Feature
Working AI into your art pipeline: expectations VS reality
Belka Games experiments with various AI art pipelines and shares the results
Fishing Clash
The Major Fishing League is coming to Fishing Clash in a new esports partnership
The move comes as part of a marketing partnership with Ten Square Games
Paid Games' Performance
Google Play or App Store? June data shows stark contrast in platform popularity of paid games
Curated Data.ai stats reveal the most downloaded paid games and top revenue generators per platform
Stocks
EA and other video game stocks see big boost as M&A fever creeps in
Shares are trading ‘in sympathy’ with Microsoft and ABK as the AquiBlizz saga looks set to close
Week That Was
Week in Views - What caught our eyes in the last seven days
The PocketGamer.biz team tackles big money and two stories, about cancelled development and story innovation, from Develop: Brighton this time around...
Unmissable Tracks
Dive into Web3, artificial intelligence and the evolution of games at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki
Insightful talks, the best kept industry secrets and much more revealed at this September’s PG Connects
Blockchain Gaming
Google to allow NFT in apps and games sold through Google Play
The move marks a significant shift in policy for the tech giant
Structure
A brief chat with Embracer Freemode’s Alex Verrey
As part of Embracer’s in-house PR team and external agency Overload PR, Verrey provides some quick insights
Investment
Binance Labs commits $15 million to web3 games platform Xterio
The investment will see Xterio integrate AI and launch its token on the BNB chain ecosystem
New Acquisition
Lightspeed Studios acquires developer Lucid Games
Lucid is best known for its game Destruction AllStars
Bring It On
Skill-based game developer Bring It On raises $4 million in seed funding
The company will invest the money in the creation of skill-based games
Awards
Why the BAFTAs think mobile stands toe-to-toe with console and PC
We got the chance to speak to part of BAFTA’s game team about their views on the potential of gaming culturally, and where mobile sits in it
Book Extract
Read an extract from John Romero’s autobiography today
Free: an introduction to Romero’s mobile work, taken with permission from Doom Guy: Life in First Person
Doom Guy
John Romero on his career, Doom's legacy and the promise of mobile
Interview: with his autobiography about to drop, an industry legend talks to PocketGamer.biz about his love of programming and his advice for developers
The Future Of Sony
Sony to invest $2 billion into extended reality research
The tech giant is aiming to take gaming to the next level
Multiple Milestones
My.Games' Tacticool reaches 30 million downloads milestone with $75 million in revenue
More than 1 billion users are registered in My.Games’ titles across its library
Interview
Immutable Games’ CSO Justin Hulog on bridging the gap between Web3 and mobile
We spoke to Hulog about his work, Web3, and the blockchain’s potential on mobile devices
Promotion In Partnerships
Roblox appoints Christina Wootton as chief partnerships officer
Wootton has been with Roblox for close to a decade
Community
How Netspeak fostered a friendly community for mobile MMO Sunshine Days
The studio aimed for a diverse staff and to challenge themselves to build a welcoming player community, co-founder Callum and chief of staff Kyra told us how
Acuiblizz
FTC to appeal against the judge’s decision in Microsoft case
A San Francisco judge denied the regulatory body’s preliminary injunction against Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard
Live-ops
Trevor Williams of RallyHere: "We want to ensure that we can democratise live ops games for any size studio."
The chief revenue officer for the live service platform spoke to us about humble beginnings at Hi-Rez and plans for the future
Anniversary Arrival
King of Avalon surpasses 100 million installs in time for seventh anniversary
FunPlus’ strategy MMO reaches seventh anniversary with celebrations underway
Scopely Acquisition
Savvy Games Group closes acquisition of Scopely
The acquisition highlights mobile’s place in Saudi Arabia’s games strategy
For Glory
Apps VS Mobile Games: Who came out on top in H1 2023
Data.ai report reveals insights into consumer spending during the first half of the year
Talks
Should you care what the UK government thinks? UKIE's Daniel Wood things you should
More attention equals better support, but far more scrutiny says the UKIE co-CEO
Goliath Games
June’s three most lucrative mobile games all came from China
Sensor Tower reports on the 10 biggest revenue generators worldwide
Data.ai Report
In-app spending hits a record $67.5 billion in Q1 2023
Consumer spend rose 5.3% while downloads increased 3.2%
Konvoy Report
Venture Capital funding fell 38% in Q2 2023
Despite the decline, the gaming industry is on track to hit $201 billion this year
India To Implement
India plans to hit online mobile games with 28% tax
There is no distinction being made between games of skill and chance
Global Games Network
ByteBrew achieves 10,000 developers in its first two years
ByteBrew celebrates its second anniversary with the news that over 10,000 developers around the world are now active on its platform.
