Week In Views
FTC drops the Microsoft Activision antitrust case and mobile games have returned to growth | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Revenue Rise
Mobile games successfully "squeezing" more revenue per install as average player spending rises 11% despite 7% install fall
Appfigures’ latest report suggests average consumer spending per mobile game install rose to $1.52 in 2024
Revenue Rise
Nazara’s FY25 revenue up 43% to $190m after pivot to "high margin" games segments
The publisher’s games revenue increased by 95% year-over-year in Q4
Week In Views
Supercell's AI ambitions, Clash of Clans gets a Netflix series, and Pokémon TCG Pocket hits $1bn | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Unicorn Club
Pokémon TCG Pocket surpasses $1bn in just over 200 days
The trading card game has hit the $1bn milestone 78 days faster than Pokémon Go, based on player spending
Accomplished Anniversary
Dungeon & Fighter Mobile surpasses $1.3bn in first year on Chinese App Store
Nexon’s mega-hit bolstered franchise revenue by 162% in its release quarter and went on to be 2024’s biggest new mobile release
Mobile Milestone
Delta Force surpasses $100m on mobile
The tactical shooter earned $72.9m on mobile ahead of global rollout, with a further $33.8m earned since
Netease Numbers
NetEase Games revenue rises 12% Y/Y to $3.3bn in Q1
Eggy Party, Where Winds Meet, Infinite Borders and more were named among the quarter’s successes
Mystery Opportunity
Ubisoft reveals new Asia mobile games deal as platform accounts for 22% of bookings in Q4
CEO Yves Guillemot refuses to elaborate on new "opportunity"
Reboot Results
Square Enix claims "a familiar list" of mobile games reduce odds of success as net sales fall 9% to five-year low
Its digital entertainment business saw net sales decline by 17%, though profit rose through reduced expenses
Revenue Rise
Tencent game sales up 24% Y/Y to $25bn in Q1 with Honor of Kings, Delta Force and Brawl Stars pulling their weight
Games accounted for nearly $6bn in Q1 revenue, or 24% of total earnings
Dungeon Driver
Nexon’s revenue surpasses $780m this Q1 as Dungeon & Fighter Mobile China drives 60% franchise growth
The developer’s operating income increased by 43% YoY, though quarterly profit fell by 27%
Revenue Rumble
Sega still aiming for Sonic Rumble 2025 release after last-minute delay
Net revenue was down by 9% in FY2025, though Entertainment Contents grew marginally
Royal Revenue
Royal Kingdom surpasses $100m after record month
Dream Games’ Royal Match sequel has seen 12 consecutive months of player spending growth, when including soft launch results
Week In Views
Epic spends $100m fighting Apple and Pokémon TGC Pocket rules Golden week | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Golden Week Glory
Golden Week 2025: Pokémon TCG Pocket dominates, Fate/Grand Order falls, and a 2012 title makes a surprising rise
The 10 best-performing mobile games in Japan generated $81m this Golden Week, up from $44.9m in 2024
Revenue Result
Mobile accounts for 15% of EA’s FY25 net revenue, but net income falls 12% YoY
EA generated $1.1bn from mobile games in its latest fiscal year
Market Growth
Middle East fastest-growing market for game revenue and downloads in 2024
The region was the only games market to see downloads growth last year
Hot Five
Hot Five: Game over for "Apple tax", Overwatch Mobile distribution plans, and Pokémon TCG Pocket beats Go in first six months
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Week In Views
Dream Games lands CVC investment and Pokémon TGC Pocket nears $1bn | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Milestone
My.Games' Castle Duels surpasses $1m monthly revenue
The game's lifetime earnings is now over $6m since it launched in 2024
Pokemon Prime
Pokémon TCG Pocket usurps Pokémon Go launch as it closes in on $1bn after six months
Pocket made $915.3m in its first half-year, beating Go’s $800.7m by 14%
Monster Milestone
Monster Strike surpasses $11bn in 11 years with Japanese dominance
Mixi’s flagship has surpassed $1bn in annual player spending five times, twice since Western shutdown
Resilient Growth
Flexion grows revenue 9% in 2024 by doubling down on alternative app stores
“We’ve already moved beyond the era when Google and Apple controlled everything,” said Flexion CEO Jens Lauritzson
Mo.co Milestone
Supercell’s Mo.co surpasses $2.5m in under a month
The Clash of Clans maker’s latest title launched globally on March 18th
Done Deal
SayGames’ idle arcade games portfolio surpasses $300m
