Second Studio
Trailmix’s new directors blaze a trail with second studio in Berlin
Annelie Biernat and Christopher Parschat join as studio director and creative director respectively
Analytics
GameAnalytics hits 100,000 titles hosted and 200 million daily active users
The analytics platform has benefited from a surge in interest amongst developers
Pocket Gamer Awards
Nominations are open now for the Pocket Gamer Awards 2023!
It's time to claim your fame! PocketGamer.com has opened its nominations for the best games and hardware of the year
Acquisition
Modern Times Group acquires Pocket Gamer Award winner Snowprint Studios
Snowprint Studios are behind the strategy title Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus
Mobile Moves
Leke Games expands into publishing
The casual developer is seeking independent developers to partner with in its new venture
Advertising
Niantic launches first in-game 'rewarded AR' advertising collaboration in Pokémon Go
In-game AR ads are Niantic's new hope for fresh revenue as Pokémon Go numbers slide
Studio Seed
Krafton invests $7M in former Riot and Blizzard artist’s Studio Sai
The Seed Round comes after the success of Eternights and will support development of Sai’s next game
Open Beta
One Punch Man World launches into cross-platform open beta
The title is another investment in anime-themed titles by newly formed Crunchyroll Games
Silent Hill
Silent Hill: Ascension is launching on Halloween
The revival of the classic horror franchise finally comes screaming onto mobile this month
Announcements
Agent 47 and the Hitman franchise are back for one last job… On mobile
Hitman: Blood Money - Reprisal from Feral Interactive will be a mobile take on one of the definitive titles in the Hitman series
Investment
Krafton launches India game incubator with $150k potential investment for local studios
The company is going all-in on the Indian market previously despite BGMI's withdrawal and subsequent reinstatement
Mobile Dominance
Mobile is projected to account for 56% of gaming revenue in 2023
The secrets of mobile success come under region-by-region scrutiny in the latest reports
Warcraft Goes Mobile
Warcraft is coming to mobile with Warcraft Rumble
The game is set to launch at BlizzCon on November 3
Ai Ahoy
"Pegasus" engine may bring generative AI to Apple App Store searches
Big changes could be ahead with the implementation of a search engine developed by a former Google exec and his team
Milestones
My.Games' Grand Hotel Mania reaches four-year anniversary and hits $100m in revenue
Grand Hotel Mania joins a highly performing game catalogue including Rush Royale and Left to Survive
Job Cuts
Epic Games lays off 800+ staff: CEO Tim Sweeney expects "degradation in quality"
Speaking at Unreal Fest, Sweeney acknowledged the layoffs and discussed the company’s next course
Roblox Collaboration
Mattel and Gamefam to launch Barbie DreamHouse Tycoon on Roblox
The first official Barbie Roblox game launches on October 6
Sleuthing A Strategy
Niantic launching limited-time Pokémon Go event to promote Detective Pikachu Returns
Pokémon Go gets sleuthing one day ahead of the new Nintendo Switch title’s release
User Milestones
AI dev tools provider Zibra AI celebrates 100,000 user milestone
The company's platform creates 3D assets for any virtual world or experience
Socialpoint Strategy
Zynga’s Socialpoint launches merge RPG Top Troops today
The latest mobile game from Zynga and Socialpoint dials up the strategy with wide-ranging customisation options
Australia Applications
Australia announces three new government programmes to support local devs
Risk-takers are encouraged to apply, as are mid-career Australian devs looking for a ticket to GDC
Major Milestone
Playrix celebrates 10 years of Township and major $2 billion revenue
Since Township launched, Playrix has grown from a team of 20 to 130
An Apple A Day
Apple's App Store steps into line to comply with Chinese regulations
The company has previously come under fire for the Chinese government, but it appears it's ready to play ball
Cloud Gaming
Samsung set to launch its game streaming service this week
The Korean tech giant will reportedly launch its own cloud gaming service at its developer conference
Now In Neom
Maysalward is supporting young NEOM talent with new Game Dev Challenge
