Routes Arrive
Niantic flies the AR flag with new features in Pokémon Go
Routes in Pokémon Go is a new feature being rolled out ahead of eagerly anticipated Niantic/Capcom collab, Monster Hunter Now
Partnership
Reactional Music and Amanotes announce new partnership
The partnership aims to bring music and gaming closer than ever before.
Unmissable Savings
Indies, take your career to the next level at PG Connects Helsinki this September 12-13
Book your ticket to PG Connects Helsinki today to give your indie brand a boost and save with our Mid-term offer!
Acquisition
Playtika acquires Azerion's Youda Games portfolio for upwards of $89.1 million
Azerion is selling the portfolio as part of its business refocus with an earnout agreement potentially pushing the price even higher
Anniversary
My Talking Tom turns 10
10th anniversary events include a collaboration with MrBeast to support a hospital in the Philippines
Mihoyo Milestone
MiHoYo makes $8 billion in user spending with 73% from Genshin Impact
Honkai: Star Rail makes up 6% of the total in just a few months
Milestone Sales
MLB 9 Innings achieves quarter of a billion dollars in lifetime sales
The franchise is officially North America’s number one mobile baseball game
Report
Japan’s consumer spend set to surpass $12.6 billion in 2023
RPG continues to dominate, but hypercasual is on the rise
Meet The Experts
Your first glimpse at just some of the speakers at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2023!
Check out the star-studded lineup sharing their insights with us at PG Connects Helsinki this September
Germany Grows
Germany on the rise with 46% growth in games companies since 2020
A 15.5% rise in games companies was observed in 2022
Apple V Epic
Epic Games appeals to the US Supreme Court in latest Apple legal clash
The move follows Apple’s own appeal filing earlier this month as Epic seek to make a 2021 ruling stick
Privacy
Apple enters the ATT endgame as its quest for privacy enters its final battle
Now they'll require developers to explain their use of certain APIs with non-compliant apps rejected by App Store Connects from Spring 2024
Jobs News
July's Mobile Movers and Shakers: Samantha Ryan leaves EA plus hires for Supercell, Zynga and more
July has seen some significant moves by some of the industry's biggest company's - here's the highlights from the last week
Success In China
China’s gaming reportedly hit a record gamer base in the first half of 2023
The opening session of ChinaJoy delved into the country’s gaming industry
Monster Hunter
Monster Hunter Now opens for pre-registration ahead of September 14 release
The game will bring the hit franchise to mobile for the first time
Digital Education
United Nations calls for crackdown on mobile app use in schools
UNESCO has called on countries worldwide to evaluate how technology is used in school
Tencent Acquisition
Tencent acquires visual novel company Visual Arts
The move follows the company’s acquisition of Techland earlier this week
Netflix Addition
Cut the Rope returns with a twist for Netflix Games
Flipping from Apple Arcade to Netflix Games, Cut the Rope has found a new home with a new daily gameplay twist
China Licensing
Is China's gaming output back on track?
With 88 new licences granted, could the country’s regulatory issues be coming to an end?
Financials
Capcom saw $311.7 million in net sales in quarter one 2023
The company is forecasting net sales of over $994 million by the end of the fiscal year
Gaming In India
India’s gaming industry draws the line between 'online' and 'real money' gaming
The move comes in the wake of India announcing a new 28% tax on games
Data.ai Report
In-app spending hit a record $67.5 billion in the first half of 2023
Mobile spend has returned to growth following declines in 2022
Partnerships
NetEase partners with payments provider Checkout.com to “accelerate global expansion”
The payment provider will help to facilitate payment integration in new markets
Data Privacy
French regulators call out Apple’s ATT
The iPhone and iOS owner may be in hot water from European regulators
New Release
What is Pokémon Sleep? The latest craze explained
The game brings the world of sleep tracking apps to one of the world’s most beloved franchises
Deals
Sega's Rovio deal clears regulatory hurdles and gets the green light
Barring a sudden 11th hour flap, the Sega's Rovio acquisition is set to go ahead
Financials
CyberAgent sees lean financials with game sales down 27.7%
The company operates major hits in Japan such as Uma Musume Pretty Derby
Venture Funding
Valhalla Ventures launches $66 million fund for gaming investment
The firm is targeting “audacious entrepreneurs” across games and mobile
Apple Vs. Consumers
Apple's "anti-competitive" App Store woes continue with a $1 billion class action lawsuit
The suit accuses the company of acting anti-competitively with its imposition of a 30% fee on in-app purchases
Ranking
Japan's top earning mobile games continue to dominate in the first half of 2023
Pole position and number two swap places while third place holds its own
Report
Consumers spent 2.5 trillion hours on Android in H1 2023. What's does that mean for mobile?
