Trends
Chinese gaming trends revealed as 52% of the population play games
Trends, censorship, approvals, mixed genre games and more come under the microscope
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
Hot Five
Hot Five: Azur Games and Metacore acquisitions, hybridcasual hype, and Niantic’s new star
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Five New Games
New release roundup: Our weekly pick of the best new mobile games, AR motion battles included
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Loads Of Layoffs
Up to 14,000 new redundancies at Nokia as sales fall 20%
By the end of 2026, an estimated 9,000 to 14,000 jobs will be axed
Monster Milestone
Monster Hunter Now wins big with 10 million downloads in 35 days
Niantic’s latest success: Here's the story so far…
Forge Finds Funding
Riot-backed Forge raises $11M to launch a platform rewarding gamer communities
Makers Fund, Animoca Brands and Bitkraft Ventures led the round
Halloween Hunting
Monster Hunter Now’s first seasonal event embraces Halloween
Niantic’s latest will celebrate its first seasonal event six weeks on from launch
Joys Of Japan
Japan’s mobile playerbase spends above and beyond on new mobile games
Diandian’s report shows how much Japanese players are willing to spend on the hottest new games
Loot Box Laws
South Korea to mandate 'probability displays' and investigate blockchain games on Apple and Google stores
Probability displays for card games will function similarly to the incumbent reveals of gacha and loot box odds
Loads Of Layoffs
Social storyteller and RPG developer Thought Pennies joins layoffs trend
Art director, producer, and design director each appear to have parted ways with the studio
Alternative App Stores
PUBG maker Krafton invests $14.8 million in alternate app store One Store
The South Korean store aims to expand in the West and take on big tech
Where To Work
Metaverse company Roblox wants employees back in the office
Despite pioneering the virtual space, Roblox believes in-person is better for innovation and creativity
Hybridcasual Hype
A casual revolution: Why even console devs want in on hybridcasual
Mobile changes fast, and while brave devs lead the way, there are plenty more happy to follow the lead
Spending And Selling
Epic Games delivers another 120 "fucked up" layoffs with Bandcamp sale
After 800 layoffs last month, Epic offloading Bandcamp has only led to further redundancies
Pokemon Party
Pokémon Go’s new Party Play aims to get even more gamers outside
The new feature sees players team up in groups of four and take on challenges
Bringing Bitcoin
AdInMo’s ZBD partnership will pay players Bitcoin in exchange for ad views
The partnership marks a first for their Rewarded InGamePlay and is available to community members now
Sundering Stereotypes
Gamers actually spend MORE time outdoors, but 58% still think they’re lazy
Research breaks down stereotypes around gamers and their health
Saved From Stress
Almost half of all gamers find a good friend or spouse through gaming
The majority of gamers use games to de-stress and improve skills along the way
Hot Five
Hot Five: Unity’s new CEO, Applovin rumours, and the biggest deal in games industry history is complete
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Five New Games
New release roundup: Our weekly pick of the best new mobile games from pixel pandas to Roman adventures
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
African Advancement
Sony Ventures to invest $10M via new fund for African startups
Fintech may be Africa’s biggest funding category, but Sony’s focus is on entertainment
Battle Of Behemoths
Monster Hunter Now is Niantic’s second biggest game with $31.44 million in one month
Niantic and Capcom’s latest project is a roaring success by every metric
Runtime Rumour
AppLovin may make a second attempt at buying Unity, rumours suggest
Unity’s Runtime Fee backlash has led to a 40% drop in shares
Parental Perception
UK kids are most likely to make in-game purchases, but only 4% spend on loot boxes
Ipsos’ latest report for Video Games Europe finds in-game spending among children is highest in the UK
Chessboard Champs
Chess is playing the long game: The rise of the auto chess genre
Auto chess has been a popular genre since 2019 and is working its way into more and more games
Runtime Result
Everything you need to know about Unity’s new CEO Jim Whitehurst
With John Riccitiello stepping down after nine years, who's Unity's new boss and how much will it change under his watch?
