Subscription Success
Mobile games using a subscription model almost triple in a year
Liftoff and Appsflyer report that mobile games represent almost 30% of subscription-based apps
Anniversary
Fireproof Games prepares for the tenth anniversary of The Room
The cross-platform hit will be on sale across platforms in September
Startup Speedrun
a16z Games announces Speedrun 2024 with $75 million investment pool
Startups are encouraged to enter for the next event starting in January
Q&a
Game Taco CEO Nancy MacIntyre on the creation of skill gaming platform FanDuel Faceoff
With the rise in popularity of esports gaming both Game Taco and FanDuel saw an opportunity for competitive real money gaming on mobile
Indie Funding
Google opens applications for its latest Indie Games Fund
The tech giant will distribute $2 million to small studios in Latin America
Chinese Restrictions
China to implement new restrictions on children's smartphone use
Just when it looked like China legislation was opening up, new moves to restrict the market are afoot
Financials
EA delivers a record $1.9 billion in net revenue in the first quarter of 2023
Mobile accounted for only a small percentage of the 9% YOY increase, despite FIFA Mobile success
Interview
Space Ape's Simon Hade: “Country Star benefits from several years of live ops R&D right out of the gate”
Space Ape Games co-founder discusses the tactics and tech behind BeatStar's new spin-off game Country Star
Ai Activity
Homa's AI hackathon just built 10 new AI tools in just 48 hours
The company's first Internal Gen AI Hackathon saw 10 teams create new tools to a strict deadline
Routes Arrive
Niantic flies the AR flag with new features in Pokémon Go
Routes in Pokémon Go is a new feature being rolled out ahead of eagerly anticipated Niantic/Capcom collab, Monster Hunter Now
Partnership
Reactional Music and Amanotes announce new partnership
The partnership aims to bring music and gaming closer than ever before.
Unmissable Savings
Indies, take your career to the next level at PG Connects Helsinki this September 12-13
Book your ticket to PG Connects Helsinki today to give your indie brand a boost and save with our Mid-term offer!
Acquisition
Playtika acquires Azerion's Youda Games portfolio for upwards of $89.1 million
Azerion is selling the portfolio as part of its business refocus with an earnout agreement potentially pushing the price even higher
Anniversary
My Talking Tom turns 10
10th anniversary events include a collaboration with MrBeast to support a hospital in the Philippines
Mihoyo Milestone
MiHoYo makes $8 billion in user spending with 73% from Genshin Impact
Honkai: Star Rail makes up 6% of the total in just a few months
Milestone Sales
MLB 9 Innings achieves quarter of a billion dollars in lifetime sales
The franchise is officially North America’s number one mobile baseball game
Report
Japan’s consumer spend set to surpass $12.6 billion in 2023
RPG continues to dominate, but hypercasual is on the rise
Deals
Deals Digest: July 2023's biggest deals at a glance
From Tencent’s acquisition spree to the latest moves in Web3, here are this month's biggest deals from around the mobile games world
Meet The Experts
Your first glimpse at just some of the speakers at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2023!
