Outside News
Chinese game services go dark in memory of former Chinese premier
A National Day of Mourning in China includes the temporary cessation of services for money online games on multiple platforms
Censorship In Games
China blamed for Goddess of Victory: Nikke censorship, despite being unavailable in China
Upcoming graphics content differs from a previously leaked beta, leading to claims that the game is being censored to appease Chinese regulators
Milestones
Homa’s Merge Master reaches 100m downloads
Homa, formerly Homa Games, announce that it and developer Fusee's title Merge Master had accrued 100m downloads
Mobile Moves
PlayStation Mobile team continues hiring spree
Veterans of Kabam, Apple, Meta and Niantic are among the team members fleshing out PlayStation's ever-expanding mobile department
Updates
Fortnite Chapter 4: Rebooting a smash hit to keep players playing
With the latest trailer and set of collaborations revealed, once again we get to see how Epic Games works hard to keep its flagship battle royale game fresh
‘tis The Season
Kick off the holiday season with the Pocket Gamer Xmas Mixer 2022 happening in London tomorrow!
Last chance to join us in the heart of London tomorrow for an evening of drinks and knowledge-sharing to mark another year of industry success!
Match Madness
Genre mashing and meta morphing: How Match 3 and casual games are evolving
UXReviewer founder Om Tandon breaks down what makes Match 3 games so popular and how they may have even greater scaling potential
Report
Saudi Arabia games report reveals a development community that's ripe for expansion
A report by Savvy Games Group subsidiary Nine66 reveals some key findings about the growing Saudi games market
Pgc Jordan
The art of adaptation. Game localisation gets taken to the next level at Babil Games
Diala Deeb of Babil Games talks to us about fine-tuning games to better become the perfect fit for new audiences and cultures
Sunsetting
Gwent sees the end of further card development as CD Projekt Red aims to hands its keys to fans
Gwent will cease adding new cards at the end of 2023 but ‘Project Gwentfinity’ will hand control of the game to its fans
Aquivision Blizzard
FTC rift signals fresh hope for Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision-Blizzard in America
The board is expected to make its recommendations regarding the deal by mid-December
Awards
In-Depth: All the winners from the Google Play Awards 2022
We’ve covered Apex Legends Mobile’s sweep of the Apple and Google Awards for 2022, but what else got the nod from the Play Store?
Mobile Revenue
Nintendo sees mobile gaming as a marketing strategy as opposed to a revenue generator
The company may see success in mobile gaming, but console remains the top earner
The Esports Scene
Delve into the esports industry with what we learned at Discover: Esports
With esports growing as rapidly as ever, we took time to connect with and learn from top professionals in the scene at this brand new b2b event
Women In Games
Sophie Brugmann: having diverse leadership teams can lead to incredible symbiosis at the top
The Head of Operations for Lessmore and editor Womenize! thinks we need more open communication in the workplace
User Acquisition
New tech aims to boost user acquisition in a post-IDFA world
With Google set to follow suit with Apple’s ‘walled garden’ approach to data privacy, companies are finding new ways of understanding their audience and marketing to them
Mobile Mavens
Mobile Mavens: Is this the end for Twitter? And what are our alternatives?
Our posse of industry experts give their take on faltering Twitter's power and place in 2022
Views Week
Week in Views - What caught our editorial eyes in the last seven days
The PocketGamer.biz team reflect on a week of hot new games, success stories and legal worries…
Alternative App Stores
Flexion to sign third alternative app store publishing deal with tap4fun
The games marketing company has been signed on for a third consecutive deal to publish tap4fun’s game Age of Apes to alternative app stores
Guest Post
Dispelling Myths about Indie Game Accelerators
GTR’s Pontus Mahler on how accelerator programs can help indie developers scale
New Appointment
Guillermo Arias joins Digital Development Management’s investment services division
Arias brings almost three decades of experience to the role
Analysis
Tencent aims to branch from mobile for their big international push
In a recent interview, Tencent global games CEO Michelle Liu said the company’s future lay in the AAA side of games and moving away from mobile as it moves into the international market
Best Of Mena 2022
The Top 30 MENA Game Makers of 2022
Our first ever list celebrating the best developers and publishers in the Middle East and North Africa region
Netflix
Desta developer Ustwo reveals why they took the game to Netflix
Developer of Desta: The Memories Between, Ustwo Games revealed why they brought it to Netflix Games
Interview
Live Tech CEO Samuel Worsley on ITV's KnockOut Live World Cup and the future of the second screen
"We love bringing fun, inclusive and thrilling live tournaments to the nation and it’s great to see players enjoying and winning too!"
