A Flying Start
Space Ape’s Chrome Valley Customs on track to beat Beatstar with $40m earned
Following Space Ape's most successful ever launch, the casual puzzler now has their other smash hit Beatstar in its sights
It's In The Game
EA reach $2.36 billion in Q3 earnings thanks to EA Sports FC
“EA SPORTS FC outperformed expectations again this quarter, delivering 7% year-over-year net bookings growth," said Stuart Canfield, CFO of EA.
Super Mario Success
Nintendo’s mobile and IP sales are up 93.4%
Nintendo reveals $9.38 billion earned in total sales across the first three quarters of its financial year
Mobile Adaptations
Elden Ring free-to-play mobile game reportedly in the works from Tencent
Rumours come after Tencent Holdings acquired a 16 percent stake of FromSoftware in August 2022 but progress has been slow
A Major Update
Honkai: Star Rail hits 100m downloads and launches V2.0 today
The update will see the highly-anticipated Penacony realm make its debut with Apple Vision Pro compatibility on board too
Tencent Turnaround
China approves 32 overseas licences including Nexon and Tencent’s Mobile DnF
While an unstable landscape for games, China continues to prove a lucrative one
Wake Up Call
ByteDance CEO warns employees against mediocrity amid AI disruption
CEO Liang Rubo made the statement during a call to ByteDance employees across the globe.
Peak Performance
Match Factory! surpasses $20M… With 99% coming from iOS
Peak Games’ Match Factory! has taken the 3D puzzle world by storm since its August 2023 release
Mega Mobile
A huge 72% of 2023 game revenues came from mobile
Xsolla’s State of Play report reveals the latest gaming trends and a trajectory akin to e-commerce
Gaming Trends
China at the forefront of mobile gaming as global market hits $85.76 billion
China's gaming dominance is bolstered by Tencent Games, a revenue powerhouse contributing 100 billion yuan ($14.13 billion)
Job Moves
Devolver Digital CEO steps down and moves on
Douglas Morin is leaving the company following their latest on-track financials, after a difficult year, delays, cuts and an underperforming IPO
Launch Day
Apple Vision Pro launches with over 600 dedicated apps
Today's the day that Apple's 'next big thing' lands with users and it's App Store opens up offering early movers a new audience for games and apps
Tencent cans Nier mobile game after two years in development
Publisher reportedly concerned about monetisation model and small margins from licensing fees
Criticism Grows
European Games Developer Federation "disappointed" over Apple’s new “anticompetitive” EU rules
EGDF joins Xbox, Epic Games and Spotify in criticising new policies
China Gaming
Tencent play the AI card to brush off gaming worries
At their annual meeting this week CEO Pony Ma recognised increased gaming competition but praised AI advances
Fire Emblem Burns Bright
7 years of Fire Emblem Heroes: Evolving beyond an SRPG into Nintendo’s only billion-dollar mobile game
Fire Emblem Heroes is seven years old today, and I’m still playing…
Growing Games
Scottish Government backs new National Games Strategy
Following this new initiative Scotland becomes the first part of the UK with a dedicated games strategy
New Appointments
Gameloft roll out new leadership at Gameloft for brands extension
The company's new leadership team are on board to expand advertising solutions to new platforms and technologies
Gaming Gold
Nordcurrent acquires legendary Cinemaware games line-up
CEO Victoria Trofimova: "We want the future players of our Defender of The Crown to say – yes, that’s the one!"
Podcast
NAK3D’s Kelly Vero on merging fashion and gaming to revolutionise commerce | Podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team and guests give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode…
Record Breaking
Genshin Impact is the fastest ever game to reach $5 billion consumer spend
While joining the 5x unicorn club, the internationally popular action RPG has proved to be the fastest ever game to do so
Lifestyle Marketing
Bingo Blitz launches $1 million sweepstakes promo for the Super Bowl
A lucky winner will get the prize money if either team achieves a record-breaking eight quarterback sacks
Fueling Indie Fire
Day of the Devs becomes a non-profit organisation
The decision to become non-profit as it "opens us up to better funding opportunities..."
