Week That Was
Week in Views - Tough talk, turning tides and big players go mobile
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Staff
Daniel Griffiths
About Daniel Griffiths is a veteran journalist who has worked on some of the biggest entertainment media brands in the world. He's interviewed countless big names, and covered countless new releases in the fields of videogames, music, movies, tech, gadgets, home improvement, self build, interiors and garden design. Yup, he said garden design… He’s the ex-Editor of PSM2, PSM3, GamesMaster and Future Music, ex-Deputy Editor of The Official PlayStation Magazine and ex-Group Editor-in-Chief of Electronic Musician, Guitarist, Guitar World, Rhythm, Computer Music and more. He hates talking about himself.
Articles by Daniel Griffiths
Cross Platform Success
Nitro Games and Digital Extreme's Warframe on mobile is off to a flying start
Three days after release, the iOS only game is approaching 400,000 downloads with an Android version on the way
Podcast
The PGC Wrap-Up: Webshops, AI, avoiding Apple fees and more! | Podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team and guests give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and and what's inside this week's episode…
Out Now
Sybo's Mathias Gredal Nørvig and Playmob's Jude Ower talk Gaming For Good
The Sybo CEO and Playmob founder's new book is an eco call-to-arms with contributions from Phil Spencer, Ilkka Paananen, John Hanke, Robert Antokol, Rob Small and more
Job Cuts
Global layoffs at Gameloft as staff in Ukraine and Canada confirm redundancies
At least 38 staff are leaving their Lviv, Ukraine office with as yet unconfirmed numbers departing Toronto, Canada
Job Cuts
Ex-GTA producer’s studio, Build A Rocket Boy reveals layoffs
The studio headed up by Leslie Benzies with high profile titles on the way is to remove “a number of roles globally"
Apple Vs Europe
Fortnite and Epic Games are coming back to iOS in Europe
Hell has frozen over and the Fortnite developer and publisher is coming back to iOS three years after being frozen out
Podcast
The data and trends defining mobile gaming with Karl Knights and Lirui Ding | Podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team and guests give you the state of play. This week we're joined by experts from data.ai and Transcend Fund
Week That Was
Week in Views - Xbox App Store appetite, Zuck's Vision Pro dis and Japan goes geo-loco!
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Moving On
Global Game Jam's Tim Cullings to step down
Established in 2008, Global Game Jam is the world’s largest game-creation event, held both physically and virtually across the globe
Xbox App Store
Microsoft's app store intentions, new hardware and an Xbox Cloud Gaming app on iOS?
While disappointing cross-platform plans took centre stage at the Xbox business update, glimmers of app store plans and new hardware saved the day
Surprise!
Zuckerberg tries Apple Vision Pro: "Quest 3 is the better product. Period."
The guy who's been pushing VR for years doesn't rate Apple's upstart. Meanwhile the end of Apple's 14 day no quibble refunds sparks a drove of headset returns
Appointments
Leadership reshuffles at Xsolla put the company's founder back in the hot seat
Shurick Agapitov is back at Xsolla, taking the CEO role as Chris Hewish moves to chief strategy officer role
Future Plans
Supercell reveals year-on-year declines in revenue and EBITDA but promises "big and bold changes"
All the talk this morning at Supercell's financial reveal was about restructure, more trust and less distraction
Live And Direct
Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen's annual blog for 2024: "Something absolutely had to change"
Taking to the stage this morning Paananen revealed the company's financials and spelt out his annual state of play
Job Losses
Scopely's Kingdom Maker team sees lay-offs
The losses centre around developer Global Worldwide and their Kingdom Maker mobile game
Moving Up
Com2Us pile on the style with new Hollywood HQ
An upgraded new location paves the way for the Korean company's US growth tactics and new mainstream direction
Rising Stars
Hypercasual rules as dating sim Love and Deepspace is January's app ranking breakout star
Data.ai's monthly gaming pulse for January reveals which new games globally are the ones to watch
Podcast
Mistplay’s Gabriel Lewis on leveraging loyalty to keep paying players coming back | Podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team and guests give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode…
Week That Was
Week in Views - Elden Ring goes mobile, Apple gets artificially intelligent, and Fortnite goes Disney
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Done Deal
Jagex changes hands for the sixth time in ten years
Current owners Carlyle to sell Jagex to CVC Capital Partners and Haveli Investments following extended negotiations
Ai Insights
Apple has acquired more AI companies than any of its competitors
Think that Apple are behind on AI? Siri is just the visible tip of the iceberg with this year's iOS and iPhone set to leap ahead
A Flying Start
Space Ape’s Chrome Valley Customs on track to beat Beatstar with $40m earned
Following Space Ape's most successful ever launch, the casual puzzler now has their other smash hit Beatstar in its sights
It's Play Time
Which games were played the most in 2023?
