Appcharge secures $58m, Fortnite returns to iOS in Australia, and the Moshi Monsters relaunch stalls | Week in Views

August 15, 2025

Appcharge secures $58m, Fortnite returns to iOS in Australia, and the Moshi Monsters relaunch stalls | Week in Views

The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories

Everything is a games platform: Part two

August 15, 2025

Everyone Wants A Piece

Everything is a games platform: Part two

Duolingo, Spotify, Netflix and others make moves in gaming

Rewarded UA Is a strategic advantage – if you treat it that way

August 14, 2025

Rewarded Ua Insight

Rewarded UA Is a strategic advantage – if you treat it that way

"If there's one thing I want gaming companies to take away, it’s this: rewarded networks aren’t just traffic sources, they’re strategic partners"

ZiMAD’s journey to a 170 million download hit

August 12, 2025

Market Resilience

ZiMAD’s journey to a 170 million download hit

CEO Dmitry Bobrov shares on the business strategy behind Magic Jigsaw Puzzles

Jobs in Games: Rababa Games' Mohammad Al-Qawasmeh on how to build a career as a programmer

August 12, 2025

Jobs in Games: Rababa Games' Mohammad Al-Qawasmeh on how to build a career as a programmer

In this series, we highlight the talented team members working in the games industry and how they got their break

AppLovin and Unity spar, Talofa’s fitness-first focus, and is the Online Safety Act fit for purpose? | Week in Views

AppLovin and Unity spar, Talofa’s fitness-first focus, and is the Online Safety Act fit for purpose? | Week in Views

The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories

How much direct-to-consumer revenue are mobile games publishers making?

How much direct-to-consumer revenue are mobile games publishers making?

All the major mobile games companies are talking about it. And the results are in

“Like airport security for UGC”: The Mobile Mavens react to the UK's Online Safety Act

“Like airport security for UGC”: The Mobile Mavens react to the UK's Online Safety Act

New safety laws raise questions for the future of online play

How Talofa Games' Monster Walk aims to stand out from Pokémon Go

Fitness Formula

How Talofa Games' Monster Walk aims to stand out from Pokémon Go

CEO Jenny Xu discusses raising $6.3 million, making exercise accessible and fun, and why it's targeting a Gen Z audience

Why the NextBeat team is joining the gamified learning revolution at Duolingo

Why the NextBeat team is joining the gamified learning revolution at Duolingo

Co-founders Simon Hade and Olly Barnes discuss why they went from seeking funding to joining the learning platform

Can AI replace ad monetisation managers?

Industry Insights

Can AI replace ad monetisation managers?

GameBiz Consulting’s Damjan Kačar tests if AI can keep up with ad monetisation experts

UA is broken - Here’s how developers can fix it without hiring a bigger team

Lean Ai Driven Ua Strategies

UA is broken - Here’s how developers can fix it without hiring a bigger team

MStars.AI marketing director Efrain Aldaz explains the shift toward lean, AI-driven strategies

Inside Wooga’s strategic shift

Studio Strategy

Inside Wooga’s strategic shift

New MD Dennis Korf on prioritising June's Journey, learning from Claire's Chronicles and what comes next

In the face of ongoing legal change, what are the opportunities for mobile games companies?

Epic Vs. Everyone: Linkouts

In the face of ongoing legal change, what are the opportunities for mobile games companies?

"Don’t be surprised if pretty soon players in any part of the world can start making off-platform purchases in-app with zero friction"

Marvellous Mena

"I was pleasantly surprised that singers actually want to be in video games"

Masseka Games founder Teddy Kossoko on building a mobile game that monetises celebrity feuds

Infinity Games’ André Miraldo on why Portugal is the perfect place to develop its soothing puzzling games

Portugal's Egames Lab Consortium

Infinity Games’ André Miraldo on why Portugal is the perfect place to develop its soothing puzzling games

Infinity Games excels at creating relaxing puzzle games, a success André Miraldo, its marketing lead, attributes to the support provided by Portugal

The heavy hand of regulation

The heavy hand of regulation

Regulators continue to fight big tech with mixed results

Decoding Apple's new App Store business terms in the EU

Decoding Apple's new App Store business terms in the EU

Futura Digital delves into the latest rules for the EU App Store as the iPhone giant battles with the DMA

A heroic ten years

Happy 10th Birthday Heroiclabs

A heroic ten years

"We kept seeing studios reinvent the wheel: building complex backend systems from scratch instead of focusing on the game itself... we knew there had to be a better way."

