Staff

Aaron Astle

Job Title

News Editor

Contact aaron.astle@steelmedianetwork.com

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

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King’s Paula Ingvar: a games industry journey from

King’s Paula Ingvar: a games industry journey from "I’m not worthy!" to Candy Crush Soda’s VP of product

Paula Ingvar moved from traffic engineering to the games industry following encouragement from friends and has "only ever found it stimulating"

A Thinking Ape lays off staff across game design, software engineering, art teams and more

Loads Of Layoffs

A Thinking Ape lays off staff across game design, software engineering, art teams and more

Layoffs continue to impact the games industry as restructuring persists in 2024

Hot Five: Supercell’s Squad Busters levels up, retro Nintendo on iOS, and Genshin Impact’s worst month yet

Hot Five: Supercell’s Squad Busters levels up, retro Nintendo on iOS, and Genshin Impact’s worst month yet

Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz

New release roundup: The best new mobile games from cartoony cats to sports stars

New release roundup: The best new mobile games from cartoony cats to sports stars

We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business

Monster Hunter Now reaches 15 million downloads

Monster Milestone

Monster Hunter Now reaches 15 million downloads

Monster Hunter Now reached 10 million installs in 35 days but its taken another six months to gain five million more

Pokémon Sleep goes IRL with $1,800 hotel experience for fans

Pokémon Sleep goes IRL with $1,800 hotel experience for fans

To coincide with the game’s first anniversary, Pokémon Sleep is partnering with the Grand Hyatt Tokyo

Everyone loves Nintendo… Delta emulator hits 4.4 million downloads in its first week

Emulation Sensation

Everyone loves Nintendo… Delta emulator hits 4.4 million downloads in its first week

Since Apple lifted its ban on retro emulators, playing Nintendo games on iOS has never been simpler… Or more free

FTC bans noncompete work clauses to encourage entrepreneurialism and higher pay

Noncompete No More

FTC bans noncompete work clauses to encourage entrepreneurialism and higher pay

The ruling should bring about 8,500 new businesses per year and bolster innovation

It's bad day for TikTok as both the US and EU clamp down

Tiktok Troubles

It's bad day for TikTok as both the US and EU clamp down

TikTok faces a rewards programme ban in the EU and a complete ban in the US unless it sells up

Call of Duty Warzone: Mobile generated 'just' $6.92 million in its first month

Call of Duty Warzone: Mobile generated 'just' $6.92 million in its first month

Meanwhile its predecessor Call of Duty: Mobile’s launch month brought in over six times as much at $44 million

King’s Trevor Burrows on the power of art:

King’s Trevor Burrows on the power of art: "We could see our numbers literally dropping"

Farm Heroes Saga has a willingness to experiment but importantly listens to its fans so taking a U-turn back from a "fresh, more contemporary art style" proved to be a smart move

Honkai: Star Rail earned more than double Genshin Impact’s revenue in March

Honkai: Star Rail earned more than double Genshin Impact’s revenue in March

Honkai: Star Rail generated $118.3 million in-game on mobile compared to Genshin Impact’s $58.5 million

Tjodolf Sommestad talks AI, tips for indie devs, and a day in the life of King's president

Tjodolf Sommestad talks AI, tips for indie devs, and a day in the life of King's president

It's all about "collaboration, curiosity, and transparency." Plus plenty of data-driven decisions

AI joins the team at King:

AI joins the team at King: "Our challenge is to create the right amount of challenge"

A day at King: Using AI in harmony with experts to craft evergreen games with the perfect balance

Kwalee layoffs impact up to 10% of workforce, report claims

Loads Of Layoffs

Kwalee layoffs impact up to 10% of workforce, report claims

Kwalee has laid off up to 40 people as industry-wide job cuts continue

Fallout Amazon series boosts Fallout Shelter downloads by 516%

Fallout Amazon series boosts Fallout Shelter downloads by 516%

Layer founder and CEO Rachit Moti discusses Fallout Shelter’s rise, including 384% daily revenue rise

Roblox Marketplace opens up, outlining eligibility criteria for hopeful sellers

Roblox Marketplace opens up, outlining eligibility criteria for hopeful sellers

Roblox reveals which boxes need ticking and which hurdles need jumping in order to sell items to its 71 million users

