Restructure
Xbox to cut 268 jobs as it shakes up studio structure
Microsoft Casual Games now reports into King as UK studio Ninja Theory could be shut down
Alternative Distribution
"The friction around alternative distribution is starting to come down"
Flexion general manager Victor Horbach discusses the changing mobile distribution landscape and why developers should diversify how they reach players
Pgc Jordan
Save up to $254: PG Connects Jordan Super Early Bird ends this week
Join us in Amman this November 7th and 8th to engage directly with Jordan's vibrant games ecosystem
Latest
Market Report
Japan generates $10bn in mobile game revenue despite declining downloads
Japan recorded 585m mobile game downloads, down 5.4% year over year
Layoffs Imminent
Xbox plans hundreds more layoffs and studio consolidation
The cuts follow 1,600 Xbox layoffs announced in July
New Game
Sanrio to launch first Sanrio Games mobile title in January 2027
The company will hold a launch celebration event in Yokohama on January 14th
Coins And Critters
Lilith Games finds a new hit as Clash of Critters makes $45.6m in four months
The game’s fourth month, between August and September, has been its most lucrative yet in player spending
New Offerings
Zynga Ads+ brings 100 mobile games to advertising offering
The company calls it a “Game Path Optimisation” approach
Funding News
Nex raises over $150m to take Nex Playground global
Nex Playground has surpassed 1m units sold and is distributed across more than 7,000 US retail locations
Editor's Picks
Anniversary
Trailmix on five years of Love & Pies: “There is no status quo in live service”
General manager of Love & Pies at Trailmix Games, Felicity Gracie-Herst, discusses the game's five-year journey and what comes next
Interview
Windup Minds' Bernie Yee on Plants vs. Zombies, UA costs and the wrong lessons from free-to-play
The PvZ 2 producer opens up about gentle monetisation, why mobile was off the table for his new studio and what F2P actually requires
Spending Surge
AppLovin grows 60% Y/Y rounding to $20bn in annual platform ad spend
CEO Adam Foroughi spoke on stage at the All-In Summit 2026
Opinion
For me, the most interesting part isn't AI replacing creative talent, but how it can allow smaller teams to work faster.
Hind Toufga discusses how Nordic studios are utilising AI
By making the cost of acquisition so high, I sometimes wonder where are you going to get all those innovations?
DoubleDown's Faith Price talks D2C, UA challenges and AI
#Pocket Gamer Connects
Pgc Nordics
5 more reasons PG Connects Nordics is an essential event
From Finnish Games Week to multiplatform development and organic networking, here’s why you should be in the room this October 20th and 21st
Aurora
Nominate the women we should celebrate in this year's Aurora Nordics
The honourees will be announced live at PG Connects Nordics this October 20th and 21st
Pgc Jordan
Meet the next generation of developer talent at PG Connects Jordan
We're back in Amman this November 7th and 8th
Pgc London
Five reasons you might think PG Connects London isn't for you - and why it is!
We answer five of the most frequently asked questions about our annual flagship conference
Industry Voices
Week In Views
Diablo heads to Netflix and Monster Hunter Now's $336.9m mobile milestone | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Mobile Mavens
“Apple's new foldable changes the canvas iOS developers are designing for”: The Mobile Mavens on the iPhone Duo
The Mobile Mavens weigh in on Apple's entry into foldable phones and what the Duo could mean for mobile developers
Marvelous Mena
Naphora managing director on rebuilding the studio, going mobile-first and building globally competitive games
“Mobile gives us access to the world's largest gaming audience, global distribution from day one, much shorter development and validation cycles, and an enormous amount of measurable player and market data"
Fresh Foundations
In The Hot Seat: Colossal Order's Mariina Hallikainen on leaving Paradox and life after Cities: Skylines
Seventeen years, one franchise, and now a blank page - Colossal Order's CEO on what comes after Cities: Skylines
Industry Insights
Why most mobile games get LTV wrong at UA scale
Leonid Malysh examines how mobile publishers can calculate LTV more accurately and avoid scaling unprofitable user acquisition campaigns
#The Nordics
Pgc Nordics
Wooga's Holger Wurst confirmed for PGC Nordics
The UX veteran behind June's Journey will join the star speaker lineup for PGC Nordics
All-in On Ai
How Nordic studios are using AI part two: From solo game-builders to support that never sleeps
Five more industry voices from the Nordics explain how AI is reshaping legal risk, team structure, player support and where the human line gets drawn
Superstar Speaker
Embark Studios' Neil Houari to speak at PGC Nordics
The 3D art lead brings his character and world-building expertise to Helsinki this October
