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

Mobile tracker claims, the Supercell deal that never happened, Mario Kart Tour's closure and AppLovin vs Unity | Week in Views

Mobile tracker claims, the Supercell deal that never happened, Mario Kart Tour's closure and AppLovin vs Unity | Week in Views

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

October 2, 2026

New release roundup: Open Drive, Pusheen’s Place, Dragon Village 3, and more

New release roundup: Open Drive, Pusheen’s Place, Dragon Village 3, and more

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

October 2, 2026

Latest

SpecialEffect’s One Special Day mobile promotion goes live

SpecialEffect’s One Special Day mobile promotion goes live

Players can support the charity through selected mobile games and DLC

October 2, 2026

In-game vs. web store: How to price and package for D2C without breaking your game economy

In-game vs. web store: How to price and package for D2C without breaking your game economy

Chip Thurston, FastSpring's head of gaming, breaks down how publishers should think about pricing, packaging and incentives when going D2C, and why your game economy has to come first

October 2, 2026

5 seminar highlights for next month’s PG Connects Summit Montréal 2026

Pgc Summit Montreal

5 seminar highlights for next month’s PG Connects Summit Montréal 2026

Get the latest insights on LiveOps, founding a studio, user acquisition and writing for established IP

October 2, 2026

Leus launches Cohort Purchasing platform for mobile games

Predicting Performance

Leus launches Cohort Purchasing platform for mobile games

Company aims to predict cohort performance for up to 52 weeks to offer UA financing

October 1, 2026

Warner Bros. Games on building a long-term future for Game of Thrones: Dragonfire

Expanding The Realm

Warner Bros. Games on building a long-term future for Game of Thrones: Dragonfire

Natasha Bates discusses Dragonfire’s live-service strategy and its future beyond House of the Dragon

October 1, 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

More

Editor's Picks

“The technology works, but the infrastructure doesn't”: The Mobile Mavens on the future of cloud gaming

“The technology works, but the infrastructure doesn't”: The Mobile Mavens on the future of cloud gaming

The Mobile Mavens discuss cloud gaming's progress so far and its potential future

September 30, 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

Europe's CPC targets King, Supercell, Mojang and others over virtual currencies

Europe's CPC targets King, Supercell, Mojang and others over virtual currencies

The Consumer Protection Cooperation Network has called for top publishers to bring their commercial practices in line regarding virtual currencies

September 30, 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

Your hot prospects for publishers and investors at PG Connects events around the world

Your hot prospects for publishers and investors at PG Connects events around the world

Go straight to the head of the queue with Publisher SpeedMatch, Investor Connector and Connector SpeedMatch

October 1, 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

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

Learn about the world-building of Remedy’s Control Resonant at PGC Nordics

Learn about the world-building of Remedy’s Control Resonant at PGC Nordics

Remedy Entertainment head of environment art Miro Vesterinen will host a session on the newly release game at the big show on October 20th and 21st

September 29, 2026

More

#MENA

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

"We were born out of the restructuring of an animation company and we always believed in the power of storytelling"

We catch up with Sea Monster CEO and co-founder Glenn Gillis as the company celebrates its 15th anniversary amidst the changing African games market

September 24, 2026

MBRIF and Dubai Future District Fund partner to expand UAE startup opportunities

MBRIF and Dubai Future District Fund partner to expand UAE startup opportunities

MBRIF members can be introduced to DFDF’s network of fund managers

September 24, 2026

Save up to $254: PG Connects Jordan Super Early Bird ends this week

Join us in Amman this November 7th and 8th to engage directly with Jordan's vibrant games ecosystem

September 22, 2026

Brian Ward asked to remain as Savvy Games Group advisor following departure

Brian Ward asked to remain as Savvy Games Group advisor following departure

Ward became Savvy’s founding CEO in 2021

September 21, 2026

More

#The Nordics

In The Hot Seat: Colossal Order's Mariina Hallikainen on leaving Paradox and life after Cities: Skylines

Fresh Foundations

In The Hot Seat: Colossal Order's Mariina Hallikainen on leaving Paradox and life after Cities: Skylines

Seventeen years, one franchise, and now a blank page - Colossal Order's CEO on what comes after Cities: Skylines

September 16, 2026

Wooga's Holger Wurst confirmed for 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

September 10, 2026

How Nordic studios are using AI part two: From solo game-builders to support that never sleeps

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

September 9, 2026

Embark Studios' Neil Houari to speak at PGC 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

August 28, 2026

More

Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions

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

Arcustin Games raises $500,000 in pre-seed funding

Arcustin Games raises $500,000 in pre-seed funding

The investment values the Istanbul-based studio at $10m

September 15, 2026

More

Jobs News

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

GDC welcomes four new members to its Advisory Board

GDC welcomes four new members to its Advisory Board

The new members are Amir Satvat, Alexa Ray Corriea, Lucien Parsons and Perrin Kaplan

September 18, 2026

Jonathan Knight takes expanded chief games officer role at The New York Times

Jonathan Knight takes expanded chief games officer role at The New York Times

Knight has held senior games roles at EA, Zynga, Warner Bros. Games and Activision

September 17, 2026

Report: 35% of game founders have decided against hiring because AI can do the work

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

September 14, 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

AppLovin takes legal action against Unity over Ad Quality SDK

AppLovin takes legal action against Unity over Ad Quality SDK

AppLovin is seeking restrictions on Unity’s collection and use of advertising data

October 1, 2026

Layer launches AI Playable ad generator to tackle production bottlenecks for mobile game studios

Playable Ads As A Service

Layer launches AI Playable ad generator to tackle production bottlenecks for mobile game studios

Layer commits to a world where no game launches without a playable ever again

October 1, 2026

NetEase Games Club partners with EBANX projecting $8.4bn in LATAM revenue this year

NetEase Games Club partners with EBANX projecting $8.4bn in LATAM revenue this year

Payment methods introduced through the partnership will include Pix, SPEI, PagoEfectivo and Mercado Pago

October 1, 2026

Ubisoft brings Creative House 2 together under Massive Entertainment

Studio Structure

Ubisoft brings Creative House 2 together under Massive Entertainment

Teams across four locations will now operate under the shared identity

October 1, 2026

My.Games’ Hunting Rivals surpasses $3m revenue and 3m installs

My.Games’ Hunting Rivals surpasses $3m revenue and 3m installs

Hunting Rivals has also reached 1m monthly active users

September 30, 2026

Global game content revenue to reach $229.1bn by 2030

Global game content revenue to reach $229.1bn by 2030

Asia-Pacific is expected to remain the largest gaming market

September 30, 2026

Mario Kart Tour shuts down after seven years on mobile

Service Shutdown

Mario Kart Tour shuts down after seven years on mobile

The game became unplayable when its servers went offline on September 29th

September 30, 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

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

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

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Highlights from Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona 2026

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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

More