Podcast
Gamelight’s Günay Aliyeva on the AI algorithm that revolutionises UA | 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…
Winning The War
My.Games' War Robots returns to China
Following a loss of licence in 2021 which it won back in 2023, a new deal with publisher iDreamSky now sees the game return to one of its top three markets
Beating The Odds
Tough times for games? Here are five ways that Belka Games has weathered the storm
Belka Games, Ivan Larionov tells us how the company was able to push through the toughest of times
Flagship Funds
Leslie Benzies' Build A Rocket Boy studio raises $110M for "flagship" trio of projects
RedBird Capital Partners leads investment in Build A Rocket Boy’s Everywhere, MindsEye and Arcadia
More Job Cuts
Support studio PTW cuts 45 positions as game industry layoffs continue
The impacted workforce primarily consisted of QA workers, but job cuts also extended to other departments
Studio Closure
Co-developer THREAKS to close after 15 years
Game development at the company is to cease, but work with their Super Crowd Entertainment events brand continues
Job Cuts
Layoffs confirmed at Choices: Stories You Play maker, Pixelberry Studios
The layoffs will affect various roles, spanning from QA staff and producers to artists and programmers
Google Says Go
Google lays off 1,000+ employees in stealth as AI takes on the workload
Employees from ad sales, hardware, AR, Pixel, YouTube and more have been quietly let go through the month
Back From The Dead
Plants vs Zombies 3: Welcome to Zomburbia soft launches in the UK and other select regions
The hugely popular action puzzle game is back. It's time to enjoy classic Plants vs Zombies gameplay with another new twist
Rising Stars
Netflix's Grand Theft Auto re-releases dominate December's mobile app rankings
Data.ai's monthly gaming pulse for December reveals which new games globally are the ones to watch
Successful Defence
Homa wins Craft Island court case against Voodoo, ending almost three years of uncertainty
Voodoo had accused Homa of "maintaining confusion" through similarities between Homa's Craft Island and their own Lumbercraft
Go Speed Racer!
Moving into high gear - see the brand new Triple-A Racing Kingdom at PGC London!
SuperGears Games' Racing Kingdom is one of over 90 new titles to be showcased at PGC London - PG.biz finds out more from studio CEO Yasin Demirden
Layoffs Looming
Thunderful Group to lay off 20% of workforce in the first half of 2024
Approximately 100 staff members will be exiting the company as a restructure gets underway
Mag Millions
MAG Interactive’s Q1 EBITDA up 671,033%
UA challenges lead to 21% net sales decline
Gotta Earn 'em All
Pokémon Masters surpasses $300 million in lifetime player spending
After Pokémon Go, Masters marks The Pokémon Company’s second-biggest mobile game by revenue
Business As Usual
Despite new regulations Apple will still be able to charge 27% on external platform payments
While following new regulations to the letter, new changes to the Apple App Store Guidelines ensure that they'll get paid no matter what
The Place To Be
You can't afford to miss the networking event of the year in San Francisco!
Join us as industry titans from all over the globe converge in San Francisco for the ultimate networking experience!
Today's Apple Upset
Apple fail to dodge sweeping app store changes as the law closes in
The latest suit from Epic may have failed, but the changes previously demanded of the iPhone giant remain in place and will have huge implications
Job Losses
Netspeak CEO announces the loss of approximately 25 jobs
After a successful soft launch of their first game, Sunshine Days, it appears that further investment to continue its development has, as yet, not been forthcoming
Tencent Tumble
Tencent's external investments have dropped 87% in two years
From healthcare to AI start-ups, the number of Tencent investments in external companies decreased from 299 in 2021 to just 39 in 2023
Influencer Insider Information
Why you’re not seeing ROI on your influencer campaigns and how to fix them
Future-ready UA strategies: 5 steps to scale ROI on your influencer marketing campaigns
Macrosoft
Microsoft talk AI and topple Apple, making them the world’s biggest public company
Microsoft shares were up 3% last week while Apple’s were down by 3%, enough of a tip to put neck-and-neck Microsoft over the top
Whiteout Wonder
Whiteout Survival surpasses $400 million in 11 months
Century Games’ frosty survival title has slid its way onto nearly 30 million mobile devices
Optimising
How much analysis is too much? The fine art of balancing data and game development
Azur Games Maxim Kozhnov shares valuable insight on how analysts can optimise their workflow
Impressive Performance
Gamelight bags 12% of all match-3 game ad spend worldwide
Data from Singular shows that the platform's AI-powered algorithm is delivering the goods on match-3, despite their presence in only 11 countries
Out Of The Loop
Double Loop may be closing before its first launch but Scopely is taking on its staff
Double Loop has struggled through a "hostile funding and marketing environment" in recent years
Your Virtual Invitation
Can’t join us in London in-person? No problem, join us from your home or office as a virtual attendee!
