4d Future
Roblox looks towards "4D generative AI" future
UGC platform creator opens up on its AI plans
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
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
Pokemon Power
Niantic’s going back to basics for Pokémon Go’s eighth anniversary
July 6th will mark eight years since Pokémon Go first rocked the world
Jumping Into Jojo
KLab resumes development of 2020 mobile game based on JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
Klab has formed a new partnership with Wanda Cinemas Games to get this project completed
Finding Funds
Brainspark Games raises £1.4 million towards building educational AI mobile games
The funding comes from its seventh Innovate UK Investor Partnership grant and a match-funded angel investment
Legal Upset
Apple on track to fall foul of DMA legislation with a potential penalty of $50M per day
Leaks suggest that Apple has failed to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act, costing the firm 5% of its daily global revenue
Platform Plans
Hello Kitty Island Adventure journeys beyond Apple Arcade as PC and Switch versions announced
During yesterday’s Nintendo Direct event, Hello Kitty Island Adventure made an appearance confirming an upcoming expansion to the Switch
Jumping In Japan
Wuthering Waves, Gakuen Idolmaster, Squad Busters: Which new mobile games won Japan over this May?
Plenty of new mobile hits launched last month, from Supercell, Kuro Games, Bandai Namco and others
Summoner Celebration
Summoners War celebrates 10th anniversary with $3 billion in lifetime revenue
Summoners War first launched in 2014 and has been downloaded over 200 million times since
Steering Strategy
Savvy's Steer Studios expands into console development
The company began building up its new division at the start of the year
United Unity
Unity is "undoing so many of the missteps" made as new CEO Matthew Bromberg changes company culture
He has stepped into the CEO role as interim CEO Jim Whitehurst moved to executive chair of the board
Matriarch Of Mischief
Clash Royale launches a brand-new mode Goblin Queen’s Journey with three exclusive cards
New cards unlocked in the Goblin Queen’s Journey will be playable in other game modes too
Partnership Power
Anzu and dentsu partner to advance intrinsic in-game advertising with "contextually relevant campaigns"
Ads will be deliverable to specific audiences based on behaviour and interests
Racing Ahead
Uma Musume: Pretty Derby trots to 21 million downloads from limited Asia release
Uma Musume: Pretty Derby first launched in Japan in 2021 and has remained in Asia ever since
Legislation Looming
Fortnite and The Epic Games Store will be arriving on iOS in Japan in 2025
The Epic Games Store will be available as an alternative to Apple’s App Store in Japan next year, based on new legislation
Hot Five
Hot Five: Zenless Zone Zero's 40m pre-registrations, Squad Busters' $10M in week one, and what iOS 18 REALLY means for games
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from digital dancing to Olympic excitement
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Stylish Celebration
Zynga and Socialpoint celebrate Two Dots’ 10th anniversary with a fresh visual overhaul
The enduring puzzler turns 10 and anniversary events include treasure hunts and two Birthday Flips
Next At Netflix
Netflix VP of games Mike Verdu to move into new "game innovation" role
Netflix has released over 100 games since Mike Verdu joined in 2021
Tycoon Teams
Monopoly GO! launches first team-based multiplayer event in "uniquely competitive experience"
The new limited-time event is only available until June 16th
Zenless Zenith
Zenless Zone Zero surpasses 40 million pre-registrations, beating Supercell's Squad Busters
HoYoverse’s next title has nearly doubled Honkai: Star Rail’s pre-registration numbers, and bettered Supercell's big launch
Approval Achieved
61 new overseas licence approvals in China bring the total to two-thirds of 2023
15 overseas licences were granted in May, including Mario, Pokémon, and Valorant. Now at two-thirds of 2023 with half the year to go
Advancing Ai
King’s head of AI/ML Luka Crnkovic-Friis: "The changes are immense, fundamental, and very hard to predict"
Luka Crnkovic-Friis’ work in AI has been utilised by Harvard, NASA, and now it's behind the scenes at King
Homa Hire
Homa appoints Scopely veteran Dan Adair as VP and general manager of hybridcasual
Dan Adair will greenlight hybridcasual projects and make key hires to build up the team
Supercell Surprise
"It wasn’t easy": Supercell's struggle to get Squad Busters included at Summer Game Fest
A mobile-only titles appearance at this year's show not only took its audience by surprise but required arm-twisting behind the scenes
King Of Candy
King and Flexion partner to bring Candy Crush Saga to App Gallery and more alternative app stores
After record financials and a deal with Scopely, Flexion adds another major mobile win to its distribution portfolio
Winter Is Coming
Zynga’s Game of Thrones: Legends is open for pre-registrations with a July 25th release date
So soon after Star Wars: Hunters, Zynga is releasing another licenced game this summer
Getting Gaming
BBC Studios hires former Bossa Studios CCO Marina Mello as first global director, gaming and interactive
BBC Studios created a job listing for the role in February 2023, and has finally filled it 16 months later
A Taste Of The Top
The top games for downloads are shifting as new stars rise and puzzle games conquer Japan
Royal Match, Ludo King, Wood Nuts & Bolts Puzzle and others ascended the download charts in Q1 2024
Record Revenue
Royal Match takes a sweet lead over Candy Crush as Honkai: Star Rail zooms by Genshin Impact
Q1 welcomes a new round of heroes as Monopoly Go, Royal Match and Honor of Kings come out on top
Road To Helsinki
Devsisters’ Chris O’Kelly talks upselling IP to fans across multiple games without cannibalisation
17% of mid to high spenders spend on two Devsister games cumulatively
Latest Lawsuit
Google hit by £13.6 billion lawsuit over alleged "self-preferencing" and anticompetitive behaviour
Ad Tech Collective Action LLP is taking Google to court, though a date has yet to be set
Big News
Squad Busters’ supercharged launch, Pokémon’s record revenue, and Star Wars: Hunters finally hits the target
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from RPG roguelikes to a Star Wars surprise
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Casual Comedown
As RPGs and casual genres drastically decline, Monopoly Go! gives casino a 34% revenue surge
Sensor Tower and data.ai’s latest report reveals a 24% revenue decline for RPGs in Japan
Mighty Mobile
Mobile app revenue reached a new quarterly record at $35.8 billion in Q1 2024
Mobile games specifically surpassed $20 billion for the first time in two years