Crushing It
King’s Todd Green on how the Candy Crush Saga has remained on top for 12 years
From the evolution to Candy Crush to the potential of IPs and tournaments we get the latest on one of mobile’s biggest franchises
Mena Market Growth
Sony launches MENA Hero Project incubator program for game developers
Sony is also focused on lowering the barrier of entry for local developers in the MENA region
Gamescom Takeaways
5 takeaways from Devcom and Gamescom 2024: Eastern influence, web shops rising, and Monument Valley returns
We look at some of the big stories and trends coming out of Europe's largest games expo
Interview
"When you know Africa and its history it's easy to make a game that will speak to the whole continent"
Masseka Games founder Teddy Kossoko on telling African stories through games and overcoming growth challenges in the region
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from merging minimalism to card-based combat
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Bowing To Pressure
Apple roll over and allow EU users to change default browser, delete stock apps and more
“The App Store, Messages, Photos, Camera, and Safari apps will now be deletable for users in the EU"
The End Of The Show Show
2024's biggest Devcom event ever breaks records
The annual developer's European meet-up pulled in record numbers of attendees, speakers and sessions
The Big Winner
The Mobile Games Awards 2024 publisher of the year is… Scopely!
It was a double win for Scopely at our annual awards ceremony live from Gamescom, Cologne
Improving Engagement
Research finds that app icon optimization can boost user numbers by up to 25%
A SplitMetrics study shows that clear and simple icon backgrounds can boost conversion rates by over 26%
A Meat-free Mission
Subway Surfers supports Playing for the Planet with in-game veggie event
Sybo hopes to see players ditch the meat and eat more plant-based meals
Breaking Up
Apple’s App Store to split in two following the departure of its vice president
Apple’s long-term head of worldwide App Store and Apple Arcade, Matt Fischer is stepping down as part of the changes
Crossovers
NetEase unveils surprise Lara Croft crossover in Nakara: Bladepoint
The crossover event will see Matari step into the boots of the legendary Lara Croft, star of the Tomb Raider series
Game Development
Behind the scenes: How pre-production allowed us to occupy a mid-core niche with a loyal audience
Azur Games producer Tatiana Vinogradova on choosing a niche and creating an audience profile for your mid-core game
Premium Pockets
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp to close, but fans can continue playing… For a fee…
A new version of Nintendo’s mobile Animal Crossing title will be available for a one-time fee
Mobile Games Awards
HoYoverse is in the Zone, winning Best Developer at Mobile Games Awards 2024
Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, Zenless Zone Zero… What’s not to love?
Jobs News
Mobile Movers: All the latest appointments and job moves from around the industry
Who's moving where?… There's new roles at FRVR, Raptor PR, Supercell, Krafton, Gadsme, Zynga, Xsolla, Netflix and more…
It's All In The Cards
Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket opens pre-registrations as release date revealed
The TCG has generated billions of physical sales - now it's time to master mobile too
Best For The Brand
Game of Thrones: Legends is a "modest" success while Marvel Snap is IP adaptation done right
GameRefinery’s July review highlights a busy month for mobile games with winners and some surprise losers…
New Mobile Studio
Industry Veteran Mohamed El Sheakh launches new MENA mobile company, Games Ventures
The company aims to “build profitable mobile games from the Middle East, for the Middle East and the world"
Ad Insights
Monopoly GO! A game that was(n’t) created for ads
GameBiz Consulting’s Božo Janković shows how ads could be implemented in Scopley’s hit game and how they’re missing out on millions
Getting Into Gamescom
Mobile sneaks into Gamescom's Opening Night Live… But blink and you’ll miss it
Netflix and HoYoverse lead the charge in mobile representation as smaller names get left behind
Mobile Games Awards
Monopoly GO! wins the prestigious Game of the Year award at the Mobile Games Awards 2024
With honourable mentions going to both Zynga’s Star Wars Hunters and Kuro Games’ Wuthering Waves
World Entrepreneurs Day
India’s video games and esports sector powers growth with over 117,000 startups
This growth has made esports and gaming a viable career for both gamers and entrepreneurs
Ai Impact
Xsolla's Chris Hewish on the impact of AI for creative workflows
“To ensure that real creative jobs aren’t lost it’s important to establish measures that balance AI integration with human oversight”
Awards Winners
Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2024 winners revealed
Check out who took home each of the 23 accolades given out on the night
New Game Launch
Monument Valley 3 to launch exclusively on Netflix this December
Netflix members can access the entire Monument Valley collection with no in-app purchases or ads
New Platform
Stumble Guys is now available on Nintendo Switch
The arrival of the game on Switch means it's now available to play on all major platforms across console, mobile, and PC
Masterclass
The best ways to design games for engagement and retention - online workshop next week
Learn how to keep your players playing with our two-hour deep-dive MasterClass
Events
The power of brands and IP: Licence Global's Ben Roberts gets set for Brand Licensing Europe, Sept 24th - 26th
What does it take to create killer gaming IP? What can you learn from the experts? And what's going on at this year's big BLE show at London's ExCel?
