“Government support has moved from a nice-to-have benefit to a priority”: The Mobile Mavens on where games studios choose to build

“Government support has moved from a nice-to-have benefit to a priority”: The Mobile Mavens on where games studios choose to build

Our Mobile Mavens discuss whether government support has become essential for studios competing in the global games market

Bafta Fellow and Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen on a 25-year career in mobile gaming

The Big Interview

Bafta Fellow and Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen on a 25-year career in mobile gaming

As the Finnish entrepreneur receives a BAFTA Fellowship, we catch up with Paananen to discuss his career in games and the mobile market's key challenges

Wuthering Waves lands collabs with Angry Birds, Resident Evil, Pragmata and more

Wuthering Waves lands collabs with Angry Birds, Resident Evil, Pragmata and more

Character designs will feature on the new Expedition Motorbike, introduced in version 3.0

Latest

SayGames expands into Vietnam with BagMaster Isekai

New Partnerships

SayGames expands into Vietnam with BagMaster Isekai

The partnership signals SayGames’ push into Southeast Asia

Ubisoft Halifax workers approve settlement following sudden studio closure

Settlement Reached

Ubisoft Halifax workers approve settlement following sudden studio closure

Terms of the deal remain confidential but mark a key outcome for affected workers

Clair Obscur and Dispatch take top accolades at BAFTA Games Awards 2026

Winners Revealed

Clair Obscur and Dispatch take top accolades at BAFTA Games Awards 2026

More than 1,700 BAFTA members voted across 17 categories

Hot Five: Supercell’s strategy, Aptoide vs Google, and the UK Games Fund’s £28.5m pledge

Hot Five: Supercell’s strategy, Aptoide vs Google, and the UK Games Fund’s £28.5m pledge

Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz

Xbox Game Pass’ value debate and Doki Doki Literature Club’s policy clash | Week in Views

Xbox Game Pass’ value debate and Doki Doki Literature Club’s policy clash | Week in Views

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

Reforged Studios secures $30m to scale global games IP platform

Reforged Studios secures $30m to scale global games IP platform

The funding follows the company’s acquisition of German publisher Headup

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Editor's Picks

Supercell president:

Studio Strategy

Supercell president: "If we want to be one of the very best mobile game companies in the world, great live ops isn't enough"

We speak with Sara Bach about Supercell's new and live game challenges, lessons from China and how it's restructuring to adapt to the modern mobile market

The Top 30 US Mobile Game Makers of 2026

Us Best Of 2026

The Top 30 US Mobile Game Makers of 2026

The US movers and shakers of the last 12 months revealed!

April 2026's Movers and Shakers: Scopely, Rovio, Blizzard, Ubisoft, King, and more

April 2026's Movers and Shakers: Scopely, Rovio, Blizzard, Ubisoft, King, and more

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

Opinion

<blockquote>We view direct-to-consumer as a meaningful growth driver.</blockquote>

We view direct-to-consumer as a meaningful growth driver.

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick eyes a further push into D2C alongside other top games publishers

<blockquote>Ads remain the most common and viable monetisation model across Africa's gaming markets today.</blockquote>

Ads remain the most common and viable monetisation model across Africa's gaming markets today.

Africacomicade founder Michael Oscar Esio debates Africa's monetisation landscape

#Pocket Gamer Connects

Who you will meet in Malmö this May

Pgc Summit MalmÖ

Who you will meet in Malmö this May

Business-first summit will gather leading game companies on May 27th and 28th

How pitching competitions support indie developers

Big Indie Pitch

How pitching competitions support indie developers

Turn your indie game from work-in-progress to global launch

Discover how to enter and navigate China's games market in 2026 at PGC Summit Shanghai

Pgc Summit Shanghai

Discover how to enter and navigate China's games market in 2026 at PGC Summit Shanghai

Gain insight and connect with China’s game professionals in Shanghai on July 29th

Pgc Summit MalmÖ

Find out the secrets behind Sweden's games industry success in Malmö on May 27th to 28th

Gain market insight and build partnerships as the Nordic games industry meets for business

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Industry Voices

ThinkingAI and MiniMax Announce Partnership on Agentic Engine to Deliver Real-Time Operations

