Making Monopoly Go
"Playfulness and mischief": The strengths of subtle storytelling in Monopoly Go
Monopoly Go's director of content design Phil Williams talks fresh events, seasons and connecting with players
Investment News
Ares Interactive raises $70m as it plots expansion plans and new game launch
Company president Mike DeLaet discusses how the ambitious company aims to scale, potential acquisitions and the opportunities for Baseball Hits 26
Jobs Roundup
February 2026's Movers and Shakers: Supercell and Outfit7 land marketing VPs, Scopely hires new GM, and more
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
Latest
Industry Voices
"It's near impossible for a small team to launch a game following the traditional UA model"
From platform expansion to AI tools, Martine Spaans and Ethan Levy discuss how mobile studios can adapt to increasing UA costs
Acquisition
Skillz acquires Beamable's backend tech
Team that built the platform will continue working on the product
New Offerings
Scopely launches Monopoly Go Pets Season with charity-driven challenge
Pets Season links in-game play to real-world support for animal welfare organisations
Adaptations
Iron Lung movie breaks out at box office with $21.5m opening weekend
The film was produced on a reported $3m budget by YouTuber Markiplier, who also wrote, directed and starred in the adaptation
New Offerings
Fractional/ launches to connect studios with senior strategy and operations expertise
The collective focuses on everything but making the game
Pgc Summit San Francisco
Why PGC Summit San Francisco and why now?
How a focused, mobile-first business summit adds value during GDC week
Editor's Picks
State Of Play
Neogames: The state of Finland's games industry in 2026
Neogames Finland's Suvi Latva and KooPee Hiltunen analyse the opportunities and challenges facing the Finnish games sector
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
The Slingshot Formula: How Angry Birds joined forces with Star Wars
This book excerpt from The Slingshot Formula by Pascal Clarysse delves into the beginnings of Angry Birds: Star Wars, launched in 2012
Ai Debate
Google's Project Genie sparks fall in gaming shares as industry experts question use-case
"The direction is right. The timeline is not what traders think it is," says Storygrounds CEO Andrew Green
Opinion
AI isn’t replacing creative teams, it’s removing friction from development pipelines.
SciPlay CEO Josh Wilson reflects on 2025 and what priorities are shaping the year ahead
Culture-led stories improve awareness and make paid campaigns perform better.
Ada Mockute Jaime shares insights on how culture-led campaigns drive engagement
#Pocket Gamer Connects
Top 30
Nominations open for the first Top 30 US Mobile Game Makers 2026
Let us know who you think should be included and why
Pocket Gamer Connects
One Pocket Gamer Connects mission delivered in multiple formats
How our streamlined one-day Summits facilitate high-impact outcomes
Aurora Uk Awards
On games as a universe where "we can be who we want to be, regardless of gender or disability"
Athena Worlds' Jane Whittaker on making game worlds for women, non-binary and disabled gamers
Pgc Barcelona
Tickets now live for Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona 2026 on June 15th and 16th
Start doing real games business in Barcelona this June. Tickets start at just £85!
