Finnish Games Week
Finland’s games industry set to come together for a full week of events
Developers head to the home of mobile gaming for Finnish Games 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
Job Losses
Nexon America lays off “small number” of staff
Publisher establishes Western Development Group headed by Hanbyeol Oh
Wwise Tour
Win a free ticket to the PGC Helsinki Wwise Tour and learn from audio experts on Frostpunk 2, triple-A games, and more
Star speakers from 11 Bit Studios, Mainframe Industries and Audiokinetic will deliver insightful sessions for audio specialists at PGC on Wednesday, October 2nd
Pgc Helsinki
Learn the state of play at the heart of the mobile games industry at PG Connects Helsinki
Discover Finland’s hottest industry trends and gain valuable insight into the latest facts and figures on October 1st
Top 50
Find out who's in the Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2024 next week
The big reveal will take place on October 2nd live at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki
Next Hit?
After $1bn+ in player spending, hybridcasual specialist Habby soft-launches text-based idle RPG Capybara Go
Title has soft-launched in Australia, Canada, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam
Forward The Foundation
FunPlus doubles down on licensed IP as it soft-launches Foundation: Galactic Frontier and DC: Dark Legion
Soft launch coincides with release of DC: Dark Legion
Podcast | Episode 29
Playtika acquires SuperPlay, and the secret multi-billion dollar games platform WeChat Minigames | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and and what's inside this week's episode 29...
App Expansion
Are publishers leaving games behind?
EA, Krafton, IGG and Voodoo are each launching apps and investing in companies outside of games
Practical Ai
Practical AI: How Ludo’s generative AI tools aim to help democratise game development
The Practical AI series kicks off with Ludo CEO Tom Pigott on the company's generative AI platform and the pace of progress in the space
Interoperability
EU orders Apple to open up its iOS ecosystem to rivals
European Commission to set out rules and processes for Apple to ensure interoperability of iOS features across devices
Super Acquisition
Playtika to acquire Dice Dreams developer SuperPlay for up to $1.95 billion
Deal will see publisher pay $700 million up-front and a further potential $1.25 billion based on successfully hitting financial targets
It's In The App
The EA Sports App takes the publisher beyond games and into social networking
App will soft launch in Spain this autumn in partnership with La Liga
Transmedia Strikes Again
EA working with Amazon MGM Studios on The Sims movie
Margot Robbie's production company LuckyChap to co-produce the film
Game Closure
Kabam to shut down Disney Mirrorverse after making $34m in mobile revenue
Action RPG no longer available for download and in-app purchases have been disabled
Neverdale
Metacore ends Everdale development and returns IP to Supercell
Merge Mansion developer had also recently cancelled soft-launched title Sails of Fury
Podcast
Unicorns, camels and hogs: How smart ad monetisation saves your app from getting eaten alive | Podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team and guests give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode…
Hybrid Working
Ubisoft wants workers back in the office three days a week
“Being together in person also helps solve problems and make decisions more effectively"
Masterclass
Register now for tomorrow's Game Economy Design MasterClass workshop
Grab your ticket now for tomorrow's big workshop and learn all about game economy balance and building sustainable long-term engagement
Job Losses
UK VR games developer nDreams set to lay off up to 17.5% of staff
Studio, which was acquired by Aonic in November 2023, was previously said to employ 250 staff
Opening Up?
OpenAI wants to raise $6.5bn at $150bn valuation
Investors eye structural changes and removal of profit cap, according to reports
Podcast | Episode 28
The Unity Runtime Fee is dead! | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and and what's inside this week's episode 28...
Out Of Time
Unity charts a new path forward without the "catastrophic" Runtime Fee
Unity has killed off the Runtime Fee, but is it too late?
