Interview
Nifty Craft founder Vince Ghossoub on making a card battler MMO and growth in the MENA region
"Nifty Craft utilises state of the art technology and is innovating in-game design, what more can I ask for"
Hot Five
Hot Five: Supercell’s Squad Busters levels up, retro Nintendo on iOS, and Genshin Impact’s worst month yet
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Podcast | Episode 09
Supercell's Squad Busters goes global, Embracer Group splits, and Apple's Vision Pro flops | 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 09…
Week That Was
Week in Views - Squads busted, Apple crushed, War zoned and Snoozin' with the Snorlax…
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Searching For Success
Meta's VR/AR woes continue with new $3.8 billion loss
The company's VR vision remains out of focus and a pivot to AI isn't going to deliver a big win any time soon
Q&a
Speaker Spotlight: Dubai Future Foundation's Faisal Kazim on leading Dubai's gaming charge
"The Dubai Program for Gaming has the goal of adding $1 billion annually to Dubai’s GDP and becoming a top ten city in terms of revenue in gaming."
Pokemon Price Hike
Pika fight… Pokémon Go just put prices up 1300% in Turkey
The move comes as a counter measure, ending months of location spoofing, robbing Niantic from earnings elsewhere… But at what cost?
Supercell Analysis
Have Supercell's changes supercharged its revenue?
We analyse the performance of Supercell's portfolio amid its restructure and ahead of the global launch of Squad Busters on May 29th
New Game Launch
Tencent's Dungeon and Fighter mobile game will launch in May
Following a closed test involving 300,000 players the game is now set for prime time
Gaming Trends
Carv raises $10M series A to simplify data monetization for gamers
Carv has been profitable since December 2023 with a monthly revenue surpassing $1 million
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from cartoony cats to sports stars
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Q&a
Speaker Spotlight: Dubai NEXT's Aisha Alazab on transforming ideas into successful campaigns and funding
"It's essential to be in the right place and time - that's wherever your potential backers are likely to be."
Monster Milestone
Monster Hunter Now reaches 15 million downloads
Monster Hunter Now reached 10 million installs in 35 days but its taken another six months to gain five million more
Tiktok Ban
ByteDance on the clock as Biden signs TikTok ban bill into law
TikTok CEO Shou Chew says it is “A ban on TikTok and a ban on you and your voice”
Do Tell, Hotel
Pokémon Sleep goes IRL with $1,800 hotel experience for fans
To coincide with the game’s first anniversary, Pokémon Sleep is partnering with the Grand Hyatt Tokyo
Q&a
Speaker Spotlight: Applovin's Pankaj Choudhary talks 360 strategies for successful app marketing
"While developers in MENA tend to prioritize IAPs over ads, it's crucial to grasp the value of an IAA mix."
Jobs In Games
Cécile Russeil takes the helm at Ubisoft as EVP of comms, DEI, HR, and legal
With over three decades of experience at the company following pivotal leadership roles could she be the one to finally settle Ubisoft's unrest?
Emulation Sensation
Everyone loves Nintendo… Delta emulator hits 4.4 million downloads in its first week
Since Apple lifted its ban on retro emulators, playing Nintendo games on iOS has never been simpler… Or more free
Jobs In Games
Raptor PR welcomes James Law as PR director for new B2C drive
Law will play a pivotal role in helping Raptor PR establish its new consumer gaming PR division
Apple Vision Pro
Apple reins in Vision Pro plans following dwindling demand and disappearing apps
Apple have limited the supply of their headset following disappointing sales and the release of ONE new app in the last week of March
Web Shop Beta
Sanlo launches into web shops after raising $13.5 million
Financial services provider inviting games companies to join close beta of its new platform
Noncompete No More
FTC bans noncompete work clauses to encourage entrepreneurialism and higher pay
The ruling should bring about 8,500 new businesses per year and bolster innovation
Tiktok Troubles
It's bad day for TikTok as both the US and EU clamp down
TikTok faces a rewards programme ban in the EU and a complete ban in the US unless it sells up
Investment Bounceback
Gaming startups are getting investor attention once again
More than $260 million has been invested globally in early-stage rounds through Q1 2024
Ai Ambitions
“We’re making it so anyone can create anything on Roblox. The only limit is their own creativity”
Roblox’s Morgan McGuire shares on leading the platforms AI ambitions to bring new levels of productivity and creativity to users
Global Events
The Esports Future Summit in Jordan gets set to impress
As part of a week of gaming events for Jordan's 2024 Gaming Summit, this weekend's conclusion squarely places Jordan as the epicentre of esports
Legislation Explained
The DMA Breakdown: What does the Digital Markets Act mean for your business?
