Newsletter Column
The NYT Games blueprint
Media platforms turn to games in a digital battle for users' time
Marvellous Mena
Exel by Merak Gaming Accelerator: Everything Middle East and Africa studios need to know
A full breakdown of how the Exel by Merak Gaming Accelerator works, including funding structure, eligibility, program phases, cohort timeline and what studios get beyond the investment
Pgc Barcelona
Learn how Scopely crafted a distinct visual identity for Monopoly Go at PGC Barcelona
Join over 1,000 attendees at the conference on June 15th and 16th to network and gain insights on global hits like Monopoly Go
Latest
New Partnerships
Xsolla partners with Skich to support alternative mobile game distribution
Xsolla becomes merchant of record for Skich mobile marketplace
Possible Acquisition
StreamElements confirms acquisition talks amid shutdown speculation
The company says it is in “positive discussions” with potential buyers
Hot Five
Hot Five: Sensor Tower acquiring AppMagic, Grand Games’ $70m Series B, and Switch 2 nears 20m unit sales
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Week In Views
Wordle heads to television and Nintendo Switch 2's big sales surge | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Esports World Cup
Esports World Cup reportedly set for Paris move amid Middle East conflict
The Esports Nations Cup is still scheduled for Riyadh in November
India On The Rise
Tencent commits over $1m to support India’s Orange economy
The publisher also signed three-year partnerships with SEPC and GDAI
Editor's Picks
Top 30
Xsolla partners with PocketGamer.biz for regional Top Game Maker reports
We’ll be celebrating the top developers and publishers across the UK, Nordics, Europe, China, Southeast Asia, MENA and more
Us Best Of 2026
The Top 30 US Mobile Game Makers of 2026
The US movers and shakers of the last 12 months revealed!
Industry Insights
One genre, three strategies: How Magic Sort, Knit Out, and Pixel Flow are redefining sort puzzle monetisation
Oxana Fomina explores how three breakout sort puzzle hits built different monetisation strategies within the same genre
Opinion
Studios are born around talent, so the fact that international talent is permanently relocating here tells you everything.
Aïda Figuerola on why Spain and Barcelona are becoming key gaming hubs
The residual value in your cohorts is effectively collateral.
Martin Macmillan looks at how studios can better understand long-term player value
#Pocket Gamer Connects
Pgc Summit Malmo
PGC Summit Malmö schedule
Expert insight alongside meeting-centric summit designed to boost your business
Industry Voices
Rovio’s Anastasiya Kara on AI, live ops and Spain's growing games market
Industry experts share their insight ahead of Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona
Discount Deal
Save €190! PGC Barcelona Early Bird prices end this week!
Book your tickets by midnight this Thursday, May 14th
Pgc Summit MalmÖ
Meet companies like Sony, Landfall, Raw Fury, Rovio and Sybo this May
See who you could do business with at Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Malmö
Industry Voices
Investment Insights
Show me the money: UKIE CEO Nick Poole on how a more realistic investment landscape is beginning to emerge
UKIE CEO Nick Poole delves into the state of games industry investment in his first PocketGamer.biz column
Deal Analysis
Why the Savvy-Roblox deal lands differently in Saudi Arabia
A look at why Savvy Games Group has cut a deal with popular UGC platform Roblox despite local restrictions and global allegations around child safety
Marvellous Mena
How Nimble Fox Games is building a hybridcasual studio around speed, but not chaotic speed
Founder Qasim Ali on building a Saudi pipeline, killing games fast and why quality alone is not enough
Industry Voices
Zynga’s Javi Digiorgio on creative resilience and Spain’s rising games scene
Industry experts share their insight ahead of Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona
Mobile's Key Challenges
Is Metacore a warning sign?
