Hot Five: Delta Force hits $300m, Nintendo shadow drops Fire Emblem Shadows, and EA in talks to go private

To help get you primed and ready for another week in mobile gaming, we’ve curated the biggest stories you need to know from the last seven days.

1) Delta Force hits $300m on mobile after record daily revenue

Delta Force has hit $300 million in gross player spending on mobile.

According to AppMagic estimates, the tactical shooter is growing with September 19th being its most lucrative day on the platform thus far. This month is on track to be its most successful on mobile yet.

2) Google Play launches raft of new games features

Google Play has unveiled new features like Play Games Sidekick, which integrates Gemini Live’s screen sharing to offer real-time tips and guidance in-game.

Meanwhile, the Play Games Leagues allows users to compete for Play Points, and the You tab will offer a personalised hub for rewards, subscriptions, recommendations and updates.

3) Nintendo shadow drops Fire Emblem Shadows as its first new mobile game in six years

Nintendo has shadow dropped Fire Emblem Shadows as its first new mobile game since Mario Kart Tour in 2019.

It marks the Fire Emblem series’ second mobile game after 2017’s Fire Emblem Heroes became Nintendo’s most lucrative game on the platform, though Shadows diverges significantly in gameplay.

4) Report: EA in talks to go private at $50bn valuation

EA is reportedly in advanced talks to go private in a deal valuing the company at $50 billion.

Companies involved are said to include Silver Lake, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners. The deal may be officially announced this week.

5) Skich hatches plan to be the "Steam for mobile gaming"

Alternative app store Skich is looking to take advantage of legislative changes prying open the App Store and Google Play, with its Tinder-like discovery system aiming to tackle "one of the biggest problems in mobile gaming".

"In traditional stores, players struggle to find new games while developers struggle to get visibility for their titles, and this gap is only widening as AI tools make game production faster and more accessible," Skich CEO and co-founder Sergey Budkovski told PocketGamer.biz.