Rainbow Six Mobile's shutdown, Minecraft Blast's next steps and AI's risks for games | Week in Views

Rainbow Six Mobile's shutdown, Minecraft Blast's next steps and AI's risks for games | Week in Views

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

October 9, 2026

MTG postpones PlaySimple’s potential IPO

MTG postpones PlaySimple’s potential IPO

MTG believes an IPO could create shareholder value and support PlaySimple’s growth plans

October 9, 2026

Rovio's Wille Miljas on Nordic talent, global audiences and working on Angry Birds 2

Rovio's Wille Miljas on Nordic talent, global audiences and working on Angry Birds 2

Rovio’s Wille Miljas on why great games are no longer enough and why the Nordics’ next chapter depends on treating audience-building as part of the product

October 9, 2026

Latest

New release roundup: Monster Hunter Rise, Castlevania, Yes, Your Grace: Snowfall, and more

New release roundup: Monster Hunter Rise, Castlevania, Yes, Your Grace: Snowfall, and more

We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week

October 9, 2026

Who will you meet at PG Connects Nordics this October 20-21?

Who will you meet at PG Connects Nordics this October 20-21?

Companies already confirmed to attend include Activision, Epic Games, Meta, Rovio and Supercell

October 9, 2026

Inside Türkiye’s fast-rising gaming hub

TÜrkİye Insights

Inside Türkiye’s fast-rising gaming hub

Takeaways from the Mobidictum Conference 2026 and a week in Istanbul

October 9, 2026

Kakao Games partners with Abu Dhabi to expand across MENA

New Partnerships

Kakao Games partners with Abu Dhabi to expand across MENA

The agreement will explore regional expansion through publishing, localisation and live operations

October 9, 2026

Rainbow Six Mobile to shut down in January 2027

Shutdown Imminent

Rainbow Six Mobile to shut down in January 2027

Ubisoft said the shutdown is tied to its long-term strategic priorities

October 9, 2026

Xbox creates XP division to expand its gaming franchises

Xbox creates XP division to expand its gaming franchises

Kayleen Walters will lead the new division as president

October 9, 2026

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Editor's Picks

Fire Emblem Shadows makes $892,000 in first year, just 0.3% of Heroes’ initial success

Shadows Spending

Fire Emblem Shadows makes $892,000 in first year, just 0.3% of Heroes’ initial success

Monthly spending peaked early at $230,000, compared to Fire Emblem Heroes’ $20.1m

October 7, 2026

October’s Collabs Corner: PUBG Mobile and B.Duck, Pokémon in space, Talking Tom meets SmileyWorld, and more

October’s Collabs Corner: PUBG Mobile and B.Duck, Pokémon in space, Talking Tom meets SmileyWorld, and more

The latest crossovers in mobile games, all in one place

October 7, 2026

AI's insane PR machine, Zynga's failed $400m Supercell deal and EU regulation | Week in Mobile Games podcast

Podcast | Episode 105

AI's insane PR machine, Zynga's failed $400m Supercell deal and EU regulation | 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 105...

October 4, 2026

Opinion

<blockquote>For me, the most interesting part isn't AI replacing creative talent, but how it can allow smaller teams to work faster.</blockquote>

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

<blockquote>By making the cost of acquisition so high, I sometimes wonder where are you going to get all those innovations?</blockquote>

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

5 more seminars you'll want to catch at next month’s PG Connects Summit Montréal 2026

Pgc Summit Montreal

5 more seminars you'll want to catch at next month’s PG Connects Summit Montréal 2026

Get ahead of the rest on AI valuations, ground-up code rewrites, Discord as a development tool, indie adaptability and the science behind games that players can't put down

October 9, 2026

Start networking right now! MeetToMatch is LIVE for PG Connects Nordics

Start networking right now! MeetToMatch is LIVE for PG Connects Nordics

Our online meeting platform is open to all attendees and meetings are already being made

October 7, 2026

Save up to £335 on PG Connects London 2027 before Super Early Bird ends this week

Save up to £335 on PG Connects London 2027 before Super Early Bird ends this week

Tickets are on sale now from just £115 – but only until end of Thursday, October 8th

October 6, 2026

How developers are using AI right now

Ai Gamechangers

How developers are using AI right now

We speak with studio leaders about how they're leveraging AI tech across production, live ops and marketing

