games

TOKYO — Pokemon Go, the augmented-reality game that has taken the world by storm, is finally debuting in the land of its birth, Japan. First released in Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. on July 6, the game has since bowed in more than 30 counties, though Japan is the first in Asia. Developed by Niantic, in partnership with the …

Apple stands to be a big beneficiary of the global Pokemon Go craze. But could the blockbuster augmented-reality mobile game actually yield up to $3 billion in revenue from purchases in the App Store within the next 24 months? That’s the eye-popping estimate by Needham & Co. analyst Laura Martin. In a research note Wednesday, she noted that King Digital’s Candy Crush …

FoxNext, the recently formed gaming, virtual reality and theme parks division of 21st Century Fox, is sinking its teeth into the $40 billion mobile games market. FoxNext has acquired mobile-game developer Aftershock, the entity spun off from Kabam after South Korean gaming company Netmarble Games acquired Kabam’s Vancouver studio and other assets last December in a deal reportedly worth up to $800 …

Twitch and competitive-gaming platform startup FaceIt are shaking up the eSports world, joining forces to form a professional league that is offering teams co-ownership positions. The companies say their Esports Championship Series will be the first video-game league to offer teams an ownership stake in the venture, akin to traditional pro sports leagues like the NFL. The initiative’s flagship league, …

Masaya Nakamura, the arcade entertainment pioneer who pioneered smash-hit video game “Pac-Man,” has died at the age of 91. He founded the giant gaming company Namco, which for 10 years was also owner of the Nikkatsu film company. Nakamura’s death was recorded as having taken place more than a week ago, on Jan. 22. But it was only announced by Namco Monday on …

PewDiePie’s new game parodying life as a full-time YouTube creator immediately shot to the top of Apple’s App Store ranking of free-to-download games after it was released Thursday — and the demand from PewDiePie fans (aka “bros”) overwhelmed the servers of the game’s publisher, Outerminds. Many users on social media reported receiving an error message when they tried to set up …

A “Mr. Robot” mobile messaging game has hacked its way into the No. 10 spot on Apple’s App Store chart for paid apps. The $2.99 game, “Mr. Robot:1.51exfiltrati0n.apk” for iOS, has jumped into the top rankings on the App Store just two days after its release — a testament to the popularity of USA Network’s dystopian hacker thriller, currently in the …

Seriously Digital Entertainment wants to turn the madcap bugs and slugs from its “Best Fiends” mobile games into Hollywood stars, with the startup looking to Rovio’s “Angry Birds” as proof it can turn the gaming property into TV shows and movies. Andrew Stalbow, CEO and co-founder of Seriously, knows something about “Angry Birds” (which is getting second feature film from …

Fans of “Narcos,” the Netflix drama about the hunt for Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, will soon be able to build their own international crime syndicates in a new game based on the show. Gaumont Television, which produces “Narcos” for Netflix, teamed up with game publisher FTX Games for “Narcos: Cartel Wars,” a mobile game set to launch in September. The …

Sci-fi series “Orphan Black” will air its farewell season this summer. On Friday, the production company behind the show, Boat Rocker Media, is launching a mobile game to kindle excitement among Clone Club fans leading up to the series finale — and its creators believe the app will have a life that extends well beyond the TV run. “Orphan Black: The …