Web3 On Mobile
Blockchain infrastructure service Stardust launches wallets-as-a-service
Seamlessly implementing cryptocurrency wallets has been an ongoing stumbling block for web3 developers
Staff
Iwan Morris
Job Title
Staff Writer
About Iwan is a Cardiff-based freelance writer, who joined the Pocket Gamer Biz site fresh-faced from University before moving to the Pocketgamer.com editorial team in November of 2023.
Articles by Iwan Morris
Financials
Netmarble financials sees 49% slump in earnings and 8% drop in sales
Their quarter two results echo a difficult year for many mobile companies
Regulators
South Korean regulators to crack down further on unfair practices by Google
The new judgement follows an already hefty fine from Korean authorities
Web3
Zynga unveils their first web3 game Sugartown
Doubts caused by the crypto winter hasn't stopped big names from investing in the web3 gaming space
Milestones
SuperGaming’s Indus battle royale title passes five million pre-registrations
A closed beta is set to follow its pre-registration success
Revelations
Savvy Games unmasked as Embracer's mystery partner in deal collapse
Axios Gaming's Stephen Totilo has enough evidence to point the finger
Insights
How Genshin Impact's devs were driven to tears
MiHoYo's president reveals how comparisons to Nintendo's Zelda Breath of the Wild were a major concern pre-release
Stocks
Playtika investor confidence grows despite recent financials
Estimations of the company's stock have risen since their most recent financial release
Financials
East Side Games sees revenue slide by 32% in first quarter 2023 financials
The dip echoes wider financial shocks across the mobile gaming market in recent financials
Investment
Krafton commits to massive $150m investment in Indian startups
The deal indicates the company’s renewed commitment to what has been a turbulent market for them
Milestones
Indian-made battle royale title Battle Stars passes five million players
The title is being developed by SuperGaming, the company behind the hotly anticipated Indus
Name Change
Golf Club: Wasteland forced to change name four years after launch
The studio hasn’t yet made it clear how the dispute arose or with who
Financials
NCSoft financials show almost 75% drop in profit year-on-year
The majority of the company’s revenue comes from mobile games
Financials
Applovin financials see rise driven by new AI investments but declining revenue for apps
The company’s non-gaming related business is on the up even as apps falter
Regulations
China’s game licencing system to be extended to all mobile applications
Companies will need to either have a branch in China or work with Chinese companies in order to publish apps
Moving To Mobile
Dana White’s Power Slap is coming to mobile courtesy of Zynga
The “sport”, connected to numerous health concerns, will receive a mobile adaptation from developer Rollic
Subscriptions
Netflix goes big screen with game controller app on mobile
The app doesn’t yet have any games available, but we can hazard a guess from leaks earlier this year
Release
Netspeak takes Sunshine Days cross-platform with PC debut and planned creator mode
The new PC version will also see the introduction of a “Creator mode” which will also come to mobile
Financials
Sony sees 6.8% drop in income for games but a rise in sales
Games income increased by 167bn yen despite other slim financial results
Financials
Playtika latest results show decreases in revenue & paying users
The company previously halted all further development on new titles in favour of concentrating on their existing portfolio
Job News
Sandsoft appoints Ahmed Sharif as CTO
Sharif previously held the role of head of VR, AR, metaverse automation and platform engineering at Meta
Collaborations
Subway Surfers to mobilise players in conservation efforts
Sybo has also donated a fixed amount of $25,000 to various efforts
Investment
Japanese mobile entertainment company Mixi to invest $50m in Indian market
The money will be issues as part of their corporate venture capital
Investment
Studio Billion receives undisclosed investment in pre-series A bridge round
WePlay Ventures, Aura B4YO Fund and Lima Ventures make another major investment in the Turkish market
Releases
My.Games to launch Little Big Robots in every region but China
The new mobile shooter is the third title in the successful War Robots franchise
Hexacore’s Mikita Khazau on pivoting from hypercasual to web3
While others are looking to hybridcasual as the successor to the crowded hypercasual market, Hexacore's co-founder and CEO is eyeing web3
Financials
Square Enix’ new titles fail to offset weak performance from existing catalogue
New financials show that the launch of Dragon Quest Champions failed to boost their mobile performance any higher than in the previous year
Partnerships
NetEase partners with payments provider Checkout.com to “accelerate global expansion”
The payment provider will help to facilitate payment integration in new markets
Data Privacy
French regulators call out Apple’s ATT
The iPhone and iOS owner may be in hot water from European regulators
Deals, Deals, Deals!!!
