Mobile Mavens
Mobile Mavens: What should we expect from Disney's big $1.5 billion deal with Epic and Fortnite?
Our Mobile Mavens share their thoughts on Disney’s $1.5 billion investment and partnership with Epic Games
Hot Five
Hot Five: EA layoffs, Unity shares falls amid restructure, and Rollic picks up Barbie licence
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Week That Was
Week in Views - Apple impatience, Unity mismanagement and Sony surprises
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Event Horizon
PG Connects San Francisco combines with Game Connection America for one super game show on March 18th & 19th!
Connect with over 2,000 industry contacts at one amazing event in the heart of San Francisco
New Partnerships
Masters of the Universe joins Stumble Guys in new retro crossover
The new collab will allow players to explore a new realm within the Stumbleverse and experience a new racing map
Gamelight Hits Top Five
Gamelight hits top five global ad networks
Singular's analysis reveals Gamelight Is among world's top five ad networks
Game Creation
Kwalee launches new mobile publishing platform Hitseeker
The publisher aims to help mobile developers “navigate the complexities of mobile game development”
Job News
505 Games downsizes operations, closes offices in Spain, France and Germany
The news first broke as part of the company's initial announcement in November 2023
Podcast
Guy Gadney & Harry Holmwood on baking AI into your game worlds | 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…
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from 2D monster duels to a sidescrolling pirate penguin
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Mobile Game Debut
Industry veterans co-found Simply Sweet Games with plans to “revolutionize the word game genre"
Tina Merry and Carina Kom's new studio will “redefine gaming with a global team, sustainable hiring, and inclusive creativity"
Funding News
Vibe.co secures $22.5M to for SMB streaming TV ad platform
The company plans to grow its employee roster from 40 to 110 in late 2024
Into The Numbers
Gaming M&As down 43% year-on-year while deal value falls 69%
Q1 2022 saw the most spending on M&A in the past five years
Job News
Sega taps ex-Disney and Scopely exec Justin Scarpone to lead transmedia division
With more than 30 years of experience, Scarpone has a proven track record in developing entertainment strategies across Asia Pacific and the West
Job Losses
EA lays off 5% of staff as it cuts licensing deals and closes offices
Restructuring plan will cost publisher up to $165 million
Final Call
Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile gets March 21st release date
Long-awaited battle royale gets worldwide launch across iOS and Android next month
Layoffs Looming
Trouble at the top for Esports as ESL Faceit Group lays off 15% of staff
Up to 300 people are expected to lose their jobs across departments and seniority levels as "sustainable growth ambitions and profitability" take priority
Ai Practices
Apple faces pressure from major shareholders to disclose AI plans
Investors argue that Apple's silence on all things AI impairs their ability to assess future risks (and make money right now)
Share Surge
DeNA shares on fire, surging 24.4% after Pokémon Trading Card Game reveal
The Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket mobile game is a collaboration between The Pokémon Company, Creatures Inc and DeNA
Big Brands
Mattel gets together with Zynga's Rollic for an all-new Barbie game on mobile
Some of gaming's biggest names get together for a "mass market" Barbie game on mobile that aims to deliver "best-in-class immersive entertainment"
Scuti Incentives
Scuti.ai raises $10 million to incentivise player spending
The AI platform looks to retain players through rewards on its platform
Going Green
How the video games industry can promote an eco-friendly future with PlanetPlay
CEO Rhea Loucas and head of business development Felix Bradshaw discuss how collaborating with PlanetPlay helps the planet and ups your game
Pokemon Presents
Pokémon’s power in full force as five big mobile games align for updates
Pokémon Go, Masters, Unite, Sleep, and Café Remix all have updates planned around Pokémon Day
Pokemon Presents Pocket
Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket is the latest leap for mobile
The latest Pokémon Presents event has revealed a digital card game for collecting, trading and battling
Financial Outlook
Playtika no longer up for sale as it pays share dividends and promises more M&A
Their latest numbers have prompted the company to pause its "strategic alternatives process" which saw them halting work on new titles and changing direction
Job Cuts
Sony Interactive Entertainment axes 900 staff across the globe
Around 8% of PlayStation's global gaming staff will be laid off, with only the UK studios affected being named so far
