Square Settlement
Square Enix and HK Ten Tree settle copyright lawsuit over Metal Storm
The pair were previously working together on Front Mission 2089: Borderscape
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
Revenue Rise
Mobile games successfully "squeezing" more revenue per install as average player spending rises 11% despite 7% install fall
Appfigures’ latest report suggests average consumer spending per mobile game install rose to $1.52 in 2024
Revenue Rise
Nazara’s FY25 revenue up 43% to $190m after pivot to "high margin" games segments
The publisher’s games revenue increased by 95% year-over-year in Q4
Waging Warhammer
Stillfront taps Warhammer IP with Supremacy: Warhammer 40,000
The PC and mobile game is open for pre-registration on iOS and Android
Hot Five
Hot Five: Pokémon TCG Pocket surpasses $1bn, Delta Force Mobile hits $100m, and Fortnite's comeback
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
New Games
New release roundup: Fortnite, Dunk City Dynasty, Game of Thrones: Dragonfire, Mutants: Genesis and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Unicorn Club
Pokémon TCG Pocket surpasses $1bn in just over 200 days
The trading card game has hit the $1bn milestone 78 days faster than Pokémon Go, based on player spending
Delivering Dragonfire
Game of Thrones: Dragonfire soft launches in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines
The strategy title is based on the popular IP’s House of the Dragon spinoff
Jobs Roundup
May 2025’s Movers and Shakers: New King president, Scopely appoints CBO, Roblox exec exits, and more
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
Destined Details
Destiny: Rising opens pre-registrations on App Store
Pre-registrations for the full game will open on Google Play at a later date
King's Crown
King president Tjodolf Sommestad to step down as Todd Green takes the reins
Sommestad has spent three years as president and almost 14 at King overall
Launching At Lightspeed
Final Fantasy XIV Mobile launching this June in China
Square Enix and Lightspeed Studios’ upcoming release has been "specifically tailored" for mobile
Accomplished Anniversary
Dungeon & Fighter Mobile surpasses $1.3bn in first year on Chinese App Store
Nexon’s mega-hit bolstered franchise revenue by 162% in its release quarter and went on to be 2024’s biggest new mobile release
Clash Incoming
CLASH: A Clash of Clans Netflix show is now in pre-production
The series based on the Clash of Clans and Clash Royale universe is being animated by ICON Creative Studio
Mobile Milestone
Delta Force surpasses $100m on mobile
The tactical shooter earned $72.9m on mobile ahead of global rollout, with a further $33.8m earned since
Cross-platform Curve
Nazara acquires UK publisher Curve Games for $28.9m
The deal will see Nazara take 100% ownership of Curve from Catalis Group
Netease Numbers
NetEase Games revenue rises 12% Y/Y to $3.3bn in Q1
Eggy Party, Where Winds Meet, Infinite Borders and more were named among the quarter’s successes
Rich List 2025
Playrix, Tripledot and King founders make The Sunday Times Rich List 2025
Playrix's Igor and Dmitry Bukhman were the only mobile game makers in the top 100, ranking 10th overall ahead of King Charles III and former UK prime minster Rishi Sunak
Reboot Results
Square Enix claims "a familiar list" of mobile games reduce odds of success as net sales fall 9% to five-year low
Its digital entertainment business saw net sales decline by 17%, though profit rose through reduced expenses
Hot Five
Hot Five: Squad Busters 2.0, Tencent’s game sales up 24%, and Sonic Rumble’s tentative 2025 release
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
New Games
New release roundup: Shogun Showdown, Astronaut Joe: Magnetic Rush, Lego Friends Heartlake Rush+, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Revenue Rise
Tencent game sales up 24% Y/Y to $25bn in Q1 with Honor of Kings, Delta Force and Brawl Stars pulling their weight
Games accounted for nearly $6bn in Q1 revenue, or 24% of total earnings
Dungeon Driver
Nexon’s revenue surpasses $780m this Q1 as Dungeon & Fighter Mobile China drives 60% franchise growth
The developer’s operating income increased by 43% YoY, though quarterly profit fell by 27%
Seed Round Secured
Layer AI closes $6.5m seed round with generative AI tools geared to mobile devs
The funding will be used to further develop features and scale up team size
Animal Appeal
Seven years of Zoo 2: Animal Park: Longevity, season passes, and the importance of new content
We speak with Zoo 2: Animal Park’s project manager Bernd Willuhn about the game’s long-term appeal, remaining accessible to newcomers and more
Lost Link
Square Enix cancels geolocation game Kingdom Hearts Missing Link
