Jobs Roundup
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
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
Mobile Mavens
“Finally, real evolution in the app store”: The Mobile Mavens weigh in on Google Play changes
Our Mobile Mavens share their insights on the latest Google Play changes and what they could mean for developers and the mobile games industry
Latest
New Offerings
Google Cloud unveils autonomous AI agents as next phase of game development
The company said the games industry is entering its biggest shift since the move from 2D to 3D graphics
Rating System
PEGI expands age ratings to cover loot boxes and in-game spending
Games containing paid random items such as loot boxes will now default to a PEGI 16 rating
Online Safety
UK government votes against blanket social media ban for under-16s
The government is consulting on whether games, AI chatbots and social media should face stricter controls
Kingshot Crown
Kingshot’s first year: $800m, 11 months of growth, but backlash from whales
Century Games’ Kingshot was the most lucrative new mobile release of 2025
Market Report
Vietnam’s mobile games market reached $825m in revenue in 2025
The country now has around 54m gamers, placing it among the world’s top seven markets by mobile game downloads
Developer Support
Tenjin joins Turkish government incentives programme for game developers
Eligible Turkish studios can now receive government reimbursement when using Tenjin’s services
Editor's Picks
Industry Insights
How Azur Games increased retention and doubled revenue with Hidden Objects 2
Daria Korbyleva explains how structural design and live ops helped Hidden Objects 2 outperform its predecessor
Us Best Of 2026
The Top 30 US Mobile Game Makers of 2026
The US movers and shakers of the last 12 months revealed!
Data Insights
5 takeaways from the ThinkingData Summit: AI, drowning in data, and Habby's secret sauce
Insights from speakers at Blizzard, Habby, Mavis Games, Reality Games and ThinkingData
Opinion
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.
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
Event Report
Pocket Gamer Connects Summit San Francisco smashed expectations
Mobile-focused business event sets the tone for GDC week, bringing together leading games companies from around the world
Pgc Summit MalmÖ
Small region, huge in games: why the industry is coming to Malmö this spring
Join two days of curated networking at the heart of the Nordic games sector, May 27th-28th
Pgc Barcelona 2026
Meet major studios and local developers in Spain’s games industry at Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona
Connect with the likes of Activision, King, Riot Games, Bandai Namco, and more on June 15th-16th
Growth Markets
Why growth is moving to game markets like China, MENA and Spain
Three of the regional game sectors driving the next phase of growth in 2026
Industry Voices
Generate Identify & Scale Playables
Beyond the guesswork: introducing Playable Factory’s AI-generated playables
How Playable Factory is using over 50 billion playable sessions to move beyond the ‘guess and check’ era
Portugal's Game Dev Scene
Redcatpig’s Marco Bettencourt on making games in The Azores
Redcatpig released its first vehicular combat game, KEO, in Early Access in 2021 and is in the process of developing its second title, Hovershock
Ai And Leadership
ZiMAD’s Anastasia Zaiceva on AI adoption, sustainable growth and advancing diversity in games
Zaiceva discusses how AI is reshaping mobile game development and how the industry can continue improving gender diversity in senior roles
Building A Brand
Angry Birds: "unfair advantage", marketing strategies, and competing in the UA auction
We speak with Rovio’s VP of marketing Luis de la Camara during Pocket Gamer Connects London 2026
Industry Signal
What Loom Games' $1bn exit with 20 people tells us about the future of game studio hiring
The Loom Games acquisition isn't just a great exit story. It's a signal that the games industry hasn't fully reckoned with yet
#MENA
New Office
Maysalward opens new headquarters in Amman
The new office will host The Capsule, a programme designed to expand the studio’s capacity-building efforts
Online Safety
Türkiye proposes new regulations for digital platforms and game distributors
Digital game distributors may be required to appoint a local representative to operate in the country
Funding News
Cheer Games raises $4.5m pre-seed to build puzzle franchises
The studio plans to use the funding to develop new puzzle titles and expand its Barcelona team
Funding News
Istanbul-based Vento Games secures $4m to scale family-friendly mobile puzzle portfolio
Funding will support talent expansion and accelerate the rollout of new brain-building puzzle titles
Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions
Acqusitions
Open World acquires Drope.me to scale creator-driven games marketing
Acquisition expands Open World’s ability to run large-scale creator campaigns
Finding Funds
Antihero Studios raises $4.5m in seed funding ahead of Misfitz open alpha
a16z Speedrun and Laton Ventures led the round
Funding News
Minit Games raises $2m to bring instant play gaming into the feed era
Startup prepares for invite-only early alpha following pre-seed round
Investment News
Replay Global backs Vietnam-based Playard to scale its mobile games portfolio
Playard to remain independent following undisclosed investment
New Partnerships
Bolt and Toffee sign strategic partnership to bring D2C payment services to games developers
The partnership is said to encompass more than $300 million in signed processing commitments
Game Over
Netflix drops Warner Bros. Discovery deal as Paramount wins bidding war
Streaming firm said it will not up its offer, effectively leading the way for Paramount's 'superior offer' to go ahead
Investment News
British Business Bank and Haatch pledge £32m to UK angel investment syndicates
Initiative has previously backed The Games Angels
Jobs News
New Offerings
Former PlayStation and Xbox hiring lead launches Rocket Game Talent
New boutique firm aims to help studios scale hiring operations
Job News
Beyond The Pixels strengthens leadership ahead of its debut title Astro Burn
Former Fnatic and GIANTX CEO Wouter Sleijffers joins the studio as chief operating officer
Job News
Sixteen Tons appoints former Wooga VP creative Sebastian Nußbaum as chief creative officer
He joins amid renewed momentum for Emergency HQ, working alongside CEO Jan Richter
Mobile Mavens
Evolution or revolution at Xbox? The games industry reacts to leadership changes in Microsoft's games division
The Mobile Mavens share their insights on the past, present and future of Xbox
Leadership Change
Gamefam appoints Ricardo Briceno as CEO to drive its next growth phase
Founder Joe Ferencz transitions to a strategic growth and innovation role
#Regulation
Apple Troubles
German publishers urge antitrust fine against Apple ATT
Industry groups say Apple’s proposed ATT changes fail to resolve competition 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.
Child Safety
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
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
More News
Bossfight Comeback
Squid Game: Unleashed dev Boss Fight Entertainment relaunches as indie studio Bossfight
The original studio was shuttered under Netflix due to a change in course at the streaming giant
New Offerings
Epic Games cuts V-Bucks bundles as Fortnite pricing update rolls out
Players will receive fewer V-Bucks across most purchase tiers under the new pricing structure
Compatibility Test
Rovio’s Beacon tech "indispensable" to its own games but less compatible with Sega’s
Sega has yet to achieve "the level of results that had been expected" prior to Rovio’s acquisition
Friends And Features
Discord expands its Social SDK with native mobile linking and focus on friends
Discord users will now see a linked friend’s status in-game, such as competing or watching
Layoff News
Electronic Arts lays off an undisclosed number of employees across multiple Battlefield studios
The cuts impact teams at Criterion Games, DICE, Ripple Effect Studios and Motive Studio
Market Report
Around 70% of UK adults are gaming with increasing focus on social connections
One in four UK players expect to spend less time on social media to make room for gaming
Acquisition
NCSoft acquires 70% of JustPlay in $205m deal to expand its games portfolio
The South Korean publisher will strengthen its European presence through the acquisition
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Podcasts
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...
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...
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...
Podcast | Episode 82
What do game developers really think of Project Genie? | 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 82...