The Merge Mansion developer's challenges and acquisition by Supercell highlights mobile’s big challenges
#MENA
Job News
Roblox appoints Mohamed El Sheakh as general manager for MENA and Türkiye
The new GM will oversee partnerships and developer ecosystem growth
Funding News
Grand Games raises $70m Series B to scale hybridcasual games
Funding will support marketing, hiring, and upcoming game launches
New Offerings
Esports Foundation and JioBLAST launch India Rising pathway to Esports World Cup
Chess will serve as the first competitive title for the programme
New Partnerships
Savvy Games Group and Roblox sign MoU to grow Saudi Arabia’s game development ecosystem
Partnership focuses on game development training and education initiatives
Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions
Acqusitions
Atari acquires rights to first five Wizardry RPGs as it plans franchise revival
Wizardry’s revival extends beyond games into film, TV, and merchandise
M&a
Sensor Tower acquires mobile market intelligence rival AppMagic
Terms of the deal were not disclosed
Acqusitions
NCSoft subsidiary Veroplay acquires Moving Eye Games and Swamp Attack franchise
Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed
New Partnerships
Gamefam teams up with Borussia Dortmund for FIFA Super Soccer on Roblox
The event introduces exclusive Borussia Dortmund-themed quests and rewards for players
M&a
InMobi acquires mobile growth platform MobileAction
Deal will help expand InMobi's advertising services
Ai For Ua
Exclusive: Kohort raises $7m to build UA AI agents for mobile
The company's suite of AI tools have been trained on $6bn of historical UA spend
Funding Influx
Astrocade raises $56m to expand AI-powered games creation platform
The company claims its platform now generates hundreds of millions of plays monthly
Jobs News
Jobs Roundup
May 2026's Movers and Shakers: Xbox leadership reshuffle, Stillfront hires CHRO, and more
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
Leadership Change
Microsoft reshuffles Xbox leadership as Asha Sharma pushes turnaround
The Windows company will discontinue Copilot on console and begin winding down the mobile version
Unionisation
Wizards of the Coast declines to recognise MTG Arena union
Workers say an NLRB election is now expected within weeks
Leadership Change
Jam City co-founder Joshua Yguado steps down as CEO after 16 years
Kabam CEO Chul-min Sim will serve as chief executive of both companies following his appointment
Jobs Roundup
April 2026's Movers and Shakers: Jam City's new CEO, Roblox's GM for Europe, Apple's Tim Cook stepping down, and more
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
#Regulation
Dma Review
EU's Digital Markets Act has "not yet reached its full potential"
Cloud and AI markets are next in the Commission's enforcement crosshairs
Regulations
Türkiye passes sweeping digital law restricting social media access for under 15s
Meanwhile, foreign gaming platforms with over 100,000 daily Turkish users must now appoint a local representative
Regulations
India launches Online Gaming Authority with strict compliance mandates from May 2026
Online money games are explicitly barred from recognition as esports under Indian law
Staff Surge
Roblox workforce grows 24% to over 3,000 full-time staff
The platform had a "banner year" in 2025 with hits like Steal a Brainrot and Grow a Garden
More News
New Offerings
Mistplay launches Audience Network for rewarded advertising following acquisitions
Network combines Mistplay inventory with Connected Rewards and MyChips assets
Funding For Games
UK Global Screen Fund opens video game release funding programme
Grants between £5,000 and £50,000 available for UK developers
Winners Revealed
Unity names 10 winners of 2026 Unity for Humanity Grant from $600,000 prize pool
The programme celebrated projects using real-time 3D to tackle global challenges aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Pgc Barcelona
FunPlus CBO Chris Petrovic to discuss the games industry's 'new normal' at PGC Barcelona
The industry veteran is another big name to join our raft of star speakers heading to the Spain conference on June 15th and 16th
Milestone
Pixel Federation reports $48m revenue in 2025 as TrainStation 3 drives record launch
TrainStation 2 remained the top performer overall, pulling in $15m in 2025
Market Report
Okre and Ukie launch unified framework to better measure UK video games’ impact
65% of UK adults and 88% of children play video games, yet the sector's broader influence remains poorly understood by policymakers
New Offerings
Time and Business Insider follow New York Times Games playbook with puzzle launches
Both publishers are chasing the retention loop that turned NYT Games into a subscription engine
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Podcasts
Podcast | Episode 90
Week in Mobile Games podcast: Episode 90
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 90...
Podcast
Podcast: The state of the UK games industry with UKIE CEO Nick Poole
We discuss the challenges facing the UK's games industry and what developers need in the coming years to boost their success
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...
Podcast
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