Coo Comeback
Sega Europe brings back former president Jurgen Post amidst leadership changes
President and COO Gary Dale and chief studio officer Tim Heaton are departing from the studio
New Years Resolutions
Level up your game: Top 5 New Year's resolutions for success in the games industry
Elevate your game in the New Year with these top five resolutions for success in the dynamic world of the games sector
Appchievement
Chinese game licence approvals surpassed 1,000 in 2023 in return to form
The total more than doubled 2022’s approval numbers
App Authority
Japanese legislation looks to confront Apple and Google monopolies in 2024
New regulations could require both Apple and Google to allow alternate billing systems
Esport Support
Marcos Gaming completes pre-seed round to bolster Indian Esports
Funding from India Accelerator, Finvolve and SucSEED Ventures will support content creation, community growth and more
Startup Synergy
Unicorn Factory Lisboa opens The Gaming Hub in Portugal to support startup developers
Fortis Games has opened a Libson-based studio in partnership with the programme
New Year Goals
Square Enix promise greater globalisation and "aggressive" use of AI
Square Enix has begun 2024 with its familiar new year letter outlining the good and the bad and its global intentions ahead
Update
China's latest gaming crackdown: What's new and what it means for mobile's biggest game makers
The introduction of spending limits and bans on everything from regular login rewards to gacha gaming mechanics have thrown China's gaming giants into chaos
Best Of 2023
2023's Greatest Hits: Relive 2023's highs and lows with our 10 biggest stories of the year
Of all the shocks, surprises, bold claims, battles and bruisings that rocked the mobile games business through 2023 these are our top 10 stories that hit the hardest…
Job Losses
Versus Evil shuts down and lays off all 13 staff
News comes just weeks after GM announced departure
Tumble Guys
Tencent and NetEase lose $80 billion in market value as China cracks down on game monetisation tactics
New rules prohibit daily login rewards, first-time purchase bonuses and rewards for repeat spend
Podcast
Zynga’s Yaron Leyvand on the secret to making a “forever franchise” | Podcast
In the final podcast of 2024 the PocketGamer.biz podcast team speak to Zynga's Yaron Leyvand about the company's incredible journey - from Farmville to forever franchises
Positive Momentum
Trinity Gaming India, Lenovo, Intel, and YouTube join forces to bolster the Indian creator economy
Partnered creators will collaborate to produce content and participate as a team in BGMI, Valorant, and CSGO battles.
New Partnerships
Naraza Technologies snags deals with four developers as it ramps up new publishing arm
Nazara intends to release around 20 games across mobile, web3, VR, and PC platforms over the next 12 to 18 months
Platform Power
Tencent is advertising DreamStar on ByteDance platforms in competition with NetEase
After a fierce rivalry, Tencent and ByteDance are finally warming up to one another
Kotick Conclusion
Leadership changes under Microsoft as Bobby Kotick departure date confirmed
Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard means leadership changes and a transition period ahead
Fashion Fanatics
Tilting Point, Hilfiger Ventures and Brandible prepare to launch AI fashion game
FashionVerse will aim to leverage modern technology to scale the fashion world
Billion Brilliance
Royal Match and League of Legends: Wild Rift among 19 games to cross $1 billion in revenue in 2023
A total of 26 mobile apps surpassed the milestone this year
Metacore Manoeuvre
Metacore appoints new CTO in first key hire at Berlin studio
Sérgio Laranjeira’s former roles include senior director of engineering at Delivery Hero and engineering manager at Zalando and N26
Resilient Growth
New Zealand games industry revenue surges past $270 million in 2023
The NZGDA report finds that PC is the dominant platform for developers followed by mobile, VR, and consoles
Kaiju Closure
Tencent’s Team Kaiju closes
Team Kaiju is believed to have secretly closed this June, with most staff reassigned to other projects
Epic Response
Epic Games blasts Google's settlement with US states as "no true relief for consumers or developers"
Epic Games has released a settlement following the reveal of Google’s $700 million settlement
Cma Concerns
UK's CMA to resume cloud gaming and mobile web browser investigation
Investigations into Apple and Google will resume on January 24 2024
2023 Yearly Review
The year that was: How Pocket Gamer Connects 2023 is shaping the future of the games industry
Looking back on a year of growth in the games industry through the eyes of Pocket Gamer Connects
A Good Year
Australian game revenue soars to $345.5 million in 2023
The IGEA report showcases the country's positive growth and struggles within its local sectors.
