Pgc Helsinki 2023
Lawyer Tuomas Pelkonen takes on loot boxes and the law
Live at PGC Helsinki, the attorney describes how the use of loot boxes highlights a wider issue of compliance in gaming
World Record
Sky: Children of Light sets two new world records with in-game Aurora concert
The in-game concert drew 10,061 simultaneous players
Dino Designs
Zynga, FunPlus and NetEase veterans receive $8M investment for NFT dinosaur game
New studio GamePhilos gets support from Xterio, Animoca Ventures, SevenX Ventures and Chain Hill Capital
Ahead In The Cloud
Is Netflix set to dominate the cloud gaming market?
The company is well positioned to play a major role in the future of cloud gaming
Industry Insight
China dominates among the top 100 global mobile publishers
40 of the top 100 publishers in August 2023 were from China - three more than in July
Pgc Helsinki 2023
Juhani Tuomas Honkala: “Mobile is the ultimate controller for the TV gaming experience”
Return Entertainment's CTO took to the stage today at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2023 to discuss the potential of gaming on TVs
Japan's Genres
RPG, adventure or Waifu? Which genre has made Japan's players the most monetised?
So far, revenue from in-app purchases has surpassed $9 billion in Japan this year
Pgc Helsinki 2023
Božo Janković on the rapid changes in ad monetisation: “Developers should prepare for these changes now"
As head of monetisation at GameBiz Consulting, Janković’s talk at PGC Helsinki gave developers practical insight and tips to improve ad monetisation
Pgc Helsinki 2023
Teemu Haila of Metaplay: “When shipping modern F2P games, hope is not a plan.”
The co-founder of Metaplay was at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki discussing the art of planning for the future
Install Incentives
Monster Hunter Now reaches three million pre-installs days before launch
There are now three million hunters of monsters waiting for launch
Making A Metaverse
Animoca Brands raises $20 million towards a new metaverse project
Mocaverse will allow Moca ID collectors to build up loyalty points and more
Layoffs
Sensor Tower lays off 40 staff, including prominent executives
The company is the latest in the mobile sector to announce layoffs
Indian Increase
Nazara to expand after latest $49M investment
The Indian platform reaches $660M valuation thanks to latest investment from SBI Mutual Fund
Igda Leadership Day
JJ Häll on the IGDA’s role in the Finnish games industry
Live from Helsinki: The Finnish IGDA chairman spoke at their Leadership Day
Igda Leadership Day
Wanda O Rly talks stakeholder management
The Psyon Games COO took to the stage today at IGDA Leadership Day in Helsinki
Igda Leadership Day
IGDA’s Christopher Hamilton: "The community here is just very special and truly amazing"
At IGDA’s Leadership Day Finland’s finest come together to discuss leadership in games
Supply And Demand
Are today's developers being held back by a global talent shortage?
The 2023 State of Game Development & Design Report reveals challenges facing developers today
Vikings Unleashed
Vikings: Valhalla mobile adaptation launches as a Netflix exclusive
With playable characters from the hit TV show, fans have a new game to keep them busy in the wait for Season 3
Success In China
The Chinese mobile game markets generated $3 billion in July 2023
The sector saw a 50% year-on-year increase in revenue
Pgc Helsinki
Razer’s Michael Mucci on alternative payments and Pocket Gamer Connects: “With Supercell, we are just getting started”
The head of account management at Razer tells us what’s going on with Gold and more
Job News
Rovio Stockholm appoints Johannes Mang as head of studio
Mang brings more than 20 years of experience to his new role
Huuuge Financials
Huuuge Games generated $141 million in the first half of 2023
Despite the success, this represents a year-on-year fall from H1 2022
Thank You
Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki kicks off on Tuesday! There’s still time to join us
A massive thank you to all the fantastic sponsors and partners that help bring PG Connects Helsinki to life! It wouldn’t be possible without you
Getting Into Games
YouTube Playables public gaming test kicks off for select users
Playables was revealed as a staff-only test. Now selected public users are getting a taste of the service
Data Deluge
Almost half of the simulation genre's $2.7 billion revenue comes from the US
