Podcast | Episode 83

Supercell faces Clash Royale controversy and banks on innovation | 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 83...

February 16, 2026

Mobile Games University

Ad monetisation basics in mobile gaming

Aurion11 CEO and Co-founder Igor Lautar gives a detailed rundown of mobile games advertising 101

February 16, 2026

Duolingo Daus

More than 10 million Duolingo users have a 365-day streak

Of the learning app’s 50m daily users, over 10m have a year-long login streak

February 16, 2026

Latest

Sluggish Sonic

Sega’s operating income down 55% as it takes $200m impairment loss on Rovio

Sonic Rumble has also been highlighted for falling short of expectations across every KPI

February 16, 2026

Pgc Summit San Francisco

Meet decision-makers at Pocket Gamer Connects Summit San Francisco

Where mobile games business gets done during GDC week

February 16, 2026

Possible Acqusition

Report: ByteDance in advanced talks to sell Moonton to Savvy Games Group for up to $7bn

Sources say the transaction could close as soon as this quarter, with broad terms already agreed

February 16, 2026

Pgc Barcelona 2026

What to expect when Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona returns on June 15th and 16th

Explore compelling industry opportunities as Pocket Gamer Connects returns to the heart of Europe’s games industry on June 15th and 16th

February 16, 2026

Studio Closure

Mega Studio shuts down game development division after nearly five years

The studio built more than 35 games and apps, and at its peak employed nearly 40 staff

February 16, 2026

Strategic Move

Stillfront’s top shareholders call for extraordinary meeting to elect new board and chair

Laureus Capital and Knuth Capital have proposed a six-member board led by Lars-Johan Jarnheimer as chairman and Erik Forsberg as deputy chairman

February 16, 2026

AI isn’t replacing creative teams, it’s removing friction from development pipelines.

SciPlay CEO Josh Wilson reflects on 2025 and what priorities are shaping the year ahead

Culture-led stories improve awareness and make paid campaigns perform better.

Ada Mockute Jaime shares insights on how culture-led campaigns drive engagement

Week In Views

End of an era at Unity, Resident Evil Survival Unit's future and Pokémon's Super Bowl appearance | Week in Views

The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories

February 13, 2026

Industry Insights

How doubling down on physics expertise helped Rollance stand out in a crowded market

Nikita Tikhomirov talks on building successful products around a studio’s core expertise

February 12, 2026

Industry Outlook

Masseka Games founder Teddy Kossoko on why mobile gaming monetisation might be failing in Africa

“We came to realise that some companies in Africa inflate mobile gaming statistics by including betting and gambling activities”

February 11, 2026

Week In Views

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

The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories

February 6, 2026

Forever Games

2026 live ops trends: Templatisation, personalisation and AI

We speak to Balancy CEO Pavel Ignatov about the latest trends in live ops and the strategies developers can employ right now

February 5, 2026

New Offerings

Ares Interactive opens pre-registration for Baseball Hits 26 featuring Cal Raleigh

The mobile title is being developed by 7th Inning, staffed by veterans of the former MLB Tap Sports Baseball franchise

February 12, 2026

M&a

Mattel acquires full ownership of Mattel163 from NetEase for $159m

Entertainment firm snaps up Chinese publisher's 50% share to value mobile games studio at $318m

February 10, 2026

New Partnerships

Arab Youth Centre and Games Ventures partner to train next generation of MENA game developers

The programme is designed to mirror real-world game studio environments rather than classroom-based learning

February 10, 2026

M&a

Private equity firm Haveli to acquire Budge Studios

Terms of the deal were not disclosed

February 9, 2026

Funding News

Levellr secures $2.5m funding to scale community intelligence platform for game studios and brands

The startup is focused on helping studios understand the reasons behind player behaviour

February 9, 2026

Acqusitions

JetSynthesys confirms EverMerge acquisition from Big Fish Games

The deal supports JetSynthesys’ global expansion plans, with India a key growth market

February 6, 2026

Funding News

UAE developer iBloxx Studios raises $5.4m to complete development of StrayShot

The funding will also support global marketing, live operations and preparation for console releases

February 5, 2026

Jobs Roundup

February 2026's Movers and Shakers: Shifts at Steel Media, Sega’s new CFO, Unity's board room shuffle, and more

Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers

February 12, 2026

Jobs News

Former Unity CEO David Helgason exits company as Bernard Kim joins board

IronSource co-founder and former CEO Tomer Bar-Zee has also left the tech firm

February 11, 2026

Pocket Management

Leadership transition at Pocket Gamer HQ

Founder Chris James moves into chairman role as Dave Bradley takes on day-to-day leadership of the business

February 10, 2026

Podcast | Episode 81

Ubisoft turmoil and what happened to Big Fish Games? | 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 81...

January 31, 2026

Job News

Delphi Interactive appoints ex-Konami tech director Julien Merceron as new CTO

He will oversee a reimagined FIFA simulation launching exclusively on Netflix later this year

January 30, 2026

New Offerings

IGDA Foundation unveils new visual identity in major rebrand

The move includes a new logo, redesigned website, and updated newsletter

February 13, 2026

Growth Drivers

Japan reveals plans to boost support for games and content industries as new growth pillar

Overseas sales of Japanese content reached $37.7bn in 2023

February 13, 2026

Mea Culpa

Supercell CEO sorry for failure to acknowledge role of content creators in Clash Royale's success

Ilkka Paananen takes full responsibility for blog post and thanks creators for their contribution

February 12, 2026

Creator Clash

"Don’t you dare take credit": Twitch streamer Jynxzi calls out Supercell for not recognising Clash Royale content creators

"Part of me just wants to be like ... I hope the game f***g dies"

February 12, 2026

Industry Views

Africacomicade founder warns PC is not Africa’s monetisation solution

While mobile monetisation faces constraints, Michael Oscar Esio says PC carries its own systemic barriers

February 12, 2026

Union Strike

Ubisoft restructuring sparks international strike as 1,200 staff walk out 

The walkout comes after Ubisoft announced studio closures, six game cancellations, and further cost-cutting measures

February 12, 2026

Revenue Results

EA makes $254m on mobile this Q3 as FC Mobile drives net bookings

Mobile represented approximately 13% of EA’s total net revenue during the three months

February 12, 2026

Podcast | Episode 82

What do game developers really think of Project Genie? | 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 82...

February 9, 2026

Podcast | Episode 80

Pocket Gamer Connects London 2026 unwrapped | 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 80...

January 24, 2026

The Slingshot Formula

Podcast: How Angry Birds reached the stars

The Slingshot Formula book author and ex-Rovio leaders discuss Angry Birds Rio, Space, Star Wars and more

January 16, 2026

Podcast | Episode 78

2026 predictions | 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 78...

January 9, 2026