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
Layoffs
Antstream makes redundancies in company's retro gaming division
The company attributed the reductions to a "strategic shift in focus internally"
Share Surge
Ubisoft shares soar 36% as speculation swirls over buyout
Open-world adventures and GaaS games are top priorities for the publisher
Funding News
OpenAI gets $4 billion credit line just days after $6.6 billion funding round
The company now has the flexibility to invest in new initiatives
Hot Five
Hot Five: Zenless Zone Zero hits $150 million, The Sims’ latest mobile game, and Tim Sweeney has "no regrets" over lawsuits
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Gamathon Takeaways
5 takeaways from Gamathon 24: Africa's youthful game makers shine, big tech takes notice, but monetisation struggles persist
The six day event highlighted the games industry in Africa through video game showcases and insightful panel sessions
Podcast | Episode 31
The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2024 revealed! Plus takeaways from PGC Helsinki | 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 31...
Week That Was
Unreal Engine’s royalty fee reduction, Balatro makes it on mobile and Zenless Zone Zero’s revenue | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
More Sims On Mobile
The Sims Labs: Town Stories appears on the Google Play store
The Sims Mobile and The Sims FreePlay are about to be joined by a third mobile title
Ubisoft Buyout
Tencent and Guillemot family considering a buyout of Ubisoft
The news has already seen Ubisoft shares rise after previously reaching significant lows
Investment
Finnish developer Future Run secures second round of investment led by Supercell
The funds will go towards the continued development of the studio's cross-platform title Riot Ball
Ugc Games
RIVRS raises €4 million to fuel its user generated content creations
The funds will see more games developed for Roblox, Fortnite and Minecraft
One Special Day
The mobile games industry comes together for SpecialEffect's One Special Day
Various mobile studios such as Sybo, Supercell and Rovio will contribute to the fundraiser
Ai Funds
OpenAI raises $6.6 billion making it one of the most valuable companies in the world
The AI and research development company is most widely known for its ChatGPT service
Top 50
What the Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2024 tells us about industry trends
We analyse merge category growth, how hypercasual publishers have transformed, and the secret blockbusters from the past year
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games with hybridcasual heroes and plenty of RPGs
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Premium Power
Balatro approaches $1 million in seven days on mobile
Solo developer LocalThunk released a mobile adaptation of the popular card game on September 26th
Indie Insights
Incredible Indies: “Players crave new and exciting experiences and AI enables us to deliver that level of variety and freshness”
Bryan Salt shares how he used AI tools to help create his latest word game Catnip
Pocket Palworld
Krafton’s PUBG Studios set to "faithfully reinterpret" Palworld as a mobile game
The monster battler’s expansion plans continue despite Pokémon lawsuit
Mobile Motorsports
EA veterans form The Three Thousands intersecting motorsports, pop culture and mobile
The Melbourne-based startup combines decades of experience in the games industry
Archero Arrival
Hybridcasual hitmaker Habby launches Archero 2 pitting players against the Lone Archer
There are currently 50 main chapters and 1,250 Sky Tower floors to play through
Number One
Monopoly Go developer Scopely takes the number one spot in the Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2024
Developer has a string of top titles in its portfolio, including Stumble Guys, Star Trek Fleet Command and Marvel Strike Force
Store Expansion
MY.GAMES and Flexion partner to bring War Robots to alternative app stores
The decade-old title will seek new audiences on Samsung Galaxy Store, Huawei App Gallery and more
Best Of 2024
The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers of 2024
The mobile movers and shakers of the last 12 months revealed!
Store Strategy
Unreal Engine royalty fee reducing to 3.5% for games landing on Epic Games Store on launch day
Epic Games is making moves to flesh out its store with more brand-new games
Ip Impact
Devolver Digital’s new publishing label Big Fan Games to deliver popular IPs to indie devs
Partners already include Disney, Dark Horse Comics, Rebellion, Lionsgate and HBO
Permission To Play
Daily playtime limits added to Fortnite and UEFN in parental control update
Specific play windows can now be set as can a total daily playtime limit
PG Connects London venue pictures of The Brewery
Some candid images of the setting for PGC London since 2016
Avia Anniversary
AviaGames celebrates eight years: From garage-based startup to award-winning publisher
The company’s portfolio spans Bingo Clash, Bingo Tour, Solitaire Clash and more
Industry Spotlight
Jobs in Games: Carry1st's Spencer Ma on how to get a career in games growth
In our Jobs in Games series we highlight the talented team members currently working in the games industry
Environmental Efforts
Kwalee and Joe Jonas join forces in PlanetPlay environmental initiative
Mobile game Text Express: Word Adventure will give Green Planet Pack proceeds to environmental projects throughout October 2024
In The Zone
Zenless Zone Zero surpasses $150 million, but it’s no Genshin Impact…
HoYoverse’s latest RPG has achieved a mighty milestone but much slower to the mark than its forebears
M&a Tips
An inside look into the world of mergers and acquisitions
The Raine Group recently advised SuperPlay on the Playtika acquisition
Baseball Bash
Konami’s MLB Pro Spirit brings authentic baseball to mobile this year
The Japanese firm has three decades of experience with baseball games but typically the NBP
Games In Africa
Gamathon 24 begins with exclusive launch for game developers and industry delegates
The press conference paved a clear roadmap for what attendees can expect throughout the week
Mobile Manoeuvre
GOO NFT maker Good Gaming Inc to take "new path" as mobile game publisher
The company sets a new course after "obstacles" in the NFT market
Speaker Spotlight
Geeklab CEO Jesse Lempiäinen on mastering games marketing in an era of data privacy
Geeklab CEO will explore the transformative shifts in mobile marketing necessitated by increasing privacy regulations and user data awareness at PGC Helsinki
Closure
Merge Games set to close as it integrates with Maximum Entertainment
Merge Games initially shared a social media statement about its closure but later removed the post
Lots Of Licences
Chinese licence approvals on track to surpass 2023 with 109 domestic games approved this September
An average of 107 domestic games are being approved every month in 2024
Service Stopper
Pokémon Unite to end service in Belgium and the Netherlands
Fans will be able to continue playing in both countries until November 30th, 2025