Inside the data systems of gaming's global hits: The tech stack behind billions in revenue

Actionable Insight For Every Dept

Inside the data systems of gaming's global hits: The tech stack behind billions in revenue

Find out how ThinkingData is unifying data analytics and live ops into a single scalable platform for developers and publishers worldwide

Tilting Point’s Sylvain Etard talks rewarded platforms, retargeting and the

Tilting Point’s Sylvain Etard talks rewarded platforms, retargeting and the "UA jungle"

Etard spoke at PGC Barcelona 2025, revealing insights into reaching users

“Our portfolio includes several dozen studios earning over €1m in monthly revenue”: Magify’s Evgeniy Kurenkov on scaling smarter live ops

Data Driven Growth

“Our portfolio includes several dozen studios earning over €1m in monthly revenue”: Magify’s Evgeniy Kurenkov on scaling smarter live ops

Evgeniy Kurenkov discusses how Magify is helping studios turn data into revenue and plans for the future of the platform

User acquisition’s next level: How mobile OEM advertising is changing the game

How Oem Ads Can Deliver

User acquisition’s next level: How mobile OEM advertising is changing the game

"OEM channels allow marketers to reach users at crucial points, such as during device activation, system-level app discovery, and through native notifications."

Mekan Games founder Evans Kiragu on targeting global markets, prototyping strategy and embracing web-first development

Marvellous Mena

Mekan Games founder Evans Kiragu on targeting global markets, prototyping strategy and embracing web-first development

"While funding is good and welcomed, it is a full-time job as well to get it."

Why acquisitions fail, Netflix Games' investment plans, and the big H1 2025 genre analysis | Week in Views

Why acquisitions fail, Netflix Games' investment plans, and the big H1 2025 genre analysis | Week in Views

The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories

Esports World Cup CGO: “We want to make esports go mainstream”

Competitive Gaming

Esports World Cup CGO: “We want to make esports go mainstream”

Fabian Scheuermann on taking inspiration from Wimbledon and why mobile has the biggest potential for competitive gaming

Is the EU set for

Twists And Turns

Is the EU set for "total capitulation" on App Store regulation?

Regulators hit a wall as the UK struggles to get out of bed and the EU deals with nightmares of a Trump retaliation

The revolutionary impact of machine learning on mobile advertising

Machine Learning

The revolutionary impact of machine learning on mobile advertising

"The adoption of machine learning in mobile advertising has accelerated dramatically following breakthrough AI technologies"

"The China market is like bootcamp for how to be a winning global player"

Joymaker VP of business development Tom van Dam gives us the lowdown on China's bustling games market

Can India's Nazara really crack $10 billion?

Global Ambitions

Can India's Nazara really crack $10 billion?

CEO and joint MD Nitish Mittersain discusses the company's key acquisitions, why M&A fails, and the future of India's games market

Key insights for adapting ideas into high impact marketing creatives

Key insights for adapting ideas into high impact marketing creatives

AppQuantum’s Vladimir Paklin shares on building lasting creative success

Three red flags to watch for when communicating with a publisher

Partnership Tips

Three red flags to watch for when communicating with a publisher

Beresnev Games founder Oleg Beresnev discusses what to look out for and making the most of a publishing partnership

Ambitions And Aspirations

"We had no idea what we were doing": Herman Narula on Improbable's early years and its future

The Improbable co-founder and CEO discusses the UK company's journey, industry trends, and advice for founders

Reasons AI won’t beat you at networking

Reasons AI won’t beat you at networking

Trust, discernment, innovation - why AI can’t replace the power of the human mind in B2B networking

Moon Active takes aim at Scopely, Roblox opens doors to Major IPs, and Rollic's $100m hit | Week in Views

Moon Active takes aim at Scopely, Roblox opens doors to Major IPs, and Rollic's $100m hit | Week in Views

The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories

The UGC revolution the games industry is clueless about

The UGC revolution the games industry is clueless about

How well do you know UGC?

