Cash Splash
Q2 mobile app spending hits a new record of $36.2 billion
Apple owners are responsible for the latest spending surge for Q2 2024, though downloads in the quarter declined
German Gaming
German mobile gamers spent €2.9 billion in 2023, 98% via in-app purchases
The German video games industry more broadly generated €9.97 billion last year
Squad Spenders
Squad Busters takings pass $50 million, but how does it compare to Supercell’s greatest hits?
The US currently represents the game's biggest market share, where it's earned $19.6 million so far
Pokemon Power
The Pokémon Company caught $10.8 billion from merch and licenced goods last year
License Global’s latest Top Global Licensors Report places Pokémon seventh among all licensors based on 2023 revenue
Milestone
Monopoly Go! hits $3 billion in revenue
The game leads leads Hasbro's licensing-portfolio with Q2 revenue growing 20% year over year led by Monopoly Go!
Pokemon Power
Pokémon Unite catches $83 million on mobile as it celebrates first three years
Pokémon Gold mascot Ho-Oh rises to the occasion via time-limited event for third anniversary
Monetisation Design
Fundamentally Games' Oscar Clark on designing long-term games revenue
The Fundamentally Games CEO breaks down the best practices of monetisation design
Ark Ahoy
Ark: Ultimate Survivor Edition coming to mobile later this year as original nears $50m in revenue
All of Ark: Survival Evolved’s DLC will be included in the package
Mobile Milestone
Wuthering Waves sails past $100 million in under two months
According to AppMagic data, players in Japan have contributed 23% of its mobile earnings thus far
Rpg Revenue
Zenless Zone Zero surpasses $50 million in 11 days
HoYoverse’s latest launch gets a big start, but revenue is declining
Financial Outlook
Goddess of Victory: Nikke propels developer Shift Up to $2.5 billion valuation
The Seoul-based company has just issued and sold nearly 7.3 million shares at 60,000 won each
Gacha Giants
From Honkai: Star Rail to Wuthering Waves, gacha giants made $357 million in June
The gacha genre was dominated by Eastern developers last month, with the HoYoverse portfolio putting them out on top
Simulation Star
Gakuen Idolmaster got 1.5x Squad Busters’ downloads during its launch month
The idol title earned 40% of Bandai Namco Entertainment’s domestic mobile revenue during the period
Toon Turnaround
Toon Blast surpasses $2.5 billion with newfound revenue resurgence
Peak Games’ 2017 title is on the rise again with its best H1 since 2021
Slumbering Success
Pokémon Sleep earns $100 million with its eyes shut
Living the dream: With one week to go before its first anniversary, Pokémon Sleep has caught plenty of Zs but even more cash
Triumphant Trio
Zenless Zone Zero has earned almost $25 million in five days
AppMagic estimates suggest HoYoverse’s latest launch is behind those of its Genshin and Honkai stablemates, despite 50m+ downloads in 72 hours
Hot Five
Hot Five: Apple fees hit ads, Squad Busters’ first month reviewed, and Pokémon Go's eight years on top
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
High Hopes
Supercell's great expectations
For almost any other studio, Squad Busters would be a major hit. But is it enough for Supercell?
Critical Hit
Pokémon Go catches nearly $8 billion in eight years
Niantic's blockbuster fell to its lowest revenue since 2017 - but its web shop could be hiding true player spend
Top Charts
June 2024 mobile game charts: Dungeon & Fighter Mobile hits No. 1, and Supercell rises to No. 2
Our monthly look at the global mobile game rankings across the App Store and Google Play
Busting Out
Supercell’s Squad Busters hits $24m net revenue in first 30 days
Supercell's latest picked up 40m installs during its first 30 days
Classic Celebration
Garena Free Fire celebrates seventh anniversary with $4 billion in lifetime revenue
The celebration includes "classic features" with a focus on nostalgia
China Cha-ching
Dungeon & Fighter Mobile’s first month of iOS revenue was twice that of Honor of Kings
Nexon and Tencent's RPG generated $270 million on iOS in its first month, becoming China’s most-downloaded game
Busting Out
Squad Busters generates $28 million in first three weeks
The latest numbers on Supercell's big new game launch
Golden Genre
RPGs dominated Japan's Golden Week thanks to Fate Grand/Order, Monster Strike, Genshin Impact and more
Golden Week 2024 generated less mobile revenue than in 2023, but RPGs continued to excel with 9 out of 10 top ten placings
Jumping In Japan
Wuthering Waves, Gakuen Idolmaster, Squad Busters: Which new mobile games won Japan over this May?