New reports show a 4% increase in time spent on Android - more than ever before
Ranking
Honor of Kings tops Weibo’s trending list with Honkai: Star Rail in hot pursuit
The microblogging site is one of China’s most popular social media sites and offers an interesting insight into the market
Download Report
Garena Free Fire rides Spider-Man's success to top June 2023's most downloaded mobile games
The results are in with familiar names rubbing shoulders with old classics
Stillfront Financials
Stillfront earned over $174 million in revenue in Q2 2023
Mashup and casual titles remain the company’s most profitable, however other genres are gaining momentum
Gameanalytics Report
USA game ad revenue to reach $130 billion in 2025
But currently only accounts for less than 6% of total ad spend in the USA
Back With A Bang
PG Connects Toronto welcomes over 750 attendees from 37 countries for two days of insightful discussions and networking!
Our third conference in Canada welcomed over 750 delegates from 374 companies, 110 speakers, and represented 37 countries
Advertising
What does Roblox’s new ad network look like?
Behind the scenes on their new 'immersive ads' which echo the trend and ride the rising wave of intrinsic advertising
Talks
How Failbetter flubbed, then rescued the launch of Mask of the Rose
Communications director Hannah Flynn gave us the inside track at Develop: Brighton
Deals
Is the Kahoot deal an endorsement of edtech & party games, or a move to private for mobile?
The multiplayer quiz title is used widely in educational settings
Gaming Report
India accounted for 15.29% of game downloads in the first six months of 2023
One of the world’s biggest mobile gaming markets continues its meteoric rise
Milestones
My.Games’ Left to Survive celebrates its five-year anniversary and 1.2m monthly active users
The title is a cornerstone of the company’s catalogue of free-to-play games
Investment
GameStake Technologies raises £630,000 in seed funding for “rewarded play” gaming
The company is pursuing the “rewarded play” style of monetisation
Clash Of The Titans
Eggy Party's success intensified NetEase & Tencent's war for casual supremacy
The tech giants have long been at the top of the mobile games space, but NetEase's recent win has raised the stakes
Job News
July's Mobile Movers and Shakers: Gameloft appoints a new lead game designer while MYSTiC gets a new CMO
July has seen some significant moves by some of the industry's biggest company's - here's just a few
Very Big Indie Pitch
Hero of Aethric conquers the competition and wins The Big Indie Pitch at Pocket Gamer Connects Toronto
Winners breakdown
Investment
New studio Closing Theory raises $2.3m investment
The studio was co-founded by two previous members of the company Macro
Here Be Dragons
Dragon Quest Champions surpassed $10 million two weeks after release
The game is closing in on Dragon Quest Walk in Square Enix’s mobile revenue share
Success In Funding
Singapore’s Eyeball Games raised $1.5 million for blockchain pool game
The fund highlights Singapore’s growing place in the mobile gaming industry
Milestones
Call of Duty: Mobile passes $3bn in lifetime revenue, half of all engagement for the franchise is on mobile
The milestone was revealed in Activision Blizzard’s financials which said half of all engagement was on mobile
Ubisoft Financials
Ubisoft saw $298 million in net bookings in Q1 of the 2023-24 fiscal year, but mobile faltered
The gaming giant saw huge success, but struggled on gaming’s biggest platform