Funding News
Krafton leads investment round in India studio Deftouch to scale King and develop new games
Krafton India co-led the round alongside T-accelerate Capital and Lumikai Fund
Investment News
UMX Studio secures $4.5 million investment from Jetapult to expand portfolio
Funding will "accelerate" developer's expansion in Saudi Arabia
Podcast | Episode 32
Breaking down Google Play's Judgement Day | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and and what's inside this week's episode 32...
Microsoft Triumph
Xbox Android app will start game sales next month
Players can use Xbox Cloud Gaming to stream titles they've purchased
Layoff News
Zynga subsidiary NaturalMotion facing layoffs in the UK and US
NaturalMotion does not expect any service disruptions for players during the transition and will support affected employees
Funding News
UAE-based Web3 gaming startup PiP World lands $10 million in seed funding
The startup is combining video games, education, and Web3 technology to provide a platform for improving financial literacy
Music Mobile Magic
Amanotes Embraces Hybrid-Casual Movement to Enhance User Experience and Drive Growth
Music-based mobile game developer Amanotes is making a major strategic shift towards developing hybrid-casual games - with it's first new releases already underway
Loads Of Layoffs
Roblox’s branded experience maker Talewind hit with "significant" layoffs
Talewind claims to be in the top 0.01% of monetised Roblox creators
Developers Contest
Curve Games and Unity launch $10,000 Human Fall Flat design challenge in China
Participants are invited to design new levels for the Human Fall Flat franchise
Konami Collab
Konami signs FIFA deal for FIFAe World Cups featuring eFootball
Competitions will be held on console and mobile to crown the first champions of this inaugural collab
Global Expansion
OpenAI expands globally with new offices in Paris, NYC and Singapore
This is in addition to the company's existing offices in London, Tokyo, San Francisco and Dublin
Pgc Helsinki
PG Connects Helsinki 2024 - one of our biggest and best Finnish editions yet!
More than 1,300 games industry attendees from over 50 countries
Job Losses
Co-development outfit Kokku lays off staff at Portugal studio
Portugal office will remain in operation; Brazil team unaffected
Spanish Startup
EF Games is hiring developers and artists in Europe following Krafton investment
The startup is currently developing a competitive multiplayer title
Reunion Revealed
Humble Games partners with its laid off ex-employees at Good Games Group
Former general manager Alan Patmore and global publishing VP Mark Nash are at the new publisher’s helm
Mena Market
MENA start-ups secure $1.3 billion despite investment decline
Funding activity has remained "relatively resilient" despite the decline in investments
Big Tech Breakup?
US mulls Google breakup in antitrust case
Tech giant labels DOJ proposals as "radical" and "government overreach"
Researching Roblox
Roblox accused of conflating metrics and inflating engagement hours by 100%
Hindenburg Research alleges that Roblox’s reported playtimes are skewed by "millions" of bots
No Longer Welcome
Turkey blocks Discord in latest social platform ban
"We are determined to protect our youth and children from the harmful publications of social media"
Building Worlds
Third Dimension raises $6.9m towards generative AI 3D world builder
The tool is being designed for locations real and imaginary, for films, the military and video games
Adaptation Ahoy
Fishing RPG Dredge set for iOS mobile release as rights confusion delays Google Play pre-registrations
"Google doesn't believe we own the rights to our own game"
Studio Startup
Krafton invests in Mario + Rabbids and Red Dead Redemption veterans at Day 4 Night
The new studio is developing an original IP combining the expertise of Davide Soliani, Christian Cantamessa and others
Funding News
Queensland indie studios secure $1.3 million in latest Games Grants funding round
This latest funding will support 12 games and an additional 40 positions for local developers
Big Plans Ahead
Scopely plans major acquisition next year
“I hope that we announce at least one megadeal," said Scopely's chief revenue officer Tim O’Brien
Bolstering Buddies
Clout Kitchen raises $4.45m towards League of Legends AI "buddies"
The Backseat AI service offers real-time insight to users seeking to improve their gameplay
Mixed Messaging
Saudi Arabia cuts Nintendo stake despite suggestions it could increase it
As of June, Saudi Arabia's PIF owned 8.58% of Nintendo, which is now down to 7.54%
Book Now
Save up to $175 on Pocket Gamer Connects Jordan - ends THURSDAY!
Mid Term prices end at midnight
Ruling Regulation
Epic beats Google: Play Store must allow third-party app store distribution in US
Starting November 1st, 2024, Google must allow distribution of rival stores from its own
Epic Enhancements
Fortnite maker "financially sound" as Epic Games Store hits 70 million monthly active users
Fortnite reached "all-time peak" of 110 million MAUs last holiday, says Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney
Riding The Waves
Wuthering Waves coasts to $150 million
The Shorekeeper’s release helps surge revenue, but a monthly decline is yet to overturn
Layoffs
Antstream makes redundancies in company's retro gaming division
The company attributed the reductions to a "strategic shift in focus internally"
Share Surge
Ubisoft shares soar 36% as speculation swirls over buyout
Open-world adventures and GaaS games are top priorities for the publisher
Funding News
OpenAI gets $4 billion credit line just days after $6.6 billion funding round
The company now has the flexibility to invest in new initiatives
Gamathon Takeaways
5 takeaways from Gamathon 24: Africa's youthful game makers shine, big tech takes notice, but monetisation struggles persist
The six day event highlighted the games industry in Africa through video game showcases and insightful panel sessions
Podcast | Episode 31
The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2024 revealed! Plus takeaways from PGC Helsinki | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and and what's inside this week's episode 31...
More Sims On Mobile
The Sims Labs: Town Stories appears on the Google Play store
The Sims Mobile and The Sims FreePlay are about to be joined by a third mobile title
Ubisoft Buyout
Tencent and Guillemot family considering a buyout of Ubisoft
The news has already seen Ubisoft shares rise after previously reaching significant lows
Investment
Finnish developer Future Run secures second round of investment led by Supercell
The funds will go towards the continued development of the studio's cross-platform title Riot Ball
Ugc Games
RIVRS raises €4 million to fuel its user generated content creations
The funds will see more games developed for Roblox, Fortnite and Minecraft
One Special Day
The mobile games industry comes together for SpecialEffect's One Special Day
Various mobile studios such as Sybo, Supercell and Rovio will contribute to the fundraiser
Ai Funds
OpenAI raises $6.6 billion making it one of the most valuable companies in the world
The AI and research development company is most widely known for its ChatGPT service
Premium Power
Balatro approaches $1 million in seven days on mobile
Solo developer LocalThunk released a mobile adaptation of the popular card game on September 26th
Pocket Palworld
Krafton’s PUBG Studios set to "faithfully reinterpret" Palworld as a mobile game
The monster battler’s expansion plans continue despite Pokémon lawsuit
Mobile Motorsports
EA veterans form The Three Thousands intersecting motorsports, pop culture and mobile
The Melbourne-based startup combines decades of experience in the games industry
Archero Arrival
Hybridcasual hitmaker Habby launches Archero 2 pitting players against the Lone Archer
There are currently 50 main chapters and 1,250 Sky Tower floors to play through
Number One
Monopoly Go developer Scopely takes the number one spot in the Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2024
Developer has a string of top titles in its portfolio, including Stumble Guys, Star Trek Fleet Command and Marvel Strike Force
Store Expansion
MY.GAMES and Flexion partner to bring War Robots to alternative app stores
The decade-old title will seek new audiences on Samsung Galaxy Store, Huawei App Gallery and more
Store Strategy
Unreal Engine royalty fee reducing to 3.5% for games landing on Epic Games Store on launch day
Epic Games is making moves to flesh out its store with more brand-new games
Web Shops
Driving 25% of mobile game players to a web shop can lead to 8% increase in profitability
Nexus CEO Justin Sacks and FastSpring CMO David Vogelpohl discuss the top tips and benefits for making a D2C strategy work
Ip Impact
Devolver Digital’s new publishing label Big Fan Games to deliver popular IPs to indie devs
Partners already include Disney, Dark Horse Comics, Rebellion, Lionsgate and HBO