Safety Startup
Tencent, Google and Meta vets raise $45 million in Series A towards online safety startup k-ID
The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz and Lightspeed Venture Partners
Fragmentation
The great divides of the global games industry
Raptor’s Rana Rahman explores the increasing sense of fragmentation in the video games industry and what impact resisting that reality could have
Classic Celebration
Garena Free Fire celebrates seventh anniversary with $4 billion in lifetime revenue
The celebration includes "classic features" with a focus on nostalgia
Podcast
Metaplay’s Teemu Haila on scaling and saving smaller studios $1 million per year with one SDK | 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…
Mobile Manoeuvre
Pokémon developer Game Freak’s first mobile exclusive is new IP, Pand Land
Game Freak and WonderPlanet "sometimes clashed" during development but ultimately "achieved balance" with this seafaring RPG
Jobs In Games
Games veteran Mike Seavers joins Scopely as their new SVP of technology
The ex-Riot Games, Epic Games and Yuga Labs veteran is “excited about the many Scopely projects underway that I can’t yet share!”
China Cha-ching
Dungeon & Fighter Mobile’s first month of iOS revenue was twice that of Honor of Kings
Nexon and Tencent's RPG generated $270 million on iOS in its first month, becoming China’s most-downloaded game
Legal Advice
Epic's Fortnite fine: The precedent and potential consequences of in-game purchases in the Netherlands
Epic Games were hit with a €1m+ bill for "deceiving children", but what can devs and publishers do to avoid being hit with similar legal action?
Pgc Helsinki
Fingersoft CEO Jaakko Kylmäoja on how "the best game required the best environment"
Speaking a Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2023, Kylmäoja highlighted Fingersoft’s office culture as one of its most important strengths
Ai Approach
Square Enix still sees "tremendous potential" in AI but is wary of the "many risks involved"
CEO Takashi Kiryu has spelled out a more risk-averse approach to AI in the latest shareholders' meeting
Industry Insight
How to start marketing games as a developer: choosing sources and budget
AppQuantum’s Artem Sprygin shares valuable marketing advice and how you can apply it to your own project
New Game
Clash Heroes lives!… As new Supercell game Project R.I.S.E
RISING from the ashes of Clash Heroes and borrowing its assets comes a new "multiplayer, action-focused, social, RPG roguelite”
To The Races
Uma Musume: Pretty Derby gets an English version - is a Western release imminent?
Cygames’ racer has seen huge success in Japan with over 21 million downloads and $2 billion in revenue
Promotional Power
Monster Hunter Now on mobile cross promotes spin-off on PC and console
A new story and limited-time quests in the mobile hit promote the Monster Hunter Stories re-release
Interview
UMX Studio CEO Ali Alharbi on their upcoming game, company expansion and MENA opportunities
"The quest for experts, the uncharted terrain of an emerging industry - these are riddles awaiting solutions"
Browser Breakthrough
"It's hard to distinguish from a native experience. And all at the click of a button"
Raf Mertens, CEO of CrazyGames on their new browser-based tech, offering multi-player experiences with zero installation required
Hybrid Hire
Cat Escape maker Sunday appoints ex-SYBO Christian Balazs in shift away from hypercasual
Sunday has made a "pivotal" hire in a move to broaden into hybridcasual games
Apple In The Dock
Game over for Apple as the European Commission wades in against their DMA dodge
It's official. The European Commission is going to take apart Apple's half-hearted adherence to the Digital Markets Act
Hot Five
Hot Five: Japan’s newest stars, Nordic numbers, and Tripledot Studios’ acquisition
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Podcast | Episode 17
The history and future of the mobile games industry | 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 17...
Week That Was
Week in Views - Olympic esports, Gameloft's cross-play move, and what mobile gaming's history tell us about its future
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Jobs News
Unity restructure continues as CMO set to exit firm
Carpenter joins IronSource co-founders and Marc Whitten out the door this year
New Offerings
Asphalt Legends: Unite takes the racing favourite cross platform for the first time
A new trailer showcases the game's cross-platform capabilities starring actor-turned-NASCAR driver Frankie Muniz
Pgc Helsinki
Who will YOU meet at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki?