Behind Free Fire's eighth anniversary: How Garena builds for longevity

Behind Free Fire's eighth anniversary: How Garena builds for longevity

Garena global marketing lead Cindy Chen tells us how Free Fire’s eighth anniversary reflects a broader vision for future global growth and having a player-first design

How Rollic scored a $100m hybridcasual hit by ideating 1,000 games a month

How Rollic scored a $100m hybridcasual hit by ideating 1,000 games a month

Utku Erdinç suspects that "in the history of mobile gaming, a very small number of studios have experienced this much growth in only one and a half years"

"It’s a great time to explore the Chinese games market"

We speak to MyGamez CEO Mikael Leinonen about the opportunities and challenges in China's lucrative games sector

Raising investment in 2025 and Pokémon Go's $8.8 billion milestone | Week in Views

Raising investment in 2025 and Pokémon Go's $8.8 billion milestone | Week in Views

The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories

How African game studios can compete globally

Marvellous Mena

How African game studios can compete globally

“We need to attract our diaspora back or collaborate with international partners to upskill and polish local talents"

Gimzat Studios co-founders Khaled Mansour and Ahmed Khalaf talk hybridcasual strategy, platform priorities and MENA opportunities

Marvellous Mena

Gimzat Studios co-founders Khaled Mansour and Ahmed Khalaf talk hybridcasual strategy, platform priorities and MENA opportunities

"To reach Africa’s growing mobile audience, localisation and device optimisation are critical."

Beyond the initial engagement: Almedia's VP of Product on data-driven rewarded UA

The Future Of Rewarded Ua

Beyond the initial engagement: Almedia's VP of Product on data-driven rewarded UA

"I said earlier that not all users are equal, but with deep data and a better understanding of player behaviour, it’s possible to encourage users to become more valuable"

Inside mobile hitmaker Lilith Games

Development Journey

Inside mobile hitmaker Lilith Games

Lilith Games' Vincent Ou guides us through the Chinese company's company culture, development strategy and live ops tactics it's used to create billion-dollar hits AFK Journey and Rise of Kingdoms

What happens now for Xbox's mobile ambitions?

Failure To Launch

What happens now for Xbox's mobile ambitions?

Microsoft's mobile strategy is cooked

Layoffs at Xbox raise questions about its future, and Rovio needs the greenlight from Sega | Week in Views

Layoffs at Xbox raise questions about its future, and Rovio needs the greenlight from Sega | Week in Views

The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories

How Metacore cracked Japan's mobile market with Merge Mansion

Marketing Merge Mansion

How Metacore cracked Japan's mobile market with Merge Mansion

Shuhei Watanabe discusses advertising campaigns, cultural differences in Asia, and Merge Mansion’s successful marketing strategy

How to build great playable ads for casual games

Fun & Effective Playable Ads

How to build great playable ads for casual games

"Across most casual game categories, playable ads consistently outperform video formats in ROI and registration rates"

Five proven in-game linkout strategies to drive iOS players to your webshop

Five Ways To Optimise Webshops

Five proven in-game linkout strategies to drive iOS players to your webshop

"The best way to minimise friction and boost conversions is by using an in-game web popup that lets players complete their purchase without ever leaving the game"

Angry Birds Bounce game lead talks brick breaker genre, development under Sega and

Roguelike Reimagining

Angry Birds Bounce game lead talks brick breaker genre, development under Sega and "a great deal of interest on Apple Arcade"

Bryan Cook reveals all from the ideation phase, prototyping, design decisions and creating the first Angry Birds game since Rovio’s acquisition by Sega