Check out the star-studded lineup sharing their insights with us at PG Connects Helsinki this September
Innovation Insight
Innovating in a saturated market: Virtuos’ Matthieu Cheynut on the state of play for growing your games
When to invest and when to cut back. Virtuos’ business development director for Europe Matthieu Cheynut shows the road ahead
Mavens
Mobile Mavens: The importance of cross platform
We round up industry opinions on the potential of cross platform gaming
Germany Grows
Germany on the rise with 46% growth in games companies since 2020
A 15.5% rise in games companies was observed in 2022
Apple V Epic
Epic Games appeals to the US Supreme Court in latest Apple legal clash
The move follows Apple’s own appeal filing earlier this month as Epic seek to make a 2021 ruling stick
Privacy
Apple enters the ATT endgame as its quest for privacy enters its final battle
Now they'll require developers to explain their use of certain APIs with non-compliant apps rejected by App Store Connects from Spring 2024
Jobs News
July's Mobile Movers and Shakers: Samantha Ryan leaves EA plus hires for Supercell, Zynga and more
July has seen some significant moves by some of the industry's biggest company's - here's the highlights from the last week
Mentorship Interview
A culture of collaboration: an interview with Finland's LGIN mentoring network
"It doesn't feel like we are competing with each other. We are competing against the world,” says Suvi Kiviniemi of the Living Game Intelligence Network
Success In China
China’s gaming reportedly hit a record gamer base in the first half of 2023
The opening session of ChinaJoy delved into the country’s gaming industry
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 game ad revenue, some best practices for monetising and the moment that one of gaming's giants went mobile first
Monster Hunter
Monster Hunter Now opens for pre-registration ahead of September 14 release
The game will bring the hit franchise to mobile for the first time
Digital Education
United Nations calls for crackdown on mobile app use in schools
UNESCO has called on countries worldwide to evaluate how technology is used in school
Tencent Acquisition
Tencent acquires visual novel company Visual Arts
The move follows the company’s acquisition of Techland earlier this week
Netflix Addition
Cut the Rope returns with a twist for Netflix Games
Flipping from Apple Arcade to Netflix Games, Cut the Rope has found a new home with a new daily gameplay twist
China Licensing
Is China's gaming output back on track?
With 88 new licences granted, could the country’s regulatory issues be coming to an end?
Financials
Capcom saw $311.7 million in net sales in quarter one 2023
The company is forecasting net sales of over $994 million by the end of the fiscal year
Preservation
"Save game?" The quest to preserve classic mobile games forever
Every day great games are being lost to time and progress. We spoke to Professor James Newman a specialist in video game preservation and research about what can be done
Gaming In India
India’s gaming industry draws the line between 'online' and 'real money' gaming
The move comes in the wake of India announcing a new 28% tax on games
Data.ai Report
In-app spending hit a record $67.5 billion in the first half of 2023
Mobile spend has returned to growth following declines in 2022
Partnerships
NetEase partners with payments provider Checkout.com to “accelerate global expansion”
The payment provider will help to facilitate payment integration in new markets
Data Privacy
French regulators call out Apple’s ATT
The iPhone and iOS owner may be in hot water from European regulators
Monetisation
Free-to-play's finest: A games lawyer's guide to getting monetisation right
Isabel Davies shares her pick of great games design from across the world of mobile free-to-play
Deals, Deals, Deals!!!
Deals Digest: The Biggest Deals of 2023 so far
Every big deal from every major player all in one place. Here's the hit list of where the big money is moving
New Release
What is Pokémon Sleep? The latest craze explained
The game brings the world of sleep tracking apps to one of the world’s most beloved franchises
Q&a
Mighty Bear Games’ Simon Davis: "Blockchain technology should just exist to amplify the gaming experience"
Mighty Bear Games CEO Simon Davis discusses the untapped gaming potential of the blockchain and the challenges of today's mobile market
Collaborations
Why mobile is a crucial part of Barbie’s multimedia domination
With their new live-action movie in cinemas, Mattel are making mobile a cornerstone of their Barbie push
Deals
Sega's Rovio deal clears regulatory hurdles and gets the green light
Barring a sudden 11th hour flap, the Sega's Rovio acquisition is set to go ahead
Interview
Speaker Spotlight: Skillprint’s Davin Miyoshi on using AI to personalise your games
Skillprint’s co-founder and CPO shared how AI can help developers to better understand their players
Financials
CyberAgent sees lean financials with game sales down 27.7%
The company operates major hits in Japan such as Uma Musume Pretty Derby
Venture Funding
Valhalla Ventures launches $66 million fund for gaming investment
The firm is targeting “audacious entrepreneurs” across games and mobile
Apple Vs. Consumers
Apple's "anti-competitive" App Store woes continue with a $1 billion class action lawsuit
The suit accuses the company of acting anti-competitively with its imposition of a 30% fee on in-app purchases
Ranking
Japan's top earning mobile games continue to dominate in the first half of 2023
Pole position and number two swap places while third place holds its own