Mobile Game Legend Nour Khrais leads his studio in supporting new talent aged 15 to 17
Layoffs
Team17 CEO Michael Pattison departs ahead of consultancy and restructure
Significant layoffs are expected at the game maker as teams enter a "period of consultancy"
Flagship Festivities
mihoyo's Genshin Impact quietly celebrates third anniversary
miHoYo’s flagship celebrates three years, but it's clear that Honkai: Star Rail is the new apple of the company's eye
Job News
Kwalee appoints John Wright as vice president of mobile publishing
Wright brings almost twenty years of leadership experience to his role
Android Ahead
Bethesda just stealth dropped a new Elder Scrolls mobile game
The Elder Scrolls: Castles has released in early access on Android
Making A Meal
Honkai: Star Rail goes IRL: Collaborating with famous restaurant chains around the world
Across the cosmos to the real world, Honkai: Star Rail is set to make an impact in chains near you
Monster Hunter Now
Monster Hunter Now set to be Niantic’s third biggest game with $14 million in first month revenue
The game is Niantic’s fourth largest launch, and consistent consumer spend could see it climb even higher
Ai Development
Homa launches AI “Game Idea Generator”
The new technology streamlines the process of brainstorming a new title
Cloud Gaming
Ubisoft predicts a Netflix-style boom for cloud gaming
“We strongly believe in the next five to 10 years, many games will be streamed and will also be produced in the cloud”
Alternative App Stores
Who are the 26 app stores complying with China’s latest regulations?
The country’s latest crackdown has seen alternative app stores become even more prominent in the Chinese market
Acquisition
Playtika closes acquisition of Innplay Labs
The acquisition was valued at up to $300 million
One Special Day
Over 90 industry partners are backing SpecialEffect’s One Special Day fundraiser
One Special Day aims to help bring gaming to people with additional needs
Layoffs
Epic and Sega announce 900 more games industry lay-offs
A brutal end to another tough quarter for games jobs, with the UK hit especially hard
Ad Report
Meta owns all four of the top ad networks for mobile games in Q2 2023
Google Play hosted the most ad creatives, with Facebook leading the way
Court Case
Epic Games appeals to US Supreme Court in Apple antitrust case
The years-long case continues with arguments over pro- and anticompetitiveness
League Of Its Own
League of Legends: Wild Rift reaches lofty $1 billion across 111 million downloads
data.ai suggests such a milestone was reached through optimisation of touch controls and quick matches
Crushing The Competition
Candy Crush celebrates massive $20 billion revenue milestone
Games in the franchise have been downloaded more than five billion times
Chinese App Market
Apple isn’t complying with China’s new app store regulations
The Cyberspace Administration of China has named 26 app stores complying with its new rules
Promoted Position
My.Games appoints Elena Grigorian as CEO as Vladimir Nikolsky steps down
Grigorian has helped optimise 70+ games’ potential
Mobile Milestones
The Battle of Polytopia celebrates a milestone 20 million mobile downloads
The game has proven a hit on multiple platforms, with mobile leading the way
Leadership Changes
Activision Blizzard brings back Warcraft & Diablo old-hand Chris Metzen in creative leadership shake-up
The former contributor worked with Blizzard during some of its most successful years as a SVP of story and franchise development
Better Than Betting
Omada raises $7.5M for a sports game with a twist: tackling gambling addiction
Money isn’t spent or won on bets, providing a healthier alternative
Acquisition
Xsolla announces acquisition of multiplayer platform AcceleratXR
The acquisition will further Xsolla’s crossplay capabilities
Mobile Manoeuvre
Can young Sephiroth save Square Enix from crisis?
Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis is getting a new chapter and a PC port
Credit Where Its Due
Appodeal & Pollen VC partner to offer a new kind of mobile growth platform
New Appodeal & Pollen VC partnership offers a mobile growth platform with credit lines to scale your monthly revenues
Mobile Growth
Gaming is the fastest growing app category worldwide
Action, hypercasual, and sports are among the top-ranked gaming subverticals