Growing Market
Scottish games industry experiences 17 per cent growth across 18 months
"Scotland represents the fourth largest games cluster in the UK"
Financials
Rovio sees a drop in revenue as it generates $79.3 million in Q3 2020
"As a result of the moderate level of UA investment and stable games revenues, the profitability continued to be at a high level and improved significantly year-on-year"
Come One Come All
Activision Blizzard hiring for over 2k staff following 800 layoffs last year
CEO Kotick says it needs more employees to help meet its production demand
Sponsored
Best practices for growing your video game in Thailand
Mobile accounts for 69% of SEA’s overall video game revenues
Pgc Digital
Take a dive into hypercasual and social games at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #4
One of 16 featured tracks
Takin' Care Of Business
Mobile Games Jobs Weekly: Starbreeze CEO steps down, Niantic jobs aplenty, and Annapurna Interactive opens new LA studio
The movers, shakers and job opportunities in mobile gaming
Yodo1
Turn your hobby into a business with Yodo1’s newly released AdHawk
Any game developer can receive custom-made recommendations to improve their mobile game monetisation strategy
Popping Off
Microsoft is shutting down Gears Pop in April 2021
Refunds will be offered for purchased made in the last 90 days
Financials
Activision Blizzard had a great third quarter with $1.95 billion in net revenues
"Our teams continue to execute our growth plans with excellence during incredibly challenging circumstances"
Speaker Spotlight
Speaker Spotlight: IDGA's Renee Gittins' advice on how to break into the games industry
PGC Digital #4 kicks off November 9th
Going Mobile
Mobile gaming on the rise as 70 per cent of gamers are playing more than before
People aged 18-to-34 are the most likely to play games
Set Up Shop
Annapurna Interactive opens new internal dev studio in Los Angeles
"Many of us came from an internal development background and are excited to make this a part of Annapurna Interactive moving forward"
Pgc Picks
PGC Digital #4 - our editor's picks on unmissable content
PGC Digital #4 takes place November 9th - 13th
Handy App
The new PlayStation app rolls out today
A range of features to enhance user experience
Gain Valuable Knowledge
The IGDA Mentor Café returns for Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #4 - sign up now!
Industry leaders share their knowledge and expertise in short sessions during November's online only conference
Thumbs Up
Ogury releases a non-fullscreen ad option known as thumbnail ad for mobile devices
“We’re passionate about this new ad format for its non-intrusive, user-friendly nature and ability to increase user retention"
Pgc Digital
Discover the best ways to monetise your games at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #4
One of 16 featured tracks
Automated App Ads
Automated App Ads delivers performance at scale with powerful machine learning
As gaming audiences become more diverse, it’s not just about who’s playing, but how and why they play as well
Mistplay
Mistplay, the disruptive new startup shaking up Appsflyer's Performance Index
Mistplay, which describes itself as "the ultimate loyalty platform for Android gamers," commands the attention of millions of players in over a dozen different countries
Swing And A Miss
Rovio scraps Angry Birds Tennis following unsuccessful soft launch period
Free-to-play sports title will no longer be developed
Going Virtual
SuperData: Oculus quest was the best-selling VR headset last quarter
Investment in VR and AR firms will hit $915 million this year
New Acquisition
Stillfront acquires indie dev Everguild Limited
In a deal worth $1.37 million
Speaker Spotlight
Speaker Spotlight: Industry vet Ariella Lehrer on 35 years in games
PGC Digital #4 kicks off November 9th
A Lot Of Loot
Netherlands Gambling Authority charges EA $5.86m over FIFA loot boxes
But the publishing giant plans to appeal the decision
Tag!
GameRefinery rolls out automatic tagging for over 100,000 iOS games
"This latest automated tagging feature ensures that GameRefinery can provide its customers with even richer insight and data on a scale yet to be seen in the mobile games industry"
Discount Ends
LAST CHANCE to save on Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #4 before tickets revert to full price - book now!
Time is running out! Don’t miss out on your last chance to save on November’s digital conference - discount ends at midnight tonight!
High Impact
Genshin Impact has hit $245 million in player spending on mobile
The biggest launch of a mobile RPG in the US
Breathe It In
Apex Legends delayed on Nintendo Switch, may impact mobile
"This year has brought on unexpected new challenges"
Pgc Digital
Get fully equipped with The Developer Toolkit at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #4
One of 16 featured tracks
Mena Market
Celebrate the fast-growing Middle East and North African games industry at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #4
Explore the fastest growing domestic market in the games industry with the Jordan Gaming Lab and the King Abdullah II Fund for Development
Switch It Up
Fenyx Immortals Rising, Bravely Default II, Hitman III, Control and more are coming to Nintendo Switch
Announced as part of the final 2020 Nintendo Direct Mini: Partners Showcase
Shooting Hoops
Netmarble partners with the NBA and NBPA for new mobile game
"We could not be more thrilled to partner with such esteemed organizations as the NBA and NBPA for our first Western-developed game"
Find The Imposter
Among Us is facing attacks on mobile
Innocent players are being booted from the game
Speaker Spotlight
Speaker Spotlight: Gamma Law's David Hoppe on the current legal issues in esports
PGC Digital #4 kicks off on November 9th
Money Money Money
Scopely raises $340 million in Series E funding
“We’re proud to have built Scopely to be a significantly profitable business with a strong balance sheet driven by the success of each game in our diverse portfolio"
Take A Breath
Brightlobe launches mobile title Kai's Sanctuary to help children fight mental health
"Early data showed that children's mental health was worsening, so we proposed a game-based solution to address this crisis"
Fast Show
Fueled by hypercasual boom, BoomBit surpasses 800 million downloads
Ramp Car Jump leads the way
Check Those Ads
Anzu partners with Virtuverse for non-intrusive in-game ads
"Gamers won’t tolerate disruption anymore so we created a solution that works for them, game developers, and advertisers"
Find Your Next Job
Look for the next step in your career at Games Jobs Live taking place alongside Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #4
Sign up to the dedicated recruitment event and hear from games industry companies who are looking to add to their team
Talking Heads
Ubisoft, King Abdullah II Fund for Development, Play 3arabi, EA, and GameAnalytics all confirmed to speak at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #4
Revealed: the final set of speakers for the fourth online-only conference in the series, this November 9-13
Welcome Aboard
Chimera Entertainment hires Peter Clauson as its first-ever narrative designer
"With the direction we are taking at Chimera, the role of a Narrative Designer is key to level up our creative powers"
Pgc Digital
Get clued up with Game Maker Insights Pocket Gamer Connects #4
One of 16 featured tarcks
Catch Em All
Pokémon Go celebrates Pokémon Journeys: The Series with new in-game event
The Animation Week 2020 event will take place from November 6th to November 12th
Farewell
Starbreeze CEO Nermark steps down with immediate effect
To be replaced by acting CEO Tobias Sjögren
On The Rise
The Swedish games industry saw revenues of $2.21 billion in 2019
The number of jobs rose by 8% to 8,578
Spinning Around
Crash Bandicoot: On the Run will hit mobile devices in Spring 2021
Pre-registrations open on iOS and Android
Crossing The Streams
Game streaming revenues in China set to skyrocket to $4.5bn following platform merger
Huya and DouYu's merger agreement will create a streaming behemoth
That's Pretty Epic
Fortnite has "many years" to go with its Marvel storyline
"We're only three years into an arc we have way planned out"
Pgc Digital
Uncover Incredible Indies at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #4
One of 16 featured tracks
Master The Meta
Master the Meta: Why Playrix’s misleading ads finally got banned
This week, the MTM dissects the ASA's decision to ban Playrix ads