Redefining Storytelling
Xsolla launches Story3 platform to empower creators
The platform is designed to embody storytelling freedom and foster a creative ecosystem for makers
New Studio
Ex-Mojang and Toca Boca devs raise €1.5m for new studio Roro
Stockholm-based developer working on "3D digital dollhouse" for mobile
Strategic Boost
8SEC secures €1.5 Million investment from Kwalee
The move will see Kwalee’s CFO Matthew Farrow and VP of mobile publishing John Wright join the 8SEC board
China Regulations
China greenlights 115 games in January, largest batch in 18 months
Tencent, Lilith Games and others have had their titles approved this month
Gaming In Africa
Sony Innovation Fund backs Carry1st with strategic investment
The African gaming industry boasts over 200 million players and is projected to achieve a market size exceeding $1 billion in 2024
Funding Round
Helsinki studio Order of Meta raises $3.3 million
Developer will use financing to finish development and soft launch Cargo Hunters
Blizzard names Call of Duty GM Johanna Faries as new president
New appointment comes as previous incumbent Mike Ybarra exits the company
Going Public
Report: Reddit eyes $5 billion IPO
Final decision to go public said to depend on economic factors
Collaborations
Developers Klab and Pocket Pair team up for new title
The two companies have both recently been in the news as their latest titles have undergone troubled launches and industry scrutiny
Strategic Growth
Krafton plans AI, India focus, and a 20-game lineup in 2024 roadmap
The publisher is getting set to launch two games this year with many more in development
Very Big Indie Pitch
Tornado Bear wins The Very Big Indie Pitch in London with its hybridcasual game Kingland
Winners breakdown
Strategic Adjustment
Mobile-exclusive MMO Avatar: Reckoning scrapped
Archosaur Games is now providing refunds to players who participated in the Philippines-limited CBT
"don't Resist, Just Comply"
Spotify: Apple’s new EU rules are “extortion” and a “complete and total farce”
“The old tax was rendered unacceptable under the DMA, so they created a new one masquerading as compliance with the law”
Streaming To Ios
It's not just App Stores… Apple make big changes for cloud gaming and webkit too
While the introduction of Apple's new Core Technology Fee has grabbed headlines, DMA compliancy has opened the door for web devs and game streaming
Hello Goodbye
Launched and shuttered in a single Tweet… Love Live! School Idol Festival 2 lives! And dies…
The Love Live! sequel gets its English translation and a global launch just as it's makers decide to pull the plug on the whole thing
Podcast
Mega Studio’s Adam Jaffe on the impressive benefits of incentivised traffic | Podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team and guests give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode…
An Epic Comeback
Fortnite and the Epic Games Store are coming to iOS devices this year
The battle royale game will only be available in parts of Europe covered by the Digital Markets Act
Esports Growth
True Gamers secures $45m investment for esports expansion in Saudi Arabia
True Gamers CEO says it's, "A significant step towards popularising cybersports" and democratising esports in the KSA.
Ecosystem Expansion
AOFverse raises $3 million to propel Web3 gaming vision
The platform seeks to strengthen its position with the release of its flagship game Army of Fortune later this year
Dma Dodging
Apple's Core Technology Fee explained - Who'll be paying what (and is this even legal?)
17%, 10%, 3% and a new Core Technology Fee? Here's everything you need to know about Apple's plans to still get paid in Europe post DMA regulations
Runtime Reloaded
Apple rolls out Unity-like Runtime Fee for downloads as it seeks to outrun new EU regulations
Apple lowers share to 17% in EU while adding a €0.50 download fee
App Store Wars
Meta, Spotify and more are set to storm Apple’s walled garden in Europe
But will Apple be able to fight back with new rules, fees and restrictions in order to stay on top?
Ip Investigation
The Pokémon Company will "investigate" IP infringement after questions raised around Palworld
Palworld's monster designs are being compared with Pokémon's as questions around IP and copyright swirl
Jobs In Games
Oliver Bulloss takes the helm as chief product officer at MTG
Bulloss will participate in upcoming M&A processes as well as take a proactive role in influencing MTG's strategy.
New Broom
Blizzard president Mike Ybarra is out as Microsoft lays off 1,900
The inevitable restructure and consolidation of the two giants - with the nuking of dual roles and now superfluous departments - didn't take long…
Accelerator Funding
Narwhal Accelerator to support gaming and tech startups
The program only requests for a minor stake in company shares as part of the arrangement.
Pubg Revamp
Krafton plans franchise expansion and graphic improvements for PUBG
The publisher intends to expand its IP by introducing a new range of genres, platforms, play modes and graphic enhancements