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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
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
Now In Numbers
71% of the biggest mobile games use a Unity SDK
data.ai finds over 50% of the top 100 revenue earners are built on Unity
Licence List
Chinese licence approvals are on the up this September, but just how high?
September matches top month of 2023 with 89 new game approvals
Reaching The Finishing Line
Mario Kart Tour to receive final new content in October
The game isn’t closing services, but will only recycle existing content from then on
Next Steps
East Side Games co-founder Joshua Nilson leaves after 14 years
A mutual parting of ways comes with optimism for the future
Surging Shares
Capcom: "We wanted to get on mobile sooner" as shares rise 6%
Monster Hunter Now supports a surge in shares; it looks like mobile is the way to go
Chairman Comes
miHoYo co-founder Cai Haoyu steps down as chairman… Liu Wei steps up
Cai Haoyu will focus on research and development to push the company forward
Hot Five
Hot Five: Unity, Unity, Unity… Backlash dominates in PR nightmare, devs look to Unreal, and miHoYo busies itself with AI
Our quick-fix round up of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Rumbling Rise
Monster Hunter Now reaches five million installs in first week
Niantic and Capcom’s latest location-based game sees strong start after three million pre-installs
Making Myths
Spectarium raises €5M in Seed Round to bolster personalised AI RPG Myths
Each player will have a unique experience by leveraging AI technology
Hot Five
Hot Five: Unity whips up a storm, Zynga vets raise $8M for NFT dinosaurs, and Niantic launches a new game
Our quick-fix round up of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Survey Signs
Half of all game development could be done by AI within 10 years
Bain & Company survey gives insight into current developer mindsets when it comes to generative AI
Chips With Everything
Chip pioneer Arm reaches $54 billion valuation
The long-awaited initial public offering for the company that made mobile computing explode has been set at $51 per share
Square Deal
Square Enix shares drop 30% after lacklustre Final Fantasy roll-out
Is there such a thing as spinning a franchise too far? Square Enix may have just found out
The Hunt Is Here
Niantic and Capcom's Monster Hunter Now launches with three million pre-registrations
The game is now available globally as players get to experience its unique take on a stamina system…
Mythic Manoeuvres
Mythic Protocol raises $6.5M towards blockchain, collaboration and cross-platform ambitions
Founder Igor Tanzil wants to avoid the trap of "squandered" potential by "frenzied financialisation"
Seven Knights Success
Netmarble strikes back with a sudden surge in share value
Seven Knights Idle Adventure helps turn things around for the developer
Millions And Millions
Brave Nine successor Brown Dust 2 earns $10 million in two months
GempsN and Neowiz’s new game has generated 80% of its revenue in Asia
Dino Designs
Zynga, FunPlus and NetEase veterans receive $8M investment for NFT dinosaur game
New studio GamePhilos gets support from Xterio, Animoca Ventures, SevenX Ventures and Chain Hill Capital
Japan's Genres
RPG, adventure or Waifu? Which genre has made Japan's players the most monetised?
So far, revenue from in-app purchases has surpassed $9 billion in Japan this year
Install Incentives
Monster Hunter Now reaches three million pre-installs days before launch
There are now three million hunters of monsters waiting for launch
Making A Metaverse
Animoca Brands raises $20 million towards a new metaverse project
Mocaverse will allow Moca ID collectors to build up loyalty points and more
Indian Increase
Nazara to expand after latest $49M investment
The Indian platform reaches $660M valuation thanks to latest investment from SBI Mutual Fund
Supply And Demand
Are today's developers being held back by a global talent shortage?
The 2023 State of Game Development & Design Report reveals challenges facing developers today
Vikings Unleashed
Vikings: Valhalla mobile adaptation launches as a Netflix exclusive
With playable characters from the hit TV show, fans have a new game to keep them busy in the wait for Season 3
Hot Five
Hot Five: Mystic Games gets blunt about blockchain, YouTube Playables roll out, and Candy Crush dethroned
Our quick-fix round up of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Getting Into Games
YouTube Playables public gaming test kicks off for select users
Playables was revealed as a staff-only test. Now selected public users are getting a taste of the service
Data Deluge
Almost half of the simulation genre's $2.7 billion revenue comes from the US
Where simulation games do well and how much they’ve made so far this year
Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2023
Digital Turbine’s Duncan Blackett talks quality installs, alternative distribution and more
Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki takes place on September 12 - 13. We catch up with some of the stars from the mobile industry who'll be taking part
Out And About
Mind Body Trivia is the latest game getting players outside
A trivia game focused on sports, the unique spin is an incentive to go out walking
Gust Gacha
Atelier Resleriana is Koei Tecmo’s first mobile game of the decade
Featuring characters from the Atelier Ryza series on Switch and PlayStation
And The Winner Is…
RPGs, puzzles, idle games… Who's on top as 2023’s biggest mobile genre?
Mobile has a clear winner but top revenue earners vary greatly across mobile, PC and console platforms