October 5, 2026

More

#MENA

MJ Studios' Mohammed Mohammed:

Marvellous Mena

MJ Studios' Mohammed Mohammed: "We’ve always preferred to let our games speak for us"

We speak with MJ Studios founder about Kingdom World’s 100m Roblox visits, building an authentic Saudi experience and turning a hobby into a self-sustaining studio

October 8, 2026

Mastercard and Tamatem partner on gaming payments across MENA and Africa

New Partnerships

Mastercard and Tamatem partner on gaming payments across MENA and Africa

The partnership will initially launch in Saudi Arabia and the UAE

October 7, 2026

Impact46's Eric Husny:

Marvellous Mena

Impact46's Eric Husny: "The ecosystem today is simply much more investable than it was a few years ago"

We speak with Impact46 senior fund manager Eric Husny to discuss the firm’s approach to gaming investment, its $53 million-plus Kammelna deal and what it looks for in studios

October 1, 2026

The eight unmissable seminar tracks at Pocket Gamer Connects Jordan this November 7th and 8th

The eight unmissable seminar tracks at Pocket Gamer Connects Jordan this November 7th and 8th

From AI and global trends to development tips and tools, with insights from the best game makers

September 30, 2026

Why you shouldn't overlook the MENA market

Why you shouldn't overlook the MENA market

Seven compelling reasons to connect with one of the world’s fastest growing games markets today

September 29, 2026

More

#The Nordics

In the Hot Seat: Ex-Take-Two AI chief Luke Dicken on the $2tn bubble, junior jobs and the next 2008

In the Hot Seat: Ex-Take-Two AI chief Luke Dicken on the $2tn bubble, junior jobs and the next 2008

Take-Two's former head of AI on trillion-dollar valuations, disappearing junior roles and why studios on the sidelines might be wise to stay there

October 8, 2026

How Nordic studios are using AI part three: Lore checks, a

How Nordic studios are using AI part three: Lore checks, a "programmer's programmer" and the parts writers keep for themselves

Four more voices from the Nordics games industry on where AI earns its place and where studios are deliberately keeping it out

October 6, 2026

Elena Lobova of Burny Games confirmed for PGC Nordics

Elena Lobova of Burny Games confirmed for PGC Nordics

The head of strategic partnerships will explore how studios decide when to walk away from a game

October 5, 2026

Pocket Gamer Connects Nordics partners with Nordic Game

Pocket Gamer Connects Nordics partners with Nordic Game

Uniting Sweden and Helsinki across the Baltic Sea

September 30, 2026

More

Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions

Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery’s $111bn merger officially closes today

Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery’s $111bn merger officially closes today

David Ellison will lead as chairman and CEO

October 6, 2026

General Intuition raises $220m at $6.2bn valuation

General Intuition raises $220m at $6.2bn valuation

The company says its models are trained on billions of action-labelled videos

September 30, 2026

Trophy Games acquires Playrion from Paradox

Trophy Games acquires Playrion from Paradox

The acquisition will be funded entirely from Trophy Games’ existing cash reserves

September 28, 2026

Pokémon Go partners with European Space Agency for space-themed event

New Partnerships

Pokémon Go partners with European Space Agency for space-themed event

The event runs from October 4th 2026, to April 30th 2027

September 23, 2026

Nex raises over $150m to take Nex Playground global

Nex raises over $150m to take Nex Playground global

Nex Playground has surpassed 1m units sold and is distributed across more than 7,000 US retail locations

September 21, 2026

Kalank secures €1.5m funding round to accelerate international expansion

Kalank secures €1.5m funding round to accelerate international expansion

The funding will support hiring, talent retention and publishing activities

September 17, 2026

Kakao Games to acquire 39.56% of Me2on for $71.5m

Kakao Games to acquire 39.56% of Me2on for $71.5m

The deal values Me2on at approximately $181m based on the transaction

September 16, 2026

More

Jobs News

Xbox appoints new leaders for Mojang and franchise experiences

Xbox appoints new leaders for Mojang and franchise experiences

Maria Angelidou-Smith will become CEO of Mojang and Minecraft on October 19th

October 9, 2026

Harvey Elliott named chair of Ukie as trade body targets next phase of UK growth

Harvey Elliott named chair of Ukie as trade body targets next phase of UK growth

He succeeds Maria Sayans as Ukie Chair

October 7, 2026

MTG wants to double its size while leveraging AI

MTG wants to double its size while leveraging AI

We speak to president and CEO Maria Redin about the company's ambitious plans for its gaming empire

