The Bells Toll
Animal Crossing: New Horizons delayed to 2020
Had originally been slated for a 2019 release
Staff
Matthew Forde
About Matthew Forde is the deputy editor at PocketGamer.biz and also a member of the Pocket Gamer Podcast. You can find him on Twitter @MattForde64 talking about stats, data and everything pop culture related - particularly superheroes.
Articles by Matthew Forde
Shopkeeper Trick
E3 2019: Link’s Awakening gets September release on Switch
Draw your sword on September 20th, 2019
Profit And Revenue
Games Workshop generated $323 million in revenue over the last 12 months
This includes approximately $102m in profit
The Future Is Now
Three to launch 5G in London from August
Rolling out to 25 other towns and cities before end of 2019
1,500 People Surveyed Globally
Redbox Mobile: Over 35s more likely to download apps via adverts
55 per cent opted to install via paid advertisements
Crash
Call of Duty: Mobile soft-launched in India and Australia
Tencent-owned Chinese studio Timi handling development
Jobs In Games
Jobs in Games: Next Games’ Matias Ärje on how to get a job as director of technology
"Purpose comes from getting the results of your work into the hands of millions of people"
Killer Combo
Tencent's Game for Peace helped PUBG Mobile more than double sales to $146m in May
Sales increased 126 per cent from April
Doors Open
Stack open-sources ad software BidMachine mobile apps publishers
Technology has been made an open source resource
Collaboration
Hatch and Samsung team to bring 5G cloud gaming to the US
Two companies continue to collaborate after bringing service to South Korea
Seeing Double
Temple Gates Games CEO accuses DoubleJump of cloning Cannon Brawl
Theresa Duringer claims the studio cloned her game after she entered it in a competition
Another Lawsuit
Developers sue Apple over App Store fees
“This isn’t the first time we’ve taken Apple to task over anti-competitive behaviour”
Soft Launch
Rovio targets China over Western markets for Angry Birds Dream Island
Game has been in soft-launch since February 2018
“long-term Partner”
Rovio partners with AR firm Zappar for Angry Birds Explore
Soft-launched in Finland, Spain, Portugal and Russia
Indie Spotlight
Nyamyam co-founder Jennifer Schneidereit on transitioning from triple-A games to indie life
"Developers are driving customers to the storefronts but not vice versa"
Good Day For A Swell Drive
Cuphead arriving in Tesla cars this summer
Made possible through the use of Unity and Unreal Engine
Avengers Gather
Avengers directors to adapt Magic: The Gathering for Netflix
Avengers directors the Russo Brothers will helm project based off the collectable card game
Stadia Direct
Google to reveal Stadia pricing, games and more on June 6th
First new details since original unveiling
Jobs In Games
Jobs in Games: ZeptoLab’s Jorge Rosado on how to become a game designer
“I was naive enough to think that I would become a millionaire and would be able to afford a Ferrari with my very first game”
Building Bridges
LEGO and Gameloft partner for LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed
Bringing together 40 years of LEGO minifigures
The Race Is On
Drodo Studios soft-launches DOTA Auto Chess standalone version on mobile
Valve looking to release its own version in the future
Vr Shocked
Report: VR and AR developer Leap Motion acquired by Ultrahaptics for $30 million
Leap Motion co-founder David Holz and engineering staff will join Ultrahaptics as part of the sale
Job News
Gearbox Publishing boss John Vignocchi joins Nintendo of America
“I’m humbled by this dream opportunity”
New Policies
Google Play developers must now disclose loot box odds
Details surrounding “randomised virtual items” must be clearly shown
Indie Mavens
Does Apple and Google's 70/30 revenue share model work for indies?
The Indie Mavens have their say on the platform's revenue share policy
Live And Kicking
Two years on: Konami on how Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links has kept fans wanting more
90 million downloads and counting
New Studio
Sumo Leamington on how the studio looks to adapt for the mobile market
“There is no one thing that ensures success in this space – it’s quite a complex set of many things”
Weekly Charts
Weekly global mobile games charts: Tencent claims top three positions for highest grossing in China
Rankings from May 13th to May 19th 2019
Education Initiative
Tencent and Roblox form strategic partnership in China
The initial focus will concentrate on education
Gotta Launch 'em All
Pokemon press conference reveals several new games and apps
Pokemon Sleep, Detective Pickachu Sequel, Pokemon Masters and more
"volatile"
Former Rockstar executive allegedly sexually harassed new employee in 2014
Jeronimo Barrera was a figure of fear at Rockstar according to an incendiary new report
Job News
King CEO Riccardo Zacconi steps down after 16 years
Will move to chairman role from July 1st, 2019
Bytedance Mobile
TikTok parent company ByteDance reportedly working on a smartphone
Sources close to the project have confirmed the plans
Done Deal
Zynga sells off San Francisco headquarters for $600 million
Company will lease space and remain headquartered in the city
Course Correction
Tencent changes Arena of Valor strategy to no longer concentrate on the West
“Letting it live or die”
Go Jake Go
Subway Surfers dives past 2.5 billion downloads worldwide
Game has just celebrated its seventh anniversary
Job News
Epic Games hires Overwatch League commissioner Nate Nanzer to drive esports
"This has been the toughest decision of my life"
Days Ahead
Tencent unveils new zombie survival game for mobile
“Code: Life” currently has no release date
Health
World Health Organisation officially recognises “Gaming Disorder” as illness
Motion was passed even with opposition from industry bodies and academics
Investor Funds
Animoca Brands raises $2.5 million for blockchain games platform The Sandbox
Company also secures deal with South Korea’s Kakao
New Studio
Gismart opens internal hyper-casual game development studio
Studio aims to deliver 10 games within its first year of operation
Superdata
Tencent’s Honour of Kings tops the list for highest grossing mobile game globally in April 2019
Chinese giant’s Perfect Wold ranked behind in second position.
Potentially Huge
Tencent and Riot Games working on mobile version of League of Legends
Game not expected to launch in 2019
Job News
Snowprint Studios appoints Paradox and EA vet John Hargelid as new COO
Brought on to continue the company’s growth
Not Quite Iron Man
Google updates its Glass hardware with new Enterprise Edition 2
Priced at $999 per set
It Has A Crank
Firewatch publisher Panic reveals new handheld video game system Playdate
12 games will be rolled out over 12 weeks.
Live And Kicking
Two years on: How Flaregames’ community kept Zombie Gunship Survival alive
"It’s no exaggeration to say that our players kept the game alive during its quieter periods"
No Joke
Blizzard learned a "huge number of lessons" from Diablo Immortal reveal
Developer says it's still focused on PC titles despite partnerhing with NetEase on the new mobile game
Let’s Do This
Activision gives Call of Duty: Mobile the battle royale treatment
Publisher working in collaboration with Tencent on the title
Expansion
Playtika eyes rapid development with new casual games division
The Casual games Lab will be based in Tel Aviv, Israel