Podcast | Episode 107

Why EA shut down BioWare, Supercell’s Metacore takeover and Mika Games’ $10m soft launch bet | 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 107...

October 26, 2026

Pgc Nordics

Four key takeaways from Pocket Gamer Connects Nordics 2026

From AI and D2C to player engagement and industry resilience, we explore four key takeaways from Pocket Gamer Connects Nordics 2026

October 23, 2026

Deal Collapse

Report: Private equity firms considered $150bn Xbox buyout

The discussions did not progress to negotiations with Microsoft

October 26, 2026

Latest

Transmedia

Report: Netflix fails with $500m offer to adapt Xbox gaming IP to film and TV

Xbox is now pursuing separate film and television adaptation deals with multiple partners

October 26, 2026

Job News

Xbox COO Helen Chiang exits after three months in role, 21 years at Microsoft

She became Xbox's first COO in July after leading Minecraft

October 26, 2026

Cultural Contribution

Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto named first games industry recipient of Order of Culture award

Miyamoto has worked at Nintendo for almost 50 years, responsible for creating Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Pikmin and more

October 26, 2026

Hot Five

Hot Five: The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers of 2026, Clash of Critters surpasses $50m, and Supercell completes full acquisition of Metacore

Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz

October 26, 2026

Pgc Summit Montreal

PG Connects Summit Montréal: The content and speakers you'll want to see

Bringing mobile to MIGS on November 10th with a special 15% discount

October 26, 2026

Week In Views

Lessons from PGC Nordics and game IPs take the stage in LA | Week in Views

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

October 23, 2026

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 for working efficiently

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

Marvellous Mena

Istikan Studio's Danar Kayfi: "Most investors and publishers still don't see Iraq as a place where games get made"

We spoke with the Istikan Studio manager about selling 75% of its Steam copies in China, building games from Iraq and the business skills local developers need to reach global audiences

October 22, 2026

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

October 20, 2026

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

October 20, 2026

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

October 19, 2026

Tournament Delayed

FIFAe Finals 2026 postponed amid regional security concerns

Japan and Brazil withdrew their esports teams before the postponement

October 15, 2026

Art Acquisition

Side acquires art studio Roboto Entertainment to expand presence in China

Andrea Cordella has been appointed global head of art and Chengdu studio head

October 22, 2026

Funding For Games

Mika Games raises $10m to fund mobile game studios

The funding will support game development and paid user acquisition campaigns

October 22, 2026

Metacore Moves In

Supercell completes full acquisition of Metacore

Merge Mansion transitions to Supercell’s games portfolio

October 19, 2026

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

October 16, 2026

Funding Secured

India’s Spill Games raises $10.5m in Series A funding

The round was led by Elevation Capital

October 15, 2026

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

October 13, 2026

Deal Delivered

Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery’s $111bn merger officially closes today

David Ellison will lead as chairman and CEO

October 6, 2026

Leadership Change

Stillfront names former King executive Marcus Jacobs as CEO

Alexis Bonte will continue as CEO until Jacobs takes over

October 23, 2026

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

October 14, 2026

Job News

Xbox appoints new leaders for Mojang and franchise experiences

Maria Angelidou-Smith will become CEO of Mojang and Minecraft on October 19th

October 9, 2026

Job News

Harvey Elliott named chair of Ukie as trade body targets next phase of UK growth

He succeeds Maria Sayans as Ukie Chair

October 7, 2026

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

September 30, 2026

Mobile Expansion

Dispatch coming to mobile on December 9th with first four episodes free

AdHoc Studio is bringing the narrative game to iOS and Android following its success on other platforms

October 23, 2026

New Offerings

GameMaker makes GMRT free for commercial use from 2027

Developers will no longer need a Professional licence to sell games made with GMRT

October 23, 2026

New Offerings

Clash Royale tabletop game surpasses $100,000 on Kickstarter after reaching target in one hour

The tabletop game supports two to four players competing to destroy Towers and collect Crowns

October 22, 2026

Australian App Store

Fortnite returns to the App Store in Australia today

The country was previously the only exclusion from Fortnite’s global iOS comeback

October 22, 2026

Puzzle Power

Nebula Studio’s Rotate Rings surpasses 10m mobile installs

The puzzler ranks among the 10 most-downloaded mobile games of October 2026 so far

October 21, 2026

Concert Cancelled

Umamusume's LA concerts cancelled over US visa issues

Fans will receive refunds for on-site and streaming tickets

October 21, 2026

Online Safety

Norway social media ban to target Roblox, Snapchat and TikTok

Children will retain access to messaging services and games considered harmless

October 21, 2026

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

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

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

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