Thinking Ai Launches Agentic Engine

ThinkingAI and MiniMax Announce Partnership on Agentic Engine to Deliver Real-Time Operations

ThinkingData has rebranded as ThinkingAI and partnered with MiniMax to launch Agentic Engine - an autonomous enterprise agentic platform designed to disrupt traditional data analysis

Starvania Studios CEO reflects on four years of growth, Bahamut breakthrough and what comes next

Starvania Studios CEO reflects on four years of growth, Bahamut breakthrough and what comes next

“We once nearly lost hope of getting Bahamut and the Waqwaq Tree to the finish line, and now it is an award-winning success across multiple platforms”

Why game developers should prioritise player trust over instant dopamine

Industry Insights

Why game developers should prioritise player trust over instant dopamine

Jaroslav Stacevic says that game developers should focus on respecting players’ time and building trust

Forecasting mobile game profitability: How publishers predict UA performance

Industry Insights

Forecasting mobile game profitability: How publishers predict UA performance

Iaroslav Kobozev discusses how mobile studios predict long-term profitability from early user acquisition performance

Navigating the global payments frontier - an interview with Fastspring's Christopher Bunk

Global Merchant Of Record

Navigating the global payments frontier - an interview with Fastspring's Christopher Bunk

“We become the seller of record in every transaction, which means we own the tax obligation, we own the fraud risk, and we handle compliance globally”

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#MENA

Mission Control Games launches with $4m pre-seed to rethink casual puzzle design

Mission Control Games launches with $4m pre-seed to rethink casual puzzle design

The funding will be used to grow the team and build its first title

New studio Kemet Entertainment opens in Cairo

New studio Kemet Entertainment opens in Cairo

While starting with mobile games, the studio plans to expand into broader entertainment experiences

ESL FACEIT Group teams up with KICK for esports streams

Enhancing Esports

ESL FACEIT Group teams up with KICK for esports streams

Viewership of Counter-Strike and Dota 2 competitions will aim to expand in the MENA region

Why monetisation in Africa is still a retention problem

Africa Is Mobile

Why monetisation in Africa is still a retention problem

"The studios that win here will be the ones who understood the conditions that actually exist, not the ones chasing a market size number that doesn't reflect their reality"

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Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions

CookieRun: Kingdom launches KPop Demon Hunters crossover with limited-time event

CookieRun: Kingdom launches KPop Demon Hunters crossover with limited-time event

The collaboration runs until May 6th 2026, giving players a window to engage with themed content and limited-time rewards

Cloud gaming firm Playruo raises $2.5m

Cloud gaming firm Playruo raises $2.5m

Company aims to expand its services globally following investment

Five studios come together to form Nova Assembly

Developers Unite

Five studios come together to form Nova Assembly

Developers unite to share specialised expertise and production experience

Codfish Academy partners with Dear Villagers to launch game pitching clinic in Portugal

Developer Support

Codfish Academy partners with Dear Villagers to launch game pitching clinic in Portugal

Five selected teams will present their projects directly to a publisher with the potential to secure funding and publishing support

Quantic Lab exits Embracer Group

Freedom Regained

Quantic Lab exits Embracer Group

The transition took effect on April 1st, 2026, marking the end of Quantic Lab’s period within the Embracer portfolio

LY Corp acquires majority stake in Kakao Games with $198m investment

LY Corp acquires majority stake in Kakao Games with $198m investment

Kakao will remain a strategic partner despite stepping down to second largest shareholder

Esports Foundation selects 40 clubs for $20m partner program ahead of 2026 Esports World Cup

Esports Foundation selects 40 clubs for $20m partner program ahead of 2026 Esports World Cup

Participating clubs can receive up to $1m each to expand their brands and fan engagement ahead of the tournament

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Jobs News

Imperia Online taps Mario Vasilev as new chief operating officer

Imperia Online taps Mario Vasilev as new chief operating officer

New COO role targets improved efficiency and collaboration across teams

UK games sector loses 1,537 jobs as 14-year growth streak ends

Industry Outlook

UK games sector loses 1,537 jobs as 14-year growth streak ends

Large studios also reduced staffing levels, shedding more than 700 development roles across the sector

