Analysis
Is Honkai: Star Rail cannibalising Genshin Impact?
Andriy Zmeul analyses the revenue drop for Genshin Impact and investigates if their own Honkai: Star Rail is to blame
A Major Update
Honkai: Star Rail hits 100m downloads and launches V2.0 today
The update will see the highly-anticipated Penacony realm make its debut with Apple Vision Pro compatibility on board too
Tencent Turnaround
China approves 32 overseas licences including Nexon and Tencent’s Mobile DnF
While an unstable landscape for games, China continues to prove a lucrative one
Gaming Trends
65% of game studios are working on live service games
30% are working on updates, while 65% of studios plan to increase their use of off-the-shelf tools, reveals new game development report
Peak Performance
Match Factory! surpasses $20M… With 99% coming from iOS
Peak Games’ Match Factory! has taken the 3D puzzle world by storm since its August 2023 release
It's Play Time
Which games were played the most in 2023?
The Mobile Gaming Index by Gamelight ranks games and genres by minutes played. If you want to know what gameplay and game design is winning right now, look no further
Mega Mobile
A huge 72% of 2023 game revenues came from mobile
Xsolla’s State of Play report reveals the latest gaming trends and a trajectory akin to e-commerce
Job Moves
Devolver Digital CEO steps down and moves on
Douglas Morin is leaving the company following their latest on-track financials, after a difficult year, delays, cuts and an underperforming IPO
Hot Five
Hot Five: Layoffs stack up, strategic investments are abound, and Nintendo finds cause for mobile celebration
Our quick-fix start-the-week roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Week That Was
Week in Views - Apple gives and takes while Nintendo quietly makes a billion
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from anime spin-offs to triple-A console conversions
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Launch Day
Apple Vision Pro launches with over 600 dedicated apps
Today's the day that Apple's 'next big thing' lands with users and it's App Store opens up offering early movers a new audience for games and apps
China Gaming
Tencent play the AI card to brush off gaming worries
At their annual meeting this week CEO Pony Ma recognised increased gaming competition but praised AI advances
Fire Emblem Burns Bright
7 years of Fire Emblem Heroes: Evolving beyond an SRPG into Nintendo’s only billion-dollar mobile game
Fire Emblem Heroes is seven years old today, and I’m still playing…
Growing Games
Scottish Government backs new National Games Strategy
Following this new initiative Scotland becomes the first part of the UK with a dedicated games strategy
New Appointments
Gameloft roll out new leadership at Gameloft for brands extension
The company's new leadership team are on board to expand advertising solutions to new platforms and technologies
Hypercharged Performance
What's going on with Brawl Stars? Supercell's 2018 game is having a major payday
While 2023 was a perfectly good year for Brawl Stars the past two months have seen the game's earnings go stratospheric
Gaming Gold
Nordcurrent acquires legendary Cinemaware games line-up
CEO Victoria Trofimova: "We want the future players of our Defender of The Crown to say – yes, that’s the one!"
Podcast
NAK3D’s Kelly Vero on merging fashion and gaming to revolutionise commerce | 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…
Record Breaking
Genshin Impact is the fastest ever game to reach $5 billion consumer spend
While joining the 5x unicorn club, the internationally popular action RPG has proved to be the fastest ever game to do so
African Expansion
“Africa will be one of the top three regions for the global games market over the next ten years”
Usiku Games game producer Denis Odera on developing mobile games in Africa and what makes the region prime for expansion
Women In Games
Niantic’s Karen Tong shares her experience marketing the world’s biggest AR game, Pokémon GO
As part of its ongoing Women In Games series, Liftoff speaks to Karen Tong, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Niantic about her achievements, challenges and aspirations.
Lifestyle Marketing
Bingo Blitz launches $1 million sweepstakes promo for the Super Bowl
A lucky winner will get the prize money if either team achieves a record-breaking eight quarterback sacks
Fueling Indie Fire
Day of the Devs becomes a non-profit organisation
The decision to become non-profit as it "opens us up to better funding opportunities..."
