Profit Plummet
Huuuge Games’ profits down 30.6% YoY but top games hit major milestones
Despite declines in revenue and profit this Q2 Huuuge Casino and Billionaire Casino both surpassed $2 billion in lifetime revenue
Ai Safety
SAG-AFTRA signs interim agreement with 80 games to ensure AI protections
By agreeing to the terms this will ensure that voice talent is appropriately protected
Mena Insight
"Awareness remains one of the biggest challenges in the MENA region"
Classy Games Studios founder Jamie McClenaghan discusses building a team in the UAE and the challenges of operating in an emerging games hub
Release Reveal
Tencent’s upcoming RPG Honor of Kings: World set for 2025 release date
Spin-off set to launch across multiple platforms
New Iphone
iPhone 16 packs ‘30% better’ gaming performance
Apple claims new A18 chip runs 30% faster and with 30% less power than last-gen
Real Revenue
Roblox developers to earn real currency on PC later this year
Developers will be able to earn real currency directly rather than save and convert Robux
Ambition Ahead
Roblox is on a mission towards one billion DAUs and "10% of all gaming revenue"
a party system plan has been revealed in an effort to drive player communication
Partnership Extension
Enthusiast Gaming extends NFL Tuesday Night Gaming partnership for third season
“The sports and gaming communities have become even more interconnected,” said chairman and interim CEO of Enthusiast Gaming Adrian Montgomery
Hot Five
Hot Five: Final Fantasy falls, Unity shares down to decade low, but Coin Master hits the jackpot
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Ai-powered Games
Jabali launches AI game engine Project Makina in closed Beta
Project Makina is a generative AI tool suite designed to simplify the creation and publishing of games
Leading Into 2025
Save the date: Pocket Gamer Connects London is back on January 20th to 21st 2025
As we return to Pocket Gamer Connects London 2025, after two decades, we're gearing up to make it more exciting than ever
Closure Imminent
Dutch Game Garden is closing after 17 years
"In the coming months, several regular activities, such as the successful Network Lunches, will continue as planned," said managing director JP van Seventer
Devs Fight Back
Mobile gaming’s secret and not so-secret new blockbusters
It's a tough market, but a number of mobile games, new and old, are making waves
Week That Was
Minecraft makes it to the movies and Microsoft strikes at Apple | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Fueling Expansion
In-game audio advertising platform Odeeo secures $5 million funding round for global expansion
The new funds will aid with expansion in key markets such as North America, Asia and the MENA region
Games Industry Service
Hub and Spoke Games launches to offer specialist games business development services
The new agency has been founded by industry veteran Chris Buckley and offers a range of services
New Game Launch
Card roguelike Balatro is coming to iOS and Android this month
For iOS users Balatro will be included as part of the Apple Arcade subscription
Tag Team
Brawl Stars teams up with WWE star John Cena to kick off its SpongeBob SquarePants collaboration
The collaboration sets in motion the celebration of SpongeBob SquarePants 25th anniversary with an in-game takeover of the hit Supercell game
New Trailer
FAU-G Domination pre-registrations go live on Android
The Dot9 Games developed title aims to meet the demand of Indian gamers who desire locally relevant content
Mena Region
Saudi Arabia's PIF to transfer gaming Stocks to Savvy Games Group
The PIF will remain a collaborative partner once the transfer is completed
Going Mobile
Behind the scenes: Bringing one of Africa’s oldest board games to life on mobile
MENA industry insider Stephen Sandmann discusses the development of Mancala Adventures with the Carry1st team
New Partnerships
AppsFlyer partners with Unity to launch privacy Sandbox on Android Solution for marketers
The platform introduces tools that enable personalised advertising without relying on user or device IDs
Industry Spotlight
Developer Stories: Trailmix’s Philippa Layburn on her career in games and playing a part in powering Love & Pies’ success
In our developer stories series, we highlight the talented team members currently working in the games industry
Podcast
TapNation’s tips for 1bn downloads in under five years with CMO, Vincent Février | 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…
New Partnerships
Nazara partners with government of Telangana to launch AI center of excellence
The AI Center will focus on games and digital entertainment to position the company as a leader in the AI-driven space
