Industry Spotlight
Jobs in Games: UMX Studio's Ammar Yasser Alrashoudi on how to get a career as game director
In our Jobs in Games series we highlight the talented team members currently working in the games industry
New Partnerships
Xsolla and Uzbekistan's IT Park sign deal to open game development academy in 2025
The academy will focus on training local talent and fostering new opportunities for game production
Social Superfans
Windwalk raises $4.5 million and launches "superfan" social software platform Harbor
Harbor is a hub for superfans in games, music and more
Getting Gritty
Ex-Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes GM on raising $42m and building the fourth generation of mobile RPGs at Azra
Project Legends is veering away from the prevalent anime aesthetic and aiming for a Western audience
Overwatch Ahead
Report: Overwatch Mobile is in development
Blizzard Entertainment has yet to officially confirm the title, but staff claim it's in the works
Phenomenal Funding
Azra Games raises major $42.7 million in Series A to create a mobile RPG for Western audiences
Project Legends is harkening back to 70s fantasy media like Conan the Barbarian
Don't Panic!
The Hitchhiking Developer’s Guide to The Alternative App Galaxy
Navigating Your Alternative Options On the Heels of A Historic Ruling
Massive Breach
Game Freak hack exposes employee information and source code in major security breach
Over 2,600 items containing the names and email addresses of current, former and contract employees were accessed
Mobile Growth
Southeast Asia's mobile game downloads hit 4.2 billion in 2024
Simulation games became the most downloaded mobile game genre in Southeast Asia this year
Earnings Impact
Niko Partners: Genshin Impact surpasses $5 billion on mobile in China
HoYoverse’s flagship is projected to reach $10 billion on mobile globally next year
Destiny Mobile
NetEase partners with Bungie for Destiny: Rising mobile game
Limited access closed alpha test starts in November
Digital Development
Loot Labs raises $6 million in Bitkraft-led seed round towards digital collectables platform
The firm’s Boxed.GG platform is already established for physical collectables
Ai Insight
How AI will shape the games industry: Exclusive insights from our AI Gamechangers newsletter
Get our AI Gamechangers newsletter for interviews and news about AI's impact on the games scene
Ua Advice
2024 UA Playbook: Diversifying beyond traditional channels and the rise of rewarded play
UA and marketing expert Matej Lančarič shares some best practices and top tips
Hot Five
Hot Five: Wuthering Waves sails to $150 million, Scopely’s "megadeal" plan, and Xbox Android app is on the way
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Podcast | Episode 32
Breaking down Google Play's Judgement Day | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and and what's inside this week's episode 32...
Week That Was
Scopely’s potential “megadeal”, Ubisoft shares fall and rise, and Wuthering Waves’ journey to $150m | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Rise Of The Stores
Google Play’s Judgement Day - Does it matter?
The tech giant's next potential steps and whether rivals can change the status quo in just three years
Microsoft Triumph
Xbox Android app will start game sales next month
Players can use Xbox Cloud Gaming to stream titles they've purchased
Layoff News
Zynga subsidiary NaturalMotion facing layoffs in the UK and US
NaturalMotion does not expect any service disruptions for players during the transition and will support affected employees
Funding News
UAE-based Web3 gaming startup PiP World lands $10 million in seed funding
The startup is combining video games, education, and Web3 technology to provide a platform for improving financial literacy
Music Mobile Magic
Amanotes Embraces Hybrid-Casual Movement to Enhance User Experience and Drive Growth
Music-based mobile game developer Amanotes is making a major strategic shift towards developing hybrid-casual games - with it's first new releases already underway
Incredible Indies
Incredible Indies: How Punko.io aims to be part of a new wave of hybridcasual titles redefining mobile gaming
Agonalea Games co-founder Pedro Aira talks about the team's charming new tower defence title that aims to shake up the genre
Global Trends
Global Trends: SciPlay CEO Josh Wilson on the growth of hybrid monetisation and why market trends "can flip overnight"
We catch up with industry leaders to get their insights on the state of play in the games sector
Loads Of Layoffs
Roblox’s branded experience maker Talewind hit with "significant" layoffs
Talewind claims to be in the top 0.01% of monetised Roblox creators
Developers Contest
Curve Games and Unity launch $10,000 Human Fall Flat design challenge in China
Participants are invited to design new levels for the Human Fall Flat franchise
Inside Look
Behind the scenes: Improving monetisation in the midcore battler Kingdom Clash
Azur games’ Nikolay Alekseev shares a deeper look at the continued evolution of the game
Konami Collab
Konami signs FIFA deal for FIFAe World Cups featuring eFootball
Competitions will be held on console and mobile to crown the first champions of this inaugural collab
Global Expansion
OpenAI expands globally with new offices in Paris, NYC and Singapore
This is in addition to the company's existing offices in London, Tokyo, San Francisco and Dublin
Five New Games
New release roundup: Infinity Nikki, Mythwalker, Ever Chest, and more
We highlight five new mobile games that have broken cover over the past week
Pgc Helsinki
PG Connects Helsinki 2024 - one of our biggest and best Finnish editions yet!
