New Studio
Boss Alien founder unveils Hardball Games following successful seed funding
The team raised $5.2 million in a round led by Griffin Gaming Group and Playdemic founders
Financials
Krafton weathers mobile storm in quarterly financials
Krafton's financials note mobile expansion, the impact of the BGMI ban and floats potential cross-platform release for Project BlackBudget
Creative Masterclass
The ultimate cheat sheet for successful creatives - genre by genre
Let the CrazyLabs experts teach you the secrets of success when it comes to creating the best hypercasual advertising creative
Emblem, Engage
Fire Emblem Engage DLC to feature Heroes’ original mascot
Heroes original character Veronica started out as the mobile game’s antagonist
Stream Hatchet Review
80% of YouTube Gaming’s esports content in 2022 was for mobile games
Stream Hatchet has delved into streaming in 2022
Milestones
MY.GAMES’ Rush Royale hits 50m downloads and snags #1 Strategy Game spot
Rush Royale has become the company’s second-best performing game in terms of revenue this year
Monetisation Model
F2P scores a win with Retro Goal’s monetisation strategy changes
Football-style game will still be free from ads
Creating In Canada
Krafton Montreal opens with reveal of The Bird That Drinks Tears adaptation
The studio is being led by Patrik Méthé, with their first game being based on a series of novels
Audio Advertising
Odeeo saw 300% YoY revenue growth in 2022 with 10 billion ad opportunities
The in-game audio ad platform’s team grew from 5 to 35 people
Announcements
Xsolla expands digital distribution hub to telecommunications carriers
After debuting their cloud gaming solutions earlier this week, Xsolla are continuing a spree of announcements with their new digital distribution hub
Open Doors
Why casual gamers are crucial to the adoption of web3 gaming
Immutable's Justin Hulog explains
Download Deluge
Sand Balls publisher SayGames surpasses four billion lifetime downloads
Amassed across 100+ mobile games with one billion of these downloads in 2022 alone
Spreading Sustainability
10 Weeks To Save The Games Industry – Week 3
Matchmade CEO Jiri Kupiainen and GamesForest.Club's Maria Wagner's quest continues
Join Us In Seattle
Pocket Gamer Connects is coming to Seattle this spring! Secure your ticket at the lowest possible price today
PG Connects Seattle is back this 16-17 May! Join us for our first conference abroad this year using our limited time Super Early Bird discount.
Job News
Activision Blizzard veteran Eric Wood appointed as Senior Vice President of Publishing at Scopely
Wood brings over 20 years of experience to the role
Announcements
Hot Wheels brings AR Rift Rally game to Playstation and mobile devices
The AR Hot Wheels racing game will release to the Playstation console and more pertinently to mobile devices
Metaverse
Cut the Rope creators ZeptoLab jump to Web3
ZeptoLab are partnering with The Sandbox for collaborative events and content
Working Practices
Fingersoft adopt a six-hour workday
Finnish mobile company Fingersoft have instigated a six-hour, five-day work week following alternative workday trials
Cloud Gaming
Xsolla jump into the cloud gaming scene with new solutions
Xsolla’s newest venture leaps squarely into the world of cloud gaming as they bring payment solutions to cross-platform play
Mobile Expansion
The Horizon franchise is reportedly eyeing a mobile debut
A job listing on Guerrilla Games’ website hints that the acclaimed series may be coming to mobile devices
New Acquisition
Original Games acquires Mergedom from Bigger Games
The Merge Inn maker is looking to consolidate its place in the market
Intrinsic In Game Ads
A recipe for success: bringing intrinsic in-game ads to Cooking Diary
As game developers continue to explore ways to monetise their titles, intrinsic in-game advertising has emerged as a popular solution that isn’t going anywhere.
Industry Insight
Speculation swirls around EA’s sudden sunset of Apex Legends Mobile
Analysts and outlets have multiple theories around EA’s sudden sunsetting of Apex Legends Mobile and Battlefield Mobile
Developer Tools
Yahaha Studios announces launch of 3D search tool Asset Ovi
The AI-assisted tool will help creators quickly find 3D game assets from a variety of stores
Activision Blizzard Financials
Activision Blizzard’s mobile revenue increased 14 percent year-on-year in 2022
The company’s fourth quarter financials confirms that their mobile gaming wing continues to outperform other platforms
Mobile Masterworks
Mobile Masterworks: Subway Surfers
More than ten years and billions of downloads after its initial release, Sybo’s Subway Surfers remains an enduring classic of the mobile genre. So what’s the story behind it?