Rec Room to shut down after failing to achieve profitability from 150m players

Rec Room to shut down after failing to achieve profitability from 150m players

The company cited shifts in the VR market and broader games industry pressures as key factors behind the decision

Nodwin Gaming appoints chief strategy and investments officer ahead of potential IPO

Nodwin Gaming appoints chief strategy and investments officer ahead of potential IPO

He will lead mergers and acquisitions, corporate strategy and fundraising to support the company's global expansion

Epic layoffs spark launch of ‘Awesome People List’ job site for more than 1,000 displaced staff

Epic layoffs spark launch of ‘Awesome People List’ job site for more than 1,000 displaced staff

The platform allows hiring managers to browse candidates across engineering, design, production, community management, and security roles

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#Regulation

"This is a fundamental shift in the way that games are rated": The Mobile Mavens on PEGI's new rules

Our Mobile Mavens share their insights on PEGI's updated age rating criteria and what it means for the wider games industry

German publishers urge antitrust fine against Apple ATT

German publishers urge antitrust fine against Apple ATT

Industry groups say Apple’s proposed ATT changes fail to resolve competition concerns

Report: Trump administration reviews Tencent gaming investments over security concerns

Security Review

Report: Trump administration reviews Tencent gaming investments over security concerns

Officials are assessing whether the company’s investments pose potential national security risks.

UK consultation on kids’ online lives: what the video games industry needs to know

UK consultation on kids’ online lives: what the video games industry needs to know

Celia Pontin explains the UK government’s consultation on keeping children safe online

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More News

Roblox launches agentic AI tools to speed up game development workflows

Roblox launches agentic AI tools to speed up game development workflows

The company said 44% of top creators already rely on AI tools across Roblox’s ecosystem

Layoffs leave over half of redundant games workers still jobless

Industry Outlook

Layoffs leave over half of redundant games workers still jobless

New report from Skillsearch shows budget cuts are among the top three reasons for industry redundancies

Paramount's Call of Duty film set for June 2028 release date

Paramount's Call of Duty film set for June 2028 release date

Taylor Sheridan and Peter Berg lead the adaptation of the shooter franchise

Disney Solitaire celebrates first anniversary with $230.9m in player spending

Disney Solitaire celebrates first anniversary with $230.9m in player spending

Total earnings are likely higher including D2C and ad revenue

Almedia responds after Freecash removal from App Store and Google Play

Almedia responds after Freecash removal from App Store and Google Play

The company said media reports behind the removal were misleading and is working towards a resolution

Highrise partners with Neopets for a limited-time mobile crossover

New Partnerships

Highrise partners with Neopets for a limited-time mobile crossover

Weekly free Neopet giveaways will run throughout the event

Freecash removed from App Store and Google Play after data scrutiny

Freecash removed from App Store and Google Play after data scrutiny

The app’s removal follows scrutiny over data practices and marketing tactics

More

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Rewarded Marketplaces & How Surprise Equals Engagement

Rewarded Marketplaces & How Surprise Equals Engagement

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How D2C lets you 'take the power back' from app stores

How D2C lets you 'take the power back' from app stores

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How D2C can build personal relationships | Liam Wiltshire from Tebex

How D2C can build personal relationships | Liam Wiltshire from Tebex

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What's behind the Xsolla rebrand? | Berkley Egenes from Xsolla

What's behind the Xsolla rebrand? | Berkley Egenes from Xsolla

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Podcasts

Week in Mobile Games podcast: Episode 89

Podcast | Episode 89

Week in Mobile Games podcast: Episode 89

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 89...

PocketGamer.biz Podcast: Skillz, Beamable and the live ops shift

PocketGamer.biz Podcast: Skillz, Beamable and the live ops shift

We unpack Skillz's acquisition of Beamable, what the future looks like for the two companies, and more

Unity copies the AppLovin playbook with Vector | Week in Mobile Games podcast

Podcast | Episode 88

Unity copies the AppLovin playbook with Vector | 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 88...

PocketGamer.biz Podcast: Data doesn't solve problems - decisions do

PocketGamer.biz Podcast: Data doesn't solve problems - decisions do

We talk with GameAnalytics head of BD and customer success Falko Boecker to discuss data, AI and finding the right insights

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