Improved Experience
Xbox Cloud Gaming increased performance for iOS devices
Led to 35% increase in average play times
Privacy Problems
AppsFlyer: Apple’s privacy update caused 35% in-app purchase revenue decline
iOS user acquisition spend fell 13%, Android jumped 35%
Won't Melt In Hands
Tilting Point to launch M&M’s Adventure on iOS and Android in Spring 2022
Developed by Vietnam-based mobile studio Gear Inc.
Equine Expansion
Star Stable Online launches worldwide on iOS
Following a year-and-a-half of soft launch
Protecting Pandora
Avatar: Reckoning heading to iOS and Android in 2022
Closed beta coming soon
2021 In Review
The mobile gaming trends of 2021
PocketGamer.biz’s take on the year’s biggest events
Marketplace Dominance
Apple and Google hold a "vice-like grip" on UK consumers, says competition regulator
Suggests actions to decrease the mobile marketplace duopoly
No Agreement Reached
Microsoft negotiated to bring Xbox triple-A games to Apple App Store
2020 emails reveal streaming tech and IAP discussions
Still Rising
Mobile games will generate $89.6 billion by the end of 2021
Honor of Kings earns $2.9 billion
Machamp Milestone
Pokémon Unite surpasses 50 million downloads in four months
Total downloads across iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch
Sideswipe Soccer
Epic Games and Psyonix launch Rocket League Sideswipe worldwide
Soft launched in Oceania earlier this month with pre-season
Jonesy, Here Jonesy
Alien: Isolation heading to iOS and Android on December 16
Will include full campaign and all additional content
Tale Of Two Oses
UA cost for core games are rising, especially on iOS
But casual games are getting cheaper to advertise
Touchdown
UK-based New Star Games takes US by storm with Retro Bowl
Number one free app on iOS in US, with 7 million downloads and zero UA spend
Play & Learn
Language learning game Influent lands on iOS devices
Brings new features and language packs
Wicket Replaces Wilson
Gameloft to launch Lego Star Wars: Castaways on Apple Arcade
Arrives exclusively on November 19th
Time To Unite
Pokémon Unite lands on iOS and Android
Brings new update and battle pass
Building Mobile
Townscaper heading to iOS and Android on 20 October
Now open for preorder and pre-registration
Acquisition.io
Addicting Games acquires 2D tank arena game Diep.io
Part of the site’s continued growth strategy
Hail Satin
Louis Vuitton's mobile NFT game hits 500,000 downloads in first week
"China is the biggest market to date driving downloads..."
25% Rise
Over 800 mobile games make more than $1 million every month
Data was confirmed by App Annie as part of its "2021 Mobile Gaming Tear Down"
New Datacenters
Xbox Cloud Gaming is now available on iOS devices
"Today marks a key milestone in our journey…"
Streaming
Blacknut releases cloud gaming service for iOS
Progressive web app is live
In The Clouds
Microsoft rolls out Xbox Cloud Gaming beta for iOS
Via web browsers
Crashed Out The Gate
Crash Bandicoot: On the Run launches early on iOS, races to number one on App Store
Endless runner originally set to launch on May 25th, 2021
Making Of
Designing Doctor Who to be 'bigger on the inside' for mobile
Going all "timey wimey" with Maze Theory and Kaigan Games
Excuse Me
PlaySide Studios is creating a Legally Blonde game
To be released on iOS and Android devices
Open For Business
Apple reopens all of its US retails stores
They are all operating with different restrictions
Indie Spotlight
Team Meat's Tommy Refenes on finding success without giving up your life
"People aren’t going to give a damn about what you gave up"
In The Clouds
Gamestream teams with Chunghwa Telecom to launch iOS cloud gaming app in Taiwan
"At Gamestream, we're pleased to see the Hami 5G iOS app available now in the App Store. This perhaps indicates greater receptiveness to cloud gaming on the part of Apple"
Money Money Money
Apple experiences record-breaking quarter as it generates $111.4 billion
“Our December quarter business performance was fueled by double-digit growth in each product category"
Take A Step Back
Dan Riccio steps down as Apple head of engineering
To focus on a new project
Game On
Interactive Facebook Watch show Rival Peak is coming to iOS
It has more than 25 mllion minutes in viewership
Claim A Freebie
GameRefinery makes its iOS downloads and revenue data free
"2020 has been a tough year for everyone, and so we're delighted to offer our iOS revenue and download data free to all customers this Christmas"
Team Work
Lab Cave teams with 11 bit studios for Moonlighter on iOS
The company will offer post-launch support
In The Clouds
Project xCloud is coming to iOS devices in Spring 2021
It will also enter new markets such as Japan, Brazil, Australia and Mexico
In The Clouds
Google Stadia to begin public testing for iOS devices in the coming weeks
Via a progressive web application
Widget
How can iOS widgets help games improve their performance on mobile?
Starloop Studios' Pau Bonet discusses how widgets can benefit your mobile game
Drive By
Sports and driving games account for 4.5% of iOS games revenue in the US
Japan is the most lucrative market for the category
What Thing?
Apple to hold "one more thing" event on November 10th
Rumoured to feature Apple Silicon Macs
Tag!
GameRefinery rolls out automatic tagging for over 100,000 iOS games
"This latest automated tagging feature ensures that GameRefinery can provide its customers with even richer insight and data on a scale yet to be seen in the mobile games industry"
Spinning Around
Crash Bandicoot: On the Run will hit mobile devices in Spring 2021
Pre-registrations open on iOS and Android
It's Getting Wild
League of Legends: Wild Rift is coming to iOS
No release date has been given
Check It Out
Apple reveals its new iPhone 12 range
With 5G capabilities
Make It Happen
Microsoft is looking at a web-based xCloud app for iOS devices
"We absolutely will end up on iOS with Game Pass"
Left Behind
Fortnite players on iOS are being isolated from other platforms as the new season launches
Apple has prevented the game from being updated
Got Your Back
Microsoft gives its support to Epic in its ongoing feud with Apple
"Developing a game using different game engines for different platforms may be prohibitively expensive and difficult"
Sour Apple
Apple insists that Epic deliberately chose to "cheat" the company after being denied a special deal
Tim Sweeney claimed he asked the change to be for all iOS developers
Retaliation
Epic files injuction to prevent Apple from removing its developer tools from Mac and iOS
"Apple's actions will 'break' Fortnite for millions of existing players"
Taking Issue
Facebook criticises Apple for its App Store commission costs
Follows the removal of Fortnite