September 30, 2026

September 2026's Movers and Shakers: Scopely, Niantic Spatial, Trailmix, Roblox, Zynga and more

September 2026's Movers and Shakers: Scopely, Niantic Spatial, Trailmix, Roblox, Zynga and more

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

September 30, 2026

Xbox to cut 268 jobs as it shakes up studio structure

Xbox to cut 268 jobs as it shakes up studio structure

Microsoft Casual Games now reports into King as UK studio Ninja Theory could be shut down

September 22, 2026

More

#China

Lilith Games finds a new hit as Clash of Critters makes $45.6m in four months

Coins And Critters

Lilith Games finds a new hit as Clash of Critters makes $45.6m in four months

The game’s fourth month, between August and September, has been its most lucrative yet in player spending

September 21, 2026

Delta Force surpasses $10m in daily player spending for the first time

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

September 7, 2026

China games market surpasses $50bn for the first time as player base is forecast to hit 769m by 2030

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

September 7, 2026

Duolingo partners with Eggy Party in China

Party Partnership

Duolingo partners with Eggy Party in China

The partnership offers learners in China access to the Eggy Party Quest in Duolingo

September 2, 2026

More

More News

Fingersoft’s Otto Simola on a decade of Hill Climb Racing 2

Speaker Spotlight

Fingersoft’s Otto Simola on a decade of Hill Climb Racing 2

During his session at PG Connects Nordics, Simola will share lessons from evolving Hill Climb Racing 2 over the years

October 8, 2026

Unity unveils Spark AI game maker with Google Playground integration

Unity unveils Spark AI game maker with Google Playground integration

Spark creators will be able to distribute their games through Google Playground

October 8, 2026

PUBG Mobile Light renamed to PUBG Mobile Flash ahead of launch

PUBG Mobile Light renamed to PUBG Mobile Flash ahead of launch

PUBG Mobile Flash is being designed to retain the core experience while broadening to lower device specs

October 8, 2026

The Big Indie Pitch heads to Paris Games Week for the first time

Big Indie Pitch

The Big Indie Pitch heads to Paris Games Week for the first time

Plus dates for Helsinki, Amman, Montréal this year, London 2027 - and how to get your game in front of the judges

October 8, 2026

Safe In Our World launches Four Billion Gamers mental health campaign

Safe In Our World launches Four Billion Gamers mental health campaign

The charity wants games companies to make mental health support easier for players to find

October 8, 2026

Wizards of the Coast union expands to D&D and Magic teams

Wizards of the Coast union expands to D&D and Magic teams

Amongst the union's demands are stronger protections against generative AI

October 8, 2026

Google launches Playground for prompt-based game creation

Google launches Playground for prompt-based game creation

Users can create, play and share browser-based games across devices

October 7, 2026

More

Latest Videos

Colossal Order's Mariina Hallikainen on leaving Paradox and life after Cities: Skylines

Colossal Order's Mariina Hallikainen on leaving Paradox and life after Cities: Skylines

13:54 | 705 views

Highlights From The Mobile Games Awards 2026

Highlights From The Mobile Games Awards 2026

00:57 | 4 views

Why EVE Online’s studio bought itself back for $120m

Why EVE Online’s studio bought itself back for $120m

34:19 | 263 views

Highlights from Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona 2026

Highlights from Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona 2026

01:33 | 8 views

More

Podcasts

Apple's $2,000+ iPhone Duo and the backlash against new EU App Store rules | Week in Mobile Games podcast

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...

September 12, 2026

Gamescom 2026 insights and Sony Music's shock Puzzle & Dragons investment | Week in Mobile Games podcast

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...

September 6, 2026

Did Apple really resolve its EU dispute? | Week in Mobile Games podcast

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...

August 24, 2026

Podcast: Xsolla on D2C's growing momentum and its biggest product wave yet

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

August 21, 2026

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