SayGames is publishing LoadComplete’s Chainsaw Juice King as the "first of many partnerships" with South Korean studios
Minecraft Mobile
Minecraft’s daily mobile revenue hits three-year high at $969,000 after A Minecraft Movie’s release
The mobile version has its most lucrative day since Christmas 2021 on April 12th, 2025
Minecraft Money
A Minecraft Movie earns $301m in first two days, double its production budget
Celebrities continue to cash in on games, with A Minecraft Movie stars including Jack Black, Jason Momoa and Danielle Brooks
Shiny Surge
Pokémon TCG Pocket’s first shiny cards trigger 265% spending surge
The Shining Revelry set is cashing in on fan-favourite Pokémon with elusive colour variations
Modest Metrics
Supercell’s Mo.co hits 2.5m downloads and $570k in first week
By comparison, Squad Busters accumulated 30m downloads and $11.8m during its first seven days
Spending Star
Honkai: Star Rail rockets past $2bn on mobile in under two years
The gacha RPG has taken 10 months longer than Genshin Impact to hit the milestone, but now frequently outperforms HoYoverse's flagship
Mobile Majority
Double-digit games industry growth labelled "a fantasy" as revenue forecast to hit $237bn in 2025
Mobile game predicted to earn $110.9bn this year, over half of all games software revenue
Lucrative Legendaries
Pokémon Sleep's big revenue strategy returns with first Legendary event of 2025
Previous Legendary events have raked in $16.5m over a combined six weeks
Racing Revenue
Uma Musume: Pretty Derby gallops past $2.5bn in Japan alone
Cygames’ hit horse girl racing game is still awaiting its English release
Celebratory Strike
NetEase’s Blood Strike surpasses 60m mobile installs and $22.9m in time for first anniversary
The US has proven Blood Strike’s most lucrative mobile market in year one, despite accounting for just 7% of downloads
Accurate Actionable Insight
ByteBrew launches LTV Reports in their all-in-one platform.
ByteBrew's latest update gives developers precise player Life Time Value from validated in-app purchases, ad impressions and customer events for accurate actionable insight.
Milestone
Ludus: Merge Arena surpasses 5m players and races past $3m monthly revenue
Developer said it will launch a Clan Wars update at the end of March
Raining With Revenue
Wuthering Waves rides the wave to $250m after Version 2.0’s major comeback
Version 2.0 triggered a 178% spending surge on release day, followed by a 169% boost with Version 2.1
Milestone
RuneScape surpasses $2 billion in lifetime revenue
Titles have garnered over 300 million players worldwide
Major Market
PGC San Francisco 2025 nears after US mobile gamers spend record-breaking $28bn
Monopoly Go was the highest-grossing game on mobile, while Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 took the console crown
Tour For More
Pokémon Go Tour Unova – Global weekend made $19.8m in two days
The free event with optional paid extras saw in-game spending at its highest since the eighth anniversary last July
Valiant Victory
Goddess of Victory: Nikke hits $1bn on mobile during Romantic Valentine event
More than half of that player spending has come from the game’s Japanese players
Playtika's M&a Plans
Playtika allocates up to $450m for “bolt-on” M&A activity over next three years
Publisher reports direct-to-consumer and overall revenue growth in Q4
Pokemon Day
Pokémon Day 2025: Just how big a deal are Pokémon’s mobile games?
Whether it’s Pokémon TCG Pocket or Pokémon Go, the franchise has a few mobile games worth knowing about ahead of today’s Pokémon Presents
A Successful Snooze
Pokémon Sleep hits $150m mark despite slowdown since first anniversary
Japan is the app's most lucrative country at $109m to date
Hot Five
Hot Five: Jam City to sell Ludia, Scopely could acquire Pokémon Go, and Last War hits $2bn
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Mobile Growth
Bilibili's mobile game revenue soars 79% in Q4 sparking company's first-ever profitable quarter
2024 release San Guo: Mou Ding Tian Xia leads the charge in growing games business
Financials
Hasbro gaming segment grows 22% as Monopoly Go adds $112 million to revenue in 2024
Total company sales declined 17% Y/Y to $4.1 billion
Earnings Report
Nexon reports record 2024 $2.97bn revenue in 2024 as Dungeon & Fighter Mobile drives growth
It saw success in three main franchises in 2024 including MapleStory, Dungeon & Fighter, and FC
Financials
Unity revenue falls 25% in Q4 as engine and ads segments see declines
Game engine division Create Solution saw sales fall 47% Y/Y