Latest In Leadership
Thunderful Group appoints four new executives in leadership shift-up
Thunderful Group’s CGO will stay on as an advisor during the transitional period
Podcast
Aampe’s Jim Laurain on the smart steps that inspire players with messaging that matters | 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…
New Partnerships
Kwalee and Fahy Studios partner to develop global hit games in the KSA
"We are on a journey to build Saudi's first global hit game."
Milestone
Making history and smashing milestones with June's Journey
Wooga’s vice president of games Martin Müller celebrates June's Journey $1billion milestone
Layoff After Layoff
A third of the workforce slashed in 2023 as Hasbro lets go another 1,100 roles
Hasbro’s toyline sales slump is to blame, not its video games
Ad Application
Ad creative analysis: How to enhance ad performance in 2024
Tenjin and ObtainAds have joined forces for a report on the current state of the ad creative space and where it’s going next
Rising Stars
Black Clover M was November's breakout hit. Warcraft Rumble steps up while Genshin Impact rules
Data.ai's monthly gaming pulse for November reveals which new games globally are the ones to watch
Netflix Of Games
Netflix has nearly 90 games in development as it touts cross-platform vision
Entertainment company's long-term vision is to "make games playable on every device", says games VP Mike Verdu
Allstar Series A
Zynga and Activision Blizzard-backed Allstar raises another $12 million for content creation tools
Investors from Zynga and Activision Blizzard have previously backed Allstar; now Drive Capital has led a $12 million Series A round
On Top
Pocket Gamer Awards 2023 winners revealed
Over 350,000 PocketGamer.com readers voted across 20 categories competing for the honour of being crowned Mobile Game Of The Year by the consumer site
Support From Supercell
Supercell co-founder supports $1.6M funding round in Chinese publisher MyGamez
Supercell co-founder Mikko Kodisoja, Small Giant Games co-founder Timo Soininen, Reworks co-founder Ilkka Teppo and former Riot China head of operations Daniel Wang are on board
Sweeney's Success
"The end of these ridiculous 30% fees is near." Tim Sweeney crows victory in Epic Vs Google battle
Epic Games’ Tim Sweeney has been taking to social media and more to celebrate his win over Google
Expanding Reach
Africa and India are in Microsoft's sights for ad-supported game streaming
The Xbox giant is planning on using ads to reach new players and expand its audience
End Of An Era
E3 is dead. And for good this time
The legacy of E3, with over a quarter of a century of gaming reveals, platform victories, surprise success and crushing defeat has comes to an end
Horror Hits
Behind the Scenes: Creating the viral hit Baby in Yellow
Team Terrible’s CEO Greg Lee shares a closer look at the game's development and what they have coming up next
Wordy Wonka
Chocs away! Word With Friends 2 lands Wonka movie multimedia promo
Zynga and Warner Bros. Pictures partner for cross-promotional campaigns
Magic Mag
MAG Interactive records biggest year yet after Wordzee marketing push
MAG Interactive recorded net sales of $34.6 million this year, at a 10% yearly increase
A New Hub
Sandsoft launches Barcelona Hub for new mobile titles
The company expects the new studio to grow steadily and create 60 new roles over the next three years
Guilty Google
An Epic victory: Google found guilty of illegal monopoly in Epic lawsuit
The Epic vs Google case has reached a verdict with a unanimous jury vote finding in favour of CEO Tim Sweeney's anti-App Store crusade
Ad Strategy
New Year - New Ad Strategy: Expert tips and predictions for mobile game advertising in 2024
Nexters Murad Khalilov offers top tips to take into 2024 to maximise your advertising strategy
Coming To Conquer
First mobile-exclusive Civilization game gets a rebrand under soft launch
Conquests and Alliances is officially rebranded as Civilization: Eras & Allies
Puzzle Power
Zach Gage and Orta Therox’s puzzle platform Puzzmo acquired by Hearst Newspapers
Gage is the dev behind SpellTower, Wordbind, Knotwords and more
Data Decisions
Apple’s privacy push continues with big implications come "Spring 2024"
Developers must be ready for Apple’s privacy manifest requirements and third-part SDK policy changes
Monster In The Making
Monster Hunter Now is a roaring success, making $100 million in under three months
Another milestone for Monster Hunter Now solidifies Niantic’s latest success
Making Of
Behind the scenes: The making of Zynga Socialpoint's Top Troops
Top Troops game lead Albert Fontova discusses the development of the game and its vital first few months post launch
Hot Five
Hot Five: Activision Blizzard’s app store alternative, Google Play’s download dominance and a 3D Candy Crush
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Week That Was
Week in Views - What caught our eyes in the last seven days