Partnership Pathway
Smartphones to come pre-installed with Web3 game in Mystic Games and Jambo partnership
New JamboPhones launched in Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America will come with Call of the VoYd pre-installed
Star Speaker
Wizards of the Coast’s Eugene Evans to discuss the key pillars of making a great game with IP at PGC San Francisco
Evans to host session 'Expanding Brands Through Mobile: 3 Things to Know When Licensing for a Mobile App'
Project Packup
Die Gute Fabrik enters indefinite hiatus as funding dries up
The studio’s co-founder Nils Deneken will return as CEO if funding is found to complete they're current project
Retention Tips
How to generate lasting player loyalty with omnichannel messaging
CRO of OneSignal, Josh Wetzel explains how using a multi channel approach to engaging with players can help with long term retention
Empowering Players
Ex-Homa staff raise $1.5 million for UGC platform PlayMakers
Start-up aims to make suite of tools available to any developers looking to add user-generated content to their games
Financials
Unity shares fall 18% despite revenue growth to $2.2 billion in 2023
Cost-cutting measures bite as company closes offices and pulls back from Professional Services and hardware units
Festival Fundraising
ESA’s winter charity speedrun raises $85,000 for Make-A-Wish International
Fundraising records were broken by a Sonic the Hedgehog game
Installs For India
Ludo King surpasses 1 billion Play Store downloads in meteoric moment for Indian games industry
Ludo King is the first Indian mobile game to surpass the one billion install figure
App Marketer Insights
What game marketers need to know about driving user acquisition through ad campaigns
Liftoff's VP of Global Sales, Joey Fulcher dives into the results of the company's recent survey to lift the lid on why App Marketers are optimistic about the future - despite market challenges
Educational Games
Rovio launches two new educational Angry Birds games to make learning fun
Angry Birds Eggstraction and Angry Birds and the Multiplication Portal keep the series moving forwards
Generative Gen 3
"The future of generative AI is hybrid": Qualcomm brings on-device AI to next-gen mobiles
Qualcomm unveiled its latest tech at Mobile World Congress Barcelona, including the FastConnect 7900 mobile connectivity system
Jobs Cuts
EA lays off staff after sunsetting MLB Tap Sports and F1 Mobile Racing
“Unfortunately, the game was unable to meet our performance expectations".
Hot Five
Hot Five: Microsoft goes multiplat, Fortnite to return to iOS, but global games industry layoffs continue
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Star Speaker
Gamefam CEO Joe Ferencz to share UGC insights for Roblox and other platforms at PGC San Francisco
Ferencz will take part in the session 'The UGC Gaming Takeover: Where are Roblox & Other UGC Platforms Headed?'
Week That Was
Week in Views - Tough talk, turning tides and big players go mobile
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Cross Platform Success
Nitro Games and Digital Extreme's Warframe on mobile is off to a flying start
Three days after release, the iOS only game is approaching 400,000 downloads with an Android version on the way
Eu Excluded
Why has Apple killed Web Apps in Europe?
Once the only way to get your app on iPhone, Steve Jobs "sweet solution" is now officially dead in Europe as Apple gets heavy handed following the EU's digital markets act
Podcast
The PGC Wrap-Up: Webshops, AI, avoiding Apple fees and more! | Podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team and guests give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and and what's inside this week's episode…
Star Speaker
Netflix’s VP of external games Leanne Loombe to speak at PGC San Francisco
Loombe will be a speaker on our roundtable entitled ‘Walking the Walk: Are Games Companies Actually Championing Inclusivity and Diversity?’
Chinese Market
My.Games executive producer Boris Burangulov on bringing War Robots back to China
“The Chinese market is of great importance to us being one of the key regions in the gaming industry”
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from psychological sequencing to Invincible iteration
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Extreme Expenses
Thunderful lost $59 million in 2023 after Q4 profit fell 574%
Thunderful is laying off approximately 100 staff in the first half of 2024 to cut costs
New Partnerships
Zeptolab's Om Nom Stories lands 25 season deal with Disney+
The collaboration with Disney+ offers Cut the Rope a new audience, bridging the gap between gaming and animated series
Community Growth
Networking event Unwind is now the South Australian Games Association
“Our goal is to grow the South Australian games industry into the largest state games sector in Australia," says SAGA