Looking Ahead
The big games industry trends and stories to watch in 2026
We take a look at what's in store for the sector in the year ahead
Anniversary
Savvy Games Group CEO Brian Ward talks four years of growth, major acquisitions and what comes next
“If the people who played Scopely’s games over the last 12 months were a country, they would be the third largest country in the world"
Creative Candy
Competitive or casual? Designing Candy Crush with "a spectrum of flavours"
King’s senior game designer Mick Heijkens shares insights into game system overhauls, experimental design, and pleasing "a wide mix of playstyles"
Speaker Spotlight
"I admire anyone who manages to successfully release games with heart and personality"
Duolingo's Nicoll Hunt discusses passion projects, inspirations and team motivation
Speaker Spotlight
Why publishers should treat monetisation as one revenue system, not just a collection of tools
TeqBlaze chief product officer Olga Zharuk discusses optimising user acquisition, black boxes, and AI's potential in games
Speaker Spotlight
Almedia's Jan Sommerfeld on why an over-reliance on short-term ROAS is the mobile sector's most common mistake
The COO discusses the rewarded UA space and why companies should look further than D30 ahead of his PGC London talk
Speaker Spotlight
"Web and cross-platform strategies are often overlooked, yet they’re critical to long-term success"
We catch up with Morgan ahead of the show to discuss the present and future of web gaming.
Ai-assisted Optimisation
Teqblaze - from manual monetisation platform to AI-assisted optimisation
Find out how Teqblaze helps publishers build more predictable, sustainable monetisation without sacrificing transparency or control
Sophisticated Soft Launch
Soft launch is changing in 2026: How and where should you release your game?
Matej Lancaric and Claire Rozain discuss how soft launching games will change this year
Industry Insights
Should developers look for long-term partnerships and what makes a studio worth backing?
Evgeny Maurus shares insights on the shifting mobile games market and what studios must do to stay competitive
Enhanced Experience
UX in Candy Crush and the "deceptively complex" world of boosters
King’s principal UX designer Andrea Serfaty talks player experience, the Super Colour Bomb, and more
Speaker Spotlight
"2025 was a banner year for direct-to-consumer revenue"
FastSpring head of gaming Chip Thurston tells us why we're still in the early days of D2C ahead of his PGC London talk
D2c Revolution
Publishers bank record direct-to-consumer revenue
The latest results of the D2C revolution are in
Speaker Spotlight
Amber CEO Mihai Pohontu talks up the massive opportunities for AI and UGC
The chief exec of the development agency gives his opinions on the next big opportunities for games companies
New Year
Mobile Mavens' New Year's resolutions for 2026: Fewer bubbles, stop doomsaying, and sustainable growth
The Mobile Mavens share their ambitions for the coming year
Mobile Mavens
Mobile Mavens' New Year's resolutions for 2026: Advocate through action, play more games, and keep experimenting
The Mobile Mavens share their ambitions for the coming year
Speaker Spotlight
AudioMob on maintaining a balanced, data-driven strategy across multiple adtech partners
AudioMob's Suma Amreiz discusses implementing successful audio ads and the importance of using a balanced network of adtech partners
Big Year
Steel Media in 2025: Supporting the games industry with our biggest ever year of events and media
Serving up 8 PGConnects conferences for 11,000 delegates, 200,000 monthly visitors to PG.Biz and1.9M+ monthly on PocketGamer.com
Mobile Mavens
Games industry predictions for 2026: Make-or-break for pandemic era investments, D2C's evolution, and rapid scaling
The Mobile Mavens gaze into the crystal ball to share their thoughts and expectations for the year ahead
Speaker Spotlight
Why D2C is a major relief valve for UA pressure
Neon head of customer success Liu Xu offers insights on maximising D2C performance
Speaker Spotlight
Local payment methods "key to unlocking scale" in the MENA market
Tamatem Plus MD Faisal Al Bitar discusses the D2C revolution ahead of his talk at PGC London on January 19th to 20th
Mobile Mavens
Mobile Mavens' games companies of the year 2025: Microfun, Supercent, Homa, Supercell, and more
The Mobile Mavens share which companies they think have had a notable year
Industry Voices
Heavy industry investment during the pandemic "made us all lose sight of building sustainable companies"
How to unlock new avenues in a tight funding climate
Transmedia Ip
Com2uS's Kyu Lee wants to see more risk-taking and innovation from studios
Kyu Lee shares his expertise ahead of the Beyond Games: Transmedia Summit on January 20th
Mobile Mavens
Mobile Mavens on the biggest games industry trends of 2025: Slow growth, AI experimentation, web shops, and more
Our Mobile Mavens share the trends that are shaping the industry
Come Together
Why Scopely hosted real-world event Dough Fest for Monopoly Go
