Get Teh Facts
Newzoo furthers its games engagement insights
"The games business is moving at such a rapid pace that it's increasingly difficult for brands and game publishers to keep up with and understand what is driving trends"
See You In Court
Facebook hit with a lawsuit from most of the US
Could be forced to sell Instagram and WhatsApp
A Better Place
Over 80 per cent of Zynga mobile gamers play to escape reality
"Our passionate community of players have built deep, long-lasting connections"
Swish
2K launches NBA SuperCard globally as WWE SuperCard crosses 21 million installs
Announcements made ahead of studio's 25th anniversary in 2021
Acquisition
Rollic buys mobile puzzler Onnect from Chef Game Studio
"We are proud to be a part of the rapidly expanding games community in Turkey"
Cod Tops Lot
The Game Awards 2020 mobile nominees revenue and downloads revealed
How do the top games stack up against one another?
Switch It Up
Nintendo beats PlayStation and Xbox as it shifts 1.3 million Switch's in China this year
"When compared to Microsoft and Sony, Nintendo has the best chance to seize the China market"
Incredible Indies
Perfect for indies: FREE opportunities for independent developers at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #5
Fantastic opportunities to network, learn and pitch await indie developers at the next Pocket Gamer Connects Digital conference, connecting them with the global games industry
Best Behaviour
Twitch updates hateful conduct and harassment policies
Comes into effect on January 22nd
Building Up
Gardenscapes beats out local heroes Everyone’s Marble and Anipang in Korean puzzle market
Crunching the data with App Annie
Team Work
Lab Cave teams with 11 bit studios for Moonlighter on iOS
The company will offer post-launch support
Money Money Money
Aglet raises $4.5 million in seed funding
"We seek to be the 'metaverse for commerce' where online and offline consumption experiences fuse together"
Legends Die Young
Update: Angry Birds Legends plucked from development
Rovio will close servers in February 2021
Building Up
Minecraft racks up the most views of any game on YouTube in 2020
It had 201 billion views
Talking Heads
Discover games business advice from Wizards of the Coast, Marvel Entertainment, Microsoft and Imperia Online at Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #5
What can YOU learn from the very best games industry experts? The latest confirmed speakers for the next Pocket Gamer Connects Digital conference includes some of the biggest companies in the business
In The Clouds
Project xCloud is coming to iOS devices in Spring 2021
It will also enter new markets such as Japan, Brazil, Australia and Mexico
Welcome Aboard
Sega veteran Clark moves from Tencent to Curve Digital
Takes on the CEO position after just a year at the Chinese giant
Money Money Money
Honor of Kings was the top-grossing mobile title in November 2020
Followed by PUBG Mobile and Genshin Impact
Big Year
Consumer spending on mobile hit $112 billion in 2020
$81 billion came from games
Welcome Aboard
Ubisoft hires Raashi Sikka as VP of global diversity and inclusion
"We are committed to making Ubisoft a more inclusive and diverse company"
Podium Finish
Modern Times Group acquires mobile studio Hutch
"Hutch is a true front-runner, responsible for some of the most successful titles in the fast-growing mobile racing category"
Event
CGC | DAPP takes place tomorrow, make sure you sign up now!
CGC | DAPP is the sixth installment of and a brand-new addition to the vigorous CGC events series which takes place on December 10th to 11th
Let's Get Creative
Facebook Gaming launches Black Gaming Creator Program
To support Black creators on its platform
All The Games
The US games industry accounts for $90.3 billion of economic output
"The statistics in this detailed report reinforce the significant impact video games have on the U.S. economy, including jobs creation and providing family-sustaining wages in wide array of careers"
Tick Tock
Second US Judge protects TikTok from Trump administration
The decision can be appealed on December 14th
Event Latest
Meet and learn from companies like King, Microsoft, Facebook, DICE and more - here’s what you can expect from Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #5
Europe’s biggest mobile B2B games industry conference kicks off 2021 with a week-long online conference full of talks, pitches and networking
Score!
Garena Free Fire partners with Cristiano Ronaldo
"This is a really significant partnership for Free Fire"
Around The World
Google releases Stadia in eight European countries, including Poland and Portugal
"All new Stadia users can also get one free month of Stadia Pro"
Too Much Drift
Nine EU countries team up to investigate Joy-Con drift issues
"We are making the call because we are receiving signals that the Switch is not going to last as long as consumers might expect"
Money Money Money
New studio Core Loop secures $2.4 million
“We want to have something that is easier for players to enjoy and have fun whether they are spenders or not"
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