Releases
Rogue Games partners with Netflix to release Dust & Neon and Highwater
Indie publisher Rogue Games will release two of their latest on multiple platforms, including Netflix Games
Activision Blizzard Fine
Activision Blizzard fined $35 million by US Securities and Exchange Commission
The fine follows an investigation into how the gaming giant handled workplace misconduct
Aquiblizz
UK Competitions & Markets Authority rumoured to block Activision Blizzard acquisition
According to sources, Microsoft are actively anticipating a possible block on the Activision-Blizzard acquisition by the UK CMA
Acquivision Blizzard
EU issues Microsoft with antitrust warning
The commission is the latest to take formal steps against the tech giant’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard
Trouble In China
Chinese internet firms report their first ever combined revenue decline
Companies such as Tencent and Alibaba saw sharp slowdowns throughout the year
New Studio
NetEase opens new Western studio Spliced Inc
Spliced Inc is the latest in a wave of international studios for the company
Sales
Rovio are officially in talks with Playtika, and others, for a potential sale
A recent statement on Rovio’s investors page indicates that the Angry Birds developer may also be in talks with other interested buyers
Views Week
Week in Views - What caught our editorial eyes in the last seven days
The Pocketgamer.biz team take their pick of this weeks big news to talk closures, buy-outs and genre-hopping
Porting
Stumble Guys Vs Fall Guys - Why speed is essential in capitalising on mobile
With Fall Guys clone Stumble Guys reaching the upper echelons of the download charts, it looks like a huge case of missed opportunity for the original developers
Data & Research
The State of Mobile 2023 revealed
Data.ai's recent press event provided a neat snapshot of the past year's activity for downloads, spending and the potential growth for apps and gaming ahead
Anniversaries
Storytelling studio Brunette Games celebrates seventh anniversary
The storytelling studio has previously done work on major titles such as Lily’s Garden and Matchington Mansion
Niko Partners Forecast
MENA-3 games market to grow 56% by 2026
Niko Partners predicts that the combined revenue of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt will reach $2.8 billion
Profile
Janneke Van Swetselaar from Ultra on bridging the gap and working in gaming
"What attracted me the most was the industry itself; it is very informal, it moves quickly, and people tend to be creative, passionate and come up with new ideas all the time."
Spreading Sustainability
10 Weeks To Save The Games Industry – Week 2
Matchmade CEO Jiri Kupiainen and GamesForest.Club's Maria Wagner's quest continues.
Ncsoft West Layoffs
NCSoft West CEO Jeff Anderson leaves amidst layoffs
Approximately 20% of the company’s staff have lost their jobs
Socialpeta Report
Google pulls ahead of iOS in strategy downloads, but iOS reigns for revenue
SocialPeta's report on mobile advertising in 2022 delves into the performance of the genre
Insights
Marvel Snap publisher Nuverse talks up their new global focus
Tom Van Dam, Nuverse's Senior Director of Global Business, outlines their increased global focus post Marvel Snap success
Marketing
Minigames and visual effects drive casual and simulation game marketing
New insights into the marketing of casual and simulation games reveals the latest techniques to generate impressions and installs
Hiring Hand
Dubit hires new head of studio Regine Weiner, formerly of Epic Games
Regine Weiner was previously a part of Fastlane, Rival Kingdoms, Samurai Siege and more
Socialpeta Report
RPGs saw a 4.76% increase in downloads last year
Downloads were up, however revenue for the genre fell 13.06 percent
Data
Google Play and iOS App Store reached 142 billion downloads in 2022
According to the latest data, first-party app stores reached 142 billion downloads in 2022, with games still dominating
Apple's Ads
Apple’s French fine reveals the secrets of its targeted advertising
The CNIL claims Apple is breaking French law and the probe has brought interesting insight to light
Appointments
Playstudios to appoint Playtika vet Mickey Sonnino as new COO
The Las-Vegas based mobile studio is set to bring in Playtika veteran Mickey Sonnino as their new Chief Operating Officer
Socialpeta Report
Casual games drew almost 28% of all game advertisers last year
A new report by SocialPeta delves into the state of mobile marketing in 2022