Data.ai Report
Japan and South Korea lead consumer spend by device in 2022
Data.ai’s State of Mobile Gaming 2023 report analyses the sector’s performance across markets and demographics
Staff
Lewis Rees
About Lewis Rees is a journalist, author, and escape room enthusiast based in South Wales. He got his degree in Film and Video from the University of Glamorgan. He's been a gamer all his life.
Articles by Lewis Rees
Data.ai Report
Consumers spent an average of $1.6 billion on mobile gaming per week in 2022
Data.ai’s State of Mobile Gaming 2023 report delves into the market’s performance
Interview
Nexters’ head of marketing Anton Yakovlev on misleading advertising
We spoke to Yakovlev following a recent study the company carried out examining the world of advertising
Lord Of The App Store
Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth set for May 10 release
The game will launch in iOS and Android
Equity In Gaming
Zynga India’s Divya Nair on gender equity in the mobile games space
Zynga recently held a tech meet-up for women in the gaming industry
Acquiblizz
Sony claims CMA narrowing scope of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is “irrational”
The tech giant has been one of the deal’s biggest opponents
Savvy X Scopely
Marvel Strike Force, Stumble Guys, and GSN: What has Savvy Games Group bought?
Savvy Games Group’s acquisition of Scopely means the acquisition of several subsidiaries and properties
Savvy X Scopely
Savvy Games Group acquires Scopely for $4.9 billion
The group has made numerous acquisitions as part of its long term gaming strategy
Acquisition
Nodwin Gaming acquires a majority stake in full-service live media company Branded
The acquisition brings Branded’s event IP’s and team into the Nodwin fold
Tiktok
TikTok fined £12.7 million for mishandling of children’s data
The social media giant has fallen foul of the UK’s data protection laws
Not Mushroom For Mobile
Mobile will “Not be the primary path for future Mario games”, says Shigeru Miyamoto
The director of Super Mario Run praised mobile’s ability to expand the franchise’s audience, bit criticised its generic nature
Tiktok Trouble
Australia is the latest country to ban TikTok on government phones
The app has been subject to security concerns throughout the world
Mobile App Fraud
Consumers were exposed to $5.4 billion in app fraud during 2022
Games saw six times fewer levels of fraud compared to other apps
Misleading Ads
35 to 46% of gamers will accept misleading advertising
75% of gamers in the US and Europe agree misleading ads can be more interesting than the actual game
Riot X Netease
Netease’s Hyper Front to shut down following Riot lawsuit
The suit alleged that Hyper Front infringed on its intellectual property
Report
The UK’s gaming market was valued at £7.05 billion in 2022
The UK Interactive Entertainment association’s latest report analyses Britain’s gaming market
Loot Boxes
Lawyer claims that game makers don’t comply with loot box label regulations
An academic paper found that 71 of 100 Google Play games downloaded weren’t labelled correctly
The Rise Of Hybridcasual
Hybridcasual games hit 5 billion downloads in 2022
Downloads of games in the genre increased 3% year-on-year
Update For Losers
Clash Royale faces backlash following latest update
‘Update for Losers’ has been criticised for changes to game modes and the battle pass
Netflix Games
Netflix may be bringing its games to TV screens
Hidden code in the iOS app hints at a bigger future for the game streaming service.
Expert Analysis
Achieving the impossible: Croquet founder David A. Smith on breaking the barriers for multiplayer games
Present at the dawn of computing and powering the next-level of network, Croquet aims to make multi-user experiences easier than ever to create and enjoy
Bafta Awards
How did mobile do at the BAFTAS?
