Hot Five
Hot Five: LEGO Digital Play acquires Offroad Games, Unity launches Claude Code plugin, and Pokémon Go is top grossing mobile game of early September
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Pgc Nordics
Take-Two's former head of AI Dr Luke Dicken to speak at PGC Nordics
The former Take-Two head of AI brings a pragmatist's take on the AI hype cycle to Helsinki this October
Roblox Developers Conference
Roblox unveils new play, creation and monetisation tools at RDC 2026
Roblox Everywhere will let creators offer games as standalone apps across mobile, PC and consoles
Latest
Monster Milestone
Monster Hunter Now makes $336.9m in three years on mobile
The location-based game earned 60% of earnings in its first year but has continued to introduce major updates and new features
New Offerings
Diablo animated series in development at Netflix
The series will be set in the world of Diablo, but its story has not yet been revealed
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
Winners Revealed
Roblox reveals 2026 Innovation Awards winners
The awards recognise games, studios, creators, UGC tools and video stars across Roblox
Pgc Nordics
Why PG Connects Nordics is essential for developers, publishers and investors
The biggest Nordic games event returns to Helsinki this October 20th and 21st with unmissable content, whatever sector you work in
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...
Editor's Picks
Sparks And Scale
Sucker Punch's Chris Zimmerman on the attention barrier, finding the spark and the arrogance of starting things
The Sucker Punch founder opens up about attention, scale and the book he can't write in this exclusive interview
Week In Views
Football's gaming ties, Epic's social push, Zelda's mobile connection and lessons from Sucker Punch | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Community
What Monopoly Go can teach developers about building lasting player communities
Scopely’s Beth Nations explores how Monopoly Go uses social gameplay to build lasting player communities
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 London
How PG Connects London 2027 will be our finest flagship event ever!
Networking, seminars, Big Indie Pitches, fringe events and partner events, January 18th and 19th
Pgc Jordan
On sale now: PG Connects Jordan returns November 7th and 8th
Back in Amman for two days of networking and learning in 2026
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
Industry Voices
Marvelous Mena
Invest Qatar on the country’s gaming ambitions, attracting global studios and developing local talent
“Our advantage lies in being a highly connected, agile market where companies can access an integrated ecosystem, strong government support and competitive incentives.”
Creator Marketing
YouTube gaming creators "command 23% higher deal rates than Twitch"
Kyle Dulay examines Collabstr's marketplace data and explains why games marketers should rethink how they allocate budgets across YouTube and Twitch
Mobile Mavens
Gamescom 2026: The Mobile Mavens discuss rising competition, the indie opportunity and the changing face of games
The Mavens share their thoughts from this year’s Gamescom
Partnerships
South Korea's games industry targets expansion with Gamescom and ChinaJoy presence
Government body KOCCA wants to support new wave of studios to grow its sector
Week In Views
Cloud gaming's broken promises, inside DoubleDown, and Pokémon's new movie | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
#The Nordics
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"
Week In Views
Apple’s EU app store changes, Roblox safety, Pokémon Go’s regional strategy and AI in Nordic studios | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Pgc Nordics
Colossal Order's Mariina Hallikainen joins PGC Nordics speaker lineup
The founder-CEO behind Cities: Skylines brings over 15 years of studio leadership to the Nordic stage
Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions
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
New Partnerships
Savvy Games Group signs new MoUs with Gosu Academy and Warpzone AI Labs
Savvy is continuing to expand its talent development efforts in the Kingdom
Acquisition
Sony Music Japan to acquire 23.29% stake in Puzzle & Dragons developer GungHo Online Entertainment
The companies will explore joint game development across mobile, console and PC
Deal
Seriously founder Andrew Stalbow fronts investor group set to acquire Bath City Football Club
Former Rovio and Seriously exec leads an group of over 50 investors that have raised approximately £6 million for the club
Jobs News
Union Contracts
Blizzard developers ratify first union contract with Microsoft covering AI, layoffs and remote work
The agreement consolidates Blizzard’s unions into three larger bargaining units
Job Losses
Star Stable Entertainment lays off 20% of staff
CEO says cuts necessary to secure studio's long-term future
Ceo Change
Trailmix founder Carolin Krenzer becomes executive chair as James Nicholas takes on CEO role
Krenzer hired Nicholas in 2023 knowing he would be a "great person" to succeed her
Hot Five
Hot Five: Monster Hunter Outlanders opens pre-registrations, Savvy Games Group CEO steps down, and Xbox Game Pass to launch cloud gaming limits
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
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...
#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
Online Safety
California enacts new social media curbs for children under 16
Assembly Bill 1709 targets infinite scrolling, algorithmic autoplay and other engagement-focused features
Milestone
Age of Magic surpasses $120m revenue as installs near 20m
The team marked its anniversary earlier this year with special in-game activities and new mini-games
Closed Beta
Studio Atelico opens iOS closed beta for creature battler Bobium Brawlers
Players can create unique creatures by describing them in up to 140 characters
Mega Merger
Report: Saudi Arabia’s PIF mulls EA and Savvy merger
Companies could combine in a mega deal that would see EA and Scopely come under one roof
Making Music
Candy Crush teams up with Shania Twain and Zedd for Music Season 2026
The interactive video includes hidden clues and prizes for fans to discover
New Offerings
Unity launches official Claude Code plugin with 29 built-in engine skills
Support for additional coding agents is planned later this year
Folding Into The Future
Apple's Surprise and Shine: A foldable iPhone, a 40% GPU jump and one Monster Hunter
John Ternus' first keynote as CEO leaned on new hardware, from a foldable iPhone to a chip built for on-device AI
Latest Videos
Podcasts
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
Podcast | Episode 101
Week in Mobile Games podcast Episode 101
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 101...