Circumventing Regulations
Chinese websites already allowing kids to avoid age-time restrictions
Rent Honor of Kings accounts from $5 for two hours
Staff
Aaron Orr
About The man formerly known as News Editor.
Articles by Aaron Orr
Live And Kicking
Six years on, how Gameloft sustains Order & Chaos 2: Redemption
Liveops with a small team
Proliferating Portfolio
Qiiwi Games acquires Playright Games for $1.1 million
Initial purchase price of $540,000 for majority stake
Acquiring Ads
Azerion acquires French digital advertising company Sublime
Will integrate Sublime's "unobtrusive" ads
Battlefield Mobile
Upcoming Battlefield Mobile spotted on Google Play
Currently playtesting in Indonesia and the Philippines
Safari Zone
Postponed Pokémon GO Safari Zone events set to return from October
Events will be held in person across three locations
Adding Games
Multiscription secures $800,000 for F2P game subscription service Unleashd
Available on Android through Google Play
Missing Features
Rumoured Apple AR/VR headset to require iPhone connection
Making it as power efficient as possible
Not Sus
Among Us drives rapid imposter-themed mobile game growth
Revenue up 26-fold
Hearing Ads
In-game audio ad platform Odeeo raise $1 million in seed funding
Suggests in-game audio ads accompany gameplay
Joyless Juveniles
China’s youth criticise government’s new regulations
Teens took to Weibo to voice frustrations
Additional Changes
Another brick in App Store walled garden removed: Reader apps can link-out
Apple reacts to Japan Fair Trade Commission
Quackers
Swedish dev Gigantic Duck raises $1.2 million in seed funding
Currently developing two titles, including Bombergrounds: Battle Royale
Follow The Rhythm
Sega reveals upcoming rhythm game Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage!
Heading to iOS and Android later this year
Continued Growth
NetEase sees Q2 2021 profits rise 14% to $1.7 billion
Prepped to launch Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings IP
Forward Looking
Green Grey invests $2.5 million into Infusion Games’ upcoming projects
Studio’s flagship title, Cyber Wars, is due to be released mid-2022
Entering New Markets
Playtika snap up Redecor dev Reworks for up to $600 million
Expanding into the growing design category
Cutting Out Commission
South Korea bans app marketplaces restricting third-party payments
The first country to implement such changes
Midcore Makers
Studio Sirah raises $830,000 for India-first midcore mobile games
Now developing Kurukshetra: Ascension
Clamping Down
China limits under 18s to three hours online gaming a week
New regulations prevent minors from playing games Monday through Thursday
Pretty Nifty
Nifty Games gains $38 million in new funding for its mobile sports games
The larger opportunity
New Hires
Ranj Vekaria joins Curve Digital as creative director
One of four new hires for the British games publisher
Leading The Way
Indian midcore dev SuperGaming raises $5.5 million Series A funding
Well-positioned to capture growth in India and globally
One Less Brick In The Wall
Devs gain more flexibility to highlight non-App Store payment methods
Also allows for more price points
Expansion
Netflix launches its first mobile games, testing in Poland
Stranger Things games now live
Expanded Reach
Niantic restores 80m interaction radius in Pokémon Go
The increase was initially implemented to encourage social distancing
Return To Middle-earth
NetEase launching The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War globally on 23 September
The game has been in soft launch for over a year
No Show
Garena cancels Free Fire World Series esports event
Was due to take place in November
A Shaving Grace
Admix partners with Movember for in-play ads
Movember moustache will appear in several games
Supercell Subterfuge
Everdale was initially soft-launched as Valleys & Villages through a fake company
Game has actually been in testing since September 2020
Save The World
Netmarble's anticipated Marvel Future Revolution launches globally
It's been in soft launch since the start of July this year
Continued Growth
Gardenscapes surpasses $3 billion in lifetime player spending
Launched in July 2016
Jackpot
Scientific Games acquires instant win developer Sideplay Entertainment
Scientific Games will merge all of Sideplay’s content into its portfolio
More To Come?
EA makes five accessibility patents free for developers
The patents are tailored to improving player accessibility within games
Applications Open
Facebook Gaming launches second round of Black Creator Program
Part of Facebook’s $200 million pledge to support Black-owned businesses
Rebranding
Gamasutra set to rebrand as Game Developer after almost 25 years
The name change is expected to be enforced on August 26th
#appletoo
Apple staff unite under #AppleToo to address company discrimination and inequality
The site calls for current and former Apple employees to share their to raise awareness at the company
Staff Concerns
Update: Love Island dev Fusebox accused of sexism and "fetishising bisexual experiences"
The newest season of the game was due cover the newest television season
It's A Peaceful Life
Supercell reveals new co-op builder Everdale, launches beta
Marks the first new IP from Supercell for four years
Magic Or Muggle
Harry Potter: Magic Awakened launches in China this September
The game takes place several years after the events of the films
Sentenced
Runescape composer Ian Taylor imprisoned for sexually assaulting a minor
Taylor has also been placed on the Sex Offenders Register
Take A Crack
Skillz partners with Etermax for new Trivia Crack game
Real-money platform signs new partnership
Hybridcasual
Electric Manta and Voodoo agree long-term publishing partnership
The companies aim to extend the lifetime and engagement of hypercasual games
Gamescom 2021
Over 30 titles will feature in Gamescom 2021’s Opening Night Live
Host Geoff Keighley will return with a new co-host
Big Brother Is Watching
Tencent forewarns of increased regulations and restrictions in China
The company expressed intent to remain fully compliant with future regulations
Ongoing Battle
Roblox community is recreating mass shootings
"We do not tolerate racism, discriminatory speech, or content related to tragic events"
Causing A Storm
Storms launch new game studio and partner with Voodoo
The studio has developed one game so far, AZ Run
It's Happinying
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl new details emerge
Pokémon Legends: Arceus given spotlight too
Royale Figures
Clash Royale generates highest monthly revenue for two years
The game has also seen a recent boost in downloads over the past few months
Checkmate
Kings of Games secures funding for Chess Universe
The studio was created by two chess Grand Masters