Jobs Roundup
September's Mobile Movers: Tripledot president steps down, The Raine Group appoints new MD, Aghanim hires VP, and more
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
Kid Tech
SuperAwesome launches under-18-focused audience data and insights platform Awesome Intelligence
Platform aims to provide "safe and compliant" data on the behaviour of Gen Z and Alpha for brands and agencies
Shire Subscription
Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of The Rings Game is on its way to mobile for Netflix subscribers
Releasing in fellowship between Wētā Workshop and Take-Two subsidiary Private Division next year
Funding News
EdVentures invests in Egyptian education and interactive games startup Saikoro
VC arm provides funding to eight Egyptian startups as it seeks to support country's education system
Industry Spotlight
Jobs in Games: Chickmania’s Jamil Alsakran on how to get a career in QA
In our Jobs in Games series, we highlight the talented team members currently working in the games industry
Pgc Helsinki Monetiser
Discover how to effectively monetise your games and maximise revenue at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki
Unleash the full potential of cutting-edge ad formats, IAPs, and other ground-breaking monetisation developments in this specialised track.
Top 50
Find out who's in the Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2024 next week
The big reveal will take place on October 2nd live at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki
Ai Adventures
Duolingo to introduce AI-powered Adventures months after job cuts
Duolingo reveals Adventures and Video Call, new learning modes using AI technology
Next Hit?
After $1bn+ in player spending, hybridcasual specialist Habby soft-launches text-based idle RPG Capybara Go
Title has soft-launched in Australia, Canada, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam
Top Grosser
Dungeon & Fighter: Mobile surpasses $800 million in four months
The beat ‘em up made almost $10 million in a single day this June
App Income
Unlocking the success of alternative app stores
Mintegral’s Jeff Sue explains why developers looking for supplementary revenue streams should be looking toward alternative app stores
Esports In Mena
Emirates Esports Federation and ITW Universe to launch new esports league
This new league will debut in March 2025 as part of an effort to transform competitive gaming in MENA
Sleepy Smartwatch
Pokémon Sleep sleepwalks to $120 million in time for smartwatch update
Apple Watch, Galaxy Watch, Fitbit and Google Pixel Watch are now compatible with the app
Lawsuit Triumph
Plaintiff drops game addiction lawsuits against industry giants
The lawsuits were filed against Epic, Activision Blizzard, Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar Games, Roblox, Microsoft, and Sony
Forward The Foundation
FunPlus doubles down on licensed IP as it soft-launches Foundation: Galactic Frontier and DC: Dark Legion
Soft launch coincides with release of DC: Dark Legion
Pre-seed Power
22 year old raises $3.7 million for Roblox tool platform Gamebeast
CEO Zander Brumbaugh is building his no-code tooling platform for game devs and the military
Interview
Boss Bunny Games COO Hammam Alahmadi talks upcoming mobile games and the endless opportunities in the MENA region
"Players in the region have a refined taste, with only well-developed games gaining popularity"
Brand Boost
Vivid Games secures $1.36 million strategic investor deal to grow Real Boxing brand
The Polish developer seeks to grow Real Boxing’s presence in Europe
New Game Launch
FIFA-licensed Matchday Champions launches globally in early access
The game will allow players to collect, craft, and manage their dream squads
Afk In Asia
AFK Journey surpasses $150 million with Asian market dominance
Chinese players contribute 22% of AFK Journey’s revenue despite being late to the starting line
Partnership Extension
Nitro Games expands Warframe mobile partnership with €5 million deal
The agreement expands the ongoing order between the two companies
Hot Five
Hot Five: Pokémon’s Palworld lawsuit, Playtika’s acquisition, and Ubisoft gets workers back to the office
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Podcast | Episode 29
Playtika acquires SuperPlay, and the secret multi-billion dollar games platform WeChat Minigames | 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 29...
