Croquet X Unity
Croquet for Unity makes multiuser games “automatically”
The new 'no netcode' JavaScript framework makes multiplayer development easier than ever before
Licences & International Releases
Tencent brings smash hit Merge Mansion to China in raft of new licences
The game is part of a slew of newly granted licences for a number of foreign titles
Partnerships
PUBG Mobile upgraded with immersive Dolby Atmos in audio update
The audio manufacturer and publisher Krafton have teamed up to boost in-game audio
Q&a
Maximilian Studios on the success of Frontlines: “You don't need a $3,000 rig or a $500 console, you can boot it up on your mobile device.”
Part one of our exploration of studios building for Roblox and their route to success
Mobile Masterworks
Mobile Masterworks: Jetpack Joyride
Taking a closer look at the game that marked the turning point from premium to freemium
British Gaming
Study finds one in three Brits are gaming during remote working hours
Ages 35 to 44 most likely to use work devices for personal activities
Big Fish In The Big Easy
Big Fish Games expands with new office in New Orleans
The company hopes to foster a diverse talent pipeline
Releases
Jetpack Collective to publish Rare Pets - Merge Game Mystery
The iOS and Android title is one of two new games being published by the company
Milestones
Subway Surfers hits 4bn downloads
Sybo’s hit endless runner hits a new milestone and doesn’t look set to slow down anytime soon
Microsoft App Store
Microsoft hopes to launch its mobile app store next year
The tech giant hopes to capitalise on changes to regulations regarding alternative app stores
Anniversaries
Netflix Games one year on
As the anniversary of Netflix’s robust gaming catalogue comes round, more information arrives about their plans for 2023
Platform Partnership
ByteBrew partners with Mintegral to offer ad measurements and tracking tools to users
The 2021 startup has accrued 5,000 devs so far
Fireside Chats Part Two
Seven more fireside chats with the mobile world's movers & shakers from PGC London 2023
Another seven pioneers, founders, creators and leaders from the world of mobile games speak to the HyprMX team about the tools, tech and trends from Pocket Gamer Connects London 2023
Flexion X Digital Turbine
Flexion and Digital Turbine partner for alternative app distribution
The partnership combines the services of both companies
Major Milestone
Bitcoin Miner surpasses 1 million players and becomes the biggest play-and-earn game
A week of celebratory events set to take place
Audio Ads
Odeeo and Any Ever partner to offer new touchpoint for audio campaigns
Establishing in-game audio ads in Germany
Reported Restructuring
UK-based Team17 is supposedly laying off employees from art and design teams
The publisher is currently aiming to restructure
Candy Crush The Competition
Candy Crush Saga breaks records with All Stars Tournament
The upcoming tournament will have the biggest prize pot in casual mobile gaming history
New Expansion
Dream Games expands with new office in London
This marks the first international office for the Turkish studio behind Royal Match
Interview
Dream Games CEO Soner Aydemir talks Royal Match and future expansion
We spoke to Aydemir following news that the company is expanding to London
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 and discuss loot boxes, mobile moves and giant slaying…
Q&a
Elena Grigoryan on the struggles and success of My.Games
The CSO of My.Games discusses the ongoing changes in the mobile industry and how their company weathered both the pandemic and their departure from Russia
It’s Showtime
Persona: The Phantom X available for pre-order in China
The game is the first in the franchise released on mobile
Game Dev Rebellion
Game Dev Rebellion: Jennifer Estaris and Joost Vervoort on activism in games
How can gaming inspire positive change in the world?
Talks
Matej Lancaric on iOS14: “If you’re testing creatives on iOS, just stop”
The Two & a Half-Gamers host discusses why ATT hasn’t killed mobile gaming
Event Latest
Global Games Pitch Returns with Exciting New Features
365/7 Matchmaking Portal and Online Game Pitching Show on April 5-6
Event Latest
Outer Edge LA is set to take place on March 20th to 23rd
The conference formerly known as NFT LA retuns to Los Angeles next week
Roles
Living the dream: CSR2 fan lands job designing cars for Zynga
Guillaume Mille's passion for cars and games turned into an incredible job opportunity at developer NaturalMotion
Taxes
UK budget ups tax relief for British game companies
The new credit will offer a 34% rate relief, up from 25% in its previous incarnation
Tiktok Trouble
TikTok banned on government phones in the UK
The social media app has faced criticism regarding security concerns
New Label
NetEase launches Exptional Global label for international releases
Games such as Dead by Daylight Mobile and Lord of the Rings: War have been shifted to the new label
Stocks
Hero Wars developer Nexters to resume trading on Nasdaq
The formerly Russian-based developer has divested nearly all its operations in the country
Mobile Mena
David Fernandez Remesal of Sandsoft Games: "Why MENA’s gaming growth isn’t just about business"
There's a bigger story at play in the MENA region, changing perceptions, fostering understanding and improving relations all around the world
Creation Operating System
Fragnova unveils Creation Operating System to revolutionise game creation
Fragnova unveils its network and exclusive games creation system that will shape how future generations create User Generated Content
Studios
UK developer Creative Assembly to open new studio in Newcastle
The longtime collaborator with mobile developer Feral Interactive is set to bring their new development studio North-East
Playstation Mobile
PlayStation Mobile continues its hiring spree
The company has been making a concerted effort to break into the mobile space
The Next Era Of Horror
Dead by Daylight Mobile launches The Next Era of Horror with a horror icon
Ringu villain Sadako has made her debut in the game’s mobile port
Stakeholders
Abu Dhabi firm G42 acquires $100m+ stake in Bytedance
The owner of Nuverse and TikTok receive a new stakeholder
Mobile Browser Gaming
AviaGames launches a new browser-based gaming service for phones
Pocket7Games WebGame allows players to access the company’s titles on their phones without downloading
Trends 2023
Mobile games industry trends for 2023: Publishing predictions: Part two
MobileGroove's Peggy Anne Salz looks at intellectual property and brands, social media, streaming, and esports
Updates
PUBG Mobile’s fifth anniversary brings custom build tools to the game
The mobile battle-royale’s new suite of tools will allow players to build custom modes and maps
Spreading Sustainability
10 Weeks To Save The Games Industry – Week 8
Matchmade CEO Jiri Kupiainen and GamesForest.Club's Maria Wagner's journey takes in Zürich and Munich and heads to the Baltics
Releases
Honor of Kings becomes Brazil’s most successful free mobile game
The game has been heavily pushed in Brazil with exclusive trailers and more
Time To Invest
Meet active investors at Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle’s Investor Connector!
Find funding for your next project and meet your dream collaborators during May’s leading games industry conference!
Please Welcome Gamelight
Spotlight becomes Gamelight
Game marketing platform Spotlight rebrands as Gamelight as growth continues
New Partnership
S8UL partners with Krafton to launch Road to Valor: Empires in India
The new partnership aims to boost India’s gaming ecosystem
Acquisitions
Plug In Digital acquires FTP developers Celsius Online
The free-to-play mobile and web pioneers were acquired by the French publisher
Celebrating Success
Supersonic passes 3.4 billion downloads in three years
The publisher is celebrating its third anniversary this month with a massive milestone
Chinese Gaming Industry
Chinese games industry publishes draft of rules for self-regulation
The rules aim to address problems in the industry such as copyright disputes and gaming addiction without the need for government interaction
Adaptations
Raid: Shadow Legends is set to become an animated series
The billion-dollar mobile franchise is set to become a television series