Hot Five: Roblox CEO's heated debate, Gear Games' $5m funding, and Infinity Nikki’s big update
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.
Roblox CEO David Baszucki had a heated discussion with The New York Times about child protection measures on the platform.
The interview saw interruptions, stern remarks, and taking shots at lawsuits and the press, but Baszucki did agree that it’s "enormously important" for Roblox to pre-empt risks around adults talking to minors, with plans like implementing facial age estimation using AI.
2) Gear Games secures $5m to scale its new card battler Arcane Rush
Gears Games has raised $5 million from UA and monetisation platform Metica in order to scale its card title Arcane Rush: Auto Battler globally.
The co-development studio has more than 15 years of experience in mobile games with credits including Marvel Strike Force, WWE Champions and Angry Birds Match.
One week before its first anniversary, Infinity Nikki has launched its major version 2.0 update with overhauls to exploration, combat, customisation and more.
The update has been framed as "the most expansive evolution in the series’ history", reimagining Miraland with two new locations and emphasising player connection and freedom.
4) Supercell to open new AI Innovation Lab in Tokyo next year
Supercell has unveiled plans to open a new AI Innovation Lab in Tokyo in 2026, following AI Innovation Labs in Helsinki and San Francisco.
Supercell AI lead Otto Söderlund revealed the plan during RovioCon in a session detailing how the tech could change the games industry.
5) "I don't see app studios getting into games. I just see game studios getting into apps"
EHVM Capital founder Evelin Herrera spoke with us about the current state of apps and games, the M&A landscape surrounding them, and apps’ potential AI advantage.
"I don't see app studios getting into games. I just see game studios getting into apps," she said.
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