Speaker Spotlight
Treasure Play CEO Alex Arias to discuss how AI-driven incentives can revolutionise UA at PGC Helsinki
We give Arias the quickfire Q&A treatment ahead of his big talk on player-powered UA at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki
Week That Was
Playtika’s big acquisition of SuperPlay, EA’s all in on AI and Flappy Bird is back | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Five New Games
New release roundup: Populus Run, Pocket Oasis, Jenny LeClue, and more
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
New Offerings
Netflix shares new look at Squid Game, Street Fighter IV and Rebel Moon mobile games
Squid Game: Unleashed is a competitive mobile game based on the popular TV series
Crossovers
Monopoly Go assembles the Avengers in Marvel crossover event
Players can immerse themselves in the event from Thursday, September 26th
Imminent Launch
Unity 6 global launch set for October with preview now available
“Developers have been telling us for a long time that they want more stability and more performance, which we are addressing with Unity 6"
Mobile Mavens
Mobile Mavens: Does more powerful hardware for iPhone 16 make a difference to games developers?
Our industry experts share their thoughts on what impact new hardware has on the mobile games market and if such leaps are truly needed
App Expansion
Are publishers leaving games behind?
EA, Krafton, IGG and Voodoo are each launching apps and investing in companies outside of games
Pokemon Vs Palworld
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company file lawsuit against Palworld eight months later
Audiences quickly compared Palworld to Pokémon in character designs and certain game mechanics
Practical Ai
Practical AI: How Ludo’s generative AI tools aim to help democratise game development
The Practical AI series kicks off with Ludo CEO Tom Pigott on the company's generative AI platform and the pace of progress in the space
Mobile Matters
Mobile games an "integral element" of EA’s growth strategy but barely acknowledged at Investor Day
CFO Stuart Canfield did, however, discuss mobile’s potential to reach a wider audience
Investment News
Nazara secures $108m to fuel further M&A
Nazara has also acquired an additional 19.35% share in Sportskeeda parent company Absolute Sports
Mini Games Big Numbers
Behind the scenes of WeChat Minigames and how it has generated $2.3 billion in the first half of 2024
Jakub Remiar shares insight into the current state of WeChat Minigames and its prominence in the Chinese mobile market
Interoperability
EU orders Apple to open up its iOS ecosystem to rivals
European Commission to set out rules and processes for Apple to ensure interoperability of iOS features across devices
Milestone
Electric Blue: Gecko Dash mobile game surpasses 500,000 downloads
The game was created to stop endangered gecko species from going extinct in Tanzania
Super Acquisition
Playtika to acquire Dice Dreams developer SuperPlay for up to $1.95 billion
Deal will see publisher pay $700 million up-front and a further potential $1.25 billion based on successfully hitting financial targets
It's In The App
The EA Sports App takes the publisher beyond games and into social networking
App will soft launch in Spain this autumn in partnership with La Liga
Transmedia Strikes Again
EA working with Amazon MGM Studios on The Sims movie
Margot Robbie's production company LuckyChap to co-produce the film
Ai Ahead
EA's Andrew Wilson: AI is at the very core of our business
EA CEO Andrew Wilson talks three strategic categories for the company’s 100+ AI projects
Game Closure
Kabam to shut down Disney Mirrorverse after making $34m in mobile revenue
Action RPG no longer available for download and in-app purchases have been disabled
Air Ai
EA reveals experimental Project Air and states AI "is not merely a buzzword for us"
A short demonstration was given during EA’s Investor Day 2024 showcasing the new mobile experiment
Funding News
Patron's $100 million Fund II gets backing from investors to support founders
Fund II will build on Patron's $90M Fund I success which backed 21 companies
Strict Laws
Australia sets new rules for games with loot boxes and gambling-like content
Games with interactive simulated gambling will automatically receive an R18+ rating
Content Creation
User-generated content key to EA’s growth strategy towards "over one billion" players
EA fans have created 60 million hours of user-generated content in the past year
Podcast
Unicorns, camels and hogs: How smart ad monetisation saves your app from getting eaten alive | Podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team and guests give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode…
Industry Spotlight
Jobs in Games: Sandsoft's Mohammad AL Khatatbeh on how to become a senior game developer
In our Jobs in Games series, we highlight the talented team members currently working in the games industry
Hybrid Working
Ubisoft wants workers back in the office three days a week
“Being together in person also helps solve problems and make decisions more effectively"