Mental Health
New study claims mobile apps can help treat anxiety and depression
The study used data from Litesprite’s beta test of Sinasprite to determine the effectiveness of mobile games in combating mental health issues
Impact
New mobile RPG Honkai Impact 3rd racks up 35 million downloads
Players who download the game will earn launch rewards and bonuses throughout April
Heading East
Mobile game blockchain distribution platform ALAX opens Hong Kong office
Set for token-based fundraiser on April 17th to 23rd
Big Indie Pitch
What The Golf? takes the crown at this year’s Big Indie Pitch at GDC 2018
Take a look at the winners from the Big Indie Pitch at GDC 2018
Studio Expansion
Keywords expands North America HQ in Montreal
Services provider continues rapid growth
Instant Gaming
Chat app gaming: Let us know what you think
We're on the look out for article submissions and interview opportunities
Holding Down The Fort
Epic brings down Fortnite for emergency maintenance
Players complained about login issues across mobile, PC and console
Jobs News
Ex-PocketGamer.biz features editor Matt Suckley joins Flaregames as junior PR manager
"I'm thrilled to begin my career in PR with Flaregames"
You What?
Tencent introduces social credit score system to combat cheaters and reward good behaviour
Game Credit currently only available to Chinese users
Boycotted
Report: China still refuses to license new South Korean-developed games
Tensions originated with South Korea’s THAAD missile defence system which led to China’s unofficial license boycott
Rewarded
More rewarded ad conversions lead to higher user engagement, retention and spend
Tapjoy’s latest report finds that the more rewarded ads a player completes in their first two weeks the better the results
Instant Gaming
Tencent opens up WeChat mini-games platform to external devs
Chinese publisher expects significant share of sales
Looking East
Unity to open Centre of Innovation for games developers in Malaysia
Tech firm will team up with Malaysia’s Digital Economy Corporation to open the facility
Going Public
Chinese livestreaming platform Huya files for $200m IPO in US
But no date set
Exec Shake-up
Rovio’s investor relations chief exits
Ville Heijari named CEO of Rovio Entertainment Corporation
Education
Chinese developer NetDragon buys online learning community Edmodo for $138 million
Deal paid via a combination of cash and shares of an affiliated education company
Crack Down
South Korea’s FTC deals out fines to Nexon, Netmarble and NextFloor over misleading loot box promotions
Nexon Korea hit by $887,000 penalty
New Digs
Netmarble to set up shop in Los Angeles with new US office
The move will put the studio closer to partner Walt Disney and its Marvel Entertainment and Lucasfilm subsidiaries
Cancelled
Armada Interactive cancels debut strategy game Quantum Siege
The title had been in soft launch since May 29th 2017
Doors Open
Habbo Hotel developer opens new MMORPG Hotel Hideaway on iOS and Android
Studio to bring AR functionality using Apple’s ARKit in spring
Investment News
New VC fund Altered Ventures plots $36 million investment focusing on emerging markets
Fund works by revenue share, rather than equity stake
Weekly Charts
Weekly UK App Store charts: Fortnite stays on top ahead of PUBG Mobile
Rankings from March 26th to April 1st 2018
Rad
The Witness developer Thekla puts up $100k for underrepresented developers
RAD Game Tools' Jeff Roberts matched the initial $50k to double the prize pool
Developer Survey
Mobile Games Developer Trends Spring 2018: Augmented reality and real-time strategy a focus for devs
What's hot and what's not in the mobile games industry
Event
Refereum, Reality Clash, Lucid Sight and more to speak at Blockchain Gamer Connects San Francisco 2018
Hear the latest trends, technology and techniques from the people that are driving blockchain tech forwards
M&a
Keywords expands audio services with three acquisitions
Spending spree continues
Job Losses
AdColony cuts senior staff as it eyes profitability
Further redundancies at mobile ads firm
Royal Flush
Social casino developer KamaGames racks up 100 million players
App Store proves more lucrative than Google Play
Partners In Education
Tencent partners with Age of Learning to bring ABCmouse English curriculum to China
Consists of more than 5,000 learning activities, including games, puzzles and books
Acquisition News
AppScatter to acquire mobile app intelligence platform Priori Data in $19m deal
Purchase expected to be completed by May 15th 2018
Pg Connects
Niantic Superstar Session at Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco
Ross Finman will reveal the company’s plans for AR and how it will build on breakout hit Pokemon GO
Sky’s The Limit
The Walking Dead’s Skybound launches games publishing division
Skybound Games will debut with The Long Dark and Slime Rancher in September 2018
Skilled
Mobile esports company Skillz doubles revenue to $200 million run-rate in less than nine months
Revenue run-rate up by 125 per cent thanks in-part to player involvement in over one million tournaments per day
Cash Royale
Fortnite Mobile pulled in over $15 million in 20 days
The battle royale games daily revenue tripled after the game was made launched fully on iOS
Equal Pay
UKIE and TIGA call for UK games companies to take proactive steps over gender pay gap figures
UKIE and TIGA say that now is the time for companies to act on the clear disparity in their work force
Clone Dinner
PUBG developer sues NetEase over mobile 'clones' Rules of Survival and Knives Out
Lawsuit demands removal of titles
Big Screen To Small Screen
Dame Maggie Smith, Warwick Davis and Michael Gambon star in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
Game set for April 25th launch
Joining The Band
Publishing giant Netmarble picks up stake in K-pop label Big Hit Entertainment for $190m
Becomes the second largest shareholder
Shrinking Marketplace
Google Play continues to grow while number of App Store releases shrinks for the first time
There were 755,000 titles released on iOS in 2017, a drop of 29 per cent
Gender Pay Gap
UK games companies reveal gender pay gap
New figures show men earning more than women
Job Losses
Twitch lays off staff as company restructures
But firm claims it still wants to grow its headcount overall
State Of Mobile Fraud
Mobile app fraud reached up to $800 million in Q1 2018
New AppsFlyer report claims $103 million of games earnings exposed during quarter
Partnership
PerBlue tapped for Disney Heroes: Battle Mode mobile RPG
Title part of Disney's new mobile strategy
Money Pot
Makers Fund raises $200 million to invest in interactive entertainment industry
Group has already invested in Bossa, SuperData, TinyBuild, Genvid and more
Something Of Value
Big Fish Casino constitutes “illegal gambling”, rules US federal appeals court
Case set to rumble on after victory for the plaintiff
Co-op
Crunchyroll launches its first anime-based mobile game Memoria Freese in the West
Company has partnered with Gree and Sumitomo Corporation for release
Group Up
China’s Shanda Games invests $9.4 million in Kakao Games
Kakao Games received a $131.6 million investment from multiple investors in February
Settlement Reality
Niantic settles Pokemon Go Fest class action lawsuit for $1.6 million
Attendees can claim for airfares, hotel expenses, parking fees and more
Esports Royale
World's top esports teams flock to Supercell's Clash Royale League
$1 million World Finals takes place at the end of the year
Kitted Out
ARKit-powered apps break 13 million downloads in six months
Games count for almost half of AR apps