Google Grumbles
Google agrees to pay $700 million and change app store rules after antitrust settlement
The results of Google’s loss against 50 US attorneys general are finally revealed
Legacy Leak
Apple TestFlight "teraleak" exposes thousands of beta apps as far back as 2012
TestFlight is designed to enable internal and external beta testing on Apple devices
Legal News
Activision Blizzard to pay $55 million in gender discrimination settlement
Agreement puts end to lawsuit filed by the Department of Fair Employment and Houses in 2021
Festive Surprises
PG Connects Advent Calendar: A Daily Festive Treat
Celebrate the festive season with a special treat each day from Pocket Gamer Connects. Click through to find today's surprise…
Finding Flexibility
Embracer Group secures credit and loan extension to 2025 as it restructures to clear debt
Embracer Group finally cashes in good news for the end of 2023
Esports Glory
China's Wolves wins $1 million Call of Duty: Mobile World Championship
Runner-up GodLike becomes most successful Indian team in the competition after finishing second
Zenless Zenith
Genshin Impact developer HoYoverse opens closed beta for latest game Zenless Zone Zero
Title likely to see a full release in 2024
Sprouting Seeds
Barnyard Games raises $3.4m in seed round to make games for Fortnite
Menlo Ventures led the round with participation from BetaWorks, Alumni Ventures, Charge VC and others
Careers Zone London
Joint venture between PG Connects and Games Factory Talents creates career opportunities in London
Get a career boost at PG Connects London this January with support from Games Factory Talents.
Acquisition Ahoy
Keywords Studios acquires The Multiplayer Group for £76.5M
Keywords has bought The Multiplayer Group from its former owner Improbable following interest in "blue-chip client base"
Impressive Growth
China's gaming industry bounces back with over $42.6 billion in domestic revenue
The Red Dragon's video games market has successfully bounced back, overcoming challenges in foreign markets
Json
ByteBrew enhances live ops offering with new features for mobile developers
ByteBrew introduces remote config conditions and JSON editor in their latest launches on their all-in-one platform
Recruitment Drive
Fortis Games bolsters senior team with string of hires from GameClub, Twitch, Mojang and more
Former GameClub CEO Dan Sherman joins as chief business officer while head of strategic programs Jing Wang takes on new role as VP of product
Regional Realities
India leads the charge while pricing concerns hinder Asian uptake in new monetisation report
Niko Partners' report shows that in-game purchases accounted for 87.8% of player spending in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.
Here We Go
W4 Games raises $15 million to boost Godot engine development and services
Irish start-up aims to double headcount over the next 18 months
Uk And Euro Snapshot
The largest segment in the European games market is mobile. Be part of the action at PGC London this January!
A closer look at both the UK and European games markets ahead of PG Connects London 2024
Latest In Leadership
Thunderful Group appoints four new executives in leadership shift-up
Thunderful Group’s CGO will stay on as an advisor during the transitional period
Podcast
Aampe’s Jim Laurain on the smart steps that inspire players with messaging that matters | Podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team and guests give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and and what's inside this week's episode…
New Partnerships
Kwalee and Fahy Studios partner to develop global hit games in the KSA
"We are on a journey to build Saudi's first global hit game."
Layoff After Layoff
A third of the workforce slashed in 2023 as Hasbro lets go another 1,100 roles
Hasbro’s toyline sales slump is to blame, not its video games
Industry Pioneer
IGDC founder Rajesh Rao departs after 15 years and announces successor
“I will still be around, but it is time for the torch to be handed over."
Ad Application
Ad creative analysis: How to enhance ad performance in 2024
Tenjin and ObtainAds have joined forces for a report on the current state of the ad creative space and where it’s going next
Rising Stars
Black Clover M was November's breakout hit. Warcraft Rumble steps up while Genshin Impact rules
Data.ai's monthly gaming pulse for November reveals which new games globally are the ones to watch
Netflix Of Games
Netflix has nearly 90 games in development as it touts cross-platform vision
Entertainment company's long-term vision is to "make games playable on every device", says games VP Mike Verdu
Allstar Series A
Zynga and Activision Blizzard-backed Allstar raises another $12 million for content creation tools
Investors from Zynga and Activision Blizzard have previously backed Allstar; now Drive Capital has led a $12 million Series A round