Golf Gaming
What the Golf? adds levels inspired by Among Us in latest update
New levels are exclusive to the Apple Arcade version for now
China Changes
Why you should be optimistic about mobile gaming in China
Game licence approvals offer new opportunities to Tencent, miHoYo and others
Acquisitions
Rovio: What's the big deal and why did Sega buy them?
It's the big money deal that has set the mobile gaming world talking. But just what's in it for both parties?
Done Deal
Sega buys Rovio for €706 million
It's official. After a weekend of rumours the deal is done. Full details inside
Pending Deal
Sega to snap up Rovio for $1 billion?
Will Sonic join forces with the Angry Birds?
Week That Was
Week in Views - What caught our eyes in the last seven days
The Pocketgamer.biz team take their pick of this weeks big news and discuss 2023 bounceback, pop star problems and… Eggy Party?
Q&a
Keywords' Yago Sagrado García on the growing South American games market
Keywords Studios communications manager explains the expanding the market in Brazil and the potential of AI to come
Releases
Bandai Namco and DeNA to release Takt Op Symphony for Western audiences
The title will be available in English officially for the first time
Gamerefinery Report
Betas, events, and releases: How did mobile gaming do in March?
GameRefinery examines the performance of the market over the month
Events & Awards
It's Awards Season: Vote for PG Connects and come to the Mobile Game Awards
If you love Pocket Gamer Connects London, don't forget to vote for us. And don't miss our own Mobile Games Awards next week too!
Rebrand & Investment
Grand-Attic games, formerly Hadi, raises $5.3 million
The cash and rebrand came as part of a seed-2 round
Collaborations
PUBG Mobile launches Be@rbrick collaboration
The popular collectible figurine franchise is the next major collab for the battle royale smash
Job News
Aristocrat Leisure appoints Jennifer Aument as non-executive director
Aument brings more than 25 years of infrastructure and leadership experience to the role
Next News
Next Games, A Netflix Game Studio announces changes in leadership team
Saara Bergström will assume the role of studio lead, while Teemu Huuhtanen will be leaving the company
Midterm Discount
Save up to $180 on your Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle ticket with our limited time Midterm discount!
We’re coming to Seattle this May 16-17, secure your ticket to the show today and save up to $180!
Strategy
InnoGames to undertake a “strategic realignment” and job cuts
The studio - home to Forge of Empires - is owned by Modern Times Group
Ip Insights
Hypercasual's reign is ending: Is licensed IP in hybridcasual the path to success?
Rachit Moti CEO of Layer explains how licensed IP can be the perfect partner for the rising hybridcasual model
Events
Scottish Games Week returns October 30 to November 3 2023
Back once again, it's Scotland's biggest and best games conference and networking event
Interview
AR comes of age: What next for AR and mobile gaming?
We spoke to Holo Interactive founder and CEO Amber Hu about the barriers and benefits of AR gaming
Ai Ads
Creative.Ai Aims To Redefine Gaming Ad Production With Generative AI
Chief creative officer says, ‘It’s time for the industry to evolve, and leverage the advancements in Generative Al’
Creative Block
Creative firm Talenthouse inches from failure
The company secured a high-profile investment from Animoca Brands in 2019
Netease Lawsuit
Pop star Jay Chou sues NetEase for copyright infringement
Chou claims that NetEase’s latest campaign for Tianxia III led fans to believe the game had a “specific connection” to his music
New Ways To Win
Privacy and community: The two-pronged approach to gaming success
AppsFlyer's director of product, Adam Smart takes on Apple and Google’s data privacy changes
The Rise Of Mobile
Gaming app installs are up 10% compared to 2022
Adjust’s new report delves into the state of 2022’s mobile industry, and how 2023 is shaping up so far
Partnership
Milky Tea Games partners with new majority owner, Aonic
The studio was behind one of the Apple Arcade’s launch titles
Mobile Legend
Join us at the PG Mobile Games Awards next week and meet the trailblazing legends of the mobile games industry!
