Legislation
Brazil's app store tax takes aim at foreign developers
New tax laws mean that the Brazilian government gets a bigger slice of the pie, with Apple holding back cash in order to adhere
Milestones
Bleach: Brave Souls surpasses 75 million downloads
The title is based on the popular manga and anime series
Acquiblizz
Microsoft and the UK's CMA begin their appeal tribunal on July 24
Microsoft hopes to change the CMA’s mind regarding its acquisition of Activision Blizzard
Diving Into Dubai
Why Dubai is the most crypto-ready city in the Middle East
Get to know more about Web3 and blockchain presence in the UAE’s biggest city.
Awards Ahead
BAFTA Game Awards 2024 applications open early
Entries submitted late will be charged a fee to compete
Huuuge Financials
Huuuge Games hit all-time high EBITDA for Q1 2023
Earnings are up 91.8% to $27.6 million, but revenue drops 14.6%
Advertising
Bidstack brings its intrinsic advertising to two new mobile racing game studios
The company's platform for adding themed, unobtrusive ads to games has just gained two new partners
Newzoo Report
Mobile gaming declined 6.7% in 2022
The platform remind the largest segment in the gaming industry
Going Green
Outfit7 joins Green Game Jam 2023
The game maker has donated $60,000 to help protect wildlife in the Amazon
Zynga X It Gets Better
Zynga partners with the It Gets Better Project to kick off Pride celebration
The collaboration will see pride events held in fifteen of the company’s games
Silent Hill
Silent Hill: Ascension debuts new trailer
The title is the latest massively interactive live event developed by Genvid
Events
Devolver Digital showcase to return this month as part of Summer Games Fest
The event will see Devolver’s usual eccentric style on full display
Aquiblizz
South Korean regulators approve Activision Blizzard deal
The approval puts further pressure on the UK CMA
Job News
Massive Entertainment founder Martin Walfisz appointed CEO of Thunderful Group
Walfisz will assume his new role later this year
Survey
Apple’s VR headset will be “iPhone moment” say industry professionals
Attention is currently focused outside of games, but if the price comes down the scene may be set for another App Store explosion
Event Latest
Unlock Your Business's Full Potential at Game Connection Europe 2023
The two-day B2B conference is back in Paris on November 2-3
Research
UK video games research set to explore economic value of game industry
The research will cover all platforms including mobile
Honkai: Star Rail
MiHoYo is aiming for pole position in China’s market
A month on from the release of Honkai: Star Rail, and the game continues its meteoric rise
Legends Landing
Pokémon Masters reaches 50M downloads with Legends: Arceus crossover on the horizon
This marks the first time characters will come from Hisui to modern-day Pasio
Job News
Former GameAnalytics CEO Ioana Hreninciuc joins AI image creation startup PicFinder
PicFinder is one of the fastest growing generative AI startups with more than 100 million images created
New Studio
NetEase unveils Japanese studio PinCool Inc.
The studio will be led by Dragon Quest veteran Ryutaro Ichimura
New Launch
Supercell launches new title Flood Rush into beta
The game surprise-launched at the end of May
Collaborations
BGMI goes all-in on esports with new voice pack collaboration
The collaboration features popular Indian esports personalities from the team S8UL
Investgame Report
Gaming deals cooled down significantly in Q1 2023
Despite decreases across the board, there’s reasons to be optimistic about gaming investment in the year ahead.
Back For Good?
BattleGrounds Mobile India is back: So what happened?
With the game set to return to storefronts, how exactly did Krafton get into so much trouble in India?
Alternative Storefronts
Razer adds Supercell titles to in-game rewards programme
Razor Gold is the first third-party storefront to sell in-game currency for Supercell titles
Collaborations
PUBG Mobile to collab with Colombian music star Karol G
The international artist has collaborated with the likes of Shakira, Nicki Minaj and Bad Bunny
New Journeys
Angry Birds Journey soars to new heights in latest update
The update introduces new elements to the game
Roundup
Revenue Report: Games financials roundup: May 2023
Who's up? Who's down? Here's the latest quarterly financial results from around the world of mobile games, all in one place
Ai Arrives
ChatGPT’s official iOS app releases in the UK
The AI generation tool is now available on iOS devices
Good Game
GamesAid raised £120 thousand for charitable causes in 2022/2023
AFK, The Clock Tower Sanctuary, and Autistica Plays are among the recipients of donations
Opportunities For Indies
Six reasons the Dubai GameExpo Summit is the place for indie developers to be this June!
Get an exclusive look at the incredible opportunities for indie talent at Dubai GameExpo Summit, coming up this June 21-22!
Indie Opportunities
Calling all indie developers! Pitch your game to experts at Pocket Gamer Connects Toronto this July 19th-20th
Apply to our Very Big Indie Pitch opportunities now to get your game in front of experts at our next North American show later this summer.
App Store Regulation
Google removes “Slavery Simulator” game from Play Store
The app had attracted acute controversy, particularly in Brazil
Collaborations
BMW to launch in-car gaming in partnership with AirConsole
Will allow players to use their phone for games in-car
Netease Financials
NetEase generated $3.6 billion in revenue in 2023’s first quarter
Gaming proved to be the company’s top performer, with mobile leading the charge
Nvidia Financials
Nvidia celebrates $7.2 billion in quarterly revenue
The company is forecasting a record second quarter
No Time To Waste
Prices are rising for Pocket Gamer Connects Toronto next week! Book your ticket today for savings of up to $380 CAD
Don’t miss your chance to save on your ticket to our next North American conference happening July 19-20.
Redundancies
Kabam to lay off 12% of workforce
The Marvel Contest of Champions developer undertakes restructuring
Head In The Cloud
What is Project Q? Sony’s latest handheld console revealed
Sony’s newest device was revealed at PlayStation Showcase 2023
Deals
“It’s been a rough night…” Embracer: What went wrong?
With their share price crashing 45% in the last 24 hours what exactly IS going on at Embracer?
Massive Savings
Prices for the Dubai GameExpo Summit are rising at midnight tonight! Book your ticket now to secure amazing savings
Grab your ticket to the Dubai GameExpo Summit today and secure incredible savings with our limited time Early Bird discount. It ends tonight!
Bad Brain
NetEase introduces Canada-based Bad Brain Game Studios
The move represents a continued push for international expansion, but is mobile being left behind?
Financials
Embracer financials see lukewarm Q4 performance
The latest figures come alongside news of the collapse of $2bn deal
No Deal
Embracer loses out on $2bn deal at the eleventh-hour
The deal, according to CEO Lars Wingefor, was in the verbal agreement stage before being unexpectedly scuttled
Mobile X Console
Backbone and PlayStation bring the Backbone One peripheral to Android
The launch follows the release of Backbone One - PlayStation Edition for iOS
Creating Connection
BebopBee raises $4 million in funding to inspire "real-world connection" through mobile game brands
Investment from Bitkraft Ventures, Courtside Ventures, Andover, Goal Ventures and more
Showcase 2023
Sony teases push into live service and cross-platform publishing
The first information of future plans lands prior to tonight's PlayStation Showcase 2023 event
Xsolla Drops
Xsolla increases community engagement with Xsolla Drops
The campaign-based tool helps developers accelerate user acquisition and retain current players
Dungeon Hunter
GOAT Games obtains licence for Gameloft’s Dungeon Hunter Franchise
The franchise’s fifth entry was Gameloft’s highest ever revenue generating game at launch