"The question isn't whether it's the right intent, it is whether it will actually work": The Mobile Mavens on the UK's social media ban

The Mobile Mavens discuss the UK's proposed social media ban for under-16's

Beyond Tencent and NetEase: How China's genre specialists took on the global charts

Spotlight On China

Beyond Tencent and NetEase: How China's genre specialists took on the global charts

China’s mobile games are no longer just dominating at home. A new class of studios is climbing the global revenue charts with survival, merge and gacha hits built for overseas players

Ouaz Games on surviving hypercasual's collapse and the rise of browser games

Marvellous Mena

Ouaz Games on surviving hypercasual's collapse and the rise of browser games

"I see new studios with no capital trying to ship console or Steam titles because they think that's what makes you a 'real' studio"

Latest

Google Play expands billing options and lowers fees for developers

Google Play expands billing options and lowers fees for developers

The search giant is separating service fees from billing fees starting June 30th, 2026

Pokémon Champions makes $3.5m in first week on mobile

Pokémon Champions makes $3.5m in first week on mobile

Apple users account for $2.6m or 75% of total mobile spend thus far

25m messages and 6.5m groups: Monopoly Go Chat

Chatty Companion

25m messages and 6.5m groups: Monopoly Go Chat "exceeding even our high expectations"

Monopoly Go now has a companion messaging app, supporting engagement and retention

Rush Royale surpasses $500m in lifetime revenue

Rush Royale surpasses $500m in lifetime revenue

The mobile title has exceeded 105m downloads since launching in 2020

Report: 53% plan to port mobile games to browser in next 12 months

Report: 53% plan to port mobile games to browser in next 12 months

The 2026 State of Web Gaming report surveyed 400 game developers and 2,000 web gamers

Tamatem launches first internally developed game with King of Delivery 2

Direct Delivery

Tamatem launches first internally developed game with King of Delivery 2

The company has integrated local brand partnerships directly into the game world as part of the player experience

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Editor's Picks

State of Play: The challenges and opportunities facing the Nordic games industry

State of Play: The challenges and opportunities facing the Nordic games industry

We delve into the vibrant games hubs across Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark - and the key challenges they face

Inside Zynga’s Play With Pride initiative and its evolving approach to representation

Pride Initiative

Inside Zynga’s Play With Pride initiative and its evolving approach to representation

Chris Garlington discusses how the Play With Pride initiative has grown and become embedded across Zynga’s studios and games

June 2026's Movers and Shakers: Hires and promotions at Roblox, Scopely, Metacore and more

June 2026's Movers and Shakers: Hires and promotions at Roblox, Scopely, Metacore and more

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

Opinion

<blockquote>We have to ensure that we're not just trading on the skills base of previous decades but are investing in new talent.</blockquote>

We have to ensure that we're not just trading on the skills base of previous decades but are investing in new talent.

UKIE CEO Nick Poole reflects on the next generation of talent

<blockquote>Tetris is a cultural icon; it lives in pop culture in a way very few games do.</blockquote>

Tetris is a cultural icon; it lives in pop culture in a way very few games do.

How Tetris CEO Maya Rogers is maintaining a brand launched over 40 years ago

#Pocket Gamer Connects

Save the date: PGC Summit Bangkok launches this October 28th

Pgc Summit Bangkok

Save the date: PGC Summit Bangkok launches this October 28th

Pocket Gamer Connects Expands its Asia Pacific footprint

Save up to €138 on PGC Nordics before Super Early Bird ends on Thursday 25th

Save up to €138 on PGC Nordics before Super Early Bird ends on Thursday 25th

Essential conference set to host 800 of the world's leading games companies this October 20th and 21st

SocialPeta CMO Summer Liu to speak at PGC Shanghai

Pgc Summit Shanghai

SocialPeta CMO Summer Liu to speak at PGC Shanghai

Liu joins the star speaker lineup for Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai on July 19th

PG Connects Nordics 23 conference tracks

PG Connects Nordics 23 conference tracks

Everything from AI to web3 - and where you'll find the hottest opportunities

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Industry Voices

From pet project to investable games startup: How to become investor-ready

Industry Insights

From pet project to investable games startup: How to become investor-ready

Alena Patorskaya and Andrew Ermolenko discuss how early “pet projects” can be structured into investable business

