Week That Was
A new age for Zynga, Microsoft formally acquires Nokia, and Kabam bullish about IPO
The past 7 days in bite-sized portions
Staff
Matthew Diener
About Representing the former colonies, Matt keeps the Pocket Gamer news feed updated when sleepy Europeans are sleeping. As a frustrated journalist, diehard gamer and recovering MMO addict, this is pretty much his dream job.
Articles by Matthew Diener
Life's a beach: UKIE plans a seaside stand for Gamescom 2014
Networking on the sand
Interview
Vungle looks to reboot mobile video ads with Vungle Exchange
It only takes 15 seconds to make a statement
Interview
AppsFire on Brichter-San, its new pull-to-refresh ad solution
'Banners are dead. They just don’t know it yet'
Mike Bithell, Boss Alien and Twitch lead Develop in Brighton 2014's speakers list
Media Molecule, Nickelodeon, and more on board
TIGA announces UK Games Tax Relief Tour to explain benefits to studios
Focus on innovation and experimentation
King launches Japanese base to seize bigger piece of $5 billion smartphone gaming market
Tokyo HQ unveiled
The Iap Inspector
Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff... and fighting the desire to spend $430
In-app purchases from the players' perspective
Week That Was
Unity acquires Playnomics, Twitter unveils mobile app promo suite, and F2P might not be the only ticket in town
The past 7 days in bite-sized portions
CandySwipe and Banner Saga trademark disputes resolved with King
Peace in the realm?
Candy Crush ‘tops out’ as the industry once again focuses on core gamers
Blizzard's Hearthstone part of a ‘new volley’ of branded blockbusters
UKIE names Goldsmiths University students first-ever student game jam winners
Phil Elliott dubbed ‘Mentor of the Universe’
Twitter unveils new mobile app promotion suite to drive installs
Direct download links included in ads
Interview
Gaining on Gamevil: How the Big Indie 40 project is helping small studios take on Korea's big boys
Curtis File on why the shutdown law isn't affecting mobile
GungHo Online’s Princess Punt Sweets passes 8 million downloads in Japan
Chasing the dragon
Candy Crush makes move on China via Tencent’s WeChat platform
Easing the IPO headache
Chart Of The Week
Google Play downloads top iOS by 45%...and now it's not far behind on revenue, either
But iOS generates 85% more revenue
Samsung’s used aggressive marketing, not imitation, to top Apple
Need to beat Cupertino giant was a 'survival strategy'
Windows Phone 8.1 rolls out to registered devs worldwide
Full deployment expected this summer
Interview
Western gamers deserve all new titles from Asian devs, not ports: Crooz's Kenji Hiruta on going global
But simplicity is a universal
Smaller developers have little choice but to get innovative, says Glispa's Gary Lin
But going international can help too
Week That Was
Amazon goes 'gaming too' with Fire TV, LINE tops 400 million users, and Microsoft announces Universal Apps
The past 7 days in bite-sized portions
Deals By The Double
HitFox buys Datamonk, invests €1m in Apploop
More acquisitions planned for the year ahead
LINE passes 400 million users worldwide, adding 826,000 new users per day
Not bad for three years on the market
Child's Play
Apple offers IAP refunds for 'easy' unauthorised purchases by kids
Sends out email directly to customers
Submissions open for Develop in Brighton's Indie Showcase competition
Four years indie and going strong
Flurry updates analytics to show retention and return rate
New feature currently in beta
The In-App Purchase Inspector: Boom Beach storms onto the scene
IAPs from the players' perspective
Puzzle & Dragons in North America: 3 million downloads is 'just the beginning'
GungHo Online on going global
Week That Was
PocketGamer.biz Week That Was: Facebook buys Oculus, Games Tax Relief is go, and Pocket Gamer suffers major GDC jetlag
The past 7 days in bite-sized portions
Big Games On The Go
Japan's $5.4 billion smartphone gaming market jumped 178% in 2013
Now half the size of total Japanese games market
500 Reasons To Succeed
China's Tencent buys $500 million stake in CJ Games
Becomes third-largest shareholder in the firm
Canned Game Creates Virtual Rift
Cliffy B brands Notch 'a pouty kid' for canning Minecraft for Oculus
Bringing a dose of reality to the world of VR
Interview
Ben Cousins: Anti-F2P movement is this generation's 'Disco Sucks'
And why you shouldn't rule consoles out just yet
And The Award Goes To...
Rovio's Icebreaker and Gameloft's Asphalt 8 run away with the Pocket Gamer Awards
Nintendo also makes its mark
Building A Great Party
Still in San Francisco? Head on over to our next Mobile Mixer for Build 2014
Mix and mingle with Fortumo and PG
Talking Tax Breaks
UKIE signs up TV Coalition for BAFTA event
Set to detail the advantages of tax relief
Candy For Everyone
Cut the Rope's Zeptolab files motion against King's 'Candy' trademark attempt in EU
Om Nom means business
Gdc 2014
Wargaming looking to can 'cruel' IAPs in World of Tanks Blitz
Looking to hook players for the long haul
Gdc 2014
Double Fine on how to become a multiplatform master
And why you'll get 'really, really angry' at Android
Gaming Ethics
GDC 2014: The Drowning's Ben Cousins blames the snobbish 'Establishment' for unethical stigma surrounding free-to-play
Discusses the ethics of 7 game business models
Free For Limited Time
Marmalade announces new iOS-to-Android porting tool
A juicy new market for iOS devs
Expert Opinions
We're 'pretty damn close' to BioShock Infinite being built by 3 guys in a garage
Thoughts from a Bay Area breakfast roundtable
Gdc 2014
Discussing trends in the fast-maturing F2P sector
Notably the rise of CCGs on Google Play
Brighter Shinier
Now with real-time lighting, Unity 5 announced
Pre-orders now available
Gdc 2014
Wooga on using the FUUU factor to hit the top of the App Store
May the force be with FUUU
The Week That Was
PocketGamer.biz Week That Was: Unity acquires Applifier, Kabam acquires Phoenix Age, and King might soon be worth $7.5 billion
The past 7 days in bite-sized portions
Pay The Troll
Firm attempts to trademark the word 'Flappy'
Sends infringement notices to developers
Inspiring Young People
UKIE launches first-ever Games Industry Pavilion at youth-focused Big Bang Fair
Partnering with Microsoft, BAFTA, and others
Develop A Better Life
We want to make developers' lives better: Helgason and Laakkonen lift the lid on Unity's move for Applifier
Applifier man to step up as Unity VP