Unity follows AppLovin, Roblox brand deal controversy and Wuthering Waves' live ops success | Week in Views

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

New release roundup: Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy, CookieRun: OvenSmash, Dora: Explore and Play, and more

New release roundup: Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy, CookieRun: OvenSmash, Dora: Explore and Play, and more

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

Savvy Games Group's CEO on M&A, China and rising Eastern influence

Savvy Games Group's CEO on M&A, China and rising Eastern influence

We speak to Brian Ward about how it works with its growing empire, Scopely's freedom, and opportunities in growing sectors like UGC

Latest

Unity to shut down IronSource Ads Network and explore Supersonic sale as revenue beats guidance

Unity to shut down IronSource Ads Network and explore Supersonic sale as revenue beats guidance

The ironSource Ads Network will officially cease operations on April 30th 2026

Was Epic's App Store battle worth it? | Week in Mobile Games podcast

Podcast | Episode 87

Was Epic's App Store battle worth it? | 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 87...

Pgc Summit Malmo

Final days: Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Malmö Early Bird ends soon!

Save now on new super-focused, networking-centric summit designed to boost your Nordic Game week

Honor of Kings World Cup 2026 brings Honor of Kings and Arena of Valor teams together

Honor of Kings World Cup 2026 brings Honor of Kings and Arena of Valor teams together

Twenty teams from multiple regional leagues will compete for a $3m prize pool at the event in Riyadh

LVL Zero receives over 240 applications as new wave of Indian game studios takes shape

Funding For Games

LVL Zero receives over 240 applications as new wave of Indian game studios takes shape

More than 30% of applicants are designing games with live operations and analytics frameworks from the outset

Iwot studios partners with Initiate Entertainment to expand The Wheel of Time across games and animation

Iwot studios partners with Initiate Entertainment to expand The Wheel of Time across games and animation

The partnership brings former Riot Games franchise leader Thomas Vu into the next phase of The Wheel of Time’s global expansion

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Editor's Picks

"This is a fundamental shift in the way that games are rated": The Mobile Mavens on PEGI's new rules

Our Mobile Mavens share their insights on PEGI's updated age rating criteria and what it means for the wider games industry

The Top 30 US Mobile Game Makers of 2026

Us Best Of 2026

The Top 30 US Mobile Game Makers of 2026

The US movers and shakers of the last 12 months revealed!

How Monopoly Go's Pets Season sparked 12,000 fan submissions and community engagement

How Monopoly Go's Pets Season sparked 12,000 fan submissions and community engagement

This two-month season includes players’ pets as stickers, brand-new Style Tokens and a charity initiative

Opinion

<blockquote>The issue is not a lack of talent or ambition. It is a restriction of opportunity.</blockquote>

The issue is not a lack of talent or ambition. It is a restriction of opportunity.

Dr Marie-Claire Isaaman on issues around talent retention.

<blockquote>Google’s new fee structure should give developers more flexibility in how they monetise and engage players</blockquote>

Google’s new fee structure should give developers more flexibility in how they monetise and engage players

Joanne Lacey on Google's changes to the Play Store.

#Pocket Gamer Connects

Start your ChinaJoy trip at Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai 2026

Pgc Summit Shanghai

Start your ChinaJoy trip at Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai 2026

Focused summit connecting the world’s game sectors from East to West on July 29th

Pgc Summit MalmÖ

Gain visibility and do games business in southern Sweden at PGC Summit Malmö on May 27th to 28th

PG Connects Summit Malmö connects indies with publishers, investors and co-creators

Speakers from Zynga, Rovio and Layer AI set for Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona 2026

Pgc Barcelona 2026

Speakers from Zynga, Rovio and Layer AI set for Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona 2026

First speakers among 100+ revealed for returning games industry event on June 15th-16th

How Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai is your gateway to the world’s largest games market

Pgc Summit Shanghai

How Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai is your gateway to the world’s largest games market

Games industry summit returns on July 29th to connect East and West

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Industry Voices

Aurora Awards Uk

"True innovation can only come from a group with different perspectives and experiences"

Sumo Digital's Catherine Bygrave on the crucial role of women in managing current industry challenges

