Funding For Games
Google launches $2 million Indie Games Fund for Latin American studios
Indie game developers who have launched a game on Google Play, PC or console are eligible to apply
Staff
Isa Muhammad
Job Title
MENA Reporter
About Isa Muhammad is the Lead MENA Reporter at PocketGamer.biz, spearheading the team's Middle East & Africa games coverage. He's been in games media for over seven years and is steadily writing his way to the sharp end of journalism. If he's not reading, playing games or catching up on his favorite TV shows, he's probably writing about them.
Articles by Isa Muhammad
Game Closure
Harry Potter: Magic Awakened to shut down in Americas, Europe, and Oceania
Players that already have the game can continue playing until Tuesday, October 29th 2024
Mena Insight
"Our focus is undoubtedly on the Middle East market where we have unique advantages"
Yalla Group president Saifi Ismail on Yalla Ludo's success, MENA games industry growth, localisation challenges and upcoming games
New Partnerships
Xsolla partners with Savvy Games Group to grow the MENA games industry
Xsolla will establish a regional headquarters in Riyadh to help MENA developers and publishers grow their games
Mena Region
Savvy Games Group signs Memorandum of Understanding with Niantic for MENA expansion
Savvy will help Niantic establish its regional operations in Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt
New Partnerships
Volkswagen partners with AirConsole to bring in-car gaming to its vehicles
In-car gaming, building on existing mobile architecture, is on the rise with more big brands adding it to their cars' nav and entertainment touchscreens
New Partnerships
Infinix partners with Honor of Kings and MediaTek to boost performance in mobile games
The joint lab's innovations will be integrated into Infinix smartphones going forward
Earnings Report
Mobile titles account for 76.4% of NetEase’s online game revenues in Q2 2024
Online games generated 96.1% of the segment's net revenues
Mena Market Growth
Sony launches MENA Hero Project incubator program for game developers
Sony is also focused on lowering the barrier of entry for local developers in the MENA region
Interview
"When you know Africa and its history it's easy to make a game that will speak to the whole continent"
Masseka Games founder Teddy Kossoko on telling African stories through games and overcoming growth challenges in the region
Bowing To Pressure
Apple roll over and allow EU users to change default browser, delete stock apps and more
“The App Store, Messages, Photos, Camera, and Safari apps will now be deletable for users in the EU"
Improving Engagement
Research finds that app icon optimization can boost user numbers by up to 25%
A SplitMetrics study shows that clear and simple icon backgrounds can boost conversion rates by over 26%
Crossovers
NetEase unveils surprise Lara Croft crossover in Nakara: Bladepoint
The crossover event will see Matari step into the boots of the legendary Lara Croft, star of the Tomb Raider series
New Mobile Studio
Industry Veteran Mohamed El Sheakh launches new MENA mobile company, Games Ventures
The company aims to “build profitable mobile games from the Middle East, for the Middle East and the world"
World Entrepreneurs Day
India’s video games and esports sector powers growth with over 117,000 startups
This growth has made esports and gaming a viable career for both gamers and entrepreneurs
New Game Launch
Monument Valley 3 to launch exclusively on Netflix this December
Netflix members can access the entire Monument Valley collection with no in-app purchases or ads
New Platform
Stumble Guys is now available on Nintendo Switch
The arrival of the game on Switch means it's now available to play on all major platforms across console, mobile, and PC
End Of The Line
Space Ape closes Rival Kingdoms and gives the game a "final farewell"
“All games have a life cycle, and Rival Kingdoms is no exception. The time has come to lay down our swords and staves and allow our kingdoms to rest."
Acqusitions
Virtuos completes acquisition of UK games studio Third Kind Games
All nine Third Kind Games co-founders will continue leading the studio
Contactless Payments
Apple will be unlocking iPhone NFC chips for third-party apps everywhere
After relenting in Europe thanks to the DMA, it now looks like alternative contactless payment options are coming to iPhones everywhere
Funding News
Reforged Labs secures $3.9 million for gaming ads with GenAI
The funding will be used to enhance its AI capabilities and refine its creative and performance models
Interview
"Africa is on track to become a top three market globally for mobile games"
Pan African Gaming Group chairman Jay Shapiro on building a network of game developers and sharing Africa's rich history of stories through games.
