Mobile Mavens
Evolution or revolution at Xbox? The games industry reacts to leadership changes in Microsoft's games division
The Mobile Mavens share their insights on the past, present and future of Xbox
Game Over
Netflix drops Warner Bros. Discovery deal as Paramount wins bidding war
Streaming firm said it will not up its offer, effectively leading the way for Paramount's 'superior offer' to go ahead
Pokemon Party
Pokémon’s 30th anniversary: The Mobile Mavens share lessons and nostalgic flashbacks from the franchise
Industry insiders voice their views on the goliath games franchise as it celebrates 30 years
Latest
Week In Views
Games industry regulation tightens and transmedia insights with the Umamusume: Pretty Derby movie director | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
New Offerings
Türkiye backs games studios with array of new incentives and financial support
Mobile studios can access up to 50% support on user acquisition and marketing spend
Demo Day
Helika and Avalanche bring Accelerator Demo Day to San Francisco featuring top studios and a first look at Helika’s Publishing Engine
Helika and Avalanche will showcase the standout teams from their joint accelerator on March 9th during GDC week and preview the AI-powered publishing infrastructure to help studios publish, grow and monetise at scale
Market Growth
Over 95,000 mobile games were downloaded every minute in 2025
New Sensor Tower report shows retention and monetisation now matter more than raw installs
New Offerings
New kids gaming hub Netflix Playground soft-launches in the Philippines
Netflix Playground offers ad-free minigames at no extra cost to subscribers
Leadership Change
Gamefam appoints Ricardo Briceno as CEO to drive its next growth phase
Founder Joe Ferencz transitions to a strategic growth and innovation role
Editor's Picks
Xbox Verdict
"Bad news for Xbox": Analysts react to the leadership shakeup at Microsoft's games division
Games industry analysts offer their insights on the future of Xbox as Phil Spencer exits and Asha Sharma steps in
Umamusume Movie
Umamusume: Pretty Derby movie director talks creative decisions and adapting games to the big screen
Umamusume: Pretty Derby - Beginning of a New Era is out in North American theatres on Friday, February 27th
New Games
New release roundup: Subway Surfers City, Netflix Playground, SMiniz, Reigns: The Witcher, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Opinion
We need to value different ways of leading, storytelling, and problem-solving.
Jennifer Estaris on how inclusion benefits the whole games industry beyond fairness
The Pixel Flow team is the exact type of studio we look to invest in and partner with.
Scopely CRO Tim O'Brien offers insights into that big Loom Games deal
#Pocket Gamer Connects
Pgc Summit San Francisco
The companies you can meet in San Francisco
From indie developers to the biggest brands in mobile represented at the games business event on March 9th
Marvellous Mena
Dubai Esports & Games Festival returns on May 8th as the city doubles down on its gaming ambitions
The festival blends esports tournaments, industry networking and community activities under Dubai’s digital economy strategy
Pgc Summit San Francisco
Your Monday at GDC week is scheduled for mobile growth
Learn from Tencent, Scopely and Discord at PG Connects Summit San Francisco, March 9th
Pgc Summit San Francisco
Start GDC week with mobile-first business at Pocket Gamer Connects Summit San Francisco
Curated mobile games opportunities for partnerships, funding, and growth
Industry Voices
Conquering Worlds
Inside Game of Thrones: Legends’ long-term design strategy
Lead game designer Christopher Magoun explains how live data, community feedback and transmedia tie-ins drive engagement in Game of Thrones: Legends
Aurora Awards Uk
"Diversity isn't a 'nice to have', it’s essential to building great games"
Liz Prince on how diversity builds a more creative, resilient and joyful industry
Ai In Games
AI won't make your game, but it can lighten the load
Ludo.ai CTO Jorge Gomes gives his view on the role of AI in game production and where it could make a difference
Marvellous Mena
"The market, both in MENA and at a global scale, is becoming increasingly competitive"
Steer Studios CEO Yannick Theler on recognition, building global IP from the KSA and balancing live service ambitions in MENA
Playbook
Rewarded UA unlocked
Gamelight offers tips and a playbook for managing rewarded UA campaigns
#MENA
Esports Nations Cup
PUBG Mobile joins the Esports Nations Cup 2026 as its 16th competitive title
The national team showdown will take place in Riyadh from November 2nd to 29th, 2026.
