Job News
Kwalee appoints Firebrand’s Mark Greenshields to VP of Bangalore studio
Mark Greenshields’ cross-platform experience is expected to be of great benefit to Kwalee
Intriguing Invitation
Supercell launches eagerly awaited new game mo.co in the US
The Finnish studio has rolled out invites to US gamers to try out its latest game
Mobile Manoeuvre
The next Dynasty Warriors game is on mobile, and it’s soft-launching today
Dynasty Warriors M is in essence a mobile port of 2018’s Dynasty Warriors 9
Kingdom Come
Square Enix drops Kingdom Hearts Missing Link tease after nine-month silence
The fan-favourite mobile spin could prove to be Square’s missing link after multiple middling releases
Vc Funding
The games industry drew $454 million in VC funding in the third quarter of 2023
The figure represents a 9% decline from the previous quarter
French Findings
French foresight: Only 3% of France’s games were hypercasual last year
The SNJV’s survey reflects upon 2022’s state of play in France
Job News
Digital Extremes CEO James Schmalz steps down from his position
Creative director Steve Sinclair will replace Schmalz in his role
Sales Success
Bilibili passes 300m monthly users as Dead Cells hits five million Chinese sales
Five million paid installs in two years, with a big boost this August
Roblox Reduction
Roblox China faces layoffs as the company undergoes "evaluation"
It's safe to say that the launch of the Chinese version of Roblox, LuoBuLesi, didn’t quite go to plan
Bowing Out
Dragon Quest Monsters: Super Light reaching "service completion" after a decade
AKA Square Enix has another mobile game on the chopping block… But at least this one has stood the distance
Fallout Series
Fallout TV series gets April 2024 release date
The adaptation of the hit franchise is just the latest sign that Hollywood is turning to games
Strategic Streaming
Netflix plans to win "The Big Prize" of gaming
Netflix co-CEOs Greg Peters and Ted Sarandos, and VP of finance Spencer Wang revealed the future of gaming on the platform
Uk Gaming Scene
Ukie's new manifesto demands an increase in government funding for video games
They claim that the UK’s lack of investment sees it lose out on an estimated £133 million per year
Invest To Win
AppQuantum’s Core is the King will invest up to $1M in selected hybridcasual mobile devs
Core is the King is their new programme to support developers making hybridcasual games
Cross-platform Royale
Supercell takes Clash of Clans and Clash Royale cross-platform with PC releases today
Two of mobile’s biggest billion-dollar blockbusters can now be played across devices
Walking Whereabouts
Monster Hunter Now set to "surpass" Pokémon Go as geolocation games get moving in Japan
Sensor Tower’s latest report reveals location-based games’ performance in Japan
Zynga Trial
Zynga emerges triumphant in patent trial
The trial concerned allegations of patent infringement levied by gambling technology company IGT
Trends
Chinese gaming trends revealed as 52% of the population play games
Trends, censorship, approvals, mixed genre games and more come under the microscope
Running Out Of Steam
Redundancies at Zombies, Run! and Marvel Move developer Six to Start
The redundancies include the departure of CEO Adrian Hon alongside key staff members
Middle East Movers
PUBG Mobile may still dominates in the Middle East but local favourites are making big money
The latest Middle Eastern rankings for downloads and revenue feature strong performance from familiar favourites alongside surprise new entries
Games Growth
2022 was a record year for the Swedish games industry
Despite post pandemic concerns new figures show an industry in rude health with a fight for talent being the only restraint on further growth
Cross-platform
Homa releases six mobile games on Nintendo Switch and offers the tech for devs to do likewise
Homa’s development and publishing platform makes it easy to get games out into multiple markets.
Top Charts
Dream Games’ Royal Match is top for consumer spend but Monopoly Go sees the biggest increase
Q3 2023 numbers reveal that Scopely’s take on the classic board game has seen a big boost, but Royal Match still reigns supreme
Financials
MAG Interactive interim report sees sales slide by 11% quarter-on-quarter
Dips in key metrics are consistent with a turbulent year across the industry
Loads Of Layoffs
Up to 14,000 new redundancies at Nokia as sales fall 20%
By the end of 2026, an estimated 9,000 to 14,000 jobs will be axed
Acquisitions
Azur Games to acquire portfolio of US hypercasual game publisher Tastypill
The publisher’s portfolio boasts more than 1 billion downloads
Dirty Deals?