UK video games market hits £7.82 billion valuation with mobile up 4.5%

UK video games market hits £7.82 billion valuation with mobile up 4.5%

Ukie’s Consumer Market Valuation Report reveals the UK games industry saw 4.4% YoY growth in 2023

The IGDA calls for

Making Sense Of Slowdown

The IGDA calls for "sustainable measures" to stop mass layoffs and "stop driving talent away"

The International Game Developers Association calculates that more than 8,700 game developers have lost their jobs so far this year

Hot Five: XCOM Legends’ rumoured shutdown, Squad Busters verges on soft launch, and Royal Match reaches $3 billion

Hot Five: XCOM Legends’ rumoured shutdown, Squad Busters verges on soft launch, and Royal Match reaches $3 billion

Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz

New release roundup: The best new mobile games from Disney denizens to a gen AI puzzle solver

New release roundup: The best new mobile games from Disney denizens to a gen AI puzzle solver

We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business

Values Value and InGame Job launch the Big Games Industry Employment Survey 2024

Values Value and InGame Job launch the Big Games Industry Employment Survey 2024

The survey is looking to understand how layoffs are affecting confidence in the future of the games industry

ByteDance profits reportedly rise 60%, surpassing Chinese competitor Tencent

ByteDance profits reportedly rise 60%, surpassing Chinese competitor Tencent

ByteDance has been pulling back from gaming after TikTok has played a greater role in the company’s surging revenues and profit

Xsolla’s Andrey Kalugin talks web shops tips to get users out of mobile

Web Shop Wisdom

Xsolla’s Andrey Kalugin talks web shops tips to get users out of mobile "jail"

Speaking at the Dubai GameExpo Summit 2023 powered by PG Connects, Andrey Kalugin suggested that devs should tailor their discounts since "whales don’t want to save money"

InnoHub returns as InnoGames rents out office space to aspiring gaming startups

Subtenant Startups

InnoHub returns as InnoGames rents out office space to aspiring gaming startups

InnoGames is renting private workspaces ranging from 14m² to 200m² in size

62% of Gen Alpha gamers play 5+ hours per week, VS only 17% of Gen Z

Gaming Generations

62% of Gen Alpha gamers play 5+ hours per week, VS only 17% of Gen Z

Livewire’s 2024 Next Gen Attention report compares playing habits of Millennials, Gen Z and Gen Alpha

Microsoft saves the day: Activision Blizzard games are set to return to China in new NetEase deal

Microsoft's Might

Microsoft saves the day: Activision Blizzard games are set to return to China in new NetEase deal

The untimely end of Activision Blizzard and NetEase’s deal meant that games such as Overwatch and World of Warcraft have spent over a year offline in China

End of an era: Nintendo 3DS goes offline, but what does this mean for mobile?

Pocket Preservation

End of an era: Nintendo 3DS goes offline, but what does this mean for mobile?

It's game over for both Nintendo's 3DS and Wii U as their servers are finally turned off

Call of Duty Warzone: Mobile has a bot problem and players aren't happy

Call of Duty Warzone: Mobile has a bot problem and players aren't happy

Call of Duty Warzone: Mobile’s Season 3 update has brought in a cascade of complaints

XCOM Legends shutdown rumoured as the game only made $2,637 last month

Speculative Shutdown

XCOM Legends shutdown rumoured as the game only made $2,637 last month

Iridium Starfish’s mobile spinoff of Mythos Games’ XCOM franchise took a different direction to the mainline that may have led to its downfall

Rainbow Six Mobile’s rollout on pause as

Rainbow Recalibration

Rainbow Six Mobile’s rollout on pause as "areas for improvement" are addressed

The soft launch’s expansion has been delayed so the team can address feedback and improve the experience

Hot Five: New VC funds for mobile, Turkish investments, and Baby Shark makes a splash in Brawl Stars

Hot Five: New VC funds for mobile, Turkish investments, and Baby Shark makes a splash in Brawl Stars

Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz

New release roundup: The best new mobile games from bad botanists to bunny befrienders