The annual BAFTA game awards once again reiterates a trend in the industry
Netease X Blizzard
Breaking down the break-up of NetEase and Blizzard
NetEase allegedly suggested it could sway the government’s decision regarding Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard
New Acquisition
Keywords Studios acquires influencer agency Digital Media Management
The social media agency will join Keyword’s Engage division
Ea Layoffs
Electronic Arts is cutting 6% of its workforce
The gaming giant is the latest company to announce large-scale layoffs
Loot Box Legislation
Australia proposes a crackdown on loot boxes and in-game gambling
The proposed changes would impose an advisory age limit on loot boxes
Subway Surfers
Sybo talks “evergreen” Subway Surfers success
CEO Mathias Gredal Nørvig discussed the success of the game at GDC
New Hires
Softonic appoints BBC veteran Andy Webb as VP of Product
Webb will spearhead the company’s mobile strategy
Aaa Vs. Mobile
Why are AAA publishers still struggling to make it on mobile?
Mobile gaming dominates the games space, but AAA game makers are failing to effectively enter the market
Ten Square Financials
Ten Square reports $116 million in revenue in 2022
The company’s revenue is down compared to 2021, but already shows signs of rebounding
Netease Anime
NetEase Games enters the world of animation with Anici Anime
The new brand will further the company's interests outside of games
Sensor Tower Report
The USA, India, and emerging markets are leading the way in app installs
But predictions state that China is poised for a resurgence in the coming period
Equality In Games
Zynga India spearheads tech meetup for women in games
The meetup followed International Women’s Day
Huuuge Revenue
Huuuge saw a 57.3% year-on-year increase in net profit in 2022
The company hit a record high adjusted EBITDA of $82.3 million
Newzoo Report
Paid competitive mobile gaming set to generate $16 billion in revenue by 2024
The gaming segment will account for an estimated 14% of the mobile market
Indian Market
Nazara CEO: Indian market playing catch up with game monetisation
Despite the growth of India’s mobile gaming sector, the country trails in effective monetisation
Acquiblizz
Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal inches closer as the UK's CMA flips its decision
The authority has backtracked on its previous findings and is satisfied that the deal WON'T affect console competitors. But cloud gaming remains an issue
Acquiblizz
This week in the Microsoft x Activision Blizzard deal
All the latest in one place as the EU and CMA flip-flop opinions and a conclusion draws nearer
Clever Stuff
CleverTap's new platform aims to boost live ops revenue and more
Unveiled at GDC 2023, CleverTap Gaming is an all-in-one solution for customer engagement
Take-two Hearts Gameclub
Take-Two Interactive has acquired mobile retro-games subs service GameClub
The publishing giant has acquired the subscription-based start-up for an as yet undisclosed sum and purpose
Tencent Financials
Tencent’s revenue increased 0.5% year-on-year in Q4 2022
The company saw a small rebound following a turbulent year
Female Gamers
74% of women play mobile games daily
While 67% see mobile gaming as a vital source of ‘me time’
War In Ukraine
Supercell blocks its games in Russia and Belarus
After phasing out titles, the last of Supercell's games are now inactive with a block in place until at least June 1
New Features
NetEase launches first pilot server for Infinite Lagrange
The server will allow players to test incoming features and offer feedback to the development team
Interview
Kian Hozouri on ByteBrew’s partnership with Mintegral
We spoke to ByteBrew’s COO and co-founder about the new collaboration and what it means for both companies
Interview
SciPlay CEO Josh Wilson on how SciPlay reached #1 in the social casino charts
SciPlay saw a record breaking 2022, and we spoke to the company’s CEO about the company’s success
Interview
Zynga’s Mary Plaisted on diversity, equity, and inclusion
We spoke to Zynga’s senior director of diversity, equity and inclusion, talent, and social impact following the Spelman Game Jam
Loot Box Lawsuit
Loot boxes: not gambling, says Canadian judge
But by allowing the rest of the class action suit to continue, Electronic Arts aren’t out of the woods yet
Makreo Report
49% of China’s gamers play on their phones
A new report analyses the world’s biggest mobile market
Expert Analysis
ironSource's Anna Popereko: Seven ways to increase revenue from merge games
The game design consultant explains how to capitalise on one of mobile gaming's hottest genre trends