Earnings Report
Meta's VR/AR division struggles with $4.4 billion loss as expenses rise to $4.7 billion in Q3
Revenue for Reality Labs was $270 million, driven by hardware sales
Week That Was
Nintendo's curious Palworld case, Pokémon TCG Pocket launches, and Instant Games' big news | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Vote For Pocket Gamer Awards
Voting now open for the Pocket Gamer Awards 2024
Cast your vote and celebrate the best in mobile games
Instant Games
Remember Facebook Instant Games? It’s back
The long-awaited introduction of in-app purchases on iOS is another example of a new era for games
New Studio
Supercell invests in Barcelona-based studio Penguin Armada
PC-first developer working on top-down PvP title
Union Support
Sony faces backlash from CWA over studio closures amid layoffs
The union says it plans "to raise the anti-competitive impacts of Sony's increasing monopoly with the appropriate antitrust regulators"
Five New Games
New release roundup: Pokémon TCG Pocket, Frostpunk, Bloons Card Storm, and more
We highlight five new games that have broken cover over the past week
Funding News
3D animation platform Swoove Studios secures $7.5 million in seed round
This brings the studios' total funds raised to $11 million since 2020
Games First Takeaways
4 takeaways from Supercell’s Games First Helsinki 2024
We round up the insights from a day of deep dives into the industry and game design practices
Storytelling 101
Narrative design in mobile games
Tactile Games’ Jedidjah Noomen on writing for the small screen
Trick Or Treat
Pokémon Sleep turns spooky with 107% revenue spike as Halloween event gets underway
Popular Alolan Pokémon Mimikyu has debuted in-game for Halloween alongside bundles and an event
Apple Ai
Apple to introduce AI-generated app review summaries with iOS 18.1
These summaries aim to help users better assess apps before downloading or purchasing
Incredible Indies
Incredible Indies: Johnny Monsarrat on why there is plenty of room left for AR-powered outdoor RPGs
Monsarrat shares how the AR boom has sparked new potential in RPGs
Job News
Unity appoints Alex Blum as new COO as executive shakeup continues
He previously served as senior vice president of corporate development at Unity
Halloween Sale
Ghoulish networking tips to make connections at PG Connects London 2025 without getting spooked
Pay To Play
Monster Hunter Now tests Pokémon Go event formula with Carnival Global
Now’s first in-person event is getting an online follow-up for players who couldn’t attend in Shibuya
Jobs Roundup
October’s Mobile Movers and Shakers: New Unity CTO, Stillfront CEO and Supercell CMO exit, and more
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
Earnings Report
EA Mobile net bookings decline by 3% amid game closures
While PC and other segments continue to grow, console remains EA's largest contributor to net bookings
Managing Millions
Trophy Games revenue rises by 56% in Q3 as Airline Manager and Energy Manager drive new installs
Developer recorded a 108% year-on-year increase in paying users during Q3 2024
Emerging Markets
Supercell’s Games First 2024 explores emerging markets in LATAM, India and Africa
Emerging markets are presenting opportunities to grow audiences and new studios
Pgc Jordan
Game industry leaders to gather at Pocket Gamer Connects Jordan 2024 next week
Combining the very best of the MENA region to meet, network, and innovate with top games professionals...
Instant Games
Facebook Instant Games finally gets in-app purchases on iOS
IAPs now supported across web, iOS and Android devices
Investment News
Konvoy invests in Magic Potion Games to build safe and social immersive experiences
“The gaming landscape is changing, especially for younger audiences"
The Web Way
Nitro Games’ Autogun Heroes launches on CrazyGames web portal
Cross-progression and cross-play are both available between mobile and web versions
Revenue Result
Reverse: 1999 celebrates first anniversary in the West with $100m on the horizon
The time travel title celebrated one year since global launch on October 26th
New Game Launch
Monument Valley 2 is now available on Netflix
Subscribers can now play the first two games of the Monument Valley series for free
Investment News
Maintain Altitude secures $500,000 in pre-seed round to accelerate game development
The studio will use its newly secured funds to accelerate game development and collaborate with music rights holders
Legal Battle
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company vs. Pocket Pair: Understanding the details
Futura Digital’s Alexandra Kurdyumova and Evgenia Shikholeva explain why Nintendo is filing a patent rights lawsuit over a copyright infringement
Pokemon Power
Pokémon TCG Pocket launches tomorrow, but will it be the very best like Pokémon Go...?
