Enter The House
9th Impact launches Big Brother mobile game with AudioMob's ad solutions
"We're thrilled to be working with 9th Impact for their release of the Big Brother mobile game"
Full Support
Unity launches Social Impact Division to support equality and sustainability
It is backed by a charity fund
Top Dog
Voodoo was the top hypercasual publisher through downloads in Q3 2020
GameJam Co experienced the most growth
Got To War
Wargaming teams with Korn for Halloween-based World of Tanks Blitz event
"I really like World of Tanks Blitz. It's true to the era, there are a lot of great tanks in there, and you don't just jump in and start shooting"
Happy Anniversary!
Sulake's networking title Habbo celebrates its 20th anniversary
"Habbo was a true pioneer in terms of free-to-play, user-generated content and sandbox gaming and online social interaction"
Event
Romanian and Eastern European video games to be promoted and discounted on Steam during Dev.Play 2020
The online conference, scheduled to take place during November 3-4, opens pre-registrations for its workshops
Still Going
Beamable is not shutting down following bankruptcy filing
“The $3 million-plus in liabilities is a lot of liabilities to carry on the balance sheet of a company that is rebooting"
Out Of This World
Among Us hit four billion hours in viewership on YouTube in September
The majority came from the US
Event
The Global Games Pitch Season 2 goes online on November 16-17 - registration available now
The two-day pitching event enables developers to pitch their games to publishers and investors digitally
Just A Stream
US consumers are spending around $20.78 on app subscriptions
Adjust has launched its new Subscription Tracking tool
Trump Card
US court speeds up government appeal to ban TikTok
TikTok restrictions could be placed on November 12th
Get Hyped
My.Games acquires a minority stake in hypercasual dev Mamboo Games
"The volume of the hypercasual games market continues to rise every year, reaching around $1.2 billion in 2020"
Money Woes
Games tech firm Beamable files for bankruptcy
It reported $3.4 million in liabilities and $637,987 in property assets
Get Some Candy
The UK crowns its first Candy Crush Saga champion
Adam ‘Tango’ Holland is a Guinness World Record holder
Get Hyped
Supersonic Studios launches its Superstars contest for hypercasual devs
“Since the day Supersonic was launched, we have focused on developing a strong relationship with our developers"
Unlimited Networking
Connect with industry professionals around the world with the MeetToMatch platform at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #4
The meeting platform is a core component of the online conference in November, and it’s free to all attendees
Great Advice
Anzu welcomes former Activision Blizzard exec Ruben Dehouck as new strategic advisor
"In-game advertising offers developers and publishers a compelling new revenue stream, but only if it's done right"
Top Advertising
Facebook takes the top spot for mobile advertising
It charges more than Google for games ads
Trend Survey
Download the Mobile Games Developer Trends Autumn 2020 report
Hypercasual games and new monetization methods come out on top in the latest PocketGamer.biz industry survey
Switched
Nintendo Switch could be the best-selling console this holiday season
Games spending will hit $13.4 billion in November and December
It's Getting Wild
League of Legends: Wild Rift is coming to iOS
No release date has been given
Check It Out
Apple reveals its new iPhone 12 range
With 5G capabilities
Enter The Upside Down
MyTona teams with Netflix to bring Stranger Things to Cooking Diaries
"Fans can look forward to unlocking many Stranger Things themed rewards and mementos"
Nvm Support
UK National Videogame Museum receives $522,000 grant
Cash will keep the organisation going until next spring
Talking Heads
The Pokémon Company International, Niantic, THQ Nordic, Imperia Online and Crunchyroll all confirmed to speak at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #4
Revealed: the second set of speakers for the fourth online-only conference in the series, this November 9-13
"not Representative"
ASA bans "misleading" Gardenscapes and Homescapes Facebook ads
Only 0.03% of players reach the end content.
Two Become One
Streaming platforms Huya and DouYu are merging
Tencent will have a 67.5% stake
Monetisation
Unity launches Game Growth Program to support free-to-play indie games
"Great games often go unnoticed, especially within the indie segment"
Price Is Right
Update: Nintendo to lower the cost of Joy-Cons in the US
They will cost $39.99
Publishing Programme
JoyPac launches HyperFuel to aid in developing hypercasual titles
"The idea behind HyperFuel is to replicate the kind of hands-on input and access to resources that accelerators are so good at"
Machine Smarts
Vungle adapts to post-IDFA era with acquisition of automated UA platform AlgoLift
Taking a probabilistic approach
Going Public
Roblox confidentially moves forward with IPO plans
Still to determine if it is a traditional IPO or direct listing
"progressive Strides"
Com2uS purchases Out of the Park Developments
"We expect OOTP to become a key part of our officially-licensed sports management product lineup"
Alleged Assault
Pro Splatoon player faces allegations of sexual assault on a minor
Tokyo-based team Creatives cuts ties with player
Master The Meta
Master the Meta: Why Genshin Impact is far more important than you think
This week, Master the Meta focuses down on the huge success of Genshin Impact
It's Mario
Super Mario 3D All-Stars tops the monthly charts with physical sales alone
Across the Middle East, Asia, Europe and Africa
Surf The Web
Gizer launches its esports service on the web
"A mobile browser was a natural progression for our service. Our goal has always been focused around convenience"
Development Aid
Two Hands Games joins N3twork's NSP with Champion Strike
The programme was launched earlier this year
To Battle!
Lion Studios launches its first co-developed title Ancient Battle
"Looking beyond hyper-casual, we worked closely with Mandrill VR on Ancient Battle to create a game that really stands out"
Make An Impact
Genshin Impact racks up $100 million in under two weeks
"Without a doubt the most successful launch for an original IP from a Chinese dev"
Unreal Protection
US judge part grants and part denies Epic's injunction against Apple
There is "potential for significant and serious ramifications for Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft and their video game platforms"
Discount Ends
Event double combo prices rise at midnight - save now on Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #4 and G-STAR Global Game Exhibition 2020
PGC Early Bird offer ends and G-STAR’s ticket prices double - TONIGHT! Save 20% with our joint package deal
The Living Dead
Donut Lab raises $1.6 million for Kids vs Zombies
“It’s for those who want to feel like kids again"
Blocked
Pakistan blocks TikTok due to "immoral" and "indecent" clips
"We are hopeful to reach a conclusion that helps us serve the country's vibrant and creative online community"
This Week In Asia
This Week in Asia: Genshin Impact generates $60m in revenue while Voodoo preps to launch titles in China
Our collection of the latest news and stories from Asia
For Equality
Employees speak out about systematic sexism, racism and abuse at Twitch
Streaming platform denies the allegations levelled against it
Speaker Spotlight
Speaker Spotlight: Cheesecake Digital CEO on the benefits of industry volunteering
"It is a great way to network, learn new skills and understand more about the industry."
It's Mario
Super Mario 3D All-Stars was Japan's best-selling game in September
Switch games accounted for 79.2 per cent of all games sales
Myappfree
MyAppFree lets you promote games and acquire users for free
The latest feature introduced by MyAppFree lets developers boost their installs while performing link building and branding activities at the same time
Back And Forth
The US government is contending TikTok's temporary protection
The app should have been banned last month