Finding Funds
Former Zen Match devs raise $3m in pre-seed funding round for new studio Grand Games
Developer has already soft-launched Magic Sort and is set to release Car Match later this month
Staff
Aaron Astle
Job Title
News Editor
About Aaron is the News Editor at PG.biz and has an honours degree in Creative Writing.
Having spent far too many hours playing Pokémon, he's now on a quest to be the very best like no one ever was...at putting words in the right order.
Articles by Aaron Astle
Pgc Helsinki
Isabel Davies: EU’s Digital Fitness Fairness Check could cause "big overhauls" in 2025
The regulation of free-to-play is a complex topic due to its ever-changing nature, but next year’s check could really change the game…
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from outmatching monsters to 90s nostalgia
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Transforming Trends
Live ops, hypercasual and artificial intelligence: Keeping up with the trends in 2024
The games industry moves fast, but brand collabs can still be the way to go with careful planning
Nfc Now
Apple to allow third-party 'tap to pay' alternatives in Europe
The European Commission has accepted the tech giant’s offer to enable access to the iPhone's NFC chip at last
Tech Takeover
Choices: Stories You Play dev Pixelberry Games acquired by AI-based Series Entertainment
The company's acquisition will see "cutting-edge technology" brought to the Choices: Stories You Play series
Gacha Giants
From Honkai: Star Rail to Wuthering Waves, gacha giants made $357 million in June
The gacha genre was dominated by Eastern developers last month, with the HoYoverse portfolio putting them out on top
Simulation Star
Gakuen Idolmaster got 1.5x Squad Busters’ downloads during its launch month
The idol title earned 40% of Bandai Namco Entertainment’s domestic mobile revenue during the period
Web3 Wellness
Animoca Brands bookings are up 72% in Q1 as recovery from 2023's decline continues
The company saw a 30% fall in bookings in 2023, but has overturned its fortunes so far in 2024
Strategic Sustainability
Netmarble’s mobile gamers have higher satisfaction than its PC cohort
Sustainability Report 2024 finds that a 24/7 inquiry service builds trust and boosts sales
Toon Turnaround
Toon Blast surpasses $2.5 billion with newfound revenue resurgence
Peak Games’ 2017 title is on the rise again with its best H1 since 2021
Finding Funds
Felicity Games raises $700K in pre-seed to test 10 games within a year
Funds were raised from DeVC, Visceral Capital, and many angel investors
Disney Deal
Disney and GungHo strike deal to launch Disney Pixel RPG later this year
The gacha RPG will feature characters from across Disney’s properties, from Stitch to Mickey Mouse
Super Sakurai
Super Smash Bros creator Masahiro Sakurai warns that game updates "won’t mean anything" without a strong base game
Sakurai believes that game development shouldn't be about fixing everything with live ops later
Slumbering Success
Pokémon Sleep earns $100 million with its eyes shut
Living the dream: With one week to go before its first anniversary, Pokémon Sleep has caught plenty of Zs but even more cash
Android To Apple
Pre-registrations for SuperGaming’s eagerly awaited Indus on iOS are now open
The India-focused battle royale has already attracted 11 million pre-registrations on Android
Triumphant Trio
Zenless Zone Zero has earned almost $25 million in five days
AppMagic estimates suggest HoYoverse’s latest launch is behind those of its Genshin and Honkai stablemates, despite 50m+ downloads in 72 hours
Hot Five
Hot Five: Apple fees hit ads, Squad Busters’ first month reviewed, and Pokémon Go's eight years on top
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Gotta Play Them All
I played Pokémon Go for 365 days… And it's still only Niantic’s second-best game…
PG.biz's Aaron Astle goes in deep on Pokémon Go to mark its eighth birthday, and finds a game that still has plenty of room for improvement
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from Zenless Zone Zero to Zen Koi Pro+
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Nintendo Know-how
Nintendo doesn’t trust AI to make its games
President Shuntaro Furukawa would rather keep making games the Nintendo way rather than hand the reins to AI
Battle Over Bots
Skillz files lawsuit against rivals Voodoo over alleged "straight-out lies", bots, and rigged tournaments
Their latest suit claims Voodoo has falsely advertised Blitz - Win Cash and harmed Skillz market share
Billions Buyout
Keywords Studios sells for £2.1 billion in £24.50-per-share EQT buyout
The deal concludes the company's recent $145.8 million M&A strategy and it will now be acquired itself
Zenless Zenith
Zenless Zone Zero to launch globally with DOUBLE Honkai: Star Rail’s pre-registrations
The game finally lands across the world today and tomorrow and we've got the latest launch figures and exactly WHEN it'll hit your timezone
