Guest Post
LifeStreet CEO Levi Matkins on converting players to payers in a post-IDFA world
Working with a specialised DSP is more important than ever for companies looking to scale
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
Job News
Apple hires two of Playdeo’s three co-founders as the company continues its push into mixed reality
The hiring adds credence to rumours that the company is developing a VR headset to be released in January
Deal Closed
Room 8 Group closes acquisition of Brazil-based creative studio PUGA Studios
The acquisition was first announced in April as part of the company’s goal to enhance its global presence
New Acquisition
Netflix expands gaming arm with addition of indie studio Spry Fox
The Seattle-based developer is the sixth under the Netflix Umbrella
New Partnership
Hypercasual developer Tapnation partners with Ternoa on blockchain prizes
Players can win Ternoa's blockchain currency, Capsule Coin, as prizes
Mobile Dominance
The world’s top 10 game companies made $126 billion in 2021 from software, with mobile leading the charge
Tencent came out on top with $33 billion, three quarters of which came from mobile
Japanese Market
Hypercasual games dominate Japan’s charts by installs, but struggle to engage players
Mobile gaming is on the rise in the home of video gaming
Financial Report
Ubisoft’s mobile wing is key to the company’s success, suggests financial report
The company hopes the upcoming Rainbow Six Mobile will accelerate its expansion into mobile-first markets
Financial Report
Rovio saw an 8.4% year-on-year increase in revenue in Q3, with the Angry Birds franchise at the top of the pecking order
The company drew $77 million in revenue in Q3
Mobile Marketing
Android accounts for over 70 percent of ad creatives in Q2 2022
AdQuantum and SocialPeta data suggests that publishers are shifting focus to Android devices following the introduction of Apple's new IDFA
Google Pay
India’s antitrust watchdog fines Google for $113 million
The country found that Google abused its dominant position in the market
Swedish Games Industry
Swedish Games Companies contributed $5.8bn to the global economy, national report reveals
The majority of the country’s game makers are solo operations
Financial Report
Stillfront Group reports Q3 revenue boom, up 36% to $163m
Mobile publishing group including middle eastern studios Jawaker and Babil continues to flourish
New Studio
Wildlife Studios open new Helsinki studio Stellar Core Games with veterans from Supercell and Rovio
The studio will be led by Touko Tahkokallio and Serdar Soganci
Chinese Gaming Market
China’s gaming market decreases 19.1% quarter-on-quarter
The Chinese market is valued at $8.2 billion
Job News
Embracer Freemode appoints Brian Bright as principal design director
The Activision veteran will serve on the leadership team
Adjust Analysis
Exclusive: Educational, Casino and Arcade games on the rise according to Adjust's Q3 2022 report
Adjust analyses the EMEA and UK markets for the third quarter of 2022
In It To Win It
Live Tech Games and ITV collaborate on new mobile puzzle game
WordSurge was promoted on ITV show This Morning
Guest Post
Data.ai on how to safely and effectively monetise kids’ games
Kids’ games are ripe for monetisation, but require a different approach than other genres
Esports And Play-to-earn
DFNN: Gaming for profit will remain a part of the Philippine industry despite crackdowns
The rise of Illegal POGOs have led to calls for a total ban on legitimate operations
Pocketgamer.biz Exclusive
Which comes first, monetisation or gameplay? Why not have both?
Bidstack's Antoine Jullemier, VP Of Gaming, explains how in-game advertising could be the best choice for developers and players alike.
Special Report
The mobile gaming market is on track for a record breaking year
Data.ai delves into the performance of the market throughout the third quarter of 2022
Drake Star Report
Drake Star: Quarter 3 of 2022 saw 81 new mergers and acquisitions totalling billions of dollars
Over 300 deals were made from July to September, Embracer Group led the pack with eight acquisitions
Drake Star Report
2022 has seen 976 deals, with Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard topping the charts
Drake Star analyses the gaming markets in its Global Gaming Industry Report
Microsoft X Activision Blizzard
The storm blows on - CMA still intent on investigating Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard
The UK regulator doubled down on plans to scrutinise the planned acquisition before approval
Financial Report
Swedish developer MAG Interactive celebrates another strong financial year
Net sales are up 14% from the company’s record-breaking 2021
News
Upstream: the mobile games streaming and esports digest – October 19 2022
PocketGamer.biz and Stream Hatchet break down the monthly stats on the mobile games making waves on streaming platforms, and esports events
Mobile Shark, Do Do Doo
Pinkfong are releasing Baby Shark into a new environment with a new open-world game
Just when you thought it was safe to turn on your phone
Job News
Fingersoft expands executive team with a new hire in a newly-created role
Teemu Väisänen joins the team as Game Development Technical Director
Comment And Opinion
AppsFlyer on how to maintain transparency whilst optimising user acquisition
We spoke to AppsFlyer managing director Daniel Junowicz at PGC Helsinki
Guest Post
Amy Huang, CEO of Mattel163 on fostering diversity in mobile esports "Every innovation starts with inclusion."
How casual esports can drive inclusivity in competitive mobile gaming
Gaming In France
Newzoo delves into the French games space
Mobile has the largest market share, but the lowest average playtime among all gaming platforms
Gayme On
The Gayming Awards 2023 to be held on Broadway
The Gayming Awards are hoping that next year’s event will be the biggest yet
Self-publishing
85% of mobile acquisitions in the last twelve months self-published their games
No acquisitions of studios relying on third-party publishers were made
The Growth Of Mobile Gaming
Mobile gaming market to exceed $175 billion by 2027
China’s strong growth is projected to continue over the period
Dentsu Report
Dentsu examines the place of brands in the gaming economy
A new report examines how brands can most effectively market their products in-game
Dentsu Study
Dentsu examines how the gaming community engages with the industry
A new study breaks down the rise of gaming culture
Company Vs. Consumer
FunPlus and KingsGroup face class action lawsuit for misleading prices
The suit alleges that State of Survival falsely advertises discounted items
Microsoft X Activision Blizzard
Take-Two CEO positive about Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard Acquisition
Strauss Zelnick believes the deal will enrich the gaming industry
Tencent Vs. Moonton
Tencent to pay $31 thousand to Bytedance subsidiary Moonton following defamation dispute
The court found in Moonton’s favour, but the legal battle continues between the two companies
Financial Report
Huuuge Games celebrates highest ever quarterly profits
Sales bookings are down year-on-year, but adjusted EBITDA saw a significant increase
Game Over
Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier ending service in January
Square Enix is unhappy with the experience they’ve provided to Final Fantasy fans
Intellectual Property Rights
Copyright infringement prevalent on mobile devices
A new study by Queen Mary University of London and the University of Bristol examines IP concerns
Uk Industry
Indielab and TEAM SY announce first South Yorks cohort
Eleven companies have been chosen to participate in the accelerator programme
Jobs In Mena
Savvy Appoints Peeyush Gulati as vice president of production
The Ubisoft veteran will join the team in Riyadh
Fresh Investment
Cathay Capital invests in Shiro Games
The investment will support the development of two unannounced projects
User Acquisition
Appsumer on ad channel diversification
A new blog post by Appsumer breaks down how diversifying ad channels can help a business scale
Protests In Iran
Iran blocks Clash of Clans amid ongoing protests
The government fears users are using the game’s chat feature to coordinate protests
Activision Blizzard Acquisition
Strength of Mobile division key to Activision Blizzard Acquisition
Microsoft’s Phil Spencer identified the company’s strength on mobile platforms as a prime reason for the acquisition
Bytedance Financials
ByteDance finances revealed to employees in report
Market losses more than tripled in 2021