Stay Informed
Get Industry News In Your Inbox…
Sign Up Today
To help get you primed and ready for another week in mobile gaming, we’ve curated the biggest stories you need to know from the last seven days.
1) AppLovin-owned Adjust lays off staff
AppLovin subsidiary Adjust has laid off at least 120 staff, PocketGamer.biz understands, according to a recent WARN notice filed on November 13th, 2024.
The notice included that 120 figure, but it is currently unclear whether these redundancies encompass any of the 61 layoffs announced in August, the 65 on October 3rd, or the 58 on October 15th.
2) Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket surges past $100 million in 17 days
Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket surged past $100 million in gross revenue in just 17 days, hitting its latest milestone on November 15th.
That day was also TCG Pocket’s most lucrative yet, yielding $8.2 million in gross player spending across the App Store and Google Play, according to AppMagic estimates. This was almost $2 million above its average daily player spending since launch: $6.4 million.
3) Monopoly Go revenue falls 58% in October but remains a top 10 grossing game
Player spending in Scopely’s Monopoly Go was down to $117.8 million this October, a fall of 58.3% since March 2024, the game’s top month. According to AppMagic estimates, monthly earnings have been on the decline since the game entered its second year.
Revenue from Monopoly Go’s web shop and alternative app stores is unknown, but even with its decline on the App Store and Play store it remained the month’s eighth highest-grossing game.
4) Game Analysis: The winning formula behind Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket
Game design expert Jakub Remiar’s highlighted nostalgic appeal and mobile-friendly gameplay among the major strengths of Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, streamlining the physical card game’s 60-card decks to 20, for example.
He suggested that with this latest mobile Pokémon launch, “we are witnessing a similar seismic impact on the revenue side as we saw with the Pokémon Go release in 2016”.
5) Minecraft set for real-world attractions with $110m Merlin Entertainments deal
Minecraft is getting real-world attractions like themed rides, retail outlets and hotel rooms through a global deal with theme park operator Merlin Entertainments.
Europe’s largest theme park, Merlin is set to invest over £85m ($110m) in two Minecraft attractions opening in the UK and US in 2026 and 2027, either in existing theme parks or as city centre attractions.
