Hot Five: PGC London talks, MoneyTime’s $3m seed round, and mobile’s $167bn year in IAP revenue

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) "If I had to start a 100 person studio today in games, I wouldn't do it here in the UK"

Members of the newly formed UK Video Games Council spoke at Pocket Gamer Connects London last week.

Among them, Miniclip CEO Saad Choudri suggested the UK games industry lacks the level of support received in other countries despite nurturing talent and having hubs for multiple creative industries.

2) Play-to-earn app MoneyTime secures $3m seed funding round

Play-to-earn app MoneyTime secured $3 million in a seed funding round as the company aims to expand its offerings, enhance the user experience, and reach new markets.

The platform is currently available in 30 countries, giving users the chance to earn cash rewards by playing games.

3) Ubisoft moves mobile studios and IP into new Creative House under wide-ranging restructure

Ubisoft has restructured its operations into 'Creative Houses', following its recent €1.2 billion ($1.3bn) cash investment from Tencent.

The publisher already established Vantage Studios as part of the Tencent deal, and has now revealed details of its four other Creative Houses. Mobile has been collated into Creative House 5.

4) Global mobile in-app purchase revenue hit $167bn in 2025

Sensor Tower’s State of Mobile 2026 report found consumer spending via in-app purchases grew almost 11% year-over-year, up to $167bn globally in 2025.

Users spent an average 3.6 hours per day on mobile apps and used 34 apps per month, both rising over 2024.

5) Fingersoft's Hill Climb Racing passes 2bn downloads worldwide

Physics-based driving game Hill Climb Racing has officially surpassed 2bn installs globally, according to Fingersoft.

The 2012 title has established the wider Hill Climb Racing brand with sequels, spinoffs and a Lego-based mobile game. The original continues to be played by more than four million people daily.