Podcast | Episode 87
Asia
New Games
New release roundup: Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy, CookieRun: OvenSmash, Dora: Explore and Play, and more
Master Plan
Savvy Games Group's CEO on M&A, China and rising Eastern influence
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New Offerings
Teebik to launch Rome: Total War and Medieval II on mobile in China
The move signals a continued push to bring premium strategy titles into tightly controlled mobile markets
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
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
Milestone
Devsisters outlines multi-game expansion for CookieRun as franchise surpasses $1 billion
Series has crossed 300m players and $1bn in revenue to become a global IP
Hot Five
Hot Five: GDC 2026, ByteDance to sell Moonton, and Candy Crush’s "incredibly valuable" feedback loop
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
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
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
Acqusitions
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
Milestone
Ludus hits $3m monthly revenue as installs surpass 8m
Vietnam launch marks a strategic push into Southeast
Strategic Move
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
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
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
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
Us Best Of 2026
The Top 30 US Mobile Game Makers of 2026
The US movers and shakers of the last 12 months revealed!
Pgc Summit Shanghai
Tickets now live for Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai, July 29th
Your gateway to games business in China
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.
Policy Shift
Unity Asset Store to remove content from developers in Greater China region
The change affects developers based in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau
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...
New Offerings
Türkiye backs games studios with array of new incentives and financial support
Mobile studios can access up to 50% support on user acquisition and marketing spend
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
Market Growth
Over 95,000 mobile games were downloaded every minute in 2025
New Sensor Tower report shows retention and monetisation now matter more than raw installs
New Games
New release roundup: Subway Surfers City, Netflix Playground, SMiniz, Reigns: The Witcher, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Pokemon Party
Pokémon’s 30th anniversary: The Mobile Mavens share lessons and nostalgic flashbacks from the franchise
Industry insiders voice their views on the goliath games franchise as it celebrates 30 years
New Offerings
New kids gaming hub Netflix Playground soft-launches in the Philippines
Netflix Playground offers ad-free minigames at no extra cost to subscribers
Investment News
Replay Global backs Vietnam-based Playard to scale its mobile games portfolio
Playard to remain independent following undisclosed investment
Umamusume Movie
Umamusume: Pretty Derby movie director talks creative decisions and adapting games to the big screen
Umamusume: Pretty Derby - Beginning of a New Era is out in North American theatres on Friday, February 27th
Marvellous Mena
Dubai Esports & Games Festival returns on May 8th as the city doubles down on its gaming ambitions
The festival blends esports tournaments, industry networking and community activities under Dubai’s digital economy strategy
Esports Nations Cup
PUBG Mobile joins the Esports Nations Cup 2026 as its 16th competitive title
The national team showdown will take place in Riyadh from November 2nd to 29th, 2026.
Marvellous Mena
"The market, both in MENA and at a global scale, is becoming increasingly competitive"
Steer Studios CEO Yannick Theler on recognition, building global IP from the KSA and balancing live service ambitions in MENA
New Partnerships
Saudi Esports Federation partners with ROC Esports and Team Stallion to strengthen the Kingdom’s esports ambitions
The agreements centre on upskilling Saudi employees and athletes through programs delivered by the Saudi Esports Academy
New Partnerships
Savvy Games Group signs MoU with AUBH to strengthen student training in games and interactive entertainment
AUBH students will gain access to internships, studio visits and direct engagement with Savvy’s teams in Riyadh
Dubai Gameexpo
Tickets on sale with time-limited discount for global games industry event in Dubai
Dubai GameExpo Summit on May 20th-21st connects global business-makers with MENA’s games market
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...
TÜrkiye's New Star
Loom Games' rapid rise to Türkiye's next unicorn
Scopely's acquisition of a majority stake in the Pixel Flow developer is the latest success story in Türkiye's vibrant mobile games sector
Growth Story
Loom Games CEO: "This is not an exit story - it's a new beginning"
We speak to Kübra Gündoğan about that big Scopely deal and why the team isn't intimidated by Pixel Flow copycats
Game Closure
Netmarble to shut down Seven Knights 2 in April
Publisher's focus is shifting to Seven Knights: Re: BIRTH and Seven Knights Idle Adventure
Job News
Exel by Merak appoints Faisal Sedrani as CEO to lead its next growth phase
The accelerator is expanding beyond games into a broader multi-sector innovation mandate aligned with Vision 2030
Investment Shift
Saudi Arabia's PIF transfers $3bn Take-Two Stake to Savvy Games Group
The move consolidates Saudi Arabia’s global gaming investments under Savvy
Ready To Reflect
Matthew Ball's State of Video Gaming in 2026: "China is eating the video games industry"
Highlights from the State of Video Gaming in 2026 report include content sales growth, fewer layoffs and victory for China and Roblox
Chart Rankings
January 2026 mobile game charts: Clash Royale falls, PUBG Mobile rises, and Microfun breaks into the top 10
A deep dive into the global mobile game rankings across the App Store and Google Play
Lunar New Year
Pocket Gamer Connects wishes you a prosperous Lunar New Year
You can register your interest to join PG Connects Summit Shanghai 2026 and start optimising your new business year
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...
Sluggish Sonic
Sega’s operating income down 55% as it takes $200m impairment loss on Rovio
Sonic Rumble has also been highlighted for falling short of expectations across every KPI
Possible Acqusition
Report: ByteDance in advanced talks to sell Moonton to Savvy Games Group for up to $7bn
Sources say the transaction could close as soon as this quarter, with broad terms already agreed
Pocket Gamer Connects
Wherever the event, Pocket Gamer Connects is all about business
Why a curated B2B format works across different markets
Marvellous Mena
19 MENA startups graduate from the second Exel by Merak accelerator cohort
Each startup will receive $300,000 in funding plus mentorship and global network access
Growth Drivers
Japan reveals plans to boost support for games and content industries as new growth pillar
Overseas sales of Japanese content reached $37.7bn in 2023