Hot Five
Clash of Clans a US top grosser, weighing up Zynga's Gram acquisition, and Game for Peace makes $14m in three days
The hottest stories from the mobile games industry over the last week
Staff
Craig Chapple
Job Title
Head of Content
About Craig Chapple is the head of content at PocketGamer.biz, leading the team's editorial direction and developing the conference agenda for our Pocket Gamer Connects conferences around the world. He has previously served as Senior Editor at PocketGamer.biz, as well as holding roles at Sensor Tower, Nintendo and Develop.
Articles by Craig Chapple
10 Years Of Minecraft
Minecraft was the only top 250 grossing premium mobile game in 2018, showing it’s still going strong 10 years later
A look at the history and continued success of the blockbuster game
Big Deal
Microsoft and Sony set aside rivalry to team up on cloud gaming
PlayStation maker to use Azure data centres for cloud gaming; will also work with Microsoft on new developments
Financials
Japan success helps propel NetEase sales to $2.7 billion in Q1 2019
Chinese publishing giant also knocking it out the park at home
Financials
Tencent hopes Season Passes will help revitalise games growth after decline
Publisher is now clear of China's licensing freeze
Mobile Future
NCSoft wants more from its legacy RPG franchises on mobile as sales decline
Mobile still makes up more than half of the company's sales
Business Deal
Kahoot acquires learn-to-read app Poio
Latest acquisition comes hot on the heels of its purchase of DragonBox
Linked Up
Steam Link finally available on the App Store
Game purchases have been taken out of the app to comply with Apple's guidelines
Market Data
More than half of the world’s mobile gamers are based in Asia
Newzoo's head of analytics Jelle Kooistra delves into how markets around the world still have room to grow
5g
Frank Gibeau: 5G potential for mobile is "profound"
The Zynga CEO is bullish on the opportunities for games and distribution
Covet Profits
Glu Mobile’s return to profitability dampened by share price drop
Crowdstar powers sales as Design Home and Covet Fashion lead the way
Korea Stars
Brawl Stars takes $50 million in South Korea
Total global sales to date reach an estimated $230m
Merged
Weighing up Zynga's $250m Gram acquisition one year on
Zynga's Bernard Kim and Gram Games' Kaan Karamanci discuss how the deal came about, what's changed, and what's stayed the same
Acquisition News
Rockstar acquires Indian developer Dhruva Interactive for $7.9m
Starbreeze sells majority stake in studio for $600k less than it paid
Pgc Seattle
Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle kicks off day one with a dive into hyper-casual game trends
The conference runs from May 13th and 14th, features 120 speakers and a host of networking opportunities to mix with the industry's best and brightest
Full Tilt
Tilting Point revenue quintupled to $45 million in 2018
Company president Samir El Agili discusses the philosophy behind the company's explosive growth
Weekly Charts
Weekly global mobile games charts: Clash of Clans the US top grosser again, but it can't beat Coin Master in the UK
Rankings from April 29th to May 5th 2019
Roundup
Games industry roundup: US Senator introduces loot box bill, blockchain gaming's state of play, and influencer distrust
15 articles from PCGamesInsider.biz, InfluencerUpdate.biz and BlockhainGamer.biz
Games' Wealthiest
King's Mel Morris, Riccardo Zacconi and Sebastian Knutsson named in UK's Rich List
Wealthiest games industry entrepreneurs worth more than £2.2 billion combined
East Meets West
East Meets West: China mobile games revenue to surpass $25bn, Chinese loot box rules, and DeNA-Pokemon Company partnership
Keeping up with the news from the world's most influential games market
Hot Five
Tencent shuts down PUBG Mobile in China, Supercell invests $3.8m in Luau Games, and Clash of Clans rakes in $71m in April
The hottest stories from the mobile games industry over the last week
Big Deals
Brazilian games studios signed projected $14m worth of deals at GDC
Country's games market was worth $1.3 billion in 2018
Trade Dispute
US China trade war escalates as Trump raises tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese products
Further duties of $325 billion worth of Chinese goods also threatened, which has the potential to affect tech companies like Apple
Funding News
Unity chases further $125 million funding round at $6 billion valuation
Tech company has raised around $600 million to date
Acquisition News
Educational games provider Kahoot snaps up DragonBox for $18m
Developer's math apps to be made available to Kahoot's hundreds of millions of users
Make It So
Scopely acquires Star Trek Fleet Command dev Digit Game Studios
Hit 4X strategy game projected to surpass $100 million
Bringing Back The Classics
"Freemium fatigue is a real thing": GameClub on turning back the clock on premium and the importance of game preservation
VP of business development Eli Hodapp discusses how GameClub will work and the importance of game preservation
Indie Spotlight
“Then it started blowing up": How TerraGenesis transformed indie developer Edgeworks
We speak with Edgeworks Entertainment CEO Alexander Winn about growing a hit mobile game and landing a big publishing deal
Game For Peace?
