market ahead of the Dubai GameExpo Summit 2023
Investment In Turkiye
Turkish gaming VC firm Ludus Ventures leads $3 million investment round in Paxie Games
The money comes as part of surge of investment in Türkiye
Xp Developer Summit 2023
XP Game Developer Summit returns to Toronto in April 2023
Canadian B2B Video Game Conference returns to Toronto Connecting the Industry, Partners, and Speakers at the XP Game Developer Summit, April 20-21
Savvy X Scopely
Savvy Games Group acquires Scopely for $4.9 billion
The group has made numerous acquisitions as part of its long term gaming strategy
Acquisition
Nodwin Gaming acquires a majority stake in full-service live media company Branded
The acquisition brings Branded’s event IP’s and team into the Nodwin fold
Blackpink The Game
BLACKPINK The Game coming from developer Takeone
BTS sparked major success in Cookie Run Kingdom, now fellow K-idol band Blackpink are following suit
Tiktok
TikTok fined £12.7 million for mishandling of children’s data
The social media giant has fallen foul of the UK’s data protection laws