Trade Union
Workers at mobile studio Ubisoft Halifax file to unionise
Of the developer's 60 staff, 39 have publicly said they want to unionise with CWA Canada
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
Live Ops
Sensor Tower acquires live ops data platform Playliner
Platform tracks in-game events, monetisation and player engagement in mobile games
Mobile Royale
Mobile-first Fortnite Blitz Royale mode launches on June 18th
Move comes shortly after Fortnite's return to mobile on the US App Store
Podcast | Episode 56
The Apple Games verdict | 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 what's inside this week's episode 56...
What Do Developers Want?
Apple Games and the future of iOS gaming
Apple's big moment wasn't quite to be. Developers react with their wish list for the App Store and iOS gaming
Mobile Mavens
Mobile Mavens: Apple Games reaction and a feature wish list for the App Store
Industry experts give their opinions on this week's announcements and what the iPhone giant can do to win over developers
New Company
Ex-Netflix VP Mike Verdu and Zynga founder Mark Pincus form AI games startup Playful.AI
Company aims to “reinvent game development and game experiences with AI”
Conference Roundup
6 takeaways from PGC Barcelona: A bustling industry hub, DTC hits overdrive, and AI hype continues
A look at some of the trends and key talks from our debut conference in the Catalonia capital
Apple Games
New Apple Games app offers recommendations, challenges, and leaderboards
Apple also showcases some Apple Intelligence features as it ignores previous delays
New Ai Studio
Homa co-founder opens new AI-first studio Everyday
Olivier Le Bas wants to "rethink" how mobile games are built
Shutting Down
Games livestreaming platform Noice closes
Company had raised $26 million in funding before new investment dried up
Stream Wwdc
Watch Apple’s WWDC keynote right here
Tune in at 6pm BST (10am PDT) for the big announcements
Xbox Handheld
Microsoft unveils ROG Xbox Ally handhelds
New consoles will launch in winter later this year
Crunch Time
Apple’s big moment
Will the tech giant make a big statement at WWDC or pretend the world hasn't changed?
Stay Denied
US court rejects Apple’s request to delay ruling that broke open the US App Store
“May next week’s WWDC be the Apple-led celebration of freedom that developers and users have long deserved," says Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney
Job Losses
Playtika layoffs hit Best Fiends and Redecor teams
Redundancies come shortly after Wooga saw around 50 job cuts
Ready To Launch
How to get your game published in China in 2025
MyGamez CRO Thorbjorn Warin discusses the rules and challenges of releasing a game in the country
Pgc Barcelona
Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona kicks off today
Two days of insightful sessions and networking opportunities takes place on June 3rd and 4th
Podcast | Episode 55
Apple faces further EU fines and Trump tariffs chaos continues | 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 what's inside this week's episode 55...
Barcelona Beckons
Barcelona, here we come!
A look ahead to the debut of Pocket Gamer Connects in the vibrant Spanish city
Under Pressure
Apple faces further DMA fines as EU gives compliance deadline
Tech giant has less than 30 days to comply with ruling against anti-steering measures
Sneaky Deal
Apple acquires Sneaky Sasquatch developer RAC7
Move marks tech giant's first deal for a studio
Podcast | Episode 54
Fortnite’s Epic return and the challenges of launching a game in 2025 | 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 what's inside this week's episode 54...
Fortnite On Top
Fortnite ranks number one for US App Store downloads since return
Battle royale beats out ChatGPT, WhatsApp, Dunk City Dynasty and Block Blast to the top spot
Consequential Comeback
Fortnite returns, what now for the mobile market?
Fortnite's return to the US App Store has far-reaching consequences
Jobs News
nDreams CEO Patrick O'Luanaigh steps down after 19 years
Chief development officer Tomas Gillo steps into the role as O'Luanaigh becomes non-executive chairman
Job Losses
Wooga struck by around 50 layoffs as Claire’s Chronicles: Solitaire cancelled
The news comes as the developer moved into its new office
Studio Closure
Jason Avent’s Hardball Games closing down
"Gradually during 2023, the market went cold, the money taps all turned off and the conversations we were having all went dry"
Legal Royale
Judge asks Apple why it believes it has legal authority to ignore injunction
"Obviously, Apple is fully capable of resolving this issue without further briefing or a hearing," says judge
Mystery Opportunity
Ubisoft reveals new Asia mobile games deal as platform accounts for 22% of bookings in Q4
CEO Yves Guillemot refuses to elaborate on new "opportunity"
Podcast | Episode 53
Will Squad Busters 2.0 revive its fortunes? | 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 what's inside this week's episode 53...
Kill Your Darlings
Can Squad Busters 2.0 hit the mark for Supercell?
A look at the game's early failings and whether "kill your darlings" should apply to live games, too
Dismantled
Machine Zone reduced to minimal core team operating Game of War and Mobile Strike
Studio no longer has the capacity to work on new games
Podcast | Episode 52
Tim Sweeney's epic App Store win and Tripledot's transformational AppLovin deal | 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 what's inside this week's episode 52...
Major Acquisition
How Tripledot's AppLovin deal is positioning it as a major global force in mobile games
We speak with Tripledot CEO and co-founder Lior Shiff on the $800m acquisition of AppLovin’s games business
M&a
Tripledot to acquire AppLovin’s games business in transformative deal
Deal worth $400m in cash plus a 20% stake in Tripledot's common equity
Market Growth
Middle East fastest-growing market for game revenue and downloads in 2024
The region was the only games market to see downloads growth last year
Direct-to-consumer
Epic Games will launch web shops next month
Fortnite developer will also offer 0% commission on a game's first $1 million on the Epic Games Store
Pass Go, Collect $5bn
Scopely’s Monopoly Go hits $5bn in two years
Genshin Impact previously took 40 months to hit the milestone across the App Store and Google Play
Epic Win
“Game over for the Apple tax” as US court rules publishers can freely link to off-store payments
The iPhone giant could face criminal contempt proceedings as judge issues scathing ruling
Podcast | Episode 51
Regulators poke the Apple and Google monopoly bear | 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 what's inside this week's episode 51...
Big Push
Brazil aims to sweet talk the global games industry at Gamescom LATAM
The country's flagship event hopes to boost its presence on the world stage
Dma Hits
The EU deals out tepid DMA fine to Apple, but potentially meaningful change
The European Commission is trying to enforce its rules. What happens next?
Jobs Roundup
April 2025's Movers and Shakers: New CEOs at Discord and GoodVille, Supercell appoints head of marketing, and more
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
Jobs News
Discord CEO steps down
Former King president Humam Sakhnini takes top job
Podcast | Episode 50
AppLovin and Machine Zone layoffs, celebrity marketing, and Supercell's aversion to soft launch | 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 what's inside this week's episode 50...
Transmedia
A Minecraft Movie and The Last of Us fly the transmedia flag
A look at the successes and failures of games spinning off into other entertainment mediums
Job Losses
Machine Zone CEO out as AppLovin lays off 97 staff
Machine Zone CEO and design director out as ad tech firm makes another round of job cuts
Mena Month
The big deals that have shaped the Middle East's games industry over the past year
We take a look at the acquisitions, partnerships and other deals in the Middle East's growing market
China Launch
Supercell’s Squad Busters is heading to China
App Store sets April 22nd release date with Tencent set to publish title