Board
25 years of the IGDA brings about new board members
"Our new board of directors will carry that mission forward as we expand on 25 years serving game developers around the globe"
Staff
Natalie Clayton
About Natalie Clayton is an Edinburgh-based freelance writer and game developer. Besides PCGamesInsider and Pocketgamer.biz, she's written across the games media landscape and was named in the 2018 GamesIndustry.biz 100 Rising Star list.
Articles by Natalie Clayton
Launch
Former Rovio product lead Will Luton opens new management consultancy for games
Department of Play will launch with a blow-out party at GDC next week
Marketing
Google introduces new ad campaign tools aimed at re-engaging lapsed players
App Campaigns for engagement and smart segregation look to hone your advertising efforts
Instant Demo
AppOnboard Studio is a new codeless toolkit for creating app demos
“Our easy to use tool-set completely eliminates all barriers of entry to app development"
Spend
Sony's Fate/Grand Order hits $3 billion in player spending
Sensor Tower suggests Fate/Grand Order could be one of Sony's all-time gaming highs
Jobs
Pole To Win promotes Deborah Kirkham as its new CEO
Eight-year executive takes over the CEO seat as Teppei Tachibana steps down
Legal
Ousted Vungle CEO Zain Jaffer takes his former company to court for $100 million
Jaffer is seeking compensation after being cleared of assault and sexual abuse charges
Ranked
Tencent and NetEase top App Annie's Top 52 app publishers list for 2018 as APAC companies dominate
33 of the top 52 companies hail from APAC
Jobs
Former Ubisoft and EA exec Jade Raymond joins Google as VP
Raymond may be involved with Google's soon-to-be-announced big push into gaming
China
Tencent starts the road to recovery after a rocky 2018 with a $40 billion boost in share value
The publisher’s share value has already grown 10 per cent in 2019 so far
Money
5th Planet Games lands $4.85 million in financing for future acquisitions
Hugo resurfaces with a new name and a renewed drive to buy, buy, buy
Esports
Konami's new high-rise esports centre wants to bring Japan's competitive gaming scene up to par
"Compared to esports pioneers America and Europe, Japan has still a long way to go"
Growth
Social casino dev KamaGames saw revenues soar 33% to $76.4m in 2018
Gross revenue hit $76.4 million as DAU counts saw a similar jump up
Funding
GFR Fund has put together a $20 million pot for esports, streaming and new technologies
"We are looking beyond traditional game developers to invest in disruptive entertainment technologies"
E3 2019
E3 grows a little quieter as EA pulls out of the event
Publisher promises "less talk and more play" as it moves all focus towards EA Play
Jobs
Former Atari COO Todd Shallbetter goes medical with Level Ex
Shallbetter will help the surgical training company's drive into VR and AR technologies
Animated
DeepMotion partners with Samsung to bring AR dance moves to mobile
DeepMotion's handheld motion capture could mean big things for next-gen mobile gaming
Jobs
VC outfit Atomico internally promotes three new partners
“Bryce, Alison and Camilla have the ambition, shared mission and energy we need as we continue to build Atomico”
Growth
17 videos from Pocket Gamer Connects London 2019’s Growth Track
Track sponsored by DeltaDNA
Research
Newzoo: Mobile gamers are more receptive to brands than non-gamers
The Activision-Blizzard partnered Betting on Billions paper makes key insights into mobile gaming demographics
Jobs
Former DICE CEO Karl Troedsson joins Nordisk Film Games
Troedsson takes on a role as senior partner to help direct Nordisk Film Games' growth and development
Events
Meet Activision Blizzard, EA, Microsoft and more at Game Connection America 2019
Publishers, developers and storefronts headline a new five-day format for Game Connection America this year
Spooky
Cultist Simulator will make a terrifying transition to mobile this spring
After selling 100,000 copies on PC, Cultist Simulator will let you perform dark deeds on the go
Patent Reality
Apple might be developing an AR headset for iPhones
A patent filed near the end of last year hints at a further push into AR tech
Events
Pocket Gamer’s ultimate GDC 2019 party guide
The definitive list of places to be at this year’s GDC
Interview
MapleStory M director on the challenges of bringing a 15-year-old MMORPG to mobile
Nexon's mobile MMO helped drive the Japanese publisher to one of its strongest years yet
Indie Publishing
US publisher Versus Evil starts 2019 with five new games and an indie fund
Versus Evil has also launched an indie development fund for
Hatching A Partnership
Hatch partners with network operator Sprint for 5G game streaming
Sprint hopes Hatch's game streaming will prove the potential of its new 5G network
Warfare
Microsoft workers demand stricter ethics as HoloLens prepares to kill
Open letter calls for the cancellation of a recently-signed army IVAS contract
China
Tencent and NetEase see non-China mobile game revenue soar 500%
China's biggest publishers look abroad as the nation's market remains unpredictable
Interview
How hard is it to bring a PC hit like Human: Fall Flat to smartphones anyway?
We speak to 505 Games’ Steve Woodward and Thomas Rosenthal to find out more about the wobbly platformer’s port
Fiscal
Netease ends 2018 on strong footing with almost $3 billion in Q4 revenue
Lifetime successes and strong newcomers drive Netease to a job well done this year
Investment Reality
Mixed reality technology firm Cooperative Innovations secures $650k in funding
Leeds-based outfit raises $652.741 to bring on more staff and find licensing partners for its animation tool
International
Chinese publisher East2West opens its USA branch in San Francisco
"Our current lineup, which will be announced shortly, is already impressive"
Cloud
Keywords’ latest acquisition is Dutch UA tools provider GetSocial
Social networking platform is expected to become profitable for Keywords Studios by 2020
Grim
Epic shuts down shabby Fortnite Live festival organiser
"These proceedings by Epic Games has had a catastrophic impact on the company's ability to trade"
Redo
An underwhelming Q3 sees Square Enix streamline its business units
11 reduced to four, won’t result in any workforce reduction
Google
Google to unveil a mystery gaming project at this year’s GDC
"Gather round" for the web giant's next step into gaming on March 19th
Financials
Ubisoft mobile bookings soar 77.6 per cent over the first three quarters of the publisher’s FY2019
"Ubisoft delivered a solid performance in a quarter when, as expected, competition was particularly fierce.”
Funded
TinyBuild has big plans for its newly-acquired $15 million in Series-A investment
Large Series-A funding will be used to bring on new hires and push publishing project growth
Wired
Plug In Digital raises $2.25M to push publishing efforts on mobile and PC
Plug In Digital looks to strengthen its services, partnerships and publishing opportunities
Maple
Maplestory M’s massive success is only part of Nexon’s record-setting financial results
Nexon’s highest full-year performance across both PC and Mobile made FY2018 one of the publisher’s strongest years to date
Port
Human: Fall Flat will land feet-first on mobile with a little help from 505 Games and Codeglue
505 Games partners with Curve Digital to bring the PC and Console indie hit to handheld devices
Turkey
Gaming Istanbul celebrates its fourth birthday in Turkey's billion-dollar gaming market
“The gaming bridge of Eurasia” wraps up its fourth year with international exhibitors
Sales Star
Brawl Stars scores $110 million in two months
Supercell might be in another annual drop, but Brawl Stars might be the game to turn things around
Nintendo
Nintendo wants to break beyond its existing fanbase despite multiple franchise successes
The Mario-maker’s recent Q&A also touched on keeping players online and the rapidly-declining 3DS
Oh No
Swedish tax agency demands $370 million from Candy Crush Saga maker King
Skatteverket claims King owes substantial taxes after its acquisition by Activision in 2016
Cut
Google won’t be dropping its 30 per cent revenue split in the wake of Epic’s Fortnite antics
"I think there's a value exchange there and it's been the industry standard"
All Aboard
Sega, Riot and THQ Nordic among the ESA’s six new members
US-based trade body bolsters its ranks with three new and three returning members
Financials
Dragon Ball Legends drives a strong Q3 2019 performance for publisher Bandai Namco
Mobile brawler success sees expectations raised for the publisher’s end-of-year results