The title was announced in April 2022 and has had multiple beta tests, but details have remained sparse
Revenue Rumble
Sega still aiming for Sonic Rumble 2025 release after last-minute delay
Net revenue was down by 9% in FY2025, though Entertainment Contents grew marginally
Microsoft Management
Microsoft to lay off 3% of global staff
The move could impact thousands, expected to be felt across all teams, levels and locales
Squad Up
Squad Busters 2.0: "I’d say this is the biggest change to a game of this scale from Supercell and possibly ever"
Supercell head of marketing Rob Lowe and head of Squad Busters Johnathan Rowlands share insights on the latest update, reflecting on the game’s performance in its first year
Royal Revenue
Royal Kingdom surpasses $100m after record month
Dream Games’ Royal Match sequel has seen 12 consecutive months of player spending growth, when including soft launch results
Nintendo Numbers
Nintendo’s net sales down 30% in the final stretch before Switch 2
Operating profit is down 47% YoY, net profit is down 43%
Studio Support
MLC Studio’s Global Games Alliance aims to curate deals, funding calls, job postings and more into one central hub
Workshops, exclusive events and more are planned for later down the line
Overhaul Overload
Squad Busters to overhaul victory conditions, progression systems and remove many modes in tomorrow’s update
Doppelgangers, Double Trouble, Epic Overload, Loot Machines and Hatchling Herder are all being removed
Hot Five
Hot Five: Golden Week 2025, web shop advancements, and Tripledot to acquire AppLovin’s games business
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Five New Games
New release roundup: Chronomon, Cornhole Hero, Witchy Workshop: Cozy Idle and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Golden Week Glory
Golden Week 2025: Pokémon TCG Pocket dominates, Fate/Grand Order falls, and a 2012 title makes a surprising rise
The 10 best-performing mobile games in Japan generated $81m this Golden Week, up from $44.9m in 2024
Teenage Time
Subway Surfers is entering its "teenage years" with 200th World Tour destination for 13th anniversary
Starting in an in-game Copenhagen, players will be able to unlock 21 other cities during the event
Vector Vision
Unity Vector AI platform launches with 15-20% lift in iOS app installs and IAP value
iOS and Android traffic has been fully migrated to the new AI platform ahead of schedule
Translation Teamup
DeNA and Alconost partner to localise international games for Japanese market
The partnership will see DeNA’s AndApp platform leverage Alconost’s localisation experience
Buy Button
Xsolla launches external payment option Buy Button for Mobile Games after Apple court ruling
A US court ruling on April 30th has dictated that Apple must allow external payment links in-app without taking a commission
Fortnite Fight
Epic Games spent over $100m in legal fees in battle against Apple
Tim Sweeney revealed the cost of the legal battle and speculated on the "hundreds of millions of dollars" missed out on during Fortnite’s App Store ban
Revenue Result
Mobile accounts for 15% of EA’s FY25 net revenue, but net income falls 12% YoY
EA generated $1.1bn from mobile games in its latest fiscal year
Trump Tariffs
Trump’s film industry tariffs: Will game movie adaptations be sentenced or spared?
The US president calls incentives drawing US filmmakers to other countries a "national security threat"
Hot Five
Hot Five: Game over for "Apple tax", Overwatch Mobile distribution plans, and Pokémon TCG Pocket beats Go in first six months
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Five New Games
New release roundup: Sleepy Stork, Odin: Valhalla Rising, The Mr. Rabbit Magic Show and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Mobile Milestone
Delta Force Mobile surpasses 10m downloads in first four days
Tencent’s Team Jade is adding celebratory Burst Fest content including 21 free vehicle appearances
Sonic Slowdown
Sonic Rumble delayed indefinitely one week before expected launch
"We at Sega share that disappointment, especially because we're making this call so close to the launch"
Pgc Jordan
Game incubators in MENA and the risks of "polishing the wrong thing"
GIGS co-founder Ashraf Abi-Said and LUDiMUS Inc CEO and co-founder Sho Sato discussed the value of incubators at PGC Jordan 2024
Pc Expansion
Marvel Contest of Champions to launch on PC after making $2bn on mobile
Pre-registrations are open now, but the exact release date hasn’t yet been confirmed
Pokemon Prime
Pokémon TCG Pocket usurps Pokémon Go launch as it closes in on $1bn after six months
Pocket made $915.3m in its first half-year, beating Go’s $800.7m by 14%