Tencent shuts down PUBG Mobile in China
Replaces with new, similar battle royale title Game for Peace that has received government approval
Google Pixel 3a
Google targets premium smartphone market with a $399 price tag for Pixel 3a
3a and 3a XL feature same camera specs
Global Launch
Codeless instant app creator AppOnboard Studio now free for all
Enables creation of instant apps on Google Play
Rapid Growth
China mobile games revenue to surpass $25 billion by 2023
95 per cent of gamers in China are playing mobile titles; 40 per cent spend money
Roundup
Games industry roundup: Inside Switzerland's games industry, CryptoKitties dev's new game, and YouTube confronts issues
15 articles from PCGamesInsider.biz, InfluencerUpdate.biz and BlockhainGamer.biz
Nordic Investment
Brawl Stars dev Supercell invests $3.8m in Malmo start-up Luau Games
Finnish developer adds to its investment portfolio once again with a studio founded by former King developers
Raking It In
Clash of Clans revenue jumped 72% to $71 million in month after Gold Pass introduction
Season Challenges and Gold Pass doing the business for Supercell
East Meets West
East Meets West: DOCOMO invests $280m in Magic Leap, the Middle East's growing games market, and Let's Hunt Monsters a top grosser in China
Keeping up with the news from the world's most influential games market
Hot Five
NBCUniversal's games strategy, Apple's offerwall crackdown, and why Clash of Clans' Season Challenges have proven so lucrative
The hottest stories from the mobile games industry over the last week
Sales Decline
King revenue falls year-on-year to $529m despite growth in MAUs
PC declines and Candy Crush Friends Saga impacts profitability
Well Played
Phoenix Games makes UK studio Well Played its first acquisition
Leamington Spa developer is currently working on Warhammer Combat cards
On The Move
Kongregate CEO Emily Greer steps down for new venture
COO Pany Haritatos named new interim boss
Good Dog
Zynga posts record mobile bookings of $341m in Q1 2019 thanks to Empires & Puzzles and Merge Dragons
However losses increased significantly due to the outperformance of these titles, resulting in bigger earnouts for Small Giant Games and Gram Games
Rising Up
Machine Zone's latest 4X strategy game World War Rising is a top 100 grosser
Developer's secret new title is off to a solid start
Knocked Down
Devs lose out on thousands of dollars as Apple cracks down on offerwall ads
Developers on and off the record discuss impact
Studio Acquisition
Epic acquires Rocket League developer Psyonix
San Diego studio says deal boosts esports ambitions
Fun For All
Tim Cook: Apple Arcade a service “for players of all ages”
Will be something "that families can enjoy together"
Apple Financials
Apple sales and profits fall as services gains fail to make up for hardware decline
iPhone sales down 17 per cent as services hits record $11.5 billion
Studio Closure
Robot toys maker Anki closes
Close to 200 people out of a job with one week's severance pay after funding round falls through at the last minute
Pgc Seattle
Editor's Picks: 5 top sessions at Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle on May 13th to 14th
PocketGamer.biz senior editor Craig Chapple looks at a selection of the must-attend talks at this year's show
Magic Funds
Japanese mobile operator DOCOMO invests $280 million in Magic Leap
Yet another investor brings total funding to date to around $2.6 billion
Roundup
Games industry roundup: Slight Mad's Mad Box trademark dispute, blockchain fundraising challenges, and India lifts TikTok ban
15 articles from PCGamesInsider.biz, InfluencerUpdate.biz and BlockhainGamer.biz