Deals Digest: The Biggest Deals of 2023 so far
Every big deal from every major player all in one place. Here's the hit list of where the big money is moving
Collaborations
Why mobile is a crucial part of Barbie’s multimedia domination
With their new live-action movie in cinemas, Mattel are making mobile a cornerstone of their Barbie push
Deals
Sega's Rovio deal clears regulatory hurdles and gets the green light
Barring a sudden 11th hour flap, the Sega's Rovio acquisition is set to go ahead
Financials
CyberAgent sees lean financials with game sales down 27.7%
The company operates major hits in Japan such as Uma Musume Pretty Derby
Ranking
Japan's top earning mobile games continue to dominate in the first half of 2023
Pole position and number two swap places while third place holds its own
Report
Consumers spent 2.5 trillion hours on Android in H1 2023. What's does that mean for mobile?
New reports show a 4% increase in time spent on Android - more than ever before
Ranking
Honor of Kings tops Weibo’s trending list with Honkai: Star Rail in hot pursuit
The microblogging site is one of China’s most popular social media sites and offers an interesting insight into the market
Talks
How Failbetter flubbed, then rescued the launch of Mask of the Rose
Communications director Hannah Flynn gave us the inside track at Develop: Brighton
Deals
Is the Kahoot deal an endorsement of edtech & party games, or a move to private for mobile?
The multiplayer quiz title is used widely in educational settings
Milestones
My.Games’ Left to Survive celebrates its five-year anniversary and 1.2m monthly active users
The title is a cornerstone of the company’s catalogue of free-to-play games
Investment
GameStake Technologies raises £630,000 in seed funding for “rewarded play” gaming
The company is pursuing the “rewarded play” style of monetisation
Investment
New studio Closing Theory raises $2.3m investment
The studio was co-founded by two previous members of the company Macro
Milestones
Call of Duty: Mobile passes $3bn in lifetime revenue, half of all engagement for the franchise is on mobile
The milestone was revealed in Activision Blizzard’s financials which said half of all engagement was on mobile
Taxes
Indian government clarifies 28% tax does not apply to mobile games
Industry professionals have claimed misinformation from real money gaming companies fuelled speculation
Releases
Jam City tackles DC and heads into MENA with Heroes & Villains puzzle RPG game
The studio is seeking to expand its free-to-play offerings and licenced titles
Breakdown
Drake Star's Global Gaming Report: Breaking down the numbers, charts and more
What do Drake Star’s charts and graphs tell us about the gaming industry today?
Mobile Masterworks
Mobile Masterworks: Candy Crush
The iconic match3 game single-handedly helped popularise the genre
Investment
Drake Star's Gaming Index rises by 15% private financing worth $700m in Q2 2023
The firm points to major deals like the Activision Blizzard and Scopely acquisitions while noting a lower level of investment
Revenue
With 66 million daily visitors Roblox makes as much money as some small countries, now they want more
The company wants to push a more community-friendly approach to transactions on the platform
Releases
NetEase’s newly-released Justice Online tops the iOS App Store charts
The game was previously tipped to use AI for character dialogue at certain points
Announcements
Hit comic book series Invincible to get new mobile game courtesy of Ubisoft
The series has seen a major boost in visibility thanks to a hugely successful animated show