See who wins our prestigious Mobile Legend award in-person at the PG Mobile Games Awards on April 20th, book your ticket to the show today!
In-depth Analysis
Under the hood: Deconstructing one of the top idle arcade games
Azur Games publishing lead, Sergey Martinkevich takes a deep dive into hypercasual games starting with Supersonic Studios My Mini Mart
Interview
Why Reactional Music is the future of gaming audio
Reactional's president David Knox explains the art of turning game soundtracks into personalised gamer avatars
Success In Funding
Reactional Music raises $2.05 million in pre-series A funding round
The platform aims to connect music and players for game developers
Launches
Scopely follows Savvy acquisition announcement with launch of Monopoly Go
Their first game since their big news acquisition last week
Esg
Tencent pushes “Tech for good” in latest ESG report
The company's environmental, social and governance report highlights their 2022 achievements
Mobile Dominance
92% of gamers are exclusively using phones
The world’s biggest gaming platform in numbers
Unity For Humanity
Unity announces the winners of its 2023 Unity for Humanity Grant
The winners will receive a share of a $500 thousand prize pool, plus mentorship and technical support
Milestones
My.Games’ War Robots hits $750m milestone on its ninth anniversary
The pvp mech combat game was developed by Pixonic
Games Go Crazy
CrazyLabs achieves six billion downloads in six million years of play!
the hyper and hybrid-casual games specialist has announced that it has had over six billions downloads of its titles around the world
Rumours
Could Playtika be a target for a buyout?
After a strategic review last year resetting the company's course, buyers are reportedly showing interest
Konvoy Report
Gaming market to reach $201 billion in 2023
Asia dominated Q1 in terms of deal value, but came second to America in terms of volume
Charity
Make your game part of the Play for Türkiye relief bundle via Itch.io
Proceeds from the bargain bundle will go to charities assisting those affected by the Turkish earthquakes
All About Dubai
Travelling to Dubai this summer? Prepare for your journey with the Pocket Gamer guide to Dubai ahead of the Dubai GameExpo Summit!
Joining us in Dubai this June 21-22nd for our first ever conference in the UAE? Learn everything you need to know ahead of time
Releases
NetEase’s cutesy battle royale, Eggy Party, to launch in the Philippines
The take on the Fall Guys formula will launch April 21 for Android
Data.ai Report
Japan and South Korea lead consumer spend by device in 2022
Data.ai’s State of Mobile Gaming 2023 report analyses the sector’s performance across markets and demographics
China Changes
Chinese game licences in 2023 could surpass the past two years combined
Niko Partners points out the positives of recent changes in China
Regulations
Mobile game exclusivity triggers $32m fine for Google
Outdated exclusivity practices are cited as stifling competition
Retain Retarget Reduce Churn
Retain your players with retargeting - a masterclass from Adikteev
Adikteev offers expert insight into the latest techniques to predict churn, retain players and increase revenues
Football Funds
Soccer Manager creator Invincibles raises £1m for two new games
Investment is the latest in repeat funding from Mercia
Join Us In London
One week to go until the PG Mobile Games Awards! Join us in Central London next week
Connect with the best in the mobile games industry at the PG Mobile Games Awards next week on April 20th! Limited tickets are still available for this highly anticipated event
Investment
Ludus Ventures’ İsmet Gökşen talks mobile investment in Türkiye
We get an investors-eye view of the Turkish mobile market
Moves & Merges
BoomHits to merge offices with Skyloft Studios
The two Turkish studios will now operate under one roof
Data.ai Report
Consumers spent an average of $1.6 billion on mobile gaming per week in 2022
Data.ai’s State of Mobile Gaming 2023 report delves into the market’s performance
India
Indian battle royale game Indus passes 1.5 million registrations
With a fourth playtest announced in order to further polish esports features