Multiplat Microsoft
What does Microsoft's "more games to more people on more devices" mean for mobile?
Microsoft walks a fine line with Xbox fans while naming the first four titles coming to other platforms
Job Cuts
Global layoffs at Gameloft as staff in Ukraine and Canada confirm redundancies
At least 38 staff are leaving their Lviv, Ukraine office with as yet unconfirmed numbers departing Toronto, Canada
Investment News
XPLA secures funding from Play Ventures to foster Web3 innovation
The strategic investment signifies a milestone for XPLA by positioning the platform towards accelerated growth within the gaming industry
Excited Spenders
More games are making millions as player spending on 2023 releases soars
The US, UK, China and other markets all show an increased willingness to spend on new releases
Player Power
TreesPlease Games plants one million trees via LongLeaf Valley
The game from ex-Square Enix staff has already led to one million trees being planted in Africa, Asia and Latin America
Hyper Debate
“Hypercasual is definitely not dead”
Embrace CEO Eric Futoran says genre is evolving, but game economist Phillip Black says it’s “like a wounded animal that no one will just go out and shoot”
Vc Trends Report
Venture capital funding set to remain subdued through 2024
Pitchbook expects the fundraising gap between content and development startups to become narrow due to alterations in the investor landscape.
Invincible Introduction
Ubisoft launches first Invincible mobile game for the 21-year-old franchise
Invincible: Guarding the Globe is set in the Invincible universe with a brand-new story
Claps
From losing a job to millions in revenue: How Clap Clap Games began
“Everything felt like it was going wrong" before “everything spiked”, says CEO
Live From Pgc San Francisco
Championing British gaming excellence at PGC San Francisco's UK Games Showcase!
Get up close with iconic titles, meet emerging talent, network with industry leaders, and experience the future of gaming at our British innovation showcase
Install Increase
ATT consent reached 39% in 2023 as racing games turbo-charged installs
Action games generated the most installs and longest play sessions of 2023, but racing games saw the largest year-on-year install increase
Data Deluge
Mobile game downloads fell for the first time ever in 2023 to 88 billion
The Indian market downloaded over double the mobile games of any other region, but didn’t make the top 20 for spending
Netflix Gaming
Netflix and Ubisoft announce Rainbow Six SMOL mobile game
The new, officially licenced mobile exclusive offers “a tiny, whimsical take on the Rainbow Six universe."
Profitable Performance
Com2Us escaped the red in 2023 despite "negative seasonality"
Com2Us’ financial report reveals a difficult Q4 but overall successful 2023
Job Cuts
Ex-GTA producer’s studio, Build A Rocket Boy reveals layoffs
The studio headed up by Leslie Benzies with high profile titles on the way is to remove “a number of roles globally"
A Good Year
AppLovin shines in Q4 2023 with stellar financial results
The company's total revenue in 2023 amounted to $3.3 billion, marking a 17% year-over-year increase
Monster Milestone
Monster Hunter Now's half-year anniversary reveals time-limited monetisation tactics
Plus, the Monster Hunter series is 20 years old in March, with plenty of celebratory content on the way
Networking Opportunities
GDC week 2024: The unofficial parties, pitches, conferences and networking list
Your guide to what's on in San Francisco during one of the biggest events in the games industry calendar
Mena Market
GameCentric secures $1.5 million angel investment to fuel growth in MENA
The gaming platform aims to add more features to extend its footprint beyond the GCC & MENA region
Time To Tour
Pokémon Go Tour: Sinnoh gives players power over time and space
The annual Pokémon Go Tour has returned for its fourth year, this time focused on Sinnoh
Industry Insight
How to increase your game's metrics with a single event
Gradient Universe's Oxana Fomina shares the story of how one event helped multiple games reach new heights
Esa Event
ESA's charity speedrun event is now on, raising money for Make-A-Wish
Raising funds for Make-A-Wish and children with critical illnesses, the ESA’s winter event is taking place this week
Booted From Blizzard
136 jobs cut as Blizzard axes 68% of employees in Ireland
Blizzard’s Cork office employs around 200 people, roughly half of all its employees in the Republic of Ireland
Esports World Cup
Honor of Kings Midseason Invitational to feature at Esports World Cup
To celebrate the event, Esports World Cup and Honor of Kings will launch an exclusive in-game skin for fans.