Reconsidering Remote
Is remote working losing its luster? Michail Katkoff shares thoughts on new survey
Deconstructor of Fun’s survey looks at hybrid and remote working within the games industry
Narrative Design
MAG Interactive's Alice Bowman: "Adding a story to your game can add long term player loyalty"
Mag Interactive product lead Alice Bowman on the risks and rewards of adding a story to your game
Game Design
Charmie Kim: "Inventing the wheel with BeatStar"
Space Ape's Charmie Kim spoke at Develop Brighton on the development process behind BeatStar
Joining In Japan
New studio Denkiworks aims to bring "East meets West" perspective with Project Tanuki
A trio of former Q-Games designers and programmers have formed a new Kyoto-based studio
Making Magic
Harry Potter: Magic Awakened generated $2.3 million in first week of global release
NetEase’s version generated $1.3 million; Warner Bros. Games’ made $1 million
Acquiblizz
California judge denies the FTC’s preliminary injunction against Microsoft
The FTC’s attempts to scupper Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard have hit a roadblock
Mena Is Changing The Game
More than 65% of MENA gaming revenue comes from mobile
Boston Consulting Group’s latest Game Changer report emphasises the growing passion for gaming throughout the region
Launches
How Hi-Rez Studios learned from not launching Rogue Company: Elite
With the game's demise - or at least permanent hold - the lessons learned by Hi-Rez were shared with others
Making Money
From Peak Speed to Honkai: Star Rail – who to watch in the Chinese games market
Sensor Tower’s June report reveals 39 of top 100 global publishers come from China
Design & Retention
Trailmix designer Jade Ostle on how pivoting to story and merge2 boosted Love & Pies to 60% D1 retention
The designer hosted a talk at Develop: Brighton discussing the development of Trailmix's first game
Creatives
Ico Partners' Fanny Moreaux on what makes creative partnerships key to an authentic campaign
It's not just twitch streamers and influencers that developers should be focusing on says ICO Partners' communications manager
Beckoning Blockchain
Mighty Bear Games is swapping blockchain platforms days before new game launch
Mighty Action Heroes to release in open beta on Arbitrum
Development
Rogue Company: Elite’s global launch on indefinite hold
Hi-Rez revealed the news at a talk for Develop: Brighton 2023
No Halo Killer
ID@Xbox's Chris Charla on discoverability and launching into a saturated market
The three day conference opens with a short talk on indie devs from which game makers on all platform can draw insights
Interview
BIG Best Mobile Game award winner Martín Fernández on BIG and the developing Argentinian games space
The indie developer’s title Sequenza won the best mobile game award at the BIG Festival
Prospering Poland
Poland enters top three European countries in games industry workforce size
A new report finds Poland has overtaken Germany in workforce size, though remains behind in revenue
Appsflyer Report
War in Ukraine, Covid, and ATT: Analysing the downturn in the market
AppsFlyer delves into the state of mobile’s unprecedented decline in past years
Stocks
Playtika bounces back as bank upgrades mobile developer from "Underperform" to "Neutral"
The upgraded rating saw a small but noticeable rise in stock price by 4%
Appsflyer Report
Global app install ad spend projected to hit $94.9 billion in 2025
The total represents a rise of 20% from the current figure
Meet Your Next Partner
Network with the best in the business at Pocket Gamer Connects Toronto!
Get to know the companies attending PG Connects Toronto next week, don’t miss your chance to catch up on the latest innovations in the world of games