Redefining Storytelling
Xsolla launches Story3 platform to empower creators
The platform is designed to embody storytelling freedom and foster a creative ecosystem for makers
China Regulations
China greenlights 115 games in January, largest batch in 18 months
Tencent, Lilith Games and others have had their titles approved this month
Profile
Company Spotlight: Mistplay
Find out more about the mobile gaming loyalty platform that drives strong user acquisition, retention, and LTV for game publishers
Funding Round
Helsinki studio Order of Meta raises $3.3 million
Developer will use financing to finish development and soft launch Cargo Hunters
Blizzard names Call of Duty GM Johanna Faries as new president
New appointment comes as previous incumbent Mike Ybarra exits the company
Going Public
Report: Reddit eyes $5 billion IPO
Final decision to go public said to depend on economic factors
Collaborations
Developers Klab and Pocket Pair team up for new title
The two companies have both recently been in the news as their latest titles have undergone troubled launches and industry scrutiny
Strategic Growth
Krafton plans AI, India focus, and a 20-game lineup in 2024 roadmap
The publisher is getting set to launch two games this year with many more in development
Hot Five
Hot Five: Apple's Unity-like Runtime Fee rolls out in EU, YouTube cuts games division, and Playdemic founders open ForthStar
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
"don't Resist, Just Comply"
Spotify: Apple’s new EU rules are “extortion” and a “complete and total farce”
“The old tax was rendered unacceptable under the DMA, so they created a new one masquerading as compliance with the law”
Week That Was
Week in Views - Apple's DMA dodges, inspiration for tough times, and PGC London highlights
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Streaming To Ios
It's not just App Stores… Apple make big changes for cloud gaming and webkit too
While the introduction of Apple's new Core Technology Fee has grabbed headlines, DMA compliancy has opened the door for web devs and game streaming
Hello Goodbye
Launched and shuttered in a single Tweet… Love Live! School Idol Festival 2 lives! And dies…
The Love Live! sequel gets its English translation and a global launch just as it's makers decide to pull the plug on the whole thing
Podcast
Mega Studio’s Adam Jaffe on the impressive benefits of incentivised traffic | 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…
An Epic Comeback
Fortnite and the Epic Games Store are coming to iOS devices this year
The battle royale game will only be available in parts of Europe covered by the Digital Markets Act
Ecosystem Expansion
AOFverse raises $3 million to propel Web3 gaming vision
The platform seeks to strengthen its position with the release of its flagship game Army of Fortune later this year
Dma Dodging
Apple's Core Technology Fee explained - Who'll be paying what (and is this even legal?)
17%, 10%, 3% and a new Core Technology Fee? Here's everything you need to know about Apple's plans to still get paid in Europe post DMA regulations
Five New Games
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from RPG gachas to Web3 tower defence
We highlight five new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Runtime Reloaded
Apple rolls out Unity-like Runtime Fee for downloads as it seeks to outrun new EU regulations
Apple lowers share to 17% in EU while adding a €0.50 download fee
App Store Wars
Meta, Spotify and more are set to storm Apple’s walled garden in Europe
But will Apple be able to fight back with new rules, fees and restrictions in order to stay on top?
Ip Investigation
The Pokémon Company will "investigate" IP infringement after questions raised around Palworld
Palworld's monster designs are being compared with Pokémon's as questions around IP and copyright swirl
Jobs In Games
Oliver Bulloss takes the helm as chief product officer at MTG
Bulloss will participate in upcoming M&A processes as well as take a proactive role in influencing MTG's strategy.
New Broom
Blizzard president Mike Ybarra is out as Microsoft lays off 1,900
The inevitable restructure and consolidation of the two giants - with the nuking of dual roles and now superfluous departments - didn't take long…
Accelerator Funding
Narwhal Accelerator to support gaming and tech startups
The program only requests for a minor stake in company shares as part of the arrangement.
Atelier Arrival
Koei Tecmo’s Atelier Resleriana launches worldwide today
The first mobile main series Atelier game releases globally four months on from Japanese launch
Game Creation
Roblox launches new Creator Store for faster game building
The company has prioritised three main aspects: safety, utility, and opportunity for earnings