Investment
Modern Times Group increases its investment in InnoGames
"We already have a successful long-term relationship with MTG"
Ninten-no
Nintendo puts a stop to Joy-Con charity campaign
"Etikons" were being sold in memory of YouTuber Desmond "Etika" Amofah
You're A Wizard
Wizard Games secures investment from Tencent
The exact figure was not disclosed
Podium Finnish
Chip Ganassi Racing teams up with Skillz for mobile title
“Partnering with Skillz is an amazing opportunity to engage our fans with immersive digital experiences"
Staying Digital
Epic is not hosting physical Fortnite events next year
"Our priority for any such event is the health and safety of our players and staff"
Your Next Event
Save the date! Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #5 launches February 8-12
Kick off the new year with a bang and don’t miss your chance to connect with the global games industry as we go 100% online once more!
Be Inclusive
Twitch removes "blind playthrough" tag to encourage more inclusive language
"You can still use 'First Playthrough' or opt to use it in combination with 'No Spoilers' for the same sentiment"
Investment
My.Games invests in three more mobile studios
Appyfurious, Purple Games and AppLife
See You In Court
Activision sues Netflix over the "poaching" of CFO Spencer Neumann
This is not the first time Netflix has been sued due to employees
Money Money Money
Bombay secures $1 million in funding from Lumikai
"Lumikai's investment is a great validation for us, given the fund's sector focus and expertise"
Regeneration
Doctor Who: Worlds Apart launches its first digital item sale
Reality Gaming's blockchain project materialises
Bring The War
Sony teams with Epic to bring Kratos to Fortnite
Available on all platforms
Takin' Care Of Business
Mobile Games Jobs Weekly: Kolibri hires new VP of marketing, Phoenix Labs expands, and Salesforce snaps up Slack
The movers, shakers and job opportunities in mobile gaming
Farewell
Casey Hudson and Mark Darrah depart BioWare
The duo are the latest high profile departures from the EA studio
Talking Heads
Learn from Ubisoft, Bandai Namco, King and Recontact Games at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #5
Who’s speaking at the next Pocket Gamer Connects Digital conference? Revealed: the first set of confirmed contributors for your first conference of 2021 (February 8-12)
Money Money Money
Cross-platform modding service Mod.io raises $4m
Firm plans to use this to improve its platform
Splash The Cash
Games acquisitions this year hit a value of $19.24 billion in November
The most expensive was the deal between Microsoft and ZeniMax
Come One Come All
Enrolment begins for Apple's Small Business Program
"Designed to accelerate innovation and help propel your small business forward with the next generation of groundbreaking apps"
Money Money Money
Publishers earning below $1m account for 2% of App Store games revenue
89.8 per cent of companies earn below $100,000
Tick Tock
US government to appeal to ban TikTok will take place on December 14th
It will be able to offer verbal evidence
Behind Bars
Nintendo hacker gets hit with a three-year prison sentence
He was also convicted for child pornography
Investment
Mixi becomes the latest firm to invest in Genies
"We are looking to build platforms that enrich communication through the power of entertainment and technology"
Looking Out
Imperia Online on the lookout for new games
Company CBDO Mariela Tzvetanova on the benefits of acquisition
Reminder
The next PocketGamer.biz RoundTable session takes place TODAY!
It's free to register, get in here!
Getting Competitive
Microsoft acquires esports events firm Smash.gg
No figure put on the deal yet
Growing Market
The Asia-10 market will have 826 million gamers by 2024
It is expected to generate $42 billion in 2024
Entering China
Roblox given the go ahead to enter China
42 games have been given a government license
Just Be Casual
Gismart prepares to enter the casual games market
"We have put together a great team. Some of the team has been working at Gismart for a while"
Shoot Some Hoops
GreenPark Sports forms partnership with NBA and secures $14m in funding
"It's a huge honour to have an organization like the NBA' buy-in' to our vision for the Future of Fandom"
Come One Come All
Tappx's headcount has grown by 60% since March 2020
“Tappx is delighted that its business model, consultative service and proprietary technologies have been in steady demand since the start of the coronavirus pandemic"
Welcome Aboard
Kolibri Games hires Paul Le Bas as its new VP of marketing
"I am thrilled to join this talented team"
Expansion
Phoenix Labs expands as it opens new studios in Montreal and Los Angeles
"We aspire to bring joy and delight to players for years to come by providing developers with a long-term home to create the world's most compelling gaming experiences"
I Need A Hero
Fortnite sees a record 15.3 million players at the end of its Marvel event
3.4 million people watched on Twitch and YouTube
Hybrid Event
The Games Gathering Conference goes live from tomorrow
The Games Gathering team have made their conference a live and online hybrid event following their previous event in the summer.
Rob0
rob0: What is it and how can it help playtest a mobile game?
Learn how rob0's platform can aid in arduous game testing
No Slacking
Salesforce picks up Slack for $27.7 billion
Part of an on-going bid to compete with Microsoft
Going Mobile
Krafton consolidates Pnix and Delusion Studio to form RisingWings
The new studio will focus on casual and midcore mobile games
Going Mobile
Mobile is the primary platform for developers in the UK
"Mobile remains the most popular platform for UK games studios, but the proportion of UK development studios focused primarily on this category has been steadily falling"
What A Sneak
Apple names Sneaky Sasquatch as Apple Arcade Game of the Year
Genshin Impact picked up iPhone Game of the Year
High Impact
Genshin Impact generates nearly $400 million in two months
It has averaged $6 million a day
Money Money Money
Bigger Games secures $6 million in seed funding
"Exceptional culture is a must to create a global success story, and we are committed to creating this culture with exceptional people"
Going Virtual
Omdia: Consumers will spend $3.2bn on VR this year
This figure set to triple by 2025
Spinning Around
Second Sonic movie enters production next year
From March 15th to May 10th
New Acquisition
Enad Global 7 acquires Mechwarrior creator Piranha
Firm says this will "significantly strengthen" its "development capacity in Canada"
233
233 Playground - the first step for your game in China
MetaApp's platform can help you navigate publishing hurdles in Asia
Ninten-yay
Universal Studios Japan is opening its Nintendo attraction on February 4th
It could still be pushed by due to COVID
Wanna Play
More US consumers over the age of 45 are playing games
"This year, video games is one of the most consistent growth categories in terms of overall participation and investment relative to 2019"
High Impact
Genshin Impact takes home the Best Game accolade at the Google Play Awards
It is also nominated for Mobile Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2020
Check Those Ads
Over 46 per cent of mobile games devs see immersive in-game ads as a key opportunity
"If gamers can't or won't actively spend on in-game content, advertising is the best method of generating revenue"
Money Money Money
Mobile games revenue hit $6.5 million on Black Friday 2020
The best ever day for mobile games revenue