Where simulation games do well and how much they’ve made so far this year
Ea Games
EA downplays the importance of mobile
CEO Andrew Wilson spoke about the company’s future at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference
Puzzle Power
The puzzle genre has generated $42 billion in revenue, with swap games accounting for $25 billion
Candy Crush has been identified as the most successful mobile puzzle game of all time
Pgc Helsinki
Web3, blockchain, metaverse, VR and AI giants head to PCG Helsinki
Because it's not just mobile gaming that's the hot topic at next week's event
Out And About
Mind Body Trivia is the latest game getting players outside
A trivia game focused on sports, the unique spin is an incentive to go out walking
Gust Gacha
Atelier Resleriana is Koei Tecmo’s first mobile game of the decade
Featuring characters from the Atelier Ryza series on Switch and PlayStation
Pgc Helsinki
Mobile masters turn out in force for Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki
Get the inside scoop on the mobile focused talks and tracks taking place at PGC Helsinki next week
Chinese Restrictions
China bans iPhones and other foreign-branded mobile phones for government officials
The move appears carefully timed, impacting Apple's share price pre-iPhone 15 reveal
And The Winner Is…
RPGs, puzzles, idle games… Who's on top as 2023’s biggest mobile genre?
Mobile has a clear winner but top revenue earners vary greatly across mobile, PC and console platforms
Blumhouse Games
Blumhouse Games appoints horror expert Louise Blain as creative lead
Blain joins the leadership team alongside president Zach Wood and CFO Don Sechler
Tappa Report
Using notifications and in-game keyboards to win the user engagement game
Examining the state of player engagement, and what developers can do to increase it
Supersized Sum
Pokémon Go catches them all
The mobile giant now has seven more species on board than any other Pokémon game
Chinese App Stores
China’s app stores begin compliance with China’s latest regulations
Tencent and Xiaomi are among the app store owners now complying with the government’s regulations
Changes Ahoy
Former PlayStation president Shawn Layden predicts the end of gaming as we know it
Does the games industry stand on the precipice of change?
Tiga Analysis
Britain’s large and mid-sized developers are booming
94% of game studios closed between December 2021 and April 2023 had four or fewer employees
Acquisition
Sumo Group acquires UK developer Midoki to boost live service skills
The Tencent subsidiary has picked up the Knighthood developer for an undisclosed sum
Bts World
BTS fail to top the mobile charts with BTS World
The K-pop band’s official mobile game is shutting down on December 26
Big Numbers
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Mobile already has 17 million pre-orders
Ubisoft's CEO Yves Guillemot praises the game's flying start
Football Forms
Formation brings aboard Mediatonic, Channel 4 and Sport England veterans to make the "first football team ownership" game
New roles of senior producer, head of finance, IT consultant and senior graphics designer are filled
Bond, James Bond
"The only Bond game available for mobile" lands on Apple Arcade
Four new games and 40+ updates are coming to the service this month including Tilting Point's James Bond exclusive
Attend And Announce
NetEase’s first ever Tokyo Game Show appearance will feature 10+ games
A new game announcement has been teased for the event
The Crunch Cometh
Is mass games industry unionisation on the horizon? Survey reports devs working up to 95-hour weeks
A new IATSE survey reveals that only 42.9% of game devs believe they are in sustainable careers, and most experience crunch
Roundup
The Finnish Mobile Market Roundup: PGC Helsinki 2023 Edition
Before next week's show, get up to speed with the latest news from Finland’s famous mobile game development scene
Pitch Like A Pro
How to win at Pocket Gamer Connects' Big Indie Pitch
With PGC Helsinki coming next week we asked previous Big Indie Pitch winner Noah Rosenfield to give aspiring developers a few tips
Approvals Arrive
China approved 31 foreign games in August
2023's year-so-far exceeds 2022's total as The Lord of the Rings and One Piece mobile games get the go ahead
Job News
Innogames appoints Christiane Gäb as director of people and culture
In her new role, Gäb will head the company’s HR department