New release roundup: The best new mobile games from bad botanists to bunny befrienders

We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business

Merge-2 revenue surges 10% while Match-3 flops by 11%

Merge And Match

Merge-2 revenue surges 10% while Match-3 flops by 11%

AppMagic data shows the highs and lows of February 2024, from revenue to downloads to winning events

Brawl Stars collabs with YouTube’s most-viewed video Baby Shark

Brawl Stars collabs with YouTube’s most-viewed video Baby Shark

The partnership brings in-game cosmetics, a new challenge, and a Baby Shark pin to unlock

Brawl Stars crushed Clash of Clans’ monthly revenue in March

Brawl Stars crushed Clash of Clans’ monthly revenue in March

Meet the new champion. New features, events, content, and lead producer all help push Brawl Stars to greater heights

Ludus Ventures invests $1M in Turkish studio Midas Games

Investment Incoming

Ludus Ventures invests $1M in Turkish studio Midas Games

Midas Games plans to launch multiple titles later in 2024

10 games industry questions answered: From AI and alternative app stores to layoffs and more

10 games industry questions answered: From AI and alternative app stores to layoffs and more

Omdia's analysts and researchers spill the truth on the industry’s key topics, including post-pandemic recalibrations and the "ballooning development costs" of triple-A games

Hot Five: GDC highlights, Tencent’s strategy shift, and Candy Crush’s biggest tournament yet

Hot Five: GDC highlights, Tencent’s strategy shift, and Candy Crush’s biggest tournament yet

Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz

New release roundup: The best new mobile games from Call of Duty Warzone: Mobile to CookieRun: Witch’s Castle

New release roundup: The best new mobile games from Call of Duty Warzone: Mobile to CookieRun: Witch’s Castle

We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business

Sega lays off 240 employees and sells Relic Entertainment

Loads Of Layoffs

Sega lays off 240 employees and sells Relic Entertainment

Sega Europe, Creative Assembly and Sega HARDlight are all affected by the layoffs

Pocket Worlds’ Highrise surpasses 40 million users as it unveils new development tools

Pocket Worlds’ Highrise surpasses 40 million users as it unveils new development tools

Highrise Studio allows creators to make content that can be integrated into Highrise 4.0

Embracer to sell Borderlands dev Gearbox to Take-Two in $460m deal

Something To Sell

Embracer to sell Borderlands dev Gearbox to Take-Two in $460m deal

Gearbox games from Borderlands and Homeworld to Duke Nukem will fall under Take-Two’s possession

$700,000 raised in Playing for the Planet’s Green Game Jam 2023

$700,000 raised in Playing for the Planet’s Green Game Jam 2023

40 games were entered into the Green Game Jam, focused on preserving three endangered species

Hypercasual developer FreePlay surpasses 1.5 billion downloads

Major Milestone

Hypercasual developer FreePlay surpasses 1.5 billion downloads

The company's portfolio has generated 500 million installs during the last year alone

Illuvium raises $12M funding for blockchain games

Illuvium raises $12M funding for blockchain games

An open-world creature collector, city builder and autobattler will feature interoperable blockchain elements

King appoints ex-TomTom and Zalando exec Eric Bowman as CTO

King appoints ex-TomTom and Zalando exec Eric Bowman as CTO

Steve Colins steps down from the role to explore AI and return to investment world

Super Evil Megacorp’s Taewon Yun:

Dubai Gamexpo Summit 2023

Super Evil Megacorp’s Taewon Yun: "Gen AI is like a goldmine surrounded by a minefield"

Super Evil Megacorp chief business officer Taewon Yun’s talk at Dubai GameExpo Summit 2023 powered by PG Connects focused around AI and Web3

Report: Tencent's top studios developing Palworld-like mobile games

Iteration Inspiration

Report: Tencent's top studios developing Palworld-like mobile games

TiMi and Lightspeed studios are reportedly developing mobile games inspired by Palworld

Intrinsic ads make players 5% more likely to consider in-game spending

Intrinsic ads make players 5% more likely to consider in-game spending

Anzu and Happydemics find intrinsic ads to have the highest recall rate, brand identification and purchase consideration