Plenty of new mobile hits launched last month, from Supercell, Kuro Games, Bandai Namco and others
Summoner Celebration
Summoners War celebrates 10th anniversary with $3 billion in lifetime revenue
Summoners War first launched in 2014 and has been downloaded over 200 million times since
Hot Five
Hot Five: Zenless Zone Zero's 40m pre-registrations, Squad Busters' $10M in week one, and what iOS 18 REALLY means for games
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Record Revenue
Royal Match takes a sweet lead over Candy Crush as Honkai: Star Rail zooms by Genshin Impact
Q1 welcomes a new round of heroes as Monopoly Go, Royal Match and Honor of Kings come out on top
Busting Out
Supercell’s Squad Busters picks up $10 million in first week
Brawl Stars earned $4.1m during its first seven days, according to Appfigures
Big News
Squad Busters’ supercharged launch, Pokémon’s record revenue, and Star Wars: Hunters finally hits the target
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Casual Comedown
As RPGs and casual genres drastically decline, Monopoly Go! gives casino a 34% revenue surge
Sensor Tower and data.ai’s latest report reveals a 24% revenue decline for RPGs in Japan
Mighty Mobile
Mobile app revenue reached a new quarterly record at $35.8 billion in Q1 2024
Mobile games specifically surpassed $20 billion for the first time in two years
Busting Out
Supercell's Squad Busters generated $1.1m on launch day
The Finnish studio's first release in five and a half years picked up 8.8 million downloads on day one, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower
Pokemon Power
It’s another record-breaking year for Pokémon as revenue reaches $1.9 billion
Pokémon’s mobile catalogue alone generated approximately $1 billion in the fiscal year
Top Charts
May 2024 mobile game charts: Brawl Stars peaks, Supercell rises, and Dungeon & Fighter Mobile’s big China launch
Our monthly look at the global mobile game rankings across the App Store and Google Play
Rpg Reversal
Reverse: 1999 celebrates one year in China with $74 million and "semi-anniversary" in the West
Bluepoch’s launch title is celebrating its "semi-anniversary" with Version 1.6 and up to 90 free summons
Profit Power
Ten Square Games' Q1 profits beat the whole of 2023 as it powers up with AI
Its TSG Store is proving to be a financial winner even through its top games slump
Fighting Start
Dungeon & Fighter Mobile picks up $66 million on China's App Store in first week
Nexon president and CEO Junghun Lee said title has potential to have "profoundly positive impact" on company's revenue and profit
Missing Millions
Supercell's big Squad Busters mistake and how they're missing out on millions
Božo Janković explains how Squad Busters lack of ads could add up to a mountain of lost revenue
Super Squad
Squad Busters releases globally tomorrow… But is it REALLY the next big thing?
Supercell’s sixth mobile game is almost here but as it gears for launch, how's the future hit performing?
Super Sonic
Sega reaches financial targets one full year ahead of schedule in record fiscal year
Sega’s revenues and profits were the highest in 10 years in FY2023
Record Revenue
Bandai Namco’s sales soar while profits plummet, as mobile hardly gets a mention
Record net sales were achieved in fiscal year 2024 but operating and recurring profits fell
Financials
Tencent first quarter revenue sails past $22.5 billion - up 6% year-on-year
The company enjoyed huge growth in Q1, highlighting the performance of Honor of Kings and the Supercell portfolio as key components to their success
Sporting Score
Q4 FY24 was EA’s strongest for mobile, but it still only earned them $307 million
EA released 11 titles and over 600 content updates in its 2024 fiscal year but their big bucks are being made outside of mobile
Record Revenue
PUBG maker Krafton generated 60% of record-breaking $487.7m Q1 earnings from mobile
Mobile earnings totalled $294.6 million in the first quarter of the year, up 15.5%
Nintendo Numbers
Nintendo made $10.8 billion in FY24 with mobile and IP income up 81.6%
It’s been another successful year for Nintendo, but mobile victories are harder to find
Vibrant Victory
Goddess of Victory: Nikke reaches $750 million in 1.5 years
Shift Up is celebrating Goddess of Victory: Nikke’s latest milestone with new characters and free gacha pulls
Top Charts
April 2024 mobile game charts: Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile loses launch momentum and Brawl Stars’ astronomical rise
Our monthly look at the global mobile game rankings across the App Store and Google Play
Brawling Boost
Brawl Stars has already earned more in 2024 than the entirety of 2023
Supercell's smash hit has recovered from a year-on-year decline with a strong start to the year