What our data reveals about ad quality and player churn in mobile games

Industry Insights

What our data reveals about ad quality and player churn in mobile games

Ivona Pinjak analyses player churn across ad networks, formats and platforms using Unity's AdQuality tool

Developing Wuthering Waves:

Update Insights

Developing Wuthering Waves: "Every addition requires months or longer to meet our quality standards"

The Kuro Games team talks narrative foundations, engagement, version 3.0 and beyond

ByteDance's Moonton acquisition, Fortnite's Google Play comeback and a $2bn milestone for Farm Heroes Saga | Week in Views

ByteDance's Moonton acquisition, Fortnite's Google Play comeback and a $2bn milestone for Farm Heroes Saga | Week in Views

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

Squeezed Margins

Matthew Ball interview: Can new stores and D2C turn the tide on high UA costs?

A look at mobile gaming's discovery challenges and the pressure on profit margins as marketing and ad exchange expenses soar

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#MENA

ByteDance to sell Moonton to Savvy Games Group in $6bn deal

ByteDance to sell Moonton to Savvy Games Group in $6bn deal

The move marks another major expansion for Savvy Games Group

Marvellous Mena

"Cultural relevance matters, but so does international production quality"

Dawn of Game’s co-founder Gilbert Ewangue talks self-funded development, community growth and building Kwat Fou

Saudi Arabia acquires a fresh 5.03% stake in Capcom through EGDC

Saudi Arabia acquires a fresh 5.03% stake in Capcom through EGDC

The investment is positioned as a financial play targeting capital gains and dividends

Africa’s monetisation debate: founders weigh in on mobile, PC, and the realities of game revenue

Monetisation In Africa

Africa’s monetisation debate: founders weigh in on mobile, PC, and the realities of game revenue

Several founders warn that treating Africa as a single gaming market ignores the continent’s diverse economic and payment realities

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Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions

Reforged Studios acquires Headup to expand global publishing footprint

Reforged Studios acquires Headup to expand global publishing footprint

Headup will continue operating independently while gaining access to Reforged’s international infrastructure and support network

Supercell partners with Taika Waititi to launch new character in Brawl Stars

New Partnerships

Supercell partners with Taika Waititi to launch new character in Brawl Stars

The collaboration signals a shift from traditional marketing toward story-driven promotion for live service games.

Epic Games opens Star Wars tools to creators as branded content push expands inside Fortnite

Epic Games opens Star Wars tools to creators as branded content push expands inside Fortnite

The release represents one of the largest IP integrations on the platform to date

Supercent and Sumo Digital sign strategic MOU to co-develop next-generation mobile titles

Developing Next-gen Mobile Titles

Supercent and Sumo Digital sign strategic MOU to co-develop next-generation mobile titles

The MOU brings Supercent’s mobile-first innovation and data-driven publishing ecosystem together with Sumo Digital’s deep development expertise and cross-platform capabilities

Afrime Studios enters seed round after raising $400,000 to build afrofuturistic RPG Unyverse

Afrime Studios enters seed round after raising $400,000 to build afrofuturistic RPG Unyverse

The studio is targeting an estimated 670m gamers of African descent globally

Nazara to acquire a 50% controlling stake in Bluetile and BestPlay in $100m deal

Nazara to acquire a 50% controlling stake in Bluetile and BestPlay in $100m deal

The company has an option to acquire the remaining stake by 2028

Krafton signs strategic alliance with Hanwha Aerospace to develop real-world AI systems

New Partnerships

Krafton signs strategic alliance with Hanwha Aerospace to develop real-world AI systems

The company will back a $1bn fund targeting AI, robotics and defence startups

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Jobs News

TIGA clamours for government support as UK game dev jobs fall at record rate and startup activity collapses

Industry Decline

TIGA clamours for government support as UK game dev jobs fall at record rate and startup activity collapses

CEO Richard Wilson calls for better tax incentives and support initiatives to compete on the global stage

Values Value and InGame Job launch 10th annual survey tracking global games industry employment

Values Value and InGame Job launch 10th annual survey tracking global games industry employment

Study draws on thousands of developers to map labour market trends worldwide

Ubisoft names Julien Bares as GM of mobile and casual-focused Creative House 5

Ubisoft names Julien Bares as GM of mobile and casual-focused Creative House 5

Former Tencent Games and 2K veteran will head up division home to Ketchapp, Kolibri and others