More than 1,300 games industry attendees from over 50 countries
Job Losses
Co-development outfit Kokku lays off staff at Portugal studio
Portugal office will remain in operation; Brazil team unaffected
Spanish Startup
EF Games is hiring developers and artists in Europe following Krafton investment
The startup is currently developing a competitive multiplayer title
Reunion Revealed
Humble Games partners with its laid off ex-employees at Good Games Group
Former general manager Alan Patmore and global publishing VP Mark Nash are at the new publisher’s helm
Mena Market
MENA start-ups secure $1.3 billion despite investment decline
Funding activity has remained "relatively resilient" despite the decline in investments
Big Tech Breakup?
US mulls Google breakup in antitrust case
Tech giant labels DOJ proposals as "radical" and "government overreach"
Researching Roblox
Roblox accused of conflating metrics and inflating engagement hours by 100%
Hindenburg Research alleges that Roblox’s reported playtimes are skewed by "millions" of bots
Building Worlds
Third Dimension raises $6.9m towards generative AI 3D world builder
The tool is being designed for locations real and imaginary, for films, the military and video games
Adaptation Ahoy
Fishing RPG Dredge set for iOS mobile release as rights confusion delays Google Play pre-registrations
"Google doesn't believe we own the rights to our own game"
Studio Startup
Krafton invests in Mario + Rabbids and Red Dead Redemption veterans at Day 4 Night
The new studio is developing an original IP combining the expertise of Davide Soliani, Christian Cantamessa and others
Funding News
Queensland indie studios secure $1.3 million in latest Games Grants funding round
This latest funding will support 12 games and an additional 40 positions for local developers
Road To Jordan
Rababa Games CEO talks being self-funded, exploring new platforms and expansion opportunities
"Mobile games, especially in the MENA region, have a high demand, so they remain a primary focus"
Big Plans Ahead
Scopely plans major acquisition next year
“I hope that we announce at least one megadeal," said Scopely's chief revenue officer Tim O’Brien
Bolstering Buddies
Clout Kitchen raises $4.45m towards League of Legends AI "buddies"
The Backseat AI service offers real-time insight to users seeking to improve their gameplay
Very Big Indie Pitch
Spirit World captivates hearts and wins the Very Big Indie Pitch at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki
Find out who took the top three spot at PGC Helsinki's big indie pitching content
Mixed Messaging
Saudi Arabia cuts Nintendo stake despite suggestions it could increase it
As of June, Saudi Arabia's PIF owned 8.58% of Nintendo, which is now down to 7.54%
Growth Strategy
Five lessons from Dice Dreams' successful growth strategy
Gradient Universe founder Oxana Fomina explores how SuperPlay is successfully scaling the game five years later
Ruling Regulation
Epic beats Google: Play Store must allow third-party app store distribution in US
Starting November 1st, 2024, Google must allow distribution of rival stores from its own
Epic Enhancements
Fortnite maker "financially sound" as Epic Games Store hits 70 million monthly active users
Fortnite reached "all-time peak" of 110 million MAUs last holiday, says Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney
Africa Is Mobile
Africa's video games market projected to rise from $2.14 billion to $3.72 billion by 2029
Mobile penetration in Sub-Saharan Africa is set to reach 50% by 2030, with an expected 475 million connections by 2025