September Success
China’s top publishers generated $1.96 billion this September
39 out of 100 top publishers were based in China last month
Two Tactics
Too big for your rules? miHoYo tried to dodge Apple App Store fees twice in one month
Apple has scuppered miHoYo’s fee aversion tactics twice - removing apps and disabling features
Hot Five
Hot Five: Niantic has a new star, Epic warns of "degradation in quality", and new games hit the market
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Five Great Games
New release roundup: Our weekly pick of the best new mobile games
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Second Studio
Trailmix’s new directors blaze a trail with second studio in Berlin
Annelie Biernat and Christopher Parschat join as studio director and creative director respectively
Pocket Gamer Awards
Nominations are open now for the Pocket Gamer Awards 2023!
It's time to claim your fame! PocketGamer.com has opened its nominations for the best games and hardware of the year
Studio Seed
Krafton invests $7M in former Riot and Blizzard artist’s Studio Sai
The Seed Round comes after the success of Eternights and will support development of Sai’s next game
Ai Ahoy
"Pegasus" engine may bring generative AI to Apple App Store searches
Big changes could be ahead with the implementation of a search engine developed by a former Google exec and his team
Job Cuts
Epic Games lays off 800+ staff: CEO Tim Sweeney expects "degradation in quality"
Speaking at Unreal Fest, Sweeney acknowledged the layoffs and discussed the company’s next course
Sleuthing A Strategy
Niantic launching limited-time Pokémon Go event to promote Detective Pikachu Returns
Pokémon Go gets sleuthing one day ahead of the new Nintendo Switch title’s release
Socialpoint Strategy
Zynga’s Socialpoint launches merge RPG Top Troops today
The latest mobile game from Zynga and Socialpoint dials up the strategy with wide-ranging customisation options
Australia Applications
Australia announces three new government programmes to support local devs
Risk-takers are encouraged to apply, as are mid-career Australian devs looking for a ticket to GDC
Major Milestone
Playrix celebrates 10 years of Township and major $2 billion revenue
Since Township launched, Playrix has grown from a team of 20 to 130
Now In Neom
Maysalward is supporting young NEOM talent with new Game Dev Challenge
Mobile Game Legend Nour Khrais leads his studio in supporting new talent aged 15 to 17
Flagship Festivities
mihoyo's Genshin Impact quietly celebrates third anniversary
miHoYo’s flagship celebrates three years, but it's clear that Honkai: Star Rail is the new apple of the company's eye
Android Ahead
Bethesda just stealth dropped a new Elder Scrolls mobile game
The Elder Scrolls: Castles has released in early access on Android
Making A Meal
Honkai: Star Rail goes IRL: Collaborating with famous restaurant chains around the world
Across the cosmos to the real world, Honkai: Star Rail is set to make an impact in chains near you
Hot Five
Hot Five: Candy Crush makes $20 billion, Epic lays off 800 staff, and Omada tackles gambling addiction
Our quick-fix round up of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Court Case
Epic Games appeals to US Supreme Court in Apple antitrust case
The years-long case continues with arguments over pro- and anticompetitiveness
League Of Its Own
League of Legends: Wild Rift reaches lofty $1 billion across 111 million downloads
data.ai suggests such a milestone was reached through optimisation of touch controls and quick matches
Promoted Position
My.Games appoints Elena Grigorian as CEO as Vladimir Nikolsky steps down
Grigorian has helped optimise 70+ games’ potential
Better Than Betting
Omada raises $7.5M for a sports game with a twist: tackling gambling addiction
Money isn’t spent or won on bets, providing a healthier alternative
Mobile Manoeuvre
Can young Sephiroth save Square Enix from crisis?
Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis is getting a new chapter and a PC port
To Be The Very Best
1 in 190: Why networking is essential for jobs in games
Chances of getting that job are only 0.05% without putting in those networking hours