Industry Voices
Week In Views
Record engagement on Roblox, Netflix Games’ cloud focus and Pokémon Go’s event strategy | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Marvellous Mena
Level Up Gaming CEO Mohammed Habbab on why capital alone won’t build successful studios
“The investors who will win here are the ones who treat gaming as a long-term asset class, not a short-term content play”
Week In Views
Ubisoft's Creative House restructure, RuneScape's big milestone and industry optimism at PGC London | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Key Takeaways
5 takeaways from Pocket Gamer Connects London 2026
We round up some of the big stories and trends coming out of our biggest PGC yet
Live Ops
Live ops in 2026: What 2025 revealed and how studios should prepare
Balancy's leaders speak on the evolution of live ops and what comes next for studios
#MENA
New Partnerships
Saudi Esports Federation signs deals with Yalla Group to support esports growth
The partnerships align with Vision 2030 and the National Gaming and Esports Strategy
Accelerator Program
Dubai launches GameForward accelerator to support Emirati game developers
The programme supports both early-stage creators and teams looking to scale, with at least one Emirati founder required
Esports Nations Cup
Esports World Cup Foundation commits $45m to Esports Nations Cup 2026
ENC 2026 will feature $20m in prize money paid directly to players and coaches across 16 titles
New Partnerships
Savvy Games Group and NEOM sign MoU to fast-track Saudi gaming startups
The deal connects Savvy’s Nine66 Incubator directly to NEOM’s Level Up Accelerator, creating a clearer growth pathway for startups
Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions
Indie Publishing
LootLocker makes strategic investment in indie label Pantaloon
Pantaloon offers publishing services and an email newsletter to promote indie games
Funding News
Tesoro XP raises $5.4m to scale its rewards platform for games
The company plans to expand its SDK, publisher tools, and partner network ahead of a Q1 2026 launch
Funding News
Vietnam’s Panthera Global raises $1.5m to scale mid-core RPG ambitions
The Hanoi-based studio is doubling down on sustainable, higher-LTV game design over hit-driven scale
Acqusitions
Mistplay to acquire Mobivity’s Connected Rewards platform
The deal is expected to close in early Q1 2026, pending standard regulatory and closing conditions
Acqusitions
1SP Agency acquires games industry matchmaking platform MeetToMatch
The deal strengthens 1SP’s data-driven networking and event technology capabilities
Investment News
ZBD lands $40m Series C financing to accelerate growth in games and app payments
The funding will support the company's expansion as a licensed, vertically integrated payments provider built for games
New Partnerships
Oh BiBi partners with Rovio to develop Angry Birds Rush
The upcoming title marks the franchise’s first move into the luck battler genre, offering a fresh twist on the mobile gaming IP
Jobs News
Podcast | Episode 81
Ubisoft turmoil and what happened to Big Fish Games? | 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 81...
Job News
Delphi Interactive appoints ex-Konami tech director Julien Merceron as new CTO
He will oversee a reimagined FIFA simulation launching exclusively on Netflix later this year
Company Restructure
Ubisoft moves mobile studios and IP into new Creative House under wide-ranging restructure
The reset is built around a new operating model, a refocused content roadmap and accelerated cost-reduction measures
Podcast | Episode 79
Pocket Gamer Connects London preview | 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 79...
Layoff News
Playtika to lay off 500 employees in latest round of cuts
CEO Robert Antokol says the company is moving away from an unsustainable growth strategy
#Regulation
New Partnerships
Court reveals secret $800m deal between Google and Epic Games amid antitrust case
The deal was revealed during a court hearing in San Francisco, with a judge questioning its impact on Epic’s legal demands
Regulations
Italy watchdog opens probes into Activision Blizzard over mobile game monetisation
Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile are under scrutiny for allegedly misleading free-to-play practices
Podcast | Episode 78
2026 predictions | 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 78...
Looking Ahead
The big games industry trends and stories to watch in 2026
We take a look at what's in store for the sector in the year ahead
More News
Coding Error
Nexon to refund MapleStory Idle RPG players following pricing error
The company is reviewing the financial impact of the refunds on its consolidated results
Epic Milestones
Epic Games Store sees record $400m in third-party player spending
Third-party titles generated 2.78bn hours of playtime, marking a 4% year-on-year increase
Market Report
Games emerge as a dominant entry point into youth fandoms in the US and UK
Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft rank among the top youth fandoms across both markets
Virtual Concert
Lil Wayne to headline Supercell's Clash Royale virtual halftime show
The in-game performance will premiere globally on February 6th, 2026
Growth Drivers
UK games industry joins government delegation to China for the first time
The move reflects the growing importance of games to the UK’s creative economy and export strategy
Fire Emblem Festivity
Nintendo’s Fire Emblem Heroes celebrates ninth anniversary and over $1.2bn in revenue
The strategy RPG series successfully found its mobile niche as a gacha, surpassing all other Nintendo mobile games
Company Growth
Stillfront records $253m non-cash impairment charge
The write-down is primarily linked to weaker performance in Europe and North America
Latest Videos
Podcasts
Podcast | Episode 80
Pocket Gamer Connects London 2026 unwrapped | 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 80...
The Slingshot Formula
Podcast: How Angry Birds reached the stars
The Slingshot Formula book author and ex-Rovio leaders discuss Angry Birds Rio, Space, Star Wars and more
Podcast | Episode 77
Games industry trends 2025 review | 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 77...
Podcast | Episode 76
Netflix's $83bn Warner Bros. deal doesn't value games and why awards shows hate mobile | 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 76...