The community get-together combined with global in-game trading event Trade Fest
Goty
Mobile Mavens' mobile games of the year 2025: Whiteout Survival, Top Tycoon, Grand Mountain Adventure 2, and more
The Mobile Mavens share the best mobile games they've played this year
Goty
Mobile Mavens' mobile games of the year 2025: Monument Valley 3, Kingshot, Magic Sort, and more
The Mobile Mavens share the best mobile games they've played this year
Own Your Ad Stack
Mobile publishers must move "from reacting to directing" their ad stack, says Teqblaze CPO
Olga Zharuk explains why a lack of control and transparency - not just optimisation - is the main issue facing mobile game monetisation today, and how a white-label approach solves it
2025 Reflection
SayGames reflects on 2025: Fewer projects but deeper partnerships
SayGames chief publishing officer Anton Volnykh discusses the company's strategy that has shaped the year and what he expects for 2026
Week In Views
Roblox’s one trillion YouTube views, Asia dominates mobile’s biggest launches, and Netflix teams up with FIFA | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Trends Roundup
The mobile games industry trends that shaped 2025
A look back at the top stories and trends of the year
Real-money Gambit
Sbarter unfazed by India’s real-money ban in €40m skill-based gaming ambitions
CMO Dominique Cor discusses the Sbarter's €40 million raise, real-money gaming regulation, and web3's struggles
Multiplayer Made Easier
Inside Coherence 2.0 and lowering the barrier to building multiplayer games
CEO and founder Dino Patti talks about Coherence 2.0 and why multiplayer no longer needs to be a five year infrastructure project
Market Analysis
Greenlighting is a lottery: How Voodoo, SLG Giants, and Habby turn ‘luck’ into ‘math’
While indies pray for a hit, the industry giants have turned mysticism into mathematics. Here is how they calculate the optimal solution in an uncertain market.
Industry Debate
Awards recognition "important for mobile’s reputation in the gaming community"
Midjiwan CEO Christian Lövstedt discusses his open letter and how mobile games companies can do more to be in the running for the industry’s top accolades
Week In Views
Navigating new trends, why award shows overlook mobile, and Supercell’s AI testing | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Mobile Snub
Why ignoring mobile gaming at the world’s biggest awards shows matters
The games industry looks stuck decades in the past if it can't embrace other platforms
Industry Insights
Beyond downloads: Why engagement metrics are the true north for publishers
Supersonic's Guy Yogev shares why engagement metrics now define sustainable success in mobile game publishing
Strategic Funding
How AppQuantum’s $10m fund looks to bet on ambitious indie studios with a long-term mindset
Evgeny Maurus talks to us about the latest fund from AppQuantum how how it want to approach building sustainable partnerships
All The Things!
Xsolla introduces new corporate identity, offers "all the things" developers could ever need
As Xsolla celebrates its 20th anniversary, the company is introducing a whole new corporate look and planning to make itself the ultimate toolbox for developers worldwide
Adapting To Trends
"Business model and platform transitions are extinction events for companies"
Tyranno Studios chief gaming officer Michael Rubinelli shares his decades of experience of dealing with rising trends and falling fads
Mobile Mavens
Mobile Mavens on the biggest games industry trends of 2025 and 2026 predictions: AI maturation, UA disruption, and the shift beyond gaming
Our Mobile Mavens share the trends that are shaping the industry and any predictions for the year to come
Marvellous Mena
Steer Studios CEO Yannick Theler on Tom and Jerry Blast, building talent, and next year's ambitions
"I think AI will continue to be an important part of the conversation in the new year. It is nothing new in one sense, but AI is here to stay"
Industry Voices
Why the games industry needs less scolding and a more positive outlook
Speakers share their industry insight ahead of Pocket Gamer Connects London
Week In Views
Netflix’s Warner Bros. Games question, Twitch’s audience boom, and Pikmin Bloom’s big year | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Game Changer
How games changed influencer Ali Farha's life
We sit down with Ali Farha on his journey into the games industry, becoming a social media influencer, and landing at Behold Ventures
Mobile Mavens
Mobile Mavens on the biggest games industry trends of 2025 and 2026 predictions: Cross-platform future, smarter monetisation, and the path to recovery
Our Mobile Mavens share the trends that are shaping the industry and any predictions for the year to come
For The Fish
How player feedback, memes, and rebuilt architecture led to Candy Crush’s "Fish 3.0"
As Candy Crush’s Swedish Fish fell behind, the team set out to revolutionise their mechanics to meet modern gameplay standards
Industry Insights
Why hits are built not born
Omri Grinberg explains how data-driven iteration builds today’s mobile game hits