Apple sacks App Store staff in China over potential deals with game developers
Free meals, nightclub outings and more were offered to iOS app store staff
Monster Milestone
Monster Hunter Now wins big with 10 million downloads in 35 days
Niantic’s latest success: Here's the story so far…
Halloween Hunting
Monster Hunter Now’s first seasonal event embraces Halloween
Niantic’s latest will celebrate its first seasonal event six weeks on from launch
Alternative App Stores
Fortnite comes to the Oppo App Market alternative app store in Southeast Asia
The legal battle between Epic and Apple have heightened visibility of Apple’s scrupulous fees on their platform
Creator Support
PUBG Mobile to introduce $100 million creator fund for “Wonder Creators Network”
PUBG Studios have already invested $200,000 over the past two years
Streaming
Netflix expands television game streaming beta to the United States
The initial beta took place in Canada and the United Kingdom
Joys Of Japan
Japan’s mobile playerbase spends above and beyond on new mobile games
Diandian’s report shows how much Japanese players are willing to spend on the hottest new games
Loot Box Laws
South Korea to mandate 'probability displays' and investigate blockchain games on Apple and Google stores
Probability displays for card games will function similarly to the incumbent reveals of gacha and loot box odds
Loads Of Layoffs
Social storyteller and RPG developer Thought Pennies joins layoffs trend
Art director, producer, and design director each appear to have parted ways with the studio
Pgc San Francisco
Europe’s number one mobile gaming conference is coming to San Francisco in 2024!
Pocket Gamer Connects, the leading global mobile games industry conference series, is coming to San Francisco in March ahead of GDC.
Collaborations
YouTube celebrity MrBeast teams with Scopely’s Stumble Guys for new collaboration
The creator previously worked with Scopely on bringing exclusive levels and cosmetics to the game
Alternative App Stores
PUBG maker Krafton invests $14.8 million in alternate app store One Store
The South Korean store aims to expand in the West and take on big tech
Where To Work
Metaverse company Roblox wants employees back in the office
Despite pioneering the virtual space, Roblox believes in-person is better for innovation and creativity
Netflix Games
Squid Game, Wednesday, Black Mirror, and more could become mobile games
Netflix is working hard to increase its gaming portfolio, with games based on some of its top series’ in the works
Mobile Milestones
As Bethesda veteran Pete Hines makes exit after 24 years, enjoy a brief history of Bethesda on mobile
Hines tenure saw many of Bethesda’s efforts to break into mobile
Data
South-east Asian mobile gaming market to exceed $7 billion in revenue by 2027
Mobile games remain the dominant part revenue in the region
Payments
Supercell to partner with Carry1st for in-game purchase support in Africa
The Finnish developer’s games will soon support seamless payment in the emerging market
Spending And Selling
Epic Games delivers another 120 "fucked up" layoffs with Bandcamp sale
After 800 layoffs last month, Epic offloading Bandcamp has only led to further redundancies
China Vs Apple
Tim Cook makes a surprise appearance at Chinese Honor of Kings tournament
The unexpected live appearance comes amid a turbulent period for Apple’s relations with China
Generations Of Gamers
94% of Gen Alpha are game enthusiasts, but gaming has universal appeal
Newzoo’s latest report analyses the different motivations of gamers in a variety of age groups
Pokemon Party
Pokémon Go’s new Party Play aims to get even more gamers outside
The new feature sees players team up in groups of four and take on challenges
Cash And Grab
Will Grand Theft Auto be coming to Netflix?
There's early evidence and suggestion that Netflix is in discussions with developer Rockstar to secure GTA for their gaming platform
Bringing Bitcoin
AdInMo’s ZBD partnership will pay players Bitcoin in exchange for ad views
The partnership marks a first for their Rewarded InGamePlay and is available to community members now
Sundering Stereotypes
Gamers actually spend MORE time outdoors, but 58% still think they’re lazy
Research breaks down stereotypes around gamers and their health