Hot Five: EA’s $55bn buyout, Genshin Impact’s fifth anniversary, and Fire Emblem Shadows’ overshadowed launch

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) Nintendo’s Fire Emblem Shadows makes just $90,000 in first week on iOS

Fire Emblem Shadows generated just $90,000 in its first week on iOS, according to AppMagic estimates.

Nintendo’s first new mobile game in six years, Shadows has opted for a season pass as its initial main form of monetisation, unlike its gacha predecessor Fire Emblem Heroes which picked up $8.2 million on iOS in week one.

2) It’s official: EA agrees $55bn buyout deal

EA is officially being acquired for $55 billion by an investor consortium comprising Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners.

The all-cash deal will see the consortium purchase 100% of EA, the "largest all-cash sponsor take-private investment in history".

3) Genshin Impact celebrates five years and $6.4bn on mobile as annual spend declines by 42%

Genshin Impact has celebrated its fifth anniversary on September 28th with over $6.4bn in lifetime mobile revenue, according to AppMagic.

Total player spending is likely much higher when including alternative app stores, other platforms and Genshin Impact’s web shop, but between Google Play and the App Store spending fell by 42% this past year.

4) Epic Games launches global web shops for mobile and PC

Epic Games launched Epic Web Shops as a new-direct-to consumer feature for developers to sell in-game content on mobile and PC.

The new service is powered by Epic Games' self-publishing tools, with a mobile-native integration planned for the Epic Games Store app later this year.

5) 39% of game devs are making mobile games, but layoffs make them "go numb"

Duamentes Gaming’s Making Games, Making Future report suggested that in 2025, 38% of developers are building their games cross-platform, with 39% developing for mobile.

98% of games industry workers play games themselves, 60% of whom play daily or almost daily. 57% play as a form of market research.