Out The Gate
Bill Gates leaves the Microsoft board
But he will maintain his role as a tech advisor
Monopoly?
Apple could purchase Disney during stock drop, says analyst
Stock fell below $100 per share
A Homerun?
Glu Mobile releases MLB Tap Sports Baseball 2020 after one month in soft-launch
Partnership continues with Major League Baseball
Super Evil Mega-opening
New studio Bazooka Tango launched by Vainglory creators
$2.5 million raised to create multiplayer mobile games
Long Tail
Deca Games adds DragonVale to its live ops portfolio
Backflip Studios' breed-and-nurturer acquired
3 Vs 3 Online
Lava Skull's third car-based football game Soccer Rally: Arena soft-launches in US
But does it play on a cold, rainy night in Stoke?
Containment
Update: Rockstar, EA and Maysalward are the latest companies to enforce remote working due to the coronavirus
Microsoft, Apple, Facebook and Google also request staff to work remotely
Virus Containment
Apple closes all its retails stores outside China
It has around 500 stores
Strong Team
Adjust strengthens its partnerships and enterprise sales with two new hires
Kelly Mullins and Bill Gerber join the team
Worldwide Digital Conference
Apple's WWDC 2020 will use an online-only format
Scheduled for some time in June
Abra Used Teleport
Niantic postpones Pokemon GO community day and rolls out update to help self-isolation
One-time in-game purchase of 30 Incense available for one PokeCoin
Event
Life after esports and growing your games business - FREE online panel sessions
The KAST Sessions in association with PGC Digital, 18th & 19th March
Get Your Rewards
Game of Thrones Beyond The Wall welcomes one million pre-registrations to the Nights Watch
It launches on March 26th for iOS
E3 Drama
Microsoft and Ubisoft are looking at digital events to replace E3
As are EA, Devolver and Limited Run Games
Crossover
Roblox partners with BBC Studios on Doctor Who in-game items
Available for a limited time
$10 Billion Valuation
Report: Magic Leap looking to sell off its business
Medical firm Johnson & Johnson reportedly interest
Indie Spotlight
Indie Spotlight: How Radiangames’ Luke Schneider worked 80 hour plus weeks to complete Speed Demon
Finding the right amount of focus and work-life balance is by far the biggest issue.
"minimise The Risk"
Glu Mobile restricts travel for employees and embraces remote working amidst coronavirus
Disney Sorcerer's Arena and MLB Tap Sports Baseball 2020 on schedule
$1.3 Million Salary
Activision Blizzard appoints Google veteran Daniel Alegre as new COO
"Activision Blizzard is at an exciting point in its history"
Digital Age
GDC to stream cancelled sessions via Twitch
Due to take place next week
Discount Ends
LAST CHANCE to save up to $275 on tickets to Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle 2020
Early Bird prices for May’s two-day B2B games industry conference ends at midnight TONIGHT!
Esports Competition
Skillz reveals its top-earning mobile esports players of the decade
Seven of them a female
End Of An Era?
Update: ESA officially cancels E3 2020 as coronavirus looms
E3 2021 to return as a "reimagined event"
Event
Rovio, King, Super Evil Megacorp, and Boomzap to speak next month as part of the first Pocket Gamer Connects Digital conference
The first of 40+ international experts confirmed for online-only games industry event debut
Limited Promotion
Starbucks' new AR game Starlands will give away 2.5 million real-world different prizes
Promotion only available in the US and Canada
Go West
Fallout Shelter Online potentially revealed for the West, pre-registrations open
Philippines App Store points to April launch
Jobs In Games
Jobs in Games: Niantic head of developer relations Kellee Santiago on empowering others to make unique games
"I know how to empower developers to make games no one has seen before"
Mar10 Day
Mario Kart Tour topped mobile downloads for Nintendo in 2019
App Annie data provided to celebrate Mario day
A Good Cause
Google Play opens up donations for coronavirus relief efforts on its store
100 per cent of donations go to the cause
Event Disruption
Game Connection America 2020 is postponed due to coronavirus concerns
The event was due to happen next week in San Francisco
Data Deal
Digital Development Management acquires Digi-Capital's data platform
No value placed on the deal just yet
"back In Business"
2K Games and NFL announce multi-year partnership to develop "non-simulation football experiences"
Partnership renewed for the first time since 2004
Event
Introducing Pocket Gamer Connects Digital - a new virtual conference for the games industry
Online talks, meetings and pitch events, accessible to all, April 6-10
Back Of The Net
Google and Adidas partner for smart insoles that track performance in FIFA Mobile
Utilising the software goes towards FIFA Ultimate Team.
Disrupted
Star Trek Timelines developer Disruptor Beam suffers layoffs
Estimated 10 employees let go
Kick Ass, Take Names
Reggie Fils-Aimé appointed to Gamestop board of directors
William Simon and James Symancyk join too
10 Years On
Com2uS: 'Mobile games micro-billing will be big in 2009'
And it's putting its money where its mouth is
Six Of The Best
Get excited for PG Connects Seattle 2020 with these six videos from last year's conference
From publishing in China to running live events, there's something for everyone
Games Are Innocent
American Psychological Association maintains games aren't tied to violence
Violence "stems from many factors"
Work From Home
Take-Two boss Zelnick believes coronavirus could lead to more remote working
Exec says the outbreak hasn't impacted the games business just yet
Keep Building
Mojang cancels Minecraft Festival due to coronavirus concerns
It's not willing to predict how long it will take for the virus to pass
The Tester's Perspective
The tester's perspective: Stadia's launch offers lessons for the gaming industry's future
PTW president of North American and India Sijo Jose gives us a different take on Google Stadia
Epidemic
SXSW 2020 will not take place due to the coronavirus
For the first time it would have had a games industry track
Pitch Your Game
Applications close NEXT WEEK for the Big Indie Pitch @ San Francisco
You have just seven days to sign up for the first Stateside leg of the year for our beloved international pitching competition
Snapped Up
Snap Games hires Brittany Brown as new marketing manager
Previously a brand manager at Twitch
Event
Update on Pocket Gamer Connects 2020 event plans and announcement of new digital conference
We stand with our peers and colleagues around the world that have been impacted by the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19)
February 2020 Downloads
Voodoo saw the most downloads of any mobile game company worldwide in February 2020
Sensor Tower reveals its monthly download ranks
"mixed Emotions"
More red flags for E3 2020 as creative director Iam8bit resigns
No reason was given for the departure
Regional Taste
Moon Active, Playrix and Supercell dominate the German mobile game charts
Crunching the data with App Annie
Need A Chat?
GameOn Technology raises $10.5 million for its ChatOS platform
It was led by Quest Ventures' Andrew Ogawa