The digitalised card game is debuting with plenty of nostalgia-infused Kanto classics, much like the geolocation giant before it
Mobile Marketing
71% of marketing spend is focused on just 10 countries
A new study from Moloco suggests potential high-value users in many regions are being overlooked
Empowering Start-ups
Germany is supporting game studios with new funding program
Start-up founders can now apply for the Press Start: Games Founding Grant
Growing Ip
Behind the scenes: Bringing The Dragon Prince: Xadia to mobile
We discuss the games development with both Wonderstorm and Blind Squirrel Games
Save The Date
The Dubai GameExpo Summit powered by PG Connects, a key event in the MENA games industry, returns May 7 - 8, 2025 as Part of Dubai Esports and Games Festival
New Partnerships
SAG-AFTRA and Ethovox partner to build AI voice replicas and empower actors
The Ethovox model creates digital voice replicas based on extensive voice data
Mega Money
Microsoft CEO's compensation grows to $79m despite job cuts
Satya Nadella had requested a reduction in his pay package, which could otherwise have approached $85m
Podcast | Episode 34
Subscription without upsell is death! And IDFA changes are good now? | 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 34...
Web Shop Waves
100% of top social casino games have a web shop, while casual’s only reached 30%
Across the 20 highest-grossing mobile games, Appcharge finds 72% have a web shop
Pocket Premium
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete goes premium on December 3rd
The premium replacement will allow players to transfer their data up until June 2nd, 2025
Negotiations On Pause
SAG-AFTRA extends interactive media agreement negotiations after three days of talks
There is no official resumption date for negotiations at this time
Rumour Rebuttal
Tencent denies layoffs despite restructuring, leadership changes and VP’s departure
VP Zeng Yu is retiring as 10 individuals are impacted in management overhaul
New Approvals
China approves 128 new games including Supercell's Squad Busters
China has consistently approved over 100 domestic video games each month, while foreign game approvals occur approximately every two months
Legal Advice
Telegram Mini Apps: What’s inside?
Futura Digital’s Alexandra Kurdyumova and Christina Sirozh share on what Telegram Mini Apps are and how to be compliant with its rules and regulations
Hot Five
Hot Five: Barbie’s UK soft launch, Supercell’s London-based hiring, and Antihero’s IDFA perspective
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
New Studio
Mobile games company Digital Dunes launches in Media City Qatar
The company says it will bring Arabic content and culture to the world through its projects
Five New Games
New release roundup: Neko Atsume 2, Blossom Tales 2, Political Party Frenzy, and more
We highlight five new games that have broken cover over the past week
Incredible Indies
Incredible Indies: Cowleyfornia Studios on being a BAFTA nominee and developing Iron Roads
Marina Sciberras and Duncan Steele discuss their journey as indie developers
New Offerings
JetBrains launches free non-commercial licenses for WebStorm and Rider IDEs
Developers can use the IDEs for learning, open-source project development, content creation and hobby development.
Games, Everwhere
Everything is a games platform
Discord, LinkedIn, Telegram - everyone wants in on gaming
New Studio
3OGS rebrands to The OGs as it opens new office in Córdoba
The tech firm aims to expand its operations globally following its acquisition by OV Entertainment in June
Loot Box Laws
EA victorious after Austrian court rules that FIFA 23 loot boxes are not gambling
The court said that the player did not acquire FIFA Ultimate Team packs with the intent to profit