Games Done Quick
Games Done Quick founder Mike Uyama leaving the organisation
The group raises funds for charitable causes through gaming speedruns
Openly Optimistic
Why mobile developers should be optimistic about 2023
In spite of 2022’s mobile revenue dip, 2023 is on the up. Kim Soares highlights the industry’s continued upward trajectory when omitting pandemic blip
Investment
Turkish developer Ace Games lands new $8m investment
The Turkish developer Ace Games, whose stakeholders include publisher Playtika, received $8m in investment late last year
About Ua
Matej Lancaric shares his tough love UA strategies, ATT response and more
Suggested UA channels include Meta, TikTok, Google Ads and others, while Facebook gets short shrift
Acquivision Blizzard
CMA extends the deadline for Microsoft / Activision-Blizzard investigation
The group requires more time to decide if the UK should approve the deal
Fairy Tales
Pokémon Go announces Twinkling Fantasy Event
The event will highlight the game’s roster of fairy and dragon types
Streaming
Nvidia GeForce NOW comes to cars with auto maker partnership
Nvidia’s game streaming service is coming to cars, in partnership with manufacturers such as Hyundai
The Fashion Metaverse
H&M launches a new game within metaverse platform Roblox
The game was created by British metaverse studio Dubit
Genshin's First-ever Exhibition
Genshin Impact hosts its first art exhibition with life-size characters
The Paris-based exhibit features more than 16 original pieces of concept art
Skyrocket Your Business
Take your business to the next level in 2023 with Steel Media!
Ready to propel your business to the next level? See how working with Steel Media can help you achieve your goals this year!
A Year At Homa
Victor Vielliard reflects on Homa’s "landmark" 2022, from 1 billion downloads to 20 new games
Social media milestones, game installs, funding and more highlighted in LinkedIn post
Collaborations
World of Tanks: Blitz continues collab spree with Terminator 2 in-game event
Hot off the back of their holiday event, World of Tanks: Blitz are offering another collab event based around the Terminator 2 movie
Trouble For Mages?
MAGES chairman and director steps down following $4.7 million loss
Chiyomaru Shikura will take an executive producer role within the company
Revenue
Genshin Impact surpasses $4bn in lifetime revenue
Genshin Impact hits new revenue highs, bringing in over $4bn of revenue within two years of launch
Aiming For Acquisition Approval
The list of nations approving Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition grows
Among the approving nations are Brazil, Serbia and Chile
Chinese Market
TikTok developer ByteDance makes additional layoffs
New layoffs run in the hundreds and are across various divisions including gaming
Ftc Vs Microsoft
Are the FTC and Microsoft talks at a standstill?
The FTC have sued to block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision-Blizzard, but no “substantive” settlement talks are underway
Company Culture
Blizzard’s end of year roundup pledges greater culture change
Mike Ybarra’s end of year roundup pledged more culture change from Blizzard and a ‘player first’ approach
Racing To Mobile
Game Freak to rerelease Pocket Card Jockey on Apple Arcade
The game was previously released for mobile devices in Japan in 2014
Are Tencent’s Troubles Over?
Tencent predicted to bounce back in 2023
2022 was a turbulent year for the tech giant, but analysts forecast that Tencent will rebound
Esports
PUBG Mobile tops battle-royale eSports charts for 2022
A number of mobile or cross-platform titles made up the Top 5 for battle-royale eSports in 2022, suggesting emerging trends
Snapping Up Players
Marvel Snap surpasses 30 million downloads
The game hit the milestone less than three months after its launch
App Stores
Is Tim Sweeney hinting at the return of Fortnite to iOS?
A cryptic tweet from Epic CEO, Tim Sweeney, may hint at the return of the battle-royale game Fortnite to iOS
Game Closure
Bravely Default: Brilliant Lights to shut down in February
The Square Enix spin-off launched in January 2022
Regulation
China lifts licencing freeze with 44 new approved international games
Chinese regulators granted 44 licences for international games to be distributed in the country, including to major corporation Tencent
Bigger And Better
Our biggest event to date is coming up this month – now’s your time to get involved!
