New Partnerships
Xsolla partners with StarNest to launch game development academy in Azerbaijan
Xsolla is also considering establishing its regional headquarters in Baku
Esports Growth
PUBG Mobile commits $10 million to 2025 Esports circuit prize pool
Next year's event will feature over 20 tournaments across various regions
Podcast | Episode 39
Mobile's hot new releases and the loot box investigation unpacked | 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 39...
Mena Market
UAE leads MENA start-up investments in November with $146m across 11 deals
Saudi Arabia followed with 23 startups raising $94 million
Ubisoft Buyout
Tencent and Ubisoft in talks over potential management-led buyout
The PUBG publisher also aims to block hostile takeovers as it awaits the family’s agreement
Pocket Gamer Awards
Pocket Gamer Awards 2024 winners revealed
Ceremony celebrates the top mobile games this year, as voted for by the community, across 20 categories
Acqusitions
Reforged Studios acquires South Africa’s Yellow Lab Games
Yellow Lab Games will continue operating independently
New Studio
PTW opens new studio in Charleston
The company said the new studio will feature “state-of-the-art" facilities for next-gen testing
Ai In Games
Google’s AI Genie 2 brings images to life by transforming them into playable 3D worlds
“Games play a key role in the world of artificial intelligence research”
Milestone
Block Blast! surges past 40m daily active users
The game has garnered over 200m downloads since its launch in 2021
Funding News
Cyprus-based studio Top App Games secures $10m funding
The studio aims to launch new mobile titles and explore new genres
Royal Revenue
Royal Kingdom makes $2.4m in 14 days, quadrupling Royal Match’s early earnings
The US market has spent almost $1.1 million in two weeks
Lawsuit
Apple faces £785 million UK lawsuit over App Store commissions
The UK Competition Appeal Tribunal has allowed the suit to proceed
Nikki Now
Infinity Nikki launches today as series’ first cross-platform game
Infold Games’ franchise has grown from dress-up origins to "cosy" open-world adventure
Indefinite Delay
Nintendo delays Alarmo clock public sales in Japan
Non-Nintendo Switch Online subscribers will have to wait before purchasing the alarm clock
Investment News
Fortnite UGC studio Creators Corp gets $2 million investment from Lumina
The team has developed over 15 games and boasts over 220m active users
Pgc London
Early Bird prices end tomorrow for PG Connects London
Save up to £350 AND stack a double discount with a further 20% off for Cyber Monday!
Expansion Plans
In-game advertising firm Gadsme opens first US office
Company looks to expand in the US and Europe with new branch and multiple hires
Plagiarism Accusations
NetEase's Onmyoji accuses HoYoVerse of plagiarism over trailer similarities
The new Honkai: Star Rail's latest Sunday update is set to release today
New Partnerships
Nazara and Lysto pen Letter of Intent to launch The Growth Protocol
New initiative designed for digital marketing and growth applications on the blockchain
Eco-conscious Gaming
Demi Lovato partners with PlanetPlay to raise funds for reforestation and ocean conservation
Fans can access exclusive Demi Lovato avatars in games like Subway Surfers, Love & Pies and more throughout this month
Pgc London
Revealed: The 31 conference tracks making January's PG Connects London an unmissable event
All-new innovative tracks join familiar favourites and evergreen essentials at the two-day games industry conference this January 20th and 21st
Pocket Gamer Awards
Limited tickets remain for Pocket Gamer Awards this Friday! Secure your spot
Last chance: register for the Pocket Gamer Awards live ceremony and party in London on 6 December 2024
Funding News
Playgama lands $3 million to simplify HTML5 game distribution
The company is building a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) ecosystem which includes access to various distributors and platforms
Resilient Growth
Apple's App Store ecosystem in China hits $519 billion in developer sales
Developers kept over 95% of the revenue without paying commissions
Fundraising
SpecialEffect raises £600,000 for gamers with disabilities in One Special Day campaign