The EU's Digital Markets Act has changed the stakes. But what does the new legislation really mean for your apps and how best can you take advantage of it?
Warzone Wobble
Call of Duty Warzone: Mobile generated 'just' $6.92 million in its first month
Meanwhile its predecessor Call of Duty: Mobile’s launch month brought in over six times as much at $44 million
Pgc Fireside Chats
Hear from the experts - eight fabulous fireside chats from PGC London 2024
At PGC London 2024 HyprMX sat down with the thought leaders, pioneers, creators and execs who are shaping mobile games. Here are eight of our favourites
Art Ascends
King’s Trevor Burrows on the power of art: "We could see our numbers literally dropping"
Farm Heroes Saga has a willingness to experiment but importantly listens to its fans so taking a U-turn back from a "fresh, more contemporary art style" proved to be a smart move
Honkai Hoorah
Honkai: Star Rail earned more than double Genshin Impact’s revenue in March
Honkai: Star Rail generated $118.3 million in-game on mobile compared to Genshin Impact’s $58.5 million
Tiktok Ban
US faces prospect of TikTok ban as House of Representatives passes bill
State due to vote on bill
Passive Activism
Games Go Green: Major studios join PlanetPlay’s Make Green Tuesday Moves initiative to fight climate change
Exclusive in-game items & boosted engagement fuel real-world sustainability efforts, harnessing #PassiveActivism
King Of King
Tjodolf Sommestad talks AI, tips for indie devs, and a day in the life of King's president
It's all about "collaboration, curiosity, and transparency." Plus plenty of data-driven decisions
New Partnerships
Kwalee moves into casual games for Text Express: Word Adventure
Kwalee has partnered with Story Giant Games to become the new publisher of the award-winning puzzle game
Closure Announcement
Women Who Code is shutting down due to lack of funding
"We will not be able to continue offering any program services, and will be canceling all upcoming events"
Long Term Ops
Behind the scenes: How to achieve a 30% revenue increase three years after launch
Azur Games' Milana Gelmanova takes a deep dive on the long term ops of Taxi Run
Hot Five
Hot Five: Earth Day, birthdays, game closures, layoffs and more. Here's what's hot right now…
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Podcast | Episode 08
The UK games industry's skills crisis, Fallout's TV success, and Epic's endless court battles | 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 08…
Flying High
Delta game emulator hits No. 1 on the App Store download charts in 35 countries
Nintendo games emulator has reached the top 10 in 66 countries so far today
Week That Was
Week in Views - The search for skills, billion dollar birthdays and terrific transmedia
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Podcast
DoubleDown Interactive’s Faith Price on lifecycle marketing tips to extend your app’s lifespan | 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…
Earth Day
Rovio's Angry Birds environmental campaign comes in to land on Earth Day
The activities are featured across their full range of Angry Birds games and promo activities including Times Square video ads
New Games
New release roundup: Take That: This is Life, Neopets: Tales of Dacardia, Persona 5: The Phantom X and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover
Investment News
Multi-million funding to ignite growth for UK games studios
The UKGF's £3 million initiative will provide grants of up to £150,000 to 22 promising games companies in the UK
Q&a
Speaker Spotlight: Xsolla's Chris Meredith on making the most of D2C and today's revenue opportunities
"Companies must adopt a Direct-to-Consumer approach to maximize their revenue potential and build stronger relationships with their audience"
Chart Climbers
Chart Climbers: Brawl Stars, Legend of Mushroom, Sea of Conquest and more rise up the mobile game revenue rankings
We highlight the top trending mobile games right now
New Hires
Fortis team boosted by top ex-King, PopCap EA, Microsoft and Warner Bros. Games talent
New hires deliver a new chief publishing officer, SVP of game development and VP of art
Crushing It
AI joins the team at King: "Our challenge is to create the right amount of challenge"
A day at King: Using AI in harmony with experts to craft evergreen games with the perfect balance
Going Green
Merge Mansion takes on environmental issues in time for Earth Day
The game's Recycle Runaway event is part of Earth Month celebrations as Metacore joins Green Game Jam 2024