Pocket Gamer Connects London is shaping up to be our biggest event yet. Join us at this record-breaking event January 23 - 24!
Event Latest
Introducing 2023's first game industry event in Istanbul
The Mobidictum Network Istanbul takes place on January 13, giving networking opportunities to developers, publishers and more
2022 In Review
2022: The Games Market In Numbers
Newzoo estimate that the games market will have generated $184.4 billion in 2022 marking a fall of 4.3% year-on-year
Acquivision Blizzard
Microsoft hits back at FTC's Activision-Blizzard block
Microsoft has called the lawsuit filed by the FTC attempting to block their Activision-Blizzard takeover 'unconstitutional'
China
Tencent chief blasts ‘corruption’ in company according to employees
According to recent reports, Tencent’s internal structure is rife with corruption and mismanagement, as Ma Huateng shifts blame
Stakes And Shares
Tencent becomes second-biggest shareholder in South Korean studio Shift Up
20 percent stake in Goddess of Victory: Nikke co-creator acquired
Actively Acquiring
Moon Active to acquire Zen Match from Good Job Games
The associated Istanbul-based team will also be joining
Cro Appointment For Mwm
MWM hires Charles Jacquet as Chief Revenue Officer
Mobile industry leader joins the France-based MWM to focus on creative apps
Money Matters
Level up your game’s financial strategies for 2023 at Pocket Gamer Connects London!
Explore new trends in monetisation and revenue models with experts this January 23-24 at PG Connects London!
Academia
Playtika partners with Israeli universities to offer gaming related courses
Israeli mobile developer Playtika is set to partner with local universities to offer gaming-related courses
Increasing Installs
Kwalee saw 12% revenue growth and 200 million downloads in 2022
The last year at Kwalee saw it nearing the major one billion milestone
An Epic Fine
Epic Games responds to FTC fine
The company was recently fined over half a billion dollars due to privacy concerns and unintentional payments
Lawsuits
This time it's personal: 10 gamers launch a lawsuit to block Activision-Blizzard deal
As if it couldn't get any worse. Now Activision-Blizzard is facing another lawsuit, this time from a small group of gamers
Diversity In Gaming
An estimated 2.3 million online teenage gamers have been exposed to white supremacist ideology
A recent report by the Anti-Defamation League found a sharp rise in online harassment
Milestones
Hypercasual developer TapNation hits 750m total downloads across their catalogue
French hypercasual mobile developer produces a wide catalogue, totalling 22 different mobile games
An Apple A Day
Apple fined over $1 million by Paris Commercial Court
The tech giant is accused of imposing abusive commercial clauses on French app developers
Ftc Vs Epic
FTC fines Epic Games $520 million
The fine was imposed de to allegations of privacy violations and unwanted charges
Recruitment
InnoGames boasts of salary transparency success
InnoGames has boasted of filling all 19 of their available vacancies within two months after publishing the salary bands for their roles
Shuttering
Crash Bandicoot: On the Run, to shutter in 2023
The endless runner spin-off from the iconic Crash Bandicoot franchise will close it’s servers on February 16th
Green Gaming
Niantic planted 301 thousand trees throughout 2022
The company has released a new post showcasing its social impact throughout the year
Monetisation Masterclass
Monetisation masterclass: learn how to take your game to the next level
Join experts from Anzu, Unity and Wildlife Studios for an in-depth dive into in-game ad monetisation
Academic Achievement
Voodoo Academy hits new highs
Voodoo Academy program celebrates admission milestone with new game artists track and opens to hybridcasual
Pumped Up Kicks
Step into the metaverse in your new sneakers from Scottie Pippen and Orange Comet
Basketball legend Scottie Pippen has teamed up with NFT blockchain blockbuster Orange Comet to launch his own range of sneakers for the metaverse
Views Week
Week in Views - What caught our editorial eyes in the last seven days
The PocketGamer.biz team reflect on a week of Apple bashing and award giving
Market Analysis
Only 20 percent of mobile gamers are fully engaged when playing
(And the other 80 percent do so while multitasking.) A new report from LoopMe delves into the global gaming market