Investgame Report
Gaming deals cooled down significantly in Q1 2023
Despite decreases across the board, there’s reasons to be optimistic about gaming investment in the year ahead.
Deals
“It’s been a rough night…” Embracer: What went wrong?
With their share price crashing 45% in the last 24 hours what exactly IS going on at Embracer?
Creating Connection
BebopBee raises $4 million in funding to inspire "real-world connection" through mobile game brands
Investment from Bitkraft Ventures, Courtside Ventures, Andover, Goal Ventures and more
Acquisition
Pixel United owners Aristocrat Leisure to acquire NeoGames
Pixel United are the company behind Product Madness, Plarium and Big Fish
New Investment
Saudi Arabia boosts stake in Electronic Arts by 55%
The country has been investing in game makers as part of its long-term economic strategy
Investment
Little Dot Studios invests in CLUB developer Formation Games
With a TikTok series forming part of the investment
Investment
The big Supercell investment roundup
Money to invest? Or looking for funding? Here's all the studios that Supercell has invested in, all in one place
Holding Out For A Hero
Sony brings its Hero Project incubator program to India
The launch follows the program’s rollout in China
New Investment
Outfit7 invests in educational startup Hopalai
Hopalai is the mind behind Kobi, an ereader app designed to make reading accessible for all children
Investment
Phantom Gamelabs joins Supercell’s family of investees
The studio has received an undisclosed amount from the Finnish gaming giant
Funding
Frantic Games raises $2.4m in pre-seed funding
The studio will use the fund to specialise in hybrid casual mobile games
Investment
Tencent takes the lead on European investment. Will the rest of China follow?
The company wants to hedge its bets abroad. Could more Chinese-funded M&A action be on the way?
Investment
Animoca Brands subsidiary Tinytap accrues $8.5m investment
The money comes from Sequioa China and Liberty City Ventures amongst other investors
Chess With A Change
SuperDuperSecretCo raises $1m to make a chess battle royale game
Dual economy will make Web3 elements optional
Venture Capital
The top VC firm for Q1, Bitkraft Ventures, expands to Asia
The firm was the top investor in Drake Star's recent report
Rebrand & Investment
Grand-Attic games, formerly Hadi, raises $5.3 million
The cash and rebrand came as part of a seed-2 round
Success In Funding
Reactional Music raises $2.05 million in pre-series A funding round
The platform aims to connect music and players for game developers
Konvoy Report
Gaming market to reach $201 billion in 2023
Asia dominated Q1 in terms of deal value, but came second to America in terms of volume
Football Funds
Soccer Manager creator Invincibles raises £1m for two new games
Investment is the latest in repeat funding from Mercia
Investment
Ludus Ventures’ İsmet Gökşen talks mobile investment in Türkiye
We get an investors-eye view of the Turkish mobile market
Mena Investment
After securing Scopely for $4.9 billion, what could Saudi games giant Savvy splash its cash on next?
They may have made a sizeable acquisition this week but Savvy Games Group still has money to burn!
Investment In Turkiye
Turkish gaming VC firm Ludus Ventures leads $3 million investment round in Paxie Games
The money comes as part of surge of investment in Türkiye
Investment In Turkiye
Turkish developer Gleam Games receives $1m investment
A year on from a previous $1m investment into the studio
Adverts With Ai
Adludio raises $2.5M for mobile ad platform with AI technology
Investment from Mercia’s venture capital trust
Success In Funding
Turkish hypercasual developer Gulliver’s Games gains $1.5 million in second-round funding
The studio developed idle game Restaurant Tycoon
Seed Secured
Mystic Games seed round aims towards bringing Web3 mobile games "into the mainstream"
Veterans from King, Rovio and more looking to democratise digital ownership
Mobile Mena
David Fernandez Remesal of Sandsoft Games: "Why MENA’s gaming growth isn’t just about business"
There's a bigger story at play in the MENA region, changing perceptions, fostering understanding and improving relations all around the world
Stakeholders
Abu Dhabi firm G42 acquires $100m+ stake in Bytedance
The owner of Nuverse and TikTok receive a new stakeholder
Web 3 Ip
Brazilian Web3 dev Jungle raises $6 million in funding round
Web3 mobile shooter expected to launch later this year
Trade Bodies
TIGA calls on UK government for new video game investment fund
They predict a new investment fund for the UK video game industry would provide an economic boost
Independents
Redemption Games breaks from Applovin
The studio behind Sweet Escape will now operate independently
New Report
The Covid boom in numbers
The pandemic resulted in massive increases in private investments and M&As
Saudi Arabian Funding
Saudi Arabia raises stake in Nintendo once again
The country now owns 7.08% of the company
Views Week
Week in Views - What caught our editorial eyes in the last seven days
The Pocketgamer.biz team take their pick of this weeks big news to talk big games moving to mobile, big money being made, and big trouble for some big names
Dress Up
House Of Blueberry Raises $6M To Grow Fashion In The Metaverse
“Our ultimate vision is to become the largest digital fashion house in the world…”
Investment
Turkish studio Yamy receives investment from UP Venture Capital and $4m valuation
Another example of foreign investment into the Turkish mobile gaming scene
Racing To Success
Sandsoft invests $3.25 million in The Tiny Digital Factory
Sandsoft will publish the company's titles throughout the MENA region
Drake Star Review
Who were 2022's most strategic gaming investors?
Drake Star breaks down last year’s top gaming acquisitions. Who spent the smartest money in 2022? Find out here
Revenue
MAG Interactive's record quarter shows 39% revenue growth
According to their Q1 report, MAG Interactive have seen record revenue growth and are strongly investing in UA to push their portfolio even further in 2023
Investment
African publisher Carry1st reports $27m funding round led by Bitkraft Ventures
One of Africa’s top mobile game publishers, Carry1st has partnered with numerous brands such as Riot Games and Call of Duty, leading to significant investment
Views Week
Week in Views - What caught our editorial eyes in the last seven days
The Pocketgamer.biz team look ponder big name buy-outs and new vigour for eSports
Raising The Stakes
Saudi Arabia’s PIF increases its stake in Nintendo to 6%
The country is aiming to become the hub of the global games industry
Successful Funding
Indian developer Giga Fun Studios raises $2.4 million in funding
The round was led by Lumikai and Fireside Ventures
Funding
Mobile game subscription start-up Multiscription announces $1.6m funding round
Multiscription seeks to offer developers a way to incorporate subscription services into their games
Mobile Investment
Dubai’s new economic plan could benefit mobile development
Dubai’s new economic development plan may result in a big boost to the UAE’s largest city, but will it boost the country’s game industry?
International
Can the Chinese mobile gaming industry bounce back in 2023?
With the end of zero-covid and other regulatory restrictions, can the Chinese mobile gaming industry come back to prominence?
Investment
Turkish developer Ace Games lands new $8m investment
The Turkish developer Ace Games, whose stakeholders include publisher Playtika, received $8m in investment late last year
Funding
Developer Jarvi Games raises $2m in seed funding round
The developer is working on ‘Vice Online’, a game inspired by the Grand Theft Auto franchise
Investment In Istanbul
Turkish studio Pink Games has $1.2 million valuation after first investment
Investment comes from Geometry Venture Development, Alesta Investment and an individual investor
A Platform To Empower
The Mirror platform aims to someday be "akin to a next-gen Roblox"
$2.3 million raised in pre-seed funding; led by Founders Fund