Rating Review
Games with loot boxes receive updated PEGI 16 rating for paid random items
The update appears to affect character-based gacha games in addition to random items
New Offerings
Griffin Gaming Partners and Entertainment 360 launch game adaptation venture HITpoint Entertainment
HITpoint Entertainment will adapt video games for film and television across multiple genres
Spooky Season
Dragon City, FarmVille 3, Golf Rival: Zynga’s Halloween plans for 16 live games
Within Zynga’s portfolio, 15 games have already launched Halloween content with CSR2 plans following soon
Latest
New Partnerships
Savvy Games Group signs MoU with Bahrain university to support games education
The partnership will focus on games education, curriculum development and talent growth
Pgc Jordan
The first speakers announced for PGC Jordan
And the first five seminars we can’t wait to catch this November 7th and 8th
Xsolla At Pgc Nordics 2026
Beyond the platform: Why mobile monetisation is entering a new era
Across the global mobile market, regulation, competition policy and evolving platform strategies are steadily opening new possibilities around payments, distribution and player relationships
Xsolla Diamond Sponsor For Pgc
Welcoming Xsolla as Diamond Sponsor for Pocket Gamer Connects Nordics
The two-day Helsinki event returns on October 20th and 21st
Metacore Moves In
Supercell completes full acquisition of Metacore
Merge Mansion transitions to Supercell’s games portfolio
Cash And Critters
Clash of Critters surpasses $50m in under five months
Lilith Games’ recent release has been gradually expanding to key markets like Japan
Editor's Picks
Keep Running
SYBO's Mathias Gredal Nørvig on Subway Surfers at 15: Zero UA, City’s pivot and what comes next
Fifteen years in, the SYBO CEO insists there'll never be another Subway Surfers - and reveals what Sybo is building next
Marvelous Mena
Mad Hook's Hazim Al-Hanbali: “If I want to change one thing in the sector, I will convert competition to collaboration"
We speak with Mad Hook CEO about MENA’s changing games scene, fundraising challenges in Jordan and why indie studios and regional collaboration could shape the industry’s future
Podcast | Episode 106
Why Supercell couldn’t save Squad Busters, Nintendo learns IP isn’t enough and Google's new AI game maker | 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 106...
Opinion
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
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
Pgc London
The AI Gamechangers Summit returns to PG Connect London 2027
One of January's three partner events, including Beyond Games: Transmedia Summit and PC Connects
Pgc Jordan
PG Connects Jordan: Fringe events focus
Connector SpeedMatch, Big Indie Pitch, the Big Indie Zone and an optional tour of historic Jordan
Pgc Nordics
NEXT WEEK! PG Connects Nordics
We return to Helsinki on October 20th and 21st for two days of learning, networking and business with thanks to all our incredible sponsors
Must-see Sessions
PG Connects Nordics: The editorial team's can't-miss sessions
The PGC.biz team picks the PGC Nordics sessions they’re most excited about, from Turkish regulation and live ops to Embark’s leadership lessons and AI as the next game engine.
#MENA
Esports World Cup
Esports World Cup opens new global pathways to 2027 event
The new programme offers direct qualifiers and grassroots Satellite Last Chance Qualifiers
Tournament Delayed
FIFAe Finals 2026 postponed amid regional security concerns
Japan and Brazil withdrew their esports teams before the postponement
New Partnerships
Algeria lifts ban on Roblox as it pens new partnership to train local game developers
Chat will remain disabled in Algeria until further safety systems are ready
Mena Moment
Maysalward founder talks 2026 MENA games industry: "Capital on its own has never created a games industry anywhere"
Nour Khrais says money is the easy part, but governments should make it easier to build, hire, export and keep people
New Partnerships
Kakao Games partners with Abu Dhabi to expand across MENA
The agreement will explore regional expansion through publishing, localisation and live operations
#The Nordics
Kill Switch
Ending well: The art of killing your game
Ahead of PGC Nordics next week, all four panellists from “Ending Well: The Art Of Killing Your Game” share how they decide when a game has run its course
Hidden Lessons
Wooga’s Holger Wurst on designing June’s Journey: Player research, AI and the UX rule you can’t break
Wooga’s UX lead on June’s Journey talks Wicked and Agatha Christie collabs, why older players outsmart developers and his hard line on AI
Two Decades On
Making games now vs then: Nordic veterans on 25 years of changing practices
Ahead of PG Connects Nordics, four of our panellists look back on how game development has changed since the 2000s and what hasn’t changed at all
Pgc Nordics
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
Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions
Investment
Flow Games confirms $49m in total funding from Tencent and VC investors
The Smash Fest developer plans to expand its team following the mobile game’s success
Funding Secured
India’s Spill Games raises $10.5m in Series A funding
The round was led by Elevation Capital
Investment
Exclusive: Turkish developer Flow Games secures $46m in funding package led by Tencent
The Smash Fest developer has secured funding as Tencent continues to invest in Türkiye’s mobile games market
Deal Delivered
Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery’s $111bn merger officially closes today
David Ellison will lead as chairman and CEO
Funding News
General Intuition raises $220m at $6.2bn valuation
The company says its models are trained on billions of action-labelled videos
Acqusitions
Trophy Games acquires Playrion from Paradox
The acquisition will be funded entirely from Trophy Games’ existing cash reserves
New Partnerships
Pokémon Go partners with European Space Agency for space-themed event
The event runs from October 4th 2026, to April 30th 2027
Jobs News
Jobs Roundup
October 2026's Movers and Shakers: Mojang, Xbox, Scopely, Ukie, Skydance, and more
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
Job News
Xbox appoints new leaders for Mojang and franchise experiences
Maria Angelidou-Smith will become CEO of Mojang and Minecraft on October 19th
Job News
Harvey Elliott named chair of Ukie as trade body targets next phase of UK growth
He succeeds Maria Sayans as Ukie Chair
Growth Plans
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
Jobs Roundup
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
#China
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
Rankings Rise
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
Market Report
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
Party Partnership
Duolingo partners with Eggy Party in China
The partnership offers learners in China access to the Eggy Party Quest in Duolingo
More News
Crossovers And Controversy
Love and Deepspace backlash continues amid Blade Runner 2049 crossover
The crossover arrives as Infold Games continues to face fan criticism over the cancelled Valko character
Pocket Gamer Awards
Nominations now open for the Pocket Gamer Awards 2027
Welcoming public suggestions for the 13th edition of our annual consumer awards
Online Safety
Mexico orders digital platforms to protect minors from harmful content
Platforms have 30 days to comply with the decree
Transmedia
Supercell brings Clash Royale to tabletop with new Kickstarter board game
Maestro Media is adapting the mobile strategy game into a physical experience
Cross-platform
War Robots surpasses $50m in Steam lifetime revenue
The mobile-first shooter has passed the milestone on PC as the franchise expands across platforms
Funding News
East Side Games secures $2.8m in Canadian credit and a $4m loan
EDC funding will support two unannounced games planned for 2027
New Offerings
Xbox launches Labs group to explore new gaming technology
The team plans to share its tools with developers across the industry
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Podcasts
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...
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...
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...
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...