Nitro Numbers
Nitro Games sees record Q4 revenue but the year’s net results remain red
Autogun Heroes supported a successful Q4 and pushed Nitro Games to a stronger 2023, but the dev’s not in the green just yet
Apple Vs Europe
Fortnite and Epic Games are coming back to iOS in Europe
Hell has frozen over and the Fortnite developer and publisher is coming back to iOS three years after being frozen out
More Acquisitions
Monumental acquires Coin Dozer publisher Game Circus
“We're happy and excited to partner with Monty and his very talented team at Monumental," said Games Circus CEO Donnie Thompson
Layoff News
Paramount Global lays off Nickelodeon's entire Noggin team
The company is set to lay off 800 employees, approximately 3% of its total workforce
Podcast
The data and trends defining mobile gaming with Karl Knights and Lirui Ding | Podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team and guests give you the state of play. This week we're joined by experts from data.ai and Transcend Fund
Hot Five
Hot Five: Supercell revenues decline, Ubisoft’s mobile games plummet, but MTG signs a Monumental acquisition
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Week That Was
Week in Views - Xbox App Store appetite, Zuck's Vision Pro dis and Japan goes geo-loco!
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Moving On
Global Game Jam's Tim Cullings to step down
Established in 2008, Global Game Jam is the world’s largest game-creation event, held both physically and virtually across the globe
Xbox App Store
Microsoft's app store intentions, new hardware and an Xbox Cloud Gaming app on iOS?
While disappointing cross-platform plans took centre stage at the Xbox business update, glimmers of app store plans and new hardware saved the day
Mena
How to engage Middle Eastern gamers and get ahead of the curve
Tactical’s Gaynelle Brautigam on why understanding culture, context and impact is important for marketers looking for Middle East growth
Award Winners
What the Car? wins Mobile Game of the Year at DICE Awards
Apple Arcade racer beats Honkai: Star Rail, Terra Nil, Gubbins and Hello Kitty Island Adventure to accolade
Job News
AdInMo taps John Rankin as new chief revenue officer
"It does feel like I’m coming home," said Rankin.
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from pixelart potions to arcade action
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Surprise!
Zuckerberg tries Apple Vision Pro: "Quest 3 is the better product. Period."
The guy who's been pushing VR for years doesn't rate Apple's upstart. Meanwhile the end of Apple's 14 day no quibble refunds sparks a drove of headset returns
20th Century And Beyond
Reverse: 1999 surpasses $50 million with increasingly monetised Japanese audience
Bluepoch’s launch title has surpassed $50 million in just over four months since global release
Mobile Fintech
Former Xsolla executives team up for mobile fintech company Aghanim
The company also plans to establish an advisory board consisting of key partners to improve the platform and align priorities.
Moderately Mobile
Embracer sees record $1.2 billion in Q3 earnings after axing 1,400 staff
Restructuring plans are "tracking well" but are unlikely to reach all targets by end of the fiscal year
Interview
“We went from feeling like we were finished to making nearly $100m last year!”
Space Ape Games co-founder Simon Hade reflects on the studio's eleven year journey and what the team are working on next
Developer Issues Warning
Lethal Company developer warns of mobile app "scam"
Details on the Play Store shows that an unofficial Lethal Company mobile game was released on December 21, 2023
Moving From Mobile
Only 7% of Ubisoft’s net bookings are from mobile, down 28% YoY
Ubisoft’s console lineup has brought in the bulk of its bookings in Q1-Q3
Appointments
Leadership reshuffles at Xsolla put the company's founder back in the hot seat
Shurick Agapitov is back at Xsolla, taking the CEO role as Chris Hewish moves to chief strategy officer role
Pr Power
1SP Agency acquires Renaissance PR for "superagency" status
Renaissance PR founder Stefano Petrullo has worked with gaming names from TiMi Studio to Koei Tecmo
Publishing Power
Nitro Games strikes Autogun Heroes publishing deal with Unity’s Supersonic
Autogun Heroes originally launched in 2023 with Nitro Games as developer and publisher
Applovin Ai
AppLovin reveals AI ad creative tips as its SparkLabs team triples production
Generative AI is becoming increasingly prominent in the industry, with features such as content-aware fill becoming a boon for ad creatives
Multi-platform
Why gaming is going cross-platform and how to tackle the user acquisition problem
Adjust’s Gijsbert Pols and Upptic’s Warren Woodward discuss the growing importance of cross-platform gaming
Future Plans
Supercell reveals year-on-year declines in revenue and EBITDA but promises "big and bold changes"
All the talk this morning at Supercell's financial reveal was about restructure, more trust and less distraction