Tech Giants Feud
Microsoft claims App Store’s 30% fee “makes it impossible” to monetise its cloud gaming service
"The 30% fee imposed by Apple on IAPs is the result of a lack of competition in the distribution of native iOS apps"
Signed Deal
Tencent’s Lightspeed LA studio signs SAG-AFTRA deal to work with striking members
Developer can now employ performers from the organisation for current and future projects
Minecraft Movie
Minecraft Movie starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa gets its first trailer
The film is set to finally arrive in April 2025 after a decade in the works
Stock Drop
Ubisoft shares fall to 10-year low
This appears to be related to the muted reception to Star Wars Outlaws
Masterclass
Last chance to register for today's free Game Economy Design MasterClass webinar
Grab your ticket now for today's big webinar and learn all about game economy balance and building sustainable long-term engagement
Milestone
Coin Master hits the jackpot with $6 billion in revenue
The US is the largest contributor to the game's revenue, amassing $2.4 billion in player spending
New Approvals
China licences 117 new games for domestic release bringing this year's approvals to 850 titles
The NPPA has now licensed 850 domestic video game titles in the first eight months of 2024
Pre-registration Milestone
Cosy open-world adventure Infinity Nikki surpasses 14 million pre-registrations
Sign-ups for the Closed Beta Test of Infinity Nikki are now open
Missing In Action
The curse of Kingdom Hearts: Why can't anything ever go right for Square Enix's beloved franchise?
Square Enix have pulled Kingdom Hearts Union X Dark Road from App Stores leaving fans in the dark as to why
Tax Breaks
HMRC’s Video Games Tax Relief has paid £1.48 billion to UK games companies since 2014
Plus, in a revision of previous figures, £257 million was paid out in 2021-22, up from the £189 million initially reported
Connection Hazard
Resident Evil mobile ports now require internet connection to play
Developer Capcom claimed requirement was due to "changes to the startup process"
Mena Growth
"Our focus on AI ensures we deliver the best possible experiences in our games"
YallaPlay CEO and founder Kareem Seddik talks localisation, leveraging AI in games and the company's focus on real-time multiplayer titles
Studio Expansion
Sandsoft moves up in Barcelona with a new office for its growing team
"This marks a significant milestone in our journey to becoming a leading game publisher and developer"
Final Call
Square Enix to shut down Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius after $900m in revenue
“It would be difficult to continue maintaining the app experience”
Leadership Change
Games Done Quick names Matt Merkle as new majority owner
"It's time for new leaders to steer the course," said GDQ founder Mike Uyama
Layoffs
Tilting Point sheds another 90 roles - 20% of their staff
Despite big name deals and prime and popular IP the company joins a long list unable to weather the current games downturn
Financials
New games and apps business growth drives Lords Mobile dev IGG to $42m profit in H1 2024
Strategy games Doomsday: Last Survivors and Viking Rise push company to growth
Web3 Woes
Zynga sells up and backs out of web3 project Sugartown
Is this the end of the line for the game giant's web3 plans? Zygna has divested itself of all Sugartown assets as new company D20 takes control
M&a
Pole to Win snaps up co-development studio Ghostpunch Games for $13 million
Florida-based company has worked across platforms with partners such as EA, Gearbox Software, Bethesda Game Studios and 2K
Market Report
U.S. tops global marketing spend in mobile, parting with $6.6bn on iOS and $5.5bn on Android
Meanwhile the top European markets for marketing spend are the U.K., Germany, and France
Industry Divisions
Watch: The Great Divides webinar
Senior B2B games editors discuss industry divisions in the sector
Mena Insight
“Hitseeker is a platform that enables Kwalee to publish games with minimal human involvement"
Kwalee's lead technical product manager Waqas Khan on the new Arabic-edition of Hitseeker and its potential to boost the MENA games industry
Jobs In Games
Thomas Kœgler appointed Asmodee CEO as Embracer reveals new board of directors
The new board includes Embracer co-founder and CEO Lars Wingefors as chair, Kicki Wallje-Lund as deputy chair
Hot Five
Hot Five: Harry Potter canned, Savvy's Saudi surge, Pokémon turns five and switching roles at miHoYo…
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Podcast | Episode 27
Savvy's MENA investment and Finnish dev Lightneer closes | 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 27...