Pgc Nordics
InnoGames' Zoran Gjorgiev on rebuilding Heroes of History's live ops one layer at a time
The product manager of Heroes of History on rhythm over frequency, rewards over mechanics and the shift to multi-week "Big Beats"
Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions
Funding News
Kalank secures €1.5m funding round to accelerate international expansion
The funding will support hiring, talent retention and publishing activities
Acquisition
Kakao Games to acquire 39.56% of Me2on for $71.5m
The deal values Me2on at approximately $181m based on the transaction
Funding News
Arcustin Games raises $500,000 in pre-seed funding
The investment values the Istanbul-based studio at $10m
Acquisition
Andrew Stalbow-led investor group completes Bath City FC acquisition
The investment aims to support Bath City’s men’s and women’s teams and make the club Football League-ready
Acquisition
Pocket Worlds acquires Hotel Hideaway and expands social-world portfolio to 80m users
Hotel Hideaway has more than 32m registered users and roughly 300,000 monthly active players
Funding Round
GenAI firm Tripo raises $445m two months after Series A3 round
The tech firm had recently raised $150m in a series A3 financing round
Acquisition
LEGO Digital Play acquires Space Ape spinout Offroad Games
Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed
Jobs News
Job News
GDC welcomes four new members to its Advisory Board
The new members are Amir Satvat, Alexa Ray Corriea, Lucien Parsons and Perrin Kaplan
Job News
Jonathan Knight takes expanded chief games officer role at The New York Times
Knight has held senior games roles at EA, Zynga, Warner Bros. Games and Activision
Jobs Roundup
September 2026's Movers and Shakers: Rovio, King, Trailmix, Tripledot, Apple and more
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
Industry Report
Report: 35% of game founders have decided against hiring because AI can do the work
The ‘Talent Signals Reshaping the Games Industry’ report found that 48% of founders are currently operating at a loss
Podcast | Episode 104
Apple's $2,000+ iPhone Duo and the backlash against new EU App Store rules | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode 104...
#China
Rankings Rise
Delta Force surpasses $10m in daily player spending for the first time
The tactical shooter hit a new record on September 5th, ranking as the most lucrative mobile game globally for one day
Market Report
China games market surpasses $50bn for the first time as player base is forecast to hit 769m by 2030
New data from Niko Partners forecasts the market will reach $59.8bn by 2030
Party Partnership
Duolingo partners with Eggy Party in China
The partnership offers learners in China access to the Eggy Party Quest in Duolingo
Gamescom Insights
5 takeaways from Gamescom 2026: A truly global show, AI's impact, Apple and Google's charm offensive, and what was missing
A look at some of the key trends and talking points coming out of one of the world's biggest trade and consumer shows for games
More News
Winners Revealed
Playing for the Planet reveals 2026 Green Games Awards winners across sustainability categories
The awards concluded the 2026 Green Games Summit, with the Green Game Jam returning in 2027
Job News
Brian Ward asked to remain as Savvy Games Group advisor following departure
Ward became Savvy’s founding CEO in 2021
Unionisation
King faces potential strike in Sweden over collective agreement
Unionen and Sveriges Ingenjörer issued the strike notice on September 15th
New Offerings
AppsFlyer expands attribution tools to cover AI referrals and ChatGPT Ads
The update covers both app installs and re-engagements from AI referrals
Providing Support
Business Finland receives €14m in creative industries R&D funding applications
Gaming companies submitted some of the largest funding applications
App Store Changes
Apple changes EU app tracking transparency with iOS 27.2
The tracking permission requirements themselves will remain unchanged
New Offerings
Smadex refreshes brand as Performance CTV becomes growth engine
The company combines mobile and CTV signals to optimise campaigns against predicted outcomes
Latest Videos
Podcasts
Podcast | Episode 103
Gamescom 2026 insights and Sony Music's shock Puzzle & Dragons investment | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode 103...
Podcast | Episode 102
Did Apple really resolve its EU dispute? | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode 102...
Podcast
Podcast: Xsolla on D2C's growing momentum and its biggest product wave yet
Xsolla president Chris Hewish discusses all things direct-to-consumer ahead of a big week at Gamescom
Podcast
Coming soon to the PocketGamer.biz Podcast: Xsolla on D2C and key pre-Gamescom reveals
Xsolla president Chris Hewish discusses the state of direct-to-consumer and the company's six new solutions for its expanding product suite