Ad Spending Trends H124
Global Revenue Growth and the Rise of Mini Games
SocialPeta and Tenjin release new white paper: Insights into Global Mobile Game Marketing & Ad Spend Trends for H1 2024
Major Changes
Game analysis: Squad Busters update makes radical changes on a quest for lasting success
Jakub Remiar takes us through Supercell’s latest changes to Squad Busters and what to expect next from the game
End Of The Line
Space Ape closes Rival Kingdoms and gives the game a "final farewell"
“All games have a life cycle, and Rival Kingdoms is no exception. The time has come to lay down our swords and staves and allow our kingdoms to rest."
Acqusitions
Virtuos completes acquisition of UK games studio Third Kind Games
All nine Third Kind Games co-founders will continue leading the studio
"curse Of The Consumables"
Aggressive mobile game monetisation pushes loyal players to churn, says Battle of Polytopia CEO
Midjiwan CEO Christian Lövstedt criticises the deliberate lack of transparency on in-app purchases
Investing In Britain
Ukie's 2024 Video Games Growth Programme gets Department for Business and Trade backing
The programme of advice and help for businesses now has 30 companies signed up for this year's cohort
Contactless Payments
Apple will be unlocking iPhone NFC chips for third-party apps everywhere
After relenting in Europe thanks to the DMA, it now looks like alternative contactless payment options are coming to iPhones everywhere
Legal Advice
The EU’s AI Act: What does it mean for game developers?
The act - in place since 1st August 2024 - is designed to ensure safety and transparency, but with that responsibility comes the necessity for careful compliance
Women In Games
Ad monetisation: Fanatee’s Beatriz Dias on the importance of preserving user experience
As part of Liftoff's Women In Games series, Beatriz Dias, the monetisation manager at Fanatee discusses her work with ad revenue, quality and the balance with optimising the player experience
Integrating Story
How to integrate your narrative team into a game’s design and avoid story being sidelined
Game writer and narrative designer Kelsey Beachum gets on the soapbox and offers key advice on integrating narrative into the development pipeline
Funding News
Reforged Labs secures $3.9 million for gaming ads with GenAI
The funding will be used to enhance its AI capabilities and refine its creative and performance models
Interview
"Africa is on track to become a top three market globally for mobile games"
Pan African Gaming Group chairman Jay Shapiro on building a network of game developers and sharing Africa's rich history of stories through games.
Investment News
Web3 platform GAMEE secures investment from TON Ventures
The Animoca Brands subsidiary plans to integrate TON-based digital assets into its Telegram Mini App to boost user engagement
Hot Five
Hot Five: AFK Journey hits China, The Sunday Times Gaming Rich List and the Gamescom Party Guide
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Podcast | Episode 25
The Gamescom 2024 Survival Guide | 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 25...
Pocket Money
Playrix founders put mobile on top of The Sunday Times' first ever Gaming Rich List
The makers of Homescapes and Gardenscapes top the inaugural round up of the 30 richest developers and players in the UK
Week That Was
Epic goes mobile, Pokémon goes to Hawaii and gamers go to Gamescom | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Jobs In Games
Raptor PR pulls in big names with key hires from Unity and Square Enix
“With Greg and Claudio onboard, we’re locked and loaded for our next phase of hyper growth," said founder and managing director Rana Rahman
Industry Insights
Why Lifetime IRR is better than ROAS for measuring marketing performance
Mobile Finance Collective's Martin Macmillan on why marketeers should swap ROAS for an IRR-based approach when UA spending at scale
At Last
The Epic Games Store finally arrives on mobile
It's here. Though Epic's mobile game store - complete with Fortnite and a Fall Guys exclusive - requires users to jump through some hoops…
India Games Industry
Key Indian execs endorse PM Modi's Independence Day games business backing
Modi is also calling for the country to transition from being a games industry consumer to becoming a leading producer