Recognition for UK games, Iron Lung’s indie film success and nine years of Fire Emblem Heroes | Week in Views

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The games industry moves quickly and while stories may come and go there are some that we just can’t let go of…

So, to give those particularly thorny topics a further going over we’ve created a weekly digest where the members of the PocketGamer.biz team share their thoughts and go that little bit deeper on some of the more interesting things that have happened in mobile gaming in the past week.

UKIE welcomes new SIC codes for UK games publishing and development

You might think the introduction of SIC Codes for the games sector is dry news (and you’d be right). But that devalues the recognition the games industry is finally getting in the UK. You know, the country is home to global mega franchise Grand Theft Auto and numerous world-renowned franchises, companies and icons.

To realise how far behind the UK industry is – the emerging Brazil games sector has fought for a long time to get a legal framework to recognise the industry to give it specific code with the National Register of Economic Activities. This would – much like the UK games space is now getting – allow for better sizing up of the industry. Brazil’s games companies are much younger than the UK’s.

But as it is, it’s another step in the right direction for UK games companies getting long-awaited, better government recognition, which could ultimately lead to improved funding, policies and tax incentives.

During Pocket Gamer Connects London, members of the Video Games Council, set up to build connections with the UK Government, expressed dismay at the country’s lack of support for companies.

Miniclip CEO Saad Choudri said while Türkiye offers various schemes, such as a cash rebate worth up to $1m for user acquisition, the UK “isn’t even close to setting up something like that”. Choudri and JECO co-founder Emily Bailey said they wouldn’t start up new large or small game development businesses in the country as it stands.

Hopefully, though, this is the latest signal that the powers that be are taking games seriously. The Minister of State for Trade Policy Chris Bryant also recently attended PGC London to show support for the games industry – though didn’t have a lot to say about any new initiatives.

But fun(?) fact: the UK hasn’t had a Prime Minister complete a full term since David Cameron’s election victory for 2010 to 2015. As controversy surrounds current PM Keir Starmer and his future, hopefully some consistency will remain for games recognition, at least.

Iron Lung movie breaks out at box office with $21.5m opening weekend

I never pass up an opportunity to talk about more video games becoming films, but this one is a little different. The new Iron Lung film is doing incredibly well for itself, based on the game of the same name, made by a solo dev and released in 2022. 

On the surface, the game has a simple premise and gameplay and you can finish it in one sitting but the experience obviously struck a chord with Mark Fischbach, better known as the YouTuber Markiplier. The film is directed, written and stars the popular content creator and with a budget of around $3 million and an opening weekend of $21 million, that’s a pretty incredible feat. 

I watched a video on his channel where he explained getting the film into theatres, how it was a battle to do so, and now it’s in most major theatres, with some viewings fully sold out. It’s a massive achievement for what is essentially an indie film and I think it speaks to the power of his YouTube following. 

Obviously, transmedia projects are nothing new at this point, but to me this one stood out because it isn’t some huge-name IP picked up by a large studio backing it with potentially hundreds of millions, but rather a content creator who has turned a passion project into a grand scale.

I think it’s a great success story for him and also the solo developer of the game. I also wonder whether we’ll see more films from Fischbach, or whether this opens the door for other lesser known games with lower budgets hitting the big screen.

Nintendo’s Fire Emblem Heroes celebrates ninth anniversary and over $1.2bn in revenue

Fire Emblem Heroes celebrated its ninth anniversary on February 2nd, and as a day-one player, it’s a celebration I’ve been awaiting for some time. Now it’s arrived, there’s even more reason to jump in and play every day – on limited-time maps, summoning on new and returning gacha banners, and making the most of bonus rewards.

To make it this far – to nine years – is no small feat for a game. Heroes has not only achieved it, but has done so as Nintendo’s most lucrative mobile title, the only one to surpass $1 billion in lifetime player spending. It’s been achieved through a successful leveraging of mobile mechanics whilst keeping the core of what makes a Fire Emblem game intact, with respect for the source material. Being developed by main series developer Intelligent Systems surely helps there.

Though, inevitably, spending has fallen over those nine years. In year one, AppMagic estimates suggest $265.1 million was generated in-game, where year nine made just $47.9m. The trajectory is clear, with five consecutive years of decline setting an unsettling trend for fans.

At the same time, there’s hope that this year’s new main series release, Fortune’s Weave for the Switch 2, will inject plenty of hype back into the series – while introducing brand-new characters players will be eager to add to their Heroes army.

One of my favourite aspects of Heroes – and its main form of monetisation – is, after all, the characters themselves. Fan favourites from across the series get the most love, but niche characters from Japanese exclusives 30 years ago also get the chance to shine here – reimagined with new art and voice acting. Ultimately, Heroes remains a celebration of all things Fire Emblem.

So, as one of my favourite franchises, I hope Heroes has many more years to come.