Connect with investors, publishers, indies, platform holders and more this October 1st and 2nd
Gaming Trends
74% of midcore installs come from ads in casual games as iOS CPI continues to rise
Hypercasual games still contribute 29% of installs across all genres, while puzzle games also hold strong at 37%
Investment News
Narwhal Accelerator injects six-figure funding into game dev tool Magify
Magify's Business Intelligence system platform aims to simplify the game creation process for mobile game developers
Podcast
Gazeus Games' Estela Rocha and Aarki's Aman Sareen on savvy strategies for leaner teams | 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…
The Next Level
Ironhide co-founder Pablo Realini talks Kingdom Rush 5 and premium's place in 2024
"When designing your monetization strategy you can’t be too greedy and compromise the game you have set out to create"
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from draconic dangers to pixelated platformers
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Golden Genre
RPGs dominated Japan's Golden Week thanks to Fate Grand/Order, Monster Strike, Genshin Impact and more
Golden Week 2024 generated less mobile revenue than in 2023, but RPGs continued to excel with 9 out of 10 top ten placings
Browser Boost
CrazyGames launches new social features for instant multiplayer gaming
The features are aimed at boosting web gaming growth and simplifying the experience for users and developers
Funding News
Pengu maker SLAY raises $5 million to create a new social gaming platform
Co-founder Fabian Kamberi says the investment will “help expand the ecosystem, so people can play, stay connected..."
Acqusitions
Verve Group acquires Jun Group for $185 million
The acquisition is expected to close in September pending the usual round of regulatory approvals
Virtual Sanity
Apple's Vision Pro failures are only setting the scene for their real AR/VR moves
While dwindling Vision Pro sales might seem like bad news, it's likely that they're hardly a surprise and all part of a bigger plan
Platform Party
Eggy Party to expand onto console with crossplay Nintendo Switch release
NetEase’s hit party game is releasing on Nintendo Switch on July 19th
Web3 Gaming
SKALE Labs joins Unity's publisher support program to boost web3 game development
SKALE developers can now utilise Unity's creator tools to build real-time games and apps
Pokemon Power
Niantic’s going back to basics for Pokémon Go’s eighth anniversary
July 6th will mark eight years since Pokémon Go first rocked the world
Jumping Into Jojo
KLab resumes development of 2020 mobile game based on JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
Klab has formed a new partnership with Wanda Cinemas Games to get this project completed
Legal Advice
How to stay legal, safe and secure in the wild west of web3
From the ownership of digital goods to user data and privacy, the world of web3 is filled with new legal precedents and pitfalls. Here's our guide to keeping your business and your users safe
Finding Funds
Brainspark Games raises £1.4 million towards building educational AI mobile games
The funding comes from its seventh Innovate UK Investor Partnership grant and a match-funded angel investment
Legal Upset
Apple on track to fall foul of DMA legislation with a potential penalty of $50M per day
Leaks suggest that Apple has failed to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act, costing the firm 5% of its daily global revenue
Interview
"Our mission is to challenge stereotypes and provide a platform for African voices in the gaming industry"
Eyram Tawia, CEO and co-founder of Leti Arts shares his vision for the evolution of the games sector in Africa
Platform Plans
Hello Kitty Island Adventure journeys beyond Apple Arcade as PC and Switch versions announced
During yesterday’s Nintendo Direct event, Hello Kitty Island Adventure made an appearance confirming an upcoming expansion to the Switch
New Partnerships
AVOW and Samsung partner to expand advertising reach in European market
The agreement gives AVOW key rights to manage advertising on Samsung's Galaxy Store across the European Union
Jumping In Japan
Wuthering Waves, Gakuen Idolmaster, Squad Busters: Which new mobile games won Japan over this May?
Plenty of new mobile hits launched last month, from Supercell, Kuro Games, Bandai Namco and others
Almighty Earnings
EA's CEO Andrew Wilson earns $25 million despite company layoffs
Wilson's compenstation was revealed in a financial report and comes not long after the publisher laid off 5% of its global workforce, closed studios and cancelled projects
Summoner Celebration
Summoners War celebrates 10th anniversary with $3 billion in lifetime revenue
Summoners War first launched in 2014 and has been downloaded over 200 million times since
Esports Growth
The International Olympic Committee's executive board endorses esports at the Olympics
Discussions are ongoing as to a potential host, with an official announcement to be made soon
A New Challenge
Unity pulls out the big guns, appointing 'Major Nelson' Larry Hryb to new Director of Community role
Hryb previously spent years guiding Microsoft’s gaming efforts and the Xbox brand to power
Steering Strategy
Savvy's Steer Studios expands into console development
The company began building up its new division at the start of the year