Expansion On Hold
Rumour: Apple is delaying its plans for an East Coast campus by four years
The tech giant has taken on over 600 workers in Raleigh, North Carolina to date
Collab Cometh
Goddess of Victory: Nikke is delivering its "biggest minigame ever" via Dave the Diver collab
Shift Up’s shooter is going retro with a neew pixel-graphics game mode starting July 4th
Distribution Divestment
Thunderful Group sells off distribution business as it focuses on games
The move forms part of a strategy to become a "pure-play games company", not a distributor
Acquisition Alliance
Nodwin Gaming to build an esports "alliance" through 100% acquisition of Freaks 4U Gaming
Nodwin currently holds a 13.51% stake and will increase this in tranches to 57%, then 100%
Apple Ads
Apple 30% fee extends to Instagram and Facebook ads worldwide today
The fee was imposed on the US earlier this year and rolls out globally today, July 1st
Billion Blitz
World of Tanks Blitz celebrates 10th anniversary and $1 billion in revenue
Blitz takes a more creative approach than its PC counterpart, aiming itself more at a Gen Z audience
Hot Five
Hot Five: Garena Free Fire snipes $4BN, Pokémon dev Game Freak’s first mobile exclusive, and Supercell’s next project imminent
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Five New Games
New release roundup: Passpartout 2: The Lost Artist, Purple, All in Hole: Sinkhole Puzzle, and more
We highlight five new games that have broken cover this week
Acquisition Ahead
CyberAgent to acquire NitroPlus in $104 million deal
Digital advertising firm and games publisher will support new subsidiary's efforts for global IP expansion
Fintech Funds
LinQ raises $2.3 million in seed funding to publish real-money games
Drive by DraftKings, Sharp Alpha Advisors, MiddleGame Ventures, and a16z Speedrun participated in the funding
4d Future
Roblox looks towards "4D generative AI" future
UGC platform creator opens up on its AI plans
Job Losses
Reports: One Punch Man: World developer Perfect World lays off as many as 1,000 staff
The Chinese media firm is is also said to have halted worked on One Punch Man: World and Perfect New World
Gambling Crackdown
Northern Ireland’s APG wants "stringent, legally mandated regulations" imposed on loot boxes
The group has called for gambling mechanics in games to be "severely limited" now that the results of a public health inquiry are in
Safety Startup
Tencent, Google and Meta vets raise $45 million in Series A towards online safety startup k-ID
The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz and Lightspeed Venture Partners
Classic Celebration
Garena Free Fire celebrates seventh anniversary with $4 billion in lifetime revenue
The celebration includes "classic features" with a focus on nostalgia
Mobile Manoeuvre
Pokémon developer Game Freak’s first mobile exclusive is new IP, Pand Land
Game Freak and WonderPlanet "sometimes clashed" during development but ultimately "achieved balance" with this seafaring RPG
China Cha-ching
Dungeon & Fighter Mobile’s first month of iOS revenue was twice that of Honor of Kings
Nexon and Tencent's RPG generated $270 million on iOS in its first month, becoming China’s most-downloaded game
Pgc Helsinki
Fingersoft CEO Jaakko Kylmäoja on how "the best game required the best environment"
Speaking a Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2023, Kylmäoja highlighted Fingersoft’s office culture as one of its most important strengths
Ai Approach
Square Enix still sees "tremendous potential" in AI but is wary of the "many risks involved"
CEO Takashi Kiryu has spelled out a more risk-averse approach to AI in the latest shareholders' meeting
To The Races
Uma Musume: Pretty Derby gets an English version - is a Western release imminent?
Cygames’ racer has seen huge success in Japan with over 21 million downloads and $2 billion in revenue
Promotional Power
Monster Hunter Now on mobile cross promotes spin-off on PC and console
A new story and limited-time quests in the mobile hit promote the Monster Hunter Stories re-release
Hybrid Hire
Cat Escape maker Sunday appoints ex-SYBO Christian Balazs in shift away from hypercasual
Sunday has made a "pivotal" hire in a move to broaden into hybridcasual games
Hot Five
Hot Five: Japan’s newest stars, Nordic numbers, and Tripledot Studios’ acquisition
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from draconic dangers to pixelated platformers
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Golden Genre
RPGs dominated Japan's Golden Week thanks to Fate Grand/Order, Monster Strike, Genshin Impact and more
Golden Week 2024 generated less mobile revenue than in 2023, but RPGs continued to excel with 9 out of 10 top ten placings
Platform Party
Eggy Party to expand onto console with crossplay Nintendo Switch release
NetEase’s hit party game is releasing on Nintendo Switch on July 19th