Business News
Hong Kong’s Apptutti signs new partnership to help Korean devs access China games market
Support services localised for Korean speakers
Social Asset
GetSocial partners with Unity to bring sharing tools to Asset Store
Company offers social analytics and publishing tools
Angry Reality
Angry Birds comes to Magic Leap One with Rovio and Resolution Games partnership
Angry Birds FPS: First Person Slingshot dives onto headset in autumn 2018
Engage
Tilting Point extends Disruptor Beam deal with fresh $29m investment in Star Trek Timelines marketing
The publisher will help fund a new project as part of the deal and will handle marketing on Star Trek Timelines
Cube
Tencent and LEGO unveil mobile open-sandbox game LEGO Cube for China
The open-sandbox game is set for release late 2018
R&d
Scotland set for $11.6m games research and development centre
Students also stand to benefit with work experience through InGame partnership
Another Partnership
Tencent and Square Enix team up to form new company and develop triple-A franchise
Chinese tech giant providing internet capabilities; Japanese game developer providing the creativity
Cloud
Candy Crush dev King moves core data infrastructure and AI platform to Google Cloud
Partnership could also see collaboration on machine learning efforts
Partners
Dreamloop and Big Blue Studios join Remote Control Productions' developer network
Development and mediation outfit picks up minority stake in studios
Star Wars
Zynga stock soars 11 per cent after securing a deal to create licensed Star Wars titles
Farmville creator partners with Disney for a mobile title, with potential for a second in future.
Partnership
Ad network ironSource is now available on Google’s AdMob mediation platform
Developers using AdMob can now gain access to Ironsource’s existing marketplace
Partnership
Gismart partners with Appodeal to publish casual and hyper-casual games
Developer will also utilise Appodeal’s extensive ad platform to push music, entertainment and utility apps
Don’t You Mean Football?
Sociable Soccer dev Tower Studios snags China publishing deal with China Mobile
Arcade football game is will land in China first and is pencilled in for launch in Autumn 2018
Quite Possible
PUBG Mobile is bringing Mission Impossible: Fallout to its pocket-sized battlegrounds
The month-long campaign to bring tie-in content and challenges to PUBG is already underway
Duty Calls
Activision working with Tencent on new Call of Duty mobile game for China
Collaboration confirms a free-to-play mobile entry in the long-running first-person-shooter franchise
Partnership
Google partners up with Unity to extend ad campaign reach
The agreement will give Google access to Unity’s network of mobile games through Universal App campaigns
Super Publishing
Flaregames partners with Hamburg dev Sviper to publish Super Spell Heroes
Real-time puzzle duel game
Collaboration
Playgendary teams up with ad platform Appodeal to publish casual games
Appodeal to lend its expertise and exclusive monetisation tools to the publisher's titles going forwards
Ah Ah Ah
FoxNext and East Side Games team up to bring It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia to mobile
Planned for release on both the App Store and Google Play in 2018
Secret World
Netflix to air Niantic’s Ingress in October 2018
Ingress: The Animation set to release alongside a sequel to Niantic’s debut title
Addition
Social casino dev KamaGames signs exclusive Unity Ads partnership
Irish social casino games company agrees to only provide in-app video monetisation through Unity Ads platform
Key Takeaways
5 things we learned at Unite Berlin 2018
Google, machine learning, mixed reality and more were the key topics in Germany
Partner Up
War Robots developer Pixonic enters China’s Android market with iDreamsky
Director of business development Mike Fei discusses the publisher's distribution model
Virtual Gaming Only
Com2us reveals Skylanders Ring of Heroes mobile game but appears to ditch toys-to-life aspect
But appears to lack toys-to-life
M&a
Tencent-backed Chinese developer Seasun eyes Western partnerships
JX Online studio set to wrap up US investment
Galactic
CCP Games teams up with NetEase for new Eve Online mobile game
Project Galaxy will drop in 2019 for iOS with Android to come thereafter
Tekkerz
Rovio and Everton kick off new YouTube series with social influencer Tekkerz Kid for World Cup
New animated series will also feature Wayne Rooney and Cenk Tosun
Pog Champ
90s fad POGs set for comeback with new AR Mobile game in the works
POGs AR pencilled in for a September launch for both iOS and Android
Destined To Be Partners
Destiny developer Bungie could be set for mobile push following $100m investment from NetEase
US studio could be set to explore the mobile games market
Gearing Up
Codemasters teams up with Eden Games to develop F1 Mobile Racing
The new racing game will come to iOS and Android with the date to be announced
Switch Up
Bethesda swaps The Elder Scrolls: Legends developer Dire Wolf with Sparkypants
Dire Wolf is out; Sparkypants is in
Hatching A Plan
Hatch expands games catalogue with Noodlecake Studios partnership
The deal will see premium titles Death Road to Canada, Lumino City and Chameleon Run come to the streaming platform
International Events
Pocket Gamer and G-STAR launch international promotional partnership as Big Indie Awards heads to South Korea
UK publisher Steel Media Ltd extends partnership with South Korea’s leading game expo G-STAR, including the Big Indie Game Awards in Busan in 2018
Augmented Reality
Google’s ARCore heads to China
Partners up with Xiaomi
Co-development
Canada’s Throwback Entertainment inks co-development deal with South Korea’s Leanup
Two titles set for release by the end of the year
Destroyed
Ash vs Evil and the Divergent series collide in Lionsgate's Deploy and Destroy
Developer Apps Ministry will add more characters from Lionsgate's library of IPs in due course
Racing To Mobile
Slightly Mad partners with Gamevil for new Project Cars mobile game
But no release date announced
Publishing Partnership
India's Nazara partners with Indonesia's Touchten to publish mobile games in the Middle East
"Emerging markets are not a mere afterthought for us," says Touchten founder
Juicy News
YouTuber Guava Juice partners with developer PopReach on Tub Tapper
Partners with developer PopReach on title
Fly By
Angry Birds the latest big IP to flock to Facebook Instant Games
Joins Disney Tsum Tsum as latest hit mobile title to release on the platform
Avenger Royale
Thanos brings the Infinity War to Fortnite
Two giants collide in a limited-time mode for Epic's smash shooter
Tencent... Again
Tencent signs strategic partnership with UK's Department for International Trade
But barely a mention of video games at the event announcing the collaboration
Partner Up
Nintendo could partner up with more developers to make mobile games
"If we find other partners that can bring unique strengths that are not found within Nintendo, then we may work with them as well"
Lift Off
Game Insight taps up Tamatem to publish Airport City in the Middle East and North Africa
The Arabic version of the game will be released on iOS and Android
China Gathering
Tencent to publish new Magic: The Gathering games in China
Deal also includes Southeast Asia territories
Hack And Slash
Platinum partners with DENA for Okami spiritual successor World of Demons
The hack-and-slash title will make its way to iOS this summer with an Android release set for later in 2018
All Out
Indian publisher Nazara partners up with Royal Challengers Bangalore for second mobile game
RCB Epic Cricket features multiplayer mode and stars team's players
Boom!
Guns of Boom partners with Machete actor Danny Trejo for special event and promotions
Free-for-all battle mode introduced featuring actor's likeness and voice acting
Co-op
Nordeus teams up with UK charity to raise awareness for undiagnosed heart conditions
The Top Eleven developer donated its shirt sleeve spot with Stoke City for the football club’s match with Tottenham Hotspur
Partners In Education
Tencent partners with Age of Learning to bring ABCmouse English curriculum to China
Consists of more than 5,000 learning activities, including games, puzzles and books