Hires
SYBO appoints Rovio Vet, Philip Hickey, as new Chief Marketing Officer
Philip Hickey will replace outgoing Naz Amarchi-Cuevas, as Chief Marketing Officer at SYBO
Feature
What does it mean for Activision-Blizzard and Take-Two to be mobile first?
The two titans of console and PC gaming have seen their revenue share take a massive turn, becoming mobile first. So, what does this mean for them and for the industry?
Esports
Snapdragon Pro Series to host Clash of Clans and Brawl Stars eSports final
With a $100,000 prize-pool, the Snapdragon Pro Series will be hosting the Mobile Challenge finals for Brawl Stars and Clash of Clans
Newzoo Report
UK and Germany on track to generate a combined $12.1 billion to the global gaming market in 2022
Almost 75 percent of the population of both countries engage in gaming
A Helping Of Hires
Supercell starts up two new studios, with four ex-Riot employees on board
Steve Desilets, Matt Mocarsk, Maya Kylmamaa, Kevin J Bray, Candace Thomas and Charles Lee all join Supercell
Big Savings
Five reasons you need to book your ticket to Pocket Gamer Connects London 2023 today!
Save hundreds of pounds on your ticket to PG Connects London using our limited time Early Bird special, it's ending next week!
Interview
How will Web3 impact mobile gaming in the future?
We spoke to Superfine CEO Chris Calderon about the future of mobile gaming
Soft-launches
Call of Duty Warzone Mobile soft launches in Australia
The announcement of the soft launch came late yesterday and sees the hotly anticipated Warzone Mobile first arriving in Australia
2023 In Marketing
Representation, Privacy, and AR: What will marketing look like in 2023?
Google has unveiled its predictions for the top digital marketing trends of 2023
Engineering Experience
Roblox snaps up Apple Veteran John Stauffer as VP of engineering
Following 23 years at Apple with the past 14 of those years as VP of Apple’s Interactive Media Group
Pinball-esque Play
Infinity Games’ Flipper Island could be the start of a new idle genre
New iOS title made within 48 hours
Cross Worlds Celebration
Celebrations and content galore as Netmarble’s Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds reaches 200 days
200 days on from Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds’ global launch
Guest Post
The end of the IDFA: Then and Now
LifeStreet CEO Levi Matkins on how advertisers and developers can navigate the changing mobile space
Awards
Apex Legends Mobile picks up Google Play Award for Best Overall Game of 2022
The mobile port of the AAA battle royale game snatched the honour for Best Overall Game, repeating its success in Apple's recent awards
Women In Games
Maria Wagner on how the gaming industry can lead the change for sustainability
General Manager of GamesForest.Club talks to us about climate change, and her childhood in Kazakhstan
New Bethesda Game
Bethesda is working on a new mobile game
Chief Software Officer Todd Howard says the new game will be Bethesda’s biggest mobile release yet
Retention & Revenue
How to boost revenue and player retention with in-game collaborations
In-game collaborations have become increasingly popular, and according to new research they’re highly effective at monetization, retention and more
Great British Entrepreneur Awards
Audiomob founders win start-up entrepreneur of the year at Great British Entrepreneur Awards
“We are honoured to get this award and for the recognition!” Co-founders Christian Facey and Wilfrid Obeng celebrate their success
Mtg Game Makers Day
How to keep your mobile title on top and earning for 10 years plus
InnoGames' Forge of Empires is the hit mobile game that's kept on giving for over a decade. At MTG Game Makers Day their CEO explained its secrets
Mtg Game Maker's Day
In Depth With MTG's Flow Platform And Behind-The-Scenes With Its CEOs
MTG’s Game Makers Day brought out some interesting and insightful comments into how their ‘Game Village’ concept works across their studios
Mtg Game Makers Day
Hutch CEO Shaun Rutland on making games that attract players
Rutland took to the stage at Modern Times Group's game makers day
Forward-gazing Content
The metaverse has the potential to shake up the games industry of tomorrow, but how can you capitalise?
We’re stepping into the metaverse at Pocket Gamer Connects London 2023 this January, join us as we explore the opportunities of the future
Dragalia's Final Day
Nintendo’s first mobile IP Dragalia Lost closed down this morning
A retrospective of Dragalia Lost’s four-year journey
End Of An Era
How Apple’s ATT could end the current free-to-play gaming era
Privacy changes continue to have significant consequences for many devs
Mobile Masterworks
Mobile Masterworks: Angry Birds
What made Angry Birds one of the biggest series in mobile, arguably sparking the rise of mobile gaming as we know it today?