New Partnerships
Saudi Esports Federation partners with ROC Esports and Team Stallion to strengthen the Kingdom’s esports ambitions
The agreements centre on upskilling Saudi employees and athletes through programs delivered by the Saudi Esports Academy
New Partnerships
Savvy Games Group signs MoU with AUBH to strengthen student training in games and interactive entertainment
AUBH students will gain access to internships, studio visits and direct engagement with Savvy’s teams in Riyadh
Job News
Exel by Merak appoints Faisal Sedrani as CEO to lead its next growth phase
The accelerator is expanding beyond games into a broader multi-sector innovation mandate aligned with Vision 2030
Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions
Investment News
Replay Global backs Vietnam-based Playard to scale its mobile games portfolio
Playard to remain independent following undisclosed investment
New Partnerships
Bolt and Toffee sign strategic partnership to bring D2C payment services to games developers
The partnership is said to encompass more than $300 million in signed processing commitments
Investment News
British Business Bank and Haatch pledge £32m to UK angel investment syndicates
Initiative has previously backed The Games Angels
Funding News
Power Protocol secures $3m to scale blockchain ecosystem and accelerate Fableborne's development
Total ecosystem funding reaches $15.4m following Bitkraft’s latest investment
Giant Growing
Giant secures $8m to expand AI-powered storytelling for children
The startup aims to turn children's screen time into interactive, creative play
M&a
Scopely acquires majority stake in Istanbul’s Pixel Flow developer Loom Games at $1bn valuation
The performance-based deal structure values studio in excess of $1 billion
Acqusitions
Clear Angle Studios acquires DI4D's technology and IP to strengthen performance capture offering
The deal brings together two long-standing specialists in high-fidelity digital performance
Jobs News
Industry Growth
Cyprus games industry forms new trade association CYGMA
Founding members include Wargaming, Gaijin, Owlcat, My.Games and Helio Games
Job News
Nexon appoints Patrick Söderlund as executive chairman effective immediately
The new structure sees Söderlund set strategy while CEO Junghun Lee drives execution
Strategic Move
BidOn expands leadership and establishes board to advance open source ad tech
2026 roadmap includes publisher-focused ad tech resources
Job News
Krafton appoints Kangwook Lee as chief AI officer
He will oversee company-wide AI R&D and foundational tech roadmap
Hot Five
Hot Five: Scopely acquires majority stake in Loom Games, Phil Spencer retires, and Unity shares approach all-time low
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
#Regulation
Regulatory Action
UK's ASA issues enforcement notice on loot box transparency in ads and app store listings
Publishers given three months to make use of loot boxes clear and prominent on App Store and Google Play store pages
Child Safety
Egypt blocks Roblox over concerns about child safety and harmful online content
The Supreme Council for Media Regulation is coordinating with telecom authorities to enforce the ban
Regulations
CMA secures fairness commitments from Apple and Google for UK app stores
The measures mark the first changes since both platforms were designated with strategic market status
Tiktok Troubles
European Commission finds TikTok in breach of Digital Services Act over addictive design
Infinite scroll, autoplay and personalised recommendations were cited as potential risks to users’ mental and physical well-being
More News
Strategic Investment
Tencent reportedly in talks to take small stake in Block Blast! developer Hungry Studio
Discussions have reportedly been ongoing for months, with a deal potentially imminent
New Offerings
Saga and Etermax partner to launch AI-powered social agent for Trivia Crack mascot Willy
Saga positions character-driven AI as a new distribution and user acquisition channel
Crossovers
Scopely brings Hello Kitty and Friends to Monopoly Go in limited-time crossover
The Sanrio collaboration runs from March 10th to 29th across iOS and Android
Leadership Change
New Xbox leadership insists there's no top-down AI directive from Microsoft
Console remains central to Xbox’s identity despite multi-platform publishing shifts
Company Blunder
Discord delays global age verification rollout to the second half of 2026 after user backlash
The company admits it failed to clearly explain how the verification system would work
Overwatch Rush
Blizzard unveils Overwatch Rush "specifically for mobile players"
The development team is said to have "deep mobile experience"
Child Safety
LA County sues Roblox over alleged child safety failures
Officials claim the platform exposes minors to grooming and sexual exploitation
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Podcasts
Podcast | Episode 84
Scopely's $1bn Loom Games deal and Matthew Ball's State of Video Games report | 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 84...
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...
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...
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...