The Pocketgamer.biz team take their pick of this weeks big news, including a major milestone for hybridcasual, the Candy Crush crown and when digital giants have a change of heart…
Bad For Business
“This is a classic example of political point scoring taking precedence over business common sense”
CEO and founder of Matchingham Games Fatih Haltas shares his take on the controversial UK visa rules and how it’s expected to impact the gaming industry
Virtual Events
Building experiences in Roblox: Behind the scenes of virtual influencer Polar’s live event
Game developer Kokku discuss the tech and challenges they faced when delivering their latest Roblox experience event
Podcast
Kwalee’s John Wright On Attracting Valuable Users With A Loyalty-Driven Approach | 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…
App Stores
Former DotEmu and Playdigious co-founder announces alternative app store finder StoreRider
Xavier Liard's latest aims to provide new ways for developers to distribute their apps outside traditional platforms
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from Sonic’s latest adventure to a gyroscopic rhythm game
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Emerging Markets
Africa’s gaming market: How to make a profit with F2P games
Carry1st Senior UA and admonetisation manager Claire Rozain discusses the African games market opportunity for F2P games
Schedule Reveal
Get a sneak peek at the schedule for PG Connects London
PG Connects London is bringing you two days packed full of exciting content - take a look at what's on right here
Winners
The Game Awards 2023 picks its mobile game of the year
And the winner is… n't much of a surprise as mobile once more gets short shrift at gaming's biggest (and lengthiest) livestreamed awards ceremony
Tales To Tell
"It was surreal to see our little brainchild win a Google Play Award and be nominated for a BAFTA!"
Other Tales Interactive founder Tanja Tankred tells us about the success of Tick Tock: A Tale for Two, being an inclusive studio and what's next
Ads Ahead
Google Ads overhaul: AdInMo and Usercentrics prepare for the big changes due January 2024
A case study with Black Smoke Studios shows that 83% of players are still willing to provide basic personal information
Audio Ads
Odeeo claims over 90% of audio ads are not skipped by gamers
Odeeo’s research provides tips on designing the ideal audio ads
Angry Nerds
Rovio close Studio Lumi in Montreal with the loss of 16 jobs
Rovio's second studio in Montreal, Studio Six remains unaffected, alongside roles held by key Rovio Montreal-based staff
Subs Only
3D Sonic adventure Sonic Dream Team launches as an Apple Arcade exclusive
This marks Hardlight’s second exclusive Sonic game on Apple Arcade
Jobs In Games
League Of Geeks halts Jumplight Odyssey, announces layoffs
“We are devastated to be in this position, and we have done everything in our power to avoid it,” said the co-founders
Dishing The Dirt
Codemasters suffer job losses in ongoing Electronic Arts takeover aftermath
After the acquisition of rivals, restructuring of teams and lacklustre sales, owners EA have stepped in to "align teams and resources to meet evolving business needs"
Ai Meets Ugc
AI advances: Kongregate’s new AI Adventure Creator platform is out now
Kongregate’s Bryan Salt gives us all the details on their new platform which allows users to create their own games by connecting them with the latest AI technology
Candy Crown
King soft launch Candy Crush 3D: Is their next crowning victory on its way?
King stealthily reveals Candy Crush 3D on the Google Play Store
Legislation
Ukie: Government immigration proposals "risk giving impression the UK is closed for business"
Following changes to the minimum salary for a skilled worker visa, the UK's games industry trade body speaks out against the new legislation
Hypercasual Hit
Behind the scenes: The developers of Going Balls on the success of their hypercausal hit
Developers Stefan Filote and Ionut Iftimia discuss the development journey of Going Balls touching on the hypercasual space and future goals
About Apple Ads
Apple Search Ads and SKAdNetwork make waves as marketing attributions rise 55% in two years
Kochava’s State of Mobile Measurement 2023 report reveals how the landscape has changed since ATT
Plenty To Predict
Candy Crush to lose its crown in 2024? But overall mobile game revenues will be up
As 2023 comes to a close, data.ai makes its predictions in mobile gaming, AI and more for the new year ahead
Twitch Pullback
Twitch is pulling out of Korea after "significant" losses with "no pathway forward"
Twitch’s costs in Korea are too high, so the platform is leaving the country next February
New Competition
Microsoft accelerates plans for Xbox mobile marketplace launch
“This move is part of a broader strategy to extend the joy and community of Xbox gaming beyond consoles, bringing it into the mobile world," claims Montgomery Singman