Three myths that cost Western games companies in the Chinese market

Three myths that cost Western games companies in the Chinese market

Monte Singman has brought over 50 Western games into China, from Gardenscapes to Sonic Dash. Ahead of his PGC Summit Shanghai session, he explains why companies keep getting the market wrong

UK under-16 social media ban, GTA VI’s industry impact and Pokémon Champions’ mobile launch | Week in Views

UK under-16 social media ban, GTA VI’s industry impact and Pokémon Champions’ mobile launch | Week in Views

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

The D2C window is open. Here's how mobile studios can walk through it

D2c At Pgc Barcelona

The D2C window is open. Here's how mobile studios can walk through it

Berkley Egenes, Chief Marketing & Growth Officer, Xsolla takes a deep dive into the growing opportunities for European game developers to go direct to consumers.

Deconstructing a $100m idle game: What 5 years of Gold & Goblins reveals about live ops and retention

Industry Insights

Deconstructing a $100m idle game: What 5 years of Gold & Goblins reveals about live ops and retention

Igor Voronetskiy, producer at AppQuantum, shares insights into the live ops and long-term systems behind Gold & Goblins

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#MENA

Nigeria to bring first-ever developer delegation and booth to Gamescom 2026

Nigeria to bring first-ever developer delegation and booth to Gamescom 2026

The delegation is led by Maliyo Games founder Hugo Obi

“The studios that thrive will not be those that resist AI. They will be those that learn how to use it effectively

Lagos Games Week

“The studios that thrive will not be those that resist AI. They will be those that learn how to use it effectively"

Maliyo Games CEO Hugo Obi told Lagos Games Week the studios that thrive will use AI rather than resist it

5 takeaways from Lagos Games Week 2026: Packed halls, stronger panels and embracing AI as a tool

Lagos Games Week Takeaways

5 takeaways from Lagos Games Week 2026: Packed halls, stronger panels and embracing AI as a tool

We round up the key trends and talking points from this week's big show in Nigeria

Dubai Esports and Games Festival 2026 attracts more than 43,000 attendees in largest edition yet

Event Milestone

Dubai Esports and Games Festival 2026 attracts more than 43,000 attendees in largest edition yet

The festival hosted 66 esports tournaments with prizes worth up to AED 1m ($272,000)

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Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions

Reactional Music secures €2.5m EIC grant to scale music monetisation in games

Reactional Music secures €2.5m EIC grant to scale music monetisation in games

The EIC has also earmarked up to €6.5m ($7.3m) in future equity funding

Playtika veterans secure $10m for AI-powered mobile app operations platform

Playtika veterans secure $10m for AI-powered mobile app operations platform

The funding will support the development of new predictive models and AI-driven automation tools

AppsFlyer secures over $1bn investment from Moloco, Google, Meta and Unity

Investment News

AppsFlyer secures over $1bn investment from Moloco, Google, Meta and Unity

Firm stresses neutrality and independence as major tech and ad firms become backers

Affle acquires AdColony assets to expand mobile advertising reach

Affle acquires AdColony assets to expand mobile advertising reach

Affle expects the acquisition to broaden its global mobile publisher reach and strengthen audience intelligence capabilities

Codfish Academy to host Playstack-led Game Clinic for indie studios in Portugal

Codfish Academy to host Playstack-led Game Clinic for indie studios in Portugal

Selected indie studios will receive direct feedback from Playstack's Aaron Ludlow

Two Desperados secures $20m in user acquisition financing from PvX Partners

Two Desperados secures $20m in user acquisition financing from PvX Partners

The funding will be used to scale growth and expand the studio’s global player base

Roblox strengthens AI ambitions with Morpheus AI acquisition and founder hires

Roblox strengthens AI ambitions with Morpheus AI acquisition and founder hires

The company plans to integrate Morpheus AI technology into its Roblox Video Model

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Jobs News

MobyGames launches beta careers platform for games industry workers

MobyGames launches beta careers platform for games industry workers

The new platform aims to help developers build professional networks and navigate the jobs market

Newzoo CEO Michelle Van der Wilk-Rouhof steps down after six years

Leadership Change

Newzoo CEO Michelle Van der Wilk-Rouhof steps down after six years

Current CRO Joris Goossens will step into the CEO role as of July 1st

Electronic Arts reportedly hit by further layoffs across support and operations teams