It's Over
Unity cancels infamous Runtime Fee
Unity backtracks on the Runtime Fee that sparked anger, confusion and a boycott
Big-form Investment
PUBG developer Krafton invests $89.5m in audio and short-form video streaming firm Spoon Labs
Deal represents publisher's largest investment in a non-gaming company
Funding News
Turkey's Cypher Games raises $10m to take on match-3 market filled with "too many average-quality titles"
Seed investment round led by The Raine Group
Podcast
Google lead shines a light on the games industry's top trends | Podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team and guests give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode…
Release Reveal
Tencent’s upcoming RPG Honor of Kings: World set for 2025 release date
Spin-off set to launch across multiple platforms
New Iphone
iPhone 16 packs ‘30% better’ gaming performance
Apple claims new A18 chip runs 30% faster and with 30% less power than last-gen
Devs Fight Back
Mobile gaming’s secret and not so-secret new blockbusters
It's a tough market, but a number of mobile games, new and old, are making waves
Meet The Media
Meet the Pocket Gamer editorial team at PGC Helsinki’s Journalist Bar
Get the word out about your game and instant feedback by speaking with the experienced journalists at PocketGamer.com
Tech Giants Feud
Microsoft claims App Store’s 30% fee “makes it impossible” to monetise its cloud gaming service
"The 30% fee imposed by Apple on IAPs is the result of a lack of competition in the distribution of native iOS apps"
Signed Deal
Tencent’s Lightspeed LA studio signs SAG-AFTRA deal to work with striking members
Developer can now employ performers from the organisation for current and future projects
Minecraft Movie
Minecraft Movie starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa gets its first trailer
The film is set to finally arrive in April 2025 after a decade in the works
Stepping Up
Disney Step brings the House of Mouse into location-based AR gaming
New Drecom-developed title looks set for Japan-only release
Masterclass
Last chance to register for today's free Game Economy Design MasterClass webinar
Grab your ticket now for today's big webinar and learn all about game economy balance and building sustainable long-term engagement
Connection Hazard
Resident Evil mobile ports now require internet connection to play
Developer Capcom claimed requirement was due to "changes to the startup process"
Final Call
Square Enix to shut down Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius after $900m in revenue
“It would be difficult to continue maintaining the app experience”
Financials
New games and apps business growth drives Lords Mobile dev IGG to $42m profit in H1 2024
Strategy games Doomsday: Last Survivors and Viking Rise push company to growth
M&a
Pole to Win snaps up co-development studio Ghostpunch Games for $13 million
Florida-based company has worked across platforms with partners such as EA, Gearbox Software, Bethesda Game Studios and 2K
Podcast | Episode 27
Savvy's MENA investment and Finnish dev Lightneer closes | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and and what's inside this week's episode 27...
Mena Means Business
Savvy Games Group strikes key deals to power MENA industry growth
As string of partnerships and investments this week are focused on building the Middle East into a gaming powerhouse
Audience Choice
PGC Helsinki to shine the spotlight on indies with the Audience the Big Indie Zone Audience Choice Award sponsored by Jam City
The conference, which takes place on October 1st and 2nd, will also host a number of events offering developers the chance to showcase their games
Enter Mobile
Bullet hell roguelike Enter the Gungeon heads to mobile in China
X.D. Network set to publish title in the country, over eight years after it was first released
Top 50
PocketGamer.biz Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2024 to be unveiled at PGC Helsinki
Join us on the conference for the full reveal and representatives from some of the top 50 in person
Recruitment Drive
Savvy Games Group plots 600 new games industry jobs in Saudi Arabia
State-backed company opens up on strategy to grow local ecosystem and its global investments
Podcast | Episode 26
The big stories and trends from Gamescom 2024 | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and and what's inside this week's episode 26...
Gamescom Takeaways
5 takeaways from Devcom and Gamescom 2024: Eastern influence, web shops rising, and Monument Valley returns
We look at some of the big stories and trends coming out of Europe's largest games expo
"curse Of The Consumables"
Aggressive mobile game monetisation pushes loyal players to churn, says Battle of Polytopia CEO
Midjiwan CEO Christian Lövstedt criticises the deliberate lack of transparency on in-app purchases
Web Shop Spending
Tilting Point’s Warhammer: Chaos & Conquest makes 50% of revenue from its web shop
Players can purchase web shop-exclusive bundles for up to $1,000