Investment News
Web3 platform GAMEE secures investment from TON Ventures
The Animoca Brands subsidiary plans to integrate TON-based digital assets into its Telegram Mini App to boost user engagement
Jobs In Games
Raptor PR pulls in big names with key hires from Unity and Square Enix
“With Greg and Claudio onboard, we’re locked and loaded for our next phase of hyper growth," said founder and managing director Rana Rahman
India Games Industry
Key Indian execs endorse PM Modi's Independence Day games business backing
Modi is also calling for the country to transition from being a games industry consumer to becoming a leading producer
Friends In High Places
AltStore PAL goes free thanks to Epic Games' MegaGrant
The grant is to support the development of innovative projects that might lack sufficient funding. Or…
Ready To Play
SuperGaming's battle royale, Indus is now available in open beta
With over 12 million pre-registrations on the Google Play Store, the ‘made-in-India-for-the-world' game is now playable for all players
Developer Tools
Kwalee launches Arabic mobile game publishing platform for MENA developers
Kwalee's Hitseeker will now support Arabic-speaking developers with the tools and resources they need to create games
Mena Market
Saudi Arabia and UAE to propel Gulf region games spending to $3.24 billion by 2028
The KSA alone represented 49.5% of the gulf total revenue and 61.7% of its gamers in 2023
In-car Gaming
Mattel and AirConsole to showcase UNO Car Party for BMW vehicles
The game will be available on over 500,000 BMW and MINI vehicles through the AirConsole platform
Jobs In Games
FRVR names Quentin Staes-Polet as its new CEO
Staes-Polet has over 25 years of experience from leadership roles at Epic Games, Unity, Take 2 Interactive, and Ankama
Advisory Board
PlanetPlay launches advisory board to drive environmental action in video games
The advisory board includes Niantic CEO John Hanke, Lockwood Publishing CEO Halli Bjornsson and more
Jobs In Games
Krafton taps Jin Oh as their new chief global publishing officer
Oh will lead Krafton's global publishing and international business operations from September
Earnings Report
Krafton hits $1.04 billion in H1 2024 revenue as PC and mobile lead
Q2 earning increased to $532 million - an 83% increase over Q2 2023 despite a console revenue decline
Scaling The Industry
TIGA identifies risk period for UK game start-ups and five tips to scale the industry
Studios with fewer than five staff are highly vulnerable to failure with 50.2% studios failing to grow
Jobs In Games
Supercell appoints Gerard Griffin as its new CFO
Griffin will work together with Supercell leadership to grow the company and contribute to business decisions
Milestone
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery racks up $500 million in revenue
The game was also Jam City's most downloaded game for the first half of 2024
Acqusitions
Krafton acquires Hi-Fi Rush studio Tango Gameworks
The Tango team will now continue developing the Hi-Fi Rush IP and explore future projects
Earnings Report
Take-Two reports $1.34 billion in net revenue teamed with a $262 million net loss
"We expect to achieve sequential increases in net bookings in fiscal 2026 and 2027,” said chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick
New Tech
Heroic Labs launches Satori 2.0 for improved LiveOps and insights
The new update is designed to live operations for game studios and publishers
Funding For Games
Arkadium expands into third-party publishing with $1 million developer fund
The company will provide funding and resources for high-potential browser-based games that can enhance its network
Earnings Report
Nexon hits record Q2 revenue fueled by Dungeon & Fighter Mobile success
Revenue exceeded expectations by reaching ¥122.5 billion a 30% increase year over year
Canada Expansion
Xsolla opens new office in Montreal
Plans are to hire up to 50 new regional employees over the next two years
Epic Crossovers
Galaxy Quest invades Star Trek via Scopely's Fleet Command mobile game
When worlds collide… The long-awaited, fan-pleasing crossover is finally happening - exclusively on mobile
New Game Studio
Former Hitman and Raid: Shadow Legends developers launch Chamo Games
The studio is focused on developing a physics-based shooter with a diverse European perspective
Investment News
MixRift raises $1.6M to develop mixed reality games
The start-up will use the funds to support and accelerate its efforts in developing MR games in 2024
New Publisher
Industry veterans partner to launch game publisher Digital Bandidos for indie developers
They're primarily focused on PC and console titles with a development budget of around $3 million
New Game Studio
Former NFL star and ex-Activision producer team up to launch new mobile game studio Marauder Tech
The Marauder Tech team are developing a turn-based strategy mobile game Price of Glory
Funding For Games
South Korea's HYBE secures $80 million investment for games division
The first payment of 61.8 billion won is due by September 6 with the remaining 48 billion won to be paid by October 31st 2024
Esports World Cup
ESL FACEIT signs multi-year deal as official partner of the Esports World Cup
The ESL FACEIT Group will manage tournament operations and broadcast programming