The annual campaign has raised over £3 million across eight years
Revamped Return
Rainbow Six Mobile returns with Season Ice Storm ending a near eight-month hiatus
Ubisoft’s latest mobile adaptation is now in Phase 1 of its roadmap to full release
Investment News
Nazara continues M&A push with Funky Monkeys and LearnTube investments
The firm has also pumped $17.74m into subsidiaries to boost ownership
Difference Of Direction
MY.GAMES sells hybridcasual publisher Mamboo to better focus on midcore
The decision comes despite Mamboo’s "stable year-over-year growth in revenue and EBITDA"
New Game
SuperPlay secures licence to launch Disney Solitaire
The game is currently soft launched in Columbia and the Philippines
Spending Success
Dungeon & Fighter: Mobile smashes $1bn in six months in China
Nexon’s beat 'em up has hit the mighty $1 billion mark solely in iOS player spending in China
Expansion
Apple set to open new Dublin office
Apple plans to take up roughly 60,000 square feet at its new space in the city centre
Job Losses
Report: Lilith Games cuts 40 staff as Project Party undergoes changes
Title has not been cancelled, according to reports
Seven Billion Downloads
CrazyLabs celebrates seven billion downloads
CrazyLabs has hit a historic moment in mobile games, with the hypercasual pioneer hitting a huge seven billion downloads
Special Offer
Cyber Monday offer - double discount on Pocket Gamer Connects London 2025
Take advantage of huge savings for our upcoming event with this exclusive Cyber Monday deal
Spending Sensation
Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket skyrockets to $200m in first month
The collectible card game is already the third most successful Pokémon title on mobile
Acqusitions
Tencent acquires majority stake in Wuthering Waves developer Kuro Games
Studio claims it will remain independent following the deal
Podcast | Episode 38
Xbox and Adjust mishandle their PR and Supercell's culture revolution | 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 38...
Acqusitions
Nazara subsidiary Nodwin Gaming acquires Trinity Gaming for $2.8 million
Games and esports firm plans to strengthen Trinity’s portfolio in emerging markets like Southeast Asia, Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East
Gaming Trends
India's competition watchdog launches probe into Google's real-money gaming policies
The investigation is expected to conclude in next two months
Regulations
Vietnam issues Decree 147/2024 to regulate online games and internet services
The decree enforces stricter regulations on unlicensed games and gambling apps
Public Spat
Singular CEO launches tirade against rival Adjust following layoffs
Eliashiv attacks rival follow new Adjust CEO's claims the MMP industry has "stagnated in recent years"
Top 50
Nominations open for the first Top 50 UK Game Makers 2025
Let us know who you think should be included and why
Seasonal Surge
Monster Hunter Now surpasses $250m in time for Season 4 monsters and a new AR feature
The addition of customisable Palicos promises new opportunities to "get creative with AR"
A New Record
Pokémon Company breaks Guinness World Record in 24-hour unboxing marathon
The company said 20,000 cards from the publicity stunt will be donated to charities around Europe
An Unreal Recognition
Epic Games recognises Expa and Digi & Game Center as Finland's first Unreal Training hubs
Groups aim to make Unreal Engine education accessible to a global audience
Accelerator Program
Bahrain's Riyada Business Accelerator Program is now accepting applications for tech start-ups
The program is offering entrepreneurs six months of guidance and support with funding opportunities
Still Waiting
Microsoft delays Xbox Android store after US court temporarily pauses Google Play remedies
Tech giant claims mobile store is "ready to go"
Investment News
Nazara nets $100m to accelerate strategic acquisitions and expansion plans
“We have our work cut out in front of us to deploy the capital diligently to create significant shareholder values,” said CEO Nitish Mittersain
Funding News
Codecks secures €1 million to drive growth and expand project management tool
The funds will help the firm expand its features and enhance accessibility for teams of all sizes