New game digest: Fortnite, Arknights, Aniimo, Bluey, SpongeBob, Powerwash Simulator, more
Epic's battle royale is back on Google Play as Arknights and Aniimo make a splash at The Game Awards in this week's new game round-up.
On the podcast: what’s next for Warner’s mobile games, why award shows ignore mobile, weird/funny/cynical TikTok ads, more
This week’s inside view of the mobile game business.
FunPlus’ Chris Petrovic on the rise of Chinese gamedev, VC-style greenlighting and fewer, bigger, better releases
The industry giant and former Zynga exec explains how FunPlus is incentivising new game teams with a percentage of its profits, and why China’s game developers are one step ahead.
Why mobile games get ignored at awards shows
The Game Awards, BAFTAs and Golden Joysticks tend to ignore most mobile games entirely, and for good reason: these awards are about cultural impact, not downloads and revenue.
Data digest: Jam City fined $1.6m, November’s top games, Little Farm Story, Budge’s 2bn installs, more
There are also numbers from Rush Royale, Huuuge, Unico plus the growing Asia and MENA markets in this week's round-up.
What’s hot in mobile game ads? AI slop, Pokémon torture, innuendo, brainrot, giant zombies, more
TikTok seems to be serving more mobile game ads than ever right now – so how are games like Kingshot, Palmon Survival, X-Clash and All In Hole trying to hook us in?
The mobile games caught up in that potential Netflix-Warner Bros deal
Warner’s mobile games earn around $4.4m monthly combined, according to Appmagic. Which is not great. And are licensed games from Zynga, Jam City, Scopely and more now in danger too?
November’s top grossing mobile games
LastWar, Roblox and Monopoly Go lead the way in Appmagic's list after a dramatic drop for Honor of Kings, while Kingshot, Gossip Harbor and Delta Force cement their spots in the top ten.
November’s top mobile game downloads
Block Blast is on top again, Roblox drops and there are two surprise new entries - plus that baffling X-Clash game - in the top ten, according to Appmagic.
Is EA taking another shot at Apex Legends and Battlefield on mobile?
Probably: it is hiring a VP and ‘head of mobile shooters’ that’ll report into Respawn and Battlefield GM Vince Zampella.
Venn diagram puzzler Mindset Go launches in print as well as on mobile
UK studio Magicave has struck a deal to publish its puzzles in The Observer after launching on app stores.
Trip Hawkins and the ‘DChoc mafia’ shaping today’s mobile game business
The talent Trip Hawkins hired at Digital Chocolate is now running large chunks of today’s mobile game industry. "I probably helped a lot of these people realise they could do it, like Steve Jobs helped me realise I could do it," he tells us.
Can a full China launch save Destiny: Rising?
Our Destiny correspondent Ryan Gilliam says Destiny Rising’s second season has flopped, and the numbers aren’t looking good. A full China launch could be the game’s last roll of the dice.
Jobs digest: moves and promotions at Metacore, Hutch, Everplay, Nordeus and more
Our latest recruitment round-up also has moves at Ace High Sports, Ludia, Funday and Raptor.
Netflix Games ditches top performer GTA: San Andreas as reboot continues
Rockstar’s gangster epic is among over a dozen titles leaving the service soon. San Andreas is its most successful title, having racked up an estimated 57m+ installs through Netflix.
