Xbox Leaks
Microsoft's big gaming leak: Meet Brooklin, Sebile, Ellewood and more…
Undisclosed documents surface revealing Microsoft's new hardware, cloud and mobile plans and company's aim to deliver gaming everywhere
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
Ghost Detective
Playtika subsidiary Wooga unveils Ghost Detective on Netflix
The hidden object game is the latest step in fulfilling Netflix’s gaming ambition
Unity Runtime Fee
A 4% cap and self-reported data: Inside the rollback of the Unity Runtime Fee
Beleaguered game engine outlines how they could address the industry's concerns
Pokémon Go
Pokémon GO sets sights on tenfold increase in monthly active users in India
Niantic vice president of emerging markets Omar Tellez reveals big plans for the game’s expansion
Unity Runtime Fee
“We fucked up on many levels..." Unity co-founder David Helgason wades into the Runtime Fee debacle
Unty's controversial pricing scheme changes have now drawn strong words from the company's founder and board member
Gaming In China
miHoYo and NetEase block Alipay payments on iOS
iOS users were also banned from recharging via Alipay
Crossover
Scopely announces new crossover between Stumble Guys and Monopoly
The board game is coming to Scopely’s hit battle royale title in the latest update
Acquisition
Playtika set to acquire Innplay Labs for up to $300 million
The acquisition includes an $80 million upfront fee
Unity Runtime Fee
Miniclip's Sérgio Varanda does the math on Unity's controversial new pricing
The Miniclip senior executive vice president decides that "Unity's new pricing model can have a massive impact on profitability."
Expert Opinion
Game Maker's Toolkit founder Mark Brown weighs in on Unity's pricing change
Unity's recent decision continues to send shockwaves through the industry
Unity
Unity closes two offices following death threat
Their controversial pricing change proves to be increasingly unpopular
Blue Protocol
Tencent reportedly adapting Bandai Namco’s Blue Protocol for mobile
The upcoming title is anticipated to be a smash hit
Job News
Lisa Bridgett steps down from role as DREST CEO
Former CEO Lucy Yeomans will reassume her role during the transition period
Partnership
PlanetPlay and Lockwood Publishing collaborate for an eco-friendly metaverse
The partnership aims to inspire climate conscious behaviour in Avakin Life players
Chinese Market
Which games ruled the Chinese market in August?
More than fifty new games were released in the world’s biggest mobile gaming market over the month
New Release
Backbone announces universal USB-C compatibility for future joypad models
The gaming peripheral is hoping to break barriers in mobile gaming
European Market
The European mobile gaming market's big winners for August
Royal Match takes the downloads throne on Google Play, while Monopoly GO! Continues its strong run on iOS
World Record
Sky: Children of Light sets two new world records with in-game Aurora concert
The in-game concert drew 10,061 simultaneous players
Ahead In The Cloud
Is Netflix set to dominate the cloud gaming market?
The company is well positioned to play a major role in the future of cloud gaming
Industry Insight
China dominates among the top 100 global mobile publishers
40 of the top 100 publishers in August 2023 were from China - three more than in July
Layoffs
Sensor Tower lays off 40 staff, including prominent executives
The company is the latest in the mobile sector to announce layoffs
Success In China
The Chinese mobile game markets generated $3 billion in July 2023
The sector saw a 50% year-on-year increase in revenue
Acquisition
Is Jagex in line for its sixth new owner in a decade?
The RuneScape developer has been the subject of numerous acquisitions with the next set to be its highest value purchase yet
Job News
Rovio Stockholm appoints Johannes Mang as head of studio
Mang brings more than 20 years of experience to his new role
Huuuge Financials
Huuuge Games generated $141 million in the first half of 2023
Despite the success, this represents a year-on-year fall from H1 2022
Ea Games
EA downplays the importance of mobile
CEO Andrew Wilson spoke about the company’s future at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference
Puzzle Power
The puzzle genre has generated $42 billion in revenue, with swap games accounting for $25 billion
Candy Crush has been identified as the most successful mobile puzzle game of all time
Chinese Restrictions
China bans iPhones and other foreign-branded mobile phones for government officials
The move appears carefully timed, impacting Apple's share price pre-iPhone 15 reveal
Blumhouse Games
Blumhouse Games appoints horror expert Louise Blain as creative lead
Blain joins the leadership team alongside president Zach Wood and CFO Don Sechler
Tappa Report
Using notifications and in-game keyboards to win the user engagement game
Examining the state of player engagement, and what developers can do to increase it
Chinese App Stores
China’s app stores begin compliance with China’s latest regulations
Tencent and Xiaomi are among the app store owners now complying with the government’s regulations
Tiga Analysis
Britain’s large and mid-sized developers are booming
94% of game studios closed between December 2021 and April 2023 had four or fewer employees
Acquisition
Sumo Group acquires UK developer Midoki to boost live service skills
The Tencent subsidiary has picked up the Knighthood developer for an undisclosed sum
Bts World
BTS fail to top the mobile charts with BTS World
The K-pop band’s official mobile game is shutting down on December 26
Job News
Innogames appoints Christiane Gäb as director of people and culture
In her new role, Gäb will head the company’s HR department
Competitive Gaming
Finnish developer Future Run aims to “redefine competitive gaming”
The Finnish developer has the backing of Supercell, one of the biggest names in mobile gaming
Meta Subscriptions
Meta may offer EU users an ad-dodging subscription service
The move would allow them to circumvent new EU policies regarding data collection practices
Humble Games
Humble Games aims for studio acquisitions and in-house development
Executive vice president Alan Patmore outlines their future plans with mobile likely in the pipeline
Netdragon Financials
NetDragon’s gaming segment generated 58% of the company’s revenue in the first half of 2023
The company’s gaming segment saw an 8% increase in revenue, despite incurring a 13% decline in total
Royal Match
Royal Match takes the puzzle throne from Candy Crush Saga
The title surpassed Candy Crush Saga in both revenue and downloads in July
Learning From The Masters
How Duolingo has gamified learning
The language app has 19 million daily active users, but what’s the secret to its success?
Job News
Homa appoints Henry Lowenfels as president and CBO
Lowenfels’ brings leadership experience from the likes of mobile giant Scopely to his new role
Garena Free Fire
Garena Free Fire returns to Indian app stores on September 5
The title was banned in the country in 2022 due to national security concerns
Clash Of Brands
Supercell launches month-long partnership with Chess.com
The partnership introduces a new game variant and features a creators tournament
Soft Launch
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Mobile enters soft launch phase
The soft launch begins in Canada, with Mexico following next week
Winter Is Coming
Zynga announces Game of Thrones: Legends
The new game invites players to Westeros
Awards
The Pocketgamer.biz Podcast is nominated for the Listener’s Choice honour at the British Podcast Awards
Listeners can vote on the awards until September 5
Gotta Catch’em All
Pokémon Go invites players to the Paldea region
Creatures from the franchises latest generation are making their Pokémon Go debut in a September promotion
Netflix Games
Gaming is a “natural extension” of Netflix’s business
Vice president of external games Leanne Loombe discusses the company’s business model and plans for the future
Game On
Wildlife Studios prepares to launch AFK Football on September 13
After its success with Tennis Clash the team move onto the world of football