Interview
Chris Petrovic: "The gaming sector has the capability to launch the ‘next great entertainment franchise of the future"
We spoke to the FunPlus CBO about the history of the mobile gaming sector - and it's future
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
Adopting Trouble
Adopt Me shuts down in Belgium and The Netherlands
The Roblox game has been banned due to the use of lootboxes
Interview
Abigail Rindo: Every game is a different problem to solve narratively and creatively
We spoke to King's narrative design director Abigail Rindo about Candy Crush Saga
Sound Design
Azur Games breaks down the benefits of sound design
“Sound design in games should be practical first”
Ott Advertisements
August’s top advertisers on OTT services in the US revealed
Hulu was the most popular service for advertisers, while back-to-school creatives dominated content
User Acquisition Survey
Digital Turbine releases App Install Marketing Survey results
Video ads prove to be the dominant user acquisition channel
Tower Defence
Tower Defence games to reach $2.3 billion in revenue by 2030
Android users generate 69% of the genre’s revenue
Mobile Gaming Report
Western Europe sees a 27 per cent surge in hardcore mobile gaming
One fifth of mobile games in the region are paid apps
Dropping The Bomb
Google Play implements review bombing prevention
Reviews will be delayed for 24 hours to give developers time to react
Battle Of The Brands
AppLovin decides against another Unity acquisition bid
The company will focus on enhancing its existing services
Games Done Quick
Awesome Games Done Quick goes digital
The state’s recent implementation of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and COVID-19 mandates were behind the decision
Company Culture
Ubisoft outline plans to amend company culture
The company hopes to address employee complaints, but is it enough?
Unity And Ironsource
Unity announce date for stockholders vote on ironSource merger
The vote will take place on October 7th, but neither company is likely to reject the merger
New Acquisition
Zynga closes acquisition of Storemaven
The acquisition is the first Zynga has made since its own acquisition by Take-Two
Monetisation And Marketing
74% of consumers use mobile ads to discover new apps
An ironSource report finds that relaxation is key both for downloads and usage
Audio Ads
Gadsme branching into audio ads
Gadsme is expanding its advertising business in a world first
July Charts
Uma Musume Pretty Derby raced into July’s charts
Stumble Guys unseated Subway Surfers as the month’s most downloaded iOS title
Embracing Change
Crystal Dynamics regains development rights of Tomb Raider franchise following Embracer Acquisition
The studio was acquired by Embracer as part of a deal with Square Enix
Stumbling To Success
Scopely acquires Stumble Guys from Kitka Games
Scopely expands its portfolio with a new acquisition
Ea Severance
EA caps severance for executives
Monetary rewards for leaving executives has been capped, while stock rewards haven’t been affected
Ads And Application
Anna Badalamenti: 89% of publishers monetise their apps using in-app advertisements"
Liftoff's growth senior manager breaks down the best practices of app monetisation
Here Comes The Sun
Netspeak raises $12 million in Series A
The investment will help fund social title Sunshine Days
Financial Report
NetDragon sees a 26.3 increase in revenue year-on-year
Eudemons proved to be a strong performer despite a decrease in overall revenue
Tencent X Guillemot Bros
Tencent now owns 49.9 per cent of Guillemot Bros
The investment follows reports that Tencent was seeking majority control of Ubisoft
Ironsource Report
Generation X make more in-app purchases than any other group
ironSource delve into app monetisation and discovery
Mobile Advertising
Apple Search Ads sees a 5% year-on-year increase in share-of-wallet
The recent adoption of Apple’s ATT policies badly affected Apple and Facebook, while Google remained unaffected
New Appointments
Tripledot expands executive team as part of growth strategy
This follows the company raising $116 million in February
Investments And Acquisitions
Azur Games acquires Mushroom Wars development studio
Former investors retain the brand name Zillion WHales
Happy Anniversary
State of Survival celebrates third anniversary, passes download milestone
The game has passed a milestone 150 million downloads
Layoffs
ByteDance reportedly downsizes games divisions
Hundreds of employees have reportedly been laid off as the brand refocuses
Lockwood Layoffs
Lockwood announces mass layoffs
This follows the layoffs of staff members last year which have been called unlawful
Financial Report
XD sees 15.6% year-on-year increase in revenue
The company saw high MAU in China, despite a decrease in international markets
Monetising Mario
Gacha mechanics to be removed from Mario Kart Tour
The game will switch over to a store of revolving items
Funding Round
Temasek to head funding round for Animoca Brands
The investment sees Temasek double down on its interest in Web3 companies
A League Of Its Own
Andrei Van Roon appointed head of League Studios
A new role as League of Legends: Wild Rift hits a milestone $750 million in revenue
Green Gaming
Report: US Gamers are more concerned with the environment than the general population
A study by Yale and Unity has delved into gamers' opinions on global warming
New Studio
Virtuos opens new studio in the San Francisco Bay area
Calypte, headed up by Kirsten Kennedy, is the company’s first full-service studio in North America
A Sea Of Trouble
SEA shuts projects and lays off staff in Garena unit
This comes in the wake of a $1 billion quarterly loss
The Rise Of Esports
Niko Partners and Gamescom Asia publish analysis of the Southeast Asian market
Esports are a particular draw in one of the world's fastest-growing gaming markets
Lose Some. Win Some
Netflix hires two top ad executives from social media platform Snap
Ex-Snap execs land top roles following layoff of 1300 Snap employees
Trouble For Microsoft?
UK competition regulator calls for review of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard
The regulator claims the deal could “harm rivals”
It's Super Effective!
The Pokémon Company sues six Chinese companies
The lawsuit is being filed due to copyright infringement
A Rumble On The Blockchain
Laguna Games expands Crypto Unicorns multiverse with four new mobile titles
The company aims to shake up the blockchain gaming market
Funding The Future
Sprocket Games raises $5 million in funding round
The investment will support development of the company’s debut title
Investment Success
WePlay Ventures and Lima Ventures sell UDO Games shares to Taleworlds
The sale comes just a year after the initial investment
Casual Data
Steady growth forecast for the casual gaming sector
The puzzle genre saw an exceptionally high rewarded ad completion rate
Financial Audits
NetEase and Alibaba among first in line for US audit inspection
NetEase and Alibaba among first in line for US audit inspection
Will The Partnership Be A Touchdown?
National Football League and Enthusiast Gaming partner to launch NFL Tuesday Night Gaming
The new program will see NFL players compete with gaming content creators
Big News For The Blockchain
Machine Zone alumnus founds blockchain gaming company Limit Break
The company is giving NFTs to fans for free to help newcomers overcome the entry barrier
Brace Yourself
Developer Brace Yourself Games branches into publishing
Brace Yourself Publishing will focus on a smaller client base