Book your virtual meeting ticket today and access all the immense value of PG Connects London from wherever you are in the world
Class Confrontation
Into Games is raising £100,000 to take on class disparity in UK games
With working-class jobseekers eight times less likely to get a start in gaming, Into Games wants to make a change
Industry Outlook
2023 saw revenue soar amidst declining downloads with big name games setting the pace
Report from data.ai shows Konami's eFootball 2024 and EA's EA Sports FC 24 dominating the sports genre while Monopoly GO! continues to impress.
Gaming Trends
Monopoly GO! and Roblox impress in the latest mobile games results and trends report
Sensor Tower data also shows that casino games have now emerged as frontrunners, experiencing a consistent YoY increase in in-app purchase bookings
Rallying Relief
Capcom and Square Enix donate millions in relief funds to support victims of Japan earthquake
Donations of ¥120 million and ¥50 million from two of Japan's gaming giants will support victims of the earthquake and rebuilding efforts
Hot Five
Hot Five: Global layoffs continue, playtime rises, and Monster Hunter celebrates 20 years
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Hypercasual Trends
Hypercasual is on the slide but new titles are poised to fight back
AppMagic's hypercasual charts for Q4 2023 shows that downloads are down - 3.2 billion in 2023 versus 3.4 billion in 2022
Week That Was
Week in Views - from Unity 'ripping off the band aid' to SAG-AFTRA's AI rollover. Here's our pick of what's hot
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Turning The Tide
Did GTA just save Netflix Games? Year on year installs are up 180%
After struggling to find an audience it appears that Netflix' gaming offering is finally starting to deliver the numbers thanks to Grand Theft Auto…
Deep Dive
Game Analysis: Deconstructing Spyke Games' Tile Busters
Belka Games' Irina Kurskaya breaks down Tile Busters, detailing its approach to liveops, monetisation and how it stands out from the crowd
Job Losses
Discord to cut 17% of its workforce
Following four years of success, Discord makes its second round of cuts in five months in order to redress earlier over expansion
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from bopping tank tunes to Chinese martial arts
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Job Losses
Cookie Run maker's Devsisters USA office to remain open despite layoffs
Albert Chung, director of US operations & marketing: "Devsisters USA remains committed to delivering quality entertainment to our fans and community."
Star Stats
2023 saw record highs in time spent on mobile and almost half a million app installs every minute
Here are five key stats to know from data.ai's State of Mobile 2024
Podcast
Games Factory Talents’ Oleg Paliy on how to land your dream job in 2024 | 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…
Job Losses
Playtika to cut 300 - 400 more jobs in latest rounds of layoffs
Another 10% of the workforce are set to go following the loss of jobs through 2022 and an unsuccessful attempt to acquire Rovio in 2023
Executive Exit
Unity restructure sees six ironSource co-founders step down
New CEO Jim Whitehurst clears the decks with key ironSource figures moving to non-executive roles while Tomer Bar-Zeev will continue to serve on the Board of Directors
One-stop-shop
Coda and Activision team up for new Call of Duty: Mobile web store
As a way of celebrating the launch, players can enjoy a 50% bonus on COD Points whilst enjoying other giveaways and promotions throughout this year
Job Losses
Cookie Run makers Devsisters shutters US office
Ex-staff take to LinkedIn to share the news of layoffs at the Korean company's US office
Sybo Celebration
Subway Surfers character crafting compo brings winning design in-game for 12th anniversary
Sybo’s endless runner is approaching 12 years, with a Craft-a-Character competition to celebrate
Game Saver
Behind the scenes: How our relaunch reboot reignited Merge Gardens
Futureplay’s Joonas Virtanen discusses the redemption journey that led to the revitalisation of Merge Gardens
The Greatest Genres
RPGs dominate consumer spending, generating 30% of all 2023 mobile game revenue
data.ai’s new report reveals reveals that the genre generated $24.5 billion - a huge 30% of revenues - from only 3% of total game downloads
Regional Revenues
China and US accounted for more than 50% of the $107 billion spent on mobile games in 2023
data.ai’s latest report reveals all about regional revenue and download differences
Strategic Downsizing
Twitch slashes 500 jobs - 35% of its staff - in latest cuts
Despite its widespread popularity, experiencing a surge in users through pandemic lockdowns, Twitch continues to grapple with financial challenges