March 2026's Movers and Shakers: Pokémon’s product marketing manager, multiple King promotions, founding Rocket Game Talent, and more

March 2026's Movers and Shakers: Pokémon’s product marketing manager, multiple King promotions, founding Rocket Game Talent, and more

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

Former PlayStation and Xbox hiring lead launches Rocket Game Talent

Former PlayStation and Xbox hiring lead launches Rocket Game Talent

New boutique firm aims to help studios scale hiring operations

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#Regulation

German publishers urge antitrust fine against Apple ATT

German publishers urge antitrust fine against Apple ATT

Industry groups say Apple’s proposed ATT changes fail to resolve competition concerns

Report: Trump administration reviews Tencent gaming investments over security concerns

Security Review

Report: Trump administration reviews Tencent gaming investments over security concerns

Officials are assessing whether the company’s investments pose potential national security risks.

UK consultation on kids’ online lives: what the video games industry needs to know

UK consultation on kids’ online lives: what the video games industry needs to know

Celia Pontin explains the UK government’s consultation on keeping children safe online

Games industry regulation tightens and transmedia insights with the Umamusume: Pretty Derby movie director | Week in Views

Games industry regulation tightens and transmedia insights with the Umamusume: Pretty Derby movie director | Week in Views

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

February 27, 2026

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More News

The Esports Foundation appoints National Team Partners ahead of the Esports Nations Cup 2026 debut

Esports Nations Cup

The Esports Foundation appoints National Team Partners ahead of the Esports Nations Cup 2026 debut

National partners will take responsibility for player selection, community mobilisation and long-term talent development pipelines

AviaGames opens Global Trust Centre in Singapore to boost real-money game security

AviaGames opens Global Trust Centre in Singapore to boost real-money game security

The new facility will coordinate global security standards and regulatory compliance as the company expands into additional markets

Sybo adds permanent competitive race mode to Subway Surfers after player demand

Sybo adds permanent competitive race mode to Subway Surfers after player demand

New Showdown mode allows up to six players to compete in real-time races

Meta cuts roughly 700 jobs as it shifts resources toward artificial intelligence infrastructure

Meta cuts roughly 700 jobs as it shifts resources toward artificial intelligence infrastructure

Layoffs impact recruiting, social media, sales and the company’s Reality Labs division

Verse8 secures $5m to scale its AI-driven game creation platform

Verse8 secures $5m to scale its AI-driven game creation platform

The company aims to compress full game development into a single natural language prompt

Budge Studios continues Nickelodeon partnership with global launch of Dora: Explore and Play

Partnership Extension

Budge Studios continues Nickelodeon partnership with global launch of Dora: Explore and Play

The studio has surpassed two billion downloads across its portfolio of children’s entertainment apps

Xsolla and CYGMA team up to grow Cyprus’ game development sector

New Partnerships

Xsolla and CYGMA team up to grow Cyprus’ game development sector

The deal gives local studios access to global monetisation infrastructure and publishing support

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Latest Videos

Rewarded Marketplaces & How Surprise Equals Engagement

Rewarded Marketplaces & How Surprise Equals Engagement

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

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

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How D2C can build personal relationships | Liam Wiltshire from Tebex

How D2C can build personal relationships | Liam Wiltshire from Tebex

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What's behind the Xsolla rebrand? | Berkley Egenes from Xsolla

What's behind the Xsolla rebrand? | Berkley Egenes from Xsolla

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Podcasts

The final word on GDC | Week in Mobile Games podcast

Podcast | Episode 86

The final word on GDC | 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 86...

The future of Xbox and Pokémon's 30th anniversary | Week in Mobile Games podcast

Podcast | Episode 85

The future of Xbox and Pokémon's 30th anniversary | 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 85...

Scopely's $1bn Loom Games deal and Matthew Ball's State of Video Games report | Week in Mobile Games podcast

Podcast | Episode 84

Scopely's $1bn Loom Games deal and Matthew Ball's State of Video Games report | 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 84...

February 20, 2026

Supercell faces Clash Royale controversy and banks on innovation | Week in Mobile Games podcast

Podcast | Episode 83

Supercell faces Clash Royale controversy and banks on innovation | 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 83...

February 16, 2026

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