Electronic Arts reportedly hit by further layoffs across support and operations teams

Reports suggest that the cuts have affected customer support, recruitment, trust and safety, and IT roles

Luna Abyss’ entire Kwalee Labs dev team has been laid off

Luna Abyss’ entire Kwalee Labs dev team has been laid off

The team was laid off just 26 days after launching the new game

Metacore appoints Jose Saarniniemi as general manager of Merge Mansion

Metacore appoints Jose Saarniniemi as general manager of Merge Mansion

He previously served as CEO of Small Giant Games

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#Regulation

The European Commission rejects calls to stop publishers from taking games offline

Games Preservation

The European Commission rejects calls to stop publishers from taking games offline

The Commission plans to consult with publishers and consumer on end-of-life standard for video games

UK social media ban plans could affect gaming platform features

UK social media ban plans could affect gaming platform features

The government hopes to implement the measures by spring 2027

Roblox says “chat will remain off in the majority of the Middle East

Roblox says “chat will remain off in the majority of the Middle East" until Arabic moderation matures

Following PGbiz's analysis of the Savvy-Roblox MoU last month, Roblox MENAT GM Mohamed El Sheakh responded to a series of questions on its MENA strategy

Epic's final battle approaches

Epic Conclusion?

Epic's final battle approaches

After years of legal battles, the Fortnite developer is nearing the end of a journey that has come with a high cost

More

More News

Report: Mobile game D2C revenues reach $17bn as publishers push beyond app stores

Report: Mobile game D2C revenues reach $17bn as publishers push beyond app stores

New report from Appcharge shows 92% of publishers expect D2C revenues to grow in 2026, with many forecasting double-digit gains

Tencent explores exits from Japanese game studio investments amid portfolio review

Corporate Strategy

Tencent explores exits from Japanese game studio investments amid portfolio review

The company may sell some holdings back to management teams, even at a loss

HoYoverse’s new game Honkai: Nexus Anima gets closed beta test in July

HoYoverse’s new game Honkai: Nexus Anima gets closed beta test in July

The Evolution Test will begin on July 9th for iOS, Android and PC

Xsolla data reveals direct-to-consumer PC game transactions surpassed $1 billion in 2025

$1bn In D2c On Pc

Xsolla data reveals direct-to-consumer PC game transactions surpassed $1 billion in 2025

Transaction data across Xsolla's publisher network shows D2C on PC operating at scale across more than 1,000 games, an opportunity the market has historically overlooked

Neverness to Everness steers towards $50m in two months on mobile

Neverness to Everness steers towards $50m in two months on mobile

The gacha RPG released in China on April 23rd with a worldwide rollout soon after

BAFTA reveals 15 finalists for student awards

BAFTA reveals 15 finalists for student awards

The finalists were selected from entries submitted by more than 600 universities worldwide

Brawl Stars teams up with Adidas for first apparel collaboration

New Partnerships

Brawl Stars teams up with Adidas for first apparel collaboration

A second Adidas x Brawl Stars collection is planned for 2027

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Latest Videos

Highlights from Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona 2026

Highlights from Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona 2026

01:33 | 8 views

How to leverage incentivised rewards for high value UA

How to leverage incentivised rewards for high value UA

10:34 | 116 views

Rewarded Marketplaces & How Surprise Equals Engagement

Rewarded Marketplaces & How Surprise Equals Engagement

08:50 | 138 views

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

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

08:25 | 45 views

More

Podcasts

PGC Barcelona takeaways, the UK's social media ban and Fortnite vs Roblox | Week in Mobile Games podcast

Podcast | Episode 94

PGC Barcelona takeaways, the UK's social media ban and Fortnite vs Roblox | 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 94...

Record D2C revenue and international studios flock to Spain | Week in Mobile Games podcast

Podcast | Episode 93

Record D2C revenue and international studios flock to Spain | 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 93...

The Sensor Tower / AppMagic deal unwrapped and Xbox's random rebrand | Week in Mobile Games podcast

Podcast | Episode 92

The Sensor Tower / AppMagic deal unwrapped and Xbox's random rebrand | 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 92...

Sensor Tower's AppMagic acquisition and Sega's brutal Rovio comments | Week in Mobile Games podcast

Podcast | Episode 91

Sensor Tower's AppMagic acquisition and Sega's brutal Rovio comments | 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 91...

More