The Mobile Gaming Index by Gamelight ranks games and genres by minutes played. If you want to know what gameplay and game design is winning right now, look no further
Job Moves
Devolver Digital CEO steps down and moves on
Douglas Morin is leaving the company following their latest on-track financials, after a difficult year, delays, cuts and an underperforming IPO
Week That Was
Week in Views - Apple gives and takes while Nintendo quietly makes a billion
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from anime spin-offs to triple-A console conversions
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Launch Day
Apple Vision Pro launches with over 600 dedicated apps
Today's the day that Apple's 'next big thing' lands with users and it's App Store opens up offering early movers a new audience for games and apps
China Gaming
Tencent play the AI card to brush off gaming worries
At their annual meeting this week CEO Pony Ma recognised increased gaming competition but praised AI advances
Growing Games
Scottish Government backs new National Games Strategy
Following this new initiative Scotland becomes the first part of the UK with a dedicated games strategy
New Appointments
Gameloft roll out new leadership at Gameloft for brands extension
The company's new leadership team are on board to expand advertising solutions to new platforms and technologies
Hypercharged Performance
What's going on with Brawl Stars? Supercell's 2018 game is having a major payday
While 2023 was a perfectly good year for Brawl Stars the past two months have seen the game's earnings go stratospheric
Gaming Gold
Nordcurrent acquires legendary Cinemaware games line-up
CEO Victoria Trofimova: "We want the future players of our Defender of The Crown to say – yes, that’s the one!"
Podcast
NAK3D’s Kelly Vero on merging fashion and gaming to revolutionise commerce | Podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team and guests give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode…
Record Breaking
Genshin Impact is the fastest ever game to reach $5 billion consumer spend
While joining the 5x unicorn club, the internationally popular action RPG has proved to be the fastest ever game to do so
Collaborations
Developers Klab and Pocket Pair team up for new title
The two companies have both recently been in the news as their latest titles have undergone troubled launches and industry scrutiny
Week That Was
Week in Views - Apple's DMA dodges, inspiration for tough times, and PGC London highlights
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Streaming To Ios
It's not just App Stores… Apple make big changes for cloud gaming and webkit too
While the introduction of Apple's new Core Technology Fee has grabbed headlines, DMA compliancy has opened the door for web devs and game streaming
Podcast
Mega Studio’s Adam Jaffe on the impressive benefits of incentivised traffic | Podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team and guests give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode…
Dma Dodging
Apple's Core Technology Fee explained - Who'll be paying what (and is this even legal?)
17%, 10%, 3% and a new Core Technology Fee? Here's everything you need to know about Apple's plans to still get paid in Europe post DMA regulations
App Store Wars
Meta, Spotify and more are set to storm Apple’s walled garden in Europe
But will Apple be able to fight back with new rules, fees and restrictions in order to stay on top?
New Broom
Blizzard president Mike Ybarra is out as Microsoft lays off 1,900
The inevitable restructure and consolidation of the two giants - with the nuking of dual roles and now superfluous departments - didn't take long…
China Regulations
Stock prices jump as China backtracks on gaming restrictions
Stock values of major Chinese gaming firms such as Tencent and NetEase recover as deadlines pass and China's gaming clampdown evaporates - for now
Pgc London
The AI future is now. AI generated video is real and is promoting 100s of apps
AI can quickly create hundreds of creatives for your game and João Vieira da Costa of Replai.io has the tech that's making it happen right now
Best Of Blockchain
The Top 50 Blockchain Game Companies Revealed
The team at BlockchainGamer.biz has picked its Top 50 companies for 2024, and revealed the rundown live at Pocket Gamer Connects London
Pgc London
The state of mobile gaming revealed at PGC London 2024
Data.ai deliver a deep dive on their State of Mobile Gaming 2023 report live at Pocket Gamer Connects London 2024
Pgc London
Jesse Lempiäinen of Geeklab delivers the perfect game launch
Live from Pocket Gamer Connects London, the ex-Rovio, Geeklab CEO and founder dispels myths and explains why two (or more) is always better than one…
Show Now On
Pocket Gamer Connects London is now ON!
Our biggest show of the year just kicked off in London and it's a 10th anniversary special! Find out what's at the show and how you can be a part of it
Ai Power
TapNation acquires AI-powered UAhero to amp up its user acquisition strategy
As a new subsidiary of the company, UAhero’s AI-powered algorithms will become part of TapNation’s offering going forwards
Week That Was
Week in Views - Developers speak their minds, Apple gets sneaky, and why old games are the best
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories