Crime
NBCUniversal gangs up with Starbreeze on a Payday mobile game
Payday: Crime War will be a mobile spin-off of the PC and console FPS
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
Jobs
WIGJ announces a new executive board for day-to-day operation
Four-person board is seeking two more members to complete its ranks in marketing and events
Launch
Real-money competition platform Flashbreak launches with $2 million in seed funding
The app will act as both a publishing platform and a real-money competition hub
Financial Report
Animoca Brands ends a record year with Q4 revenue of $4.6 million
Continued blockchain partnerships and investments secure a strong year for the Chinese publisher
Doctor Doctor
Disney Tsum-Tsum’s $1.5 billion success story bodes well for Dr. Mario World
Plush puzzler has grossed at least $10 million monthly since March 2014
Learn
Indian learning platform Byju’s buys out US games firm Osmo for $120 million
Osmo will help the online education firm craft learning content for younger students
Invested
Bristol dev Auroch Digital raises investment from Miniclip and Bristol Private Equity Club
Equity firm fronts over $200,000 for Auroch’s new projects and local dev scene work
Ofcom
Ofcom reckons almost 90 per cent of gamers aged between 12 and 15 are playing online
UK report finds young gamers are increasingly online and social
Location, Location
Israeli publisher Playtika has opened new R&D office in Bucharest
Qualitest partners with the Israeli developer to launch the new testing and QA location
Analytics
FanAI acquires esports analytics and middleware firm Waypoint Media
FanAI gains access to Waypoint Media’s range of trackers, data and APIs
Deal
Unity acquires games chat platform Vivox
Text and audio comms tool has been used in Fortnite, Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds, and League of Legends
$$$$$
Report: Global games company investment more than doubled to $5.7bn in 2018
More than double the year prior
Unity
Unity Playground aims to open game development up to kids
Scriptless asset suite seeks to provide a stepping stone for young users looking to get into the engine
Shutdown
Updated: Behaviour claims Westworld Mobile shutdown unrelated to Bethesda lawsuit
Game to go offline for good on April 16th
Squawk
Angry Birds 2 revenue grew 47 per cent in a record-breaking 2018
Bird-flinging sequel brought in revenue over $116 million last year
Switch
Nintendo president: "We certainly want to release mobile games across a wide variety of genres"
Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa believes the Switch is strong enough as-is to meet the company's ambitions
Glad
GLAAD Awards to celebrate queer-inclusive video games for the first time in 2019
Five games head up the inclusivity organisation’s first Outstanding Video Game award category
Charts
Weekly Global Mobile Games Charts: PUBG Mobile breaks into US top 10 grossing slots
Charts from January 14th to 20th
Locked
NetEase is enforcing an 11-hour curfew of mobile gaming for kids
New limits will also severely restrict daily playtime for young children
Game On
Gamemaker Studio 2 gets Amazon GameOn support enabling cross-platform competitions
YoYo Games and Amazon have released an asset to get GameMaker devs onto the GameOn service
Hot News
Hothead Games takes a step into the third-party publishing business
"We know what it’s like to be in their shoes, and we are just as committed to their success as they are”
Brexit
"Even if we were to revoke article 50 tomorrow, a lot of damage has been done"
Three industry experts discuss the ramifications of Brexit at Pocket Gamer Connects London
Events
Don't stop at mobile: Here’s how to cross platform lines at the PGC London Connects X Track
Track for mastering your opportunities across platforms old and new
Events
Look to the clouds with this look at the Pocket Gamer Connects London Game Changers: Cloud Track
Track for getting clued in on the power of cloud computing in mobile gaming
Jobs News
Roblox aims to boost safety and security efforts with new digital civility hire
Long-time consultant Laura Higgins becomes the studio's first director of digital civility
Events
Here's everything you need to know for the Pocket Gamer Connects London Show Me The Money Track
Track for finding the right funding opportunities and investment advice to finance your next hit
India
United Nations: India primed to become the next great game development hub
Gaming joins VFX and animation as a growing industrial powerhouse in the country
Events
Living the dream: A look into the Pocket Gamer Connects London Living Games Track
Track for discovering the best ways to manage and support living games
Events
Climb the ladder with this lowdown on the Pocket Gamer Connects London Growth Track
Track for mastering user acquisition and retention efforts in your next mobile hit
Cloud
Report: Verizon is testing a new streaming service for smartphones and Nvidia Shield
Verizon Gaming will aim to run on the phone operator’s upcoming 5G capabilities
Brexit
Games4EU urges UK MPs to reject the Prime Minister’s Brexit withdrawal agreement
“It is critical to find a way out of this mess”
Events
Take home the gold with this look at the Pocket Gamer Connects London Esports Academy Track
Track covers everything esports, from best practices to the future of competitive gaming
Sharp
Knives Out a big battle royale winner for NetEase in 2018 with $465m revenue
Knives Out benefited from Japanese fame and being monetisable in China
Events
Get prepared for going solo with this guide to The Pocket Gamer Connects London Indie Track
Track for finding new paths to success without publisher oversight
China
China approves further 84 games as new regulatory body works its way through backlog of thousands
84 new games have passed China’s video game approvals system for the second time since the freeze ended
Events
Grab your spanner: It’s time to look at the Pocket Gamer Connects London Developer Toolkit Track
Track for gaining hands-on advice for developing the next big hit.
Events
Live action: Here’s a look at the Pocket Gamer Connects London Live Ops Landscape track
Track for expert advice on running live operations for ongoing games
East Meet West
Exchanging insights: A peek at the Pocket Gamer Connects London East Meets West Track
Track features tips and tricks to breaking into established and emerging markets worldwide
Closed
Robot Entertainment pulls the plug on Orcs Must Die! Unchained, Hero Academy 1 and 2
The developer was operating at a “financial loss” keeping the old games alive
Phwoar
Facebook rules Gris' launch trailer too sexual to air
Publisher Devolver Digital claims the platformer’s launch trailer was rejected for “sexually suggestive” content
Events
The people factor: A look at Pocket Gamer Connects London's Culture Club Track
Track featuring everything you need to build a productive and progressive studio environment
Events
Money, money, money: Find out all about monetisation with our Pocket Gamer Connects London Monetiser Track
Track featuring the hottest trends in the marketing and monetisation landscape
Health
"No consistent evidence” that screen time is harmful to children
But that doesn't mean parents should be giving kids free rein over phone time
Gone West
Fallout Shelter publisher Bethesda ends legal battle against Warner Bros over Westworld "rip-off"
The dispute between the two mobile management games has been "amicably resolved"
Events
What’s trending: Here’s what to look out for at the Pocket Gamer Connects London Trade Trends track
The track to take for those looking for mobile market trends and the state of British gaming
Feel The Hype
Keep it casual: Here’s the lineup for Pocket Gamer Connects London’s Game Changers – Hyper-casual track
Track features the leading lights in the hyper-casual and the chat app gaming sectors
Marvellous
Hearthstone director's Second Dinner snags $30m from NetEase and secures Marvel licence agreement
New studio has been working on its first game for six months
Growth
Square Enix eyes India as part of year of “aggressive” overseas expansion
India and China will play a key role in the Square Enix president’s plans for global growth
Events
Anita Sarkeesian, Mikael Haveri and Robin Hunicke headline Ludicious 2019 from January 31st
Swiss event will feature presentations and workshops from over forty industry speakers
Marketing
AppsFlyer claims the app ad market will hit $64 billion by 2020
Ads market is set to grow 34 per cent annually on average between 2017 and 2020