Hot Five
Hot Five: Super Mario Galaxy Movie trailer, Angry Birds Rush soft launch, and Steer Studios lands Tom and Jerry licence
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Related People
Rob Crossley
Head of Developer Partnerships
Aaron Ludlow
Product Director
Harvey Elliott
CEO
Harriet Hughes
CMO
Matt Frenchman
MD, PlayIgnite
Juha Huhtakallio
PlayStack Oy, GM
Charlie Hasdell
Creative Director
Liz Cheng-Moore
Lead marketing manager
+5 more
Accolades
Articles featuring Playstack
Growth
Playstack revenue surged 52% in H1 2025 to £30.7m
Balatro and Abiotic Factor sold over 3m units in the first half of the year
Mobile Games Awards 2025
Balatro wins hearts as the People's Choice at the Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2025
Solo developer LocalThunk picks up the People’s Choice award for a $30m mobile game first intended "for myself and a few friends"
Uk Best Of 2025
The Top 50 UK Game Makers of 2025
The UK movers and shakers of the last 12 months revealed!
High Stakes
How Playstack bet on Balatro and won big
Playstack CEO Harvey Elliott shares a behind the scenes look at the journey of Balatro
Hot Five
Hot Five: Scopely acquires Pokémon Go and more for $3.5bn, Wuthering Waves hits $250m on mobile, and Sonic Rumble’s reasons for delay
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Balatro Timeline
“I don’t think I would have rated Balatro higher than an eight and I made the damn thing”
LocalThunk said the timeline series will serve as both a story for players and a personal reference
Age Rating
Indie hit Balatro sees PEGI rating drop to 12+ after review
“I hope this change will allow developers to create without being unfairly punished"
Week That Was
When big acquisitions fail, the resurgence of card games, and Niantic's wildfire relief donations | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Winners Revealed
Balatro wins Mobile Game of the Year at DICE Awards
The title came out on top in a category that included Halls of Torment, Monument Valley 3, Paper Trail and Wuthering Waves
Milestone
Balatro exceeds five million in sales across all platforms
“Selling five million units of any game is an incredible milestone worthy of celebration"
Pgc London 2025
Learn lessons from launching Balatro at PGC London 2025
Playstack CEO Harvey Elliott gives the lowdown on launching one of the most successful games of 2024
Festive Surprises
PG Connects Advent Calendar: A Daily Festive Treat
Celebrate the festive season with a special treat each day from Pocket Gamer Connects. Click through to find today's surprise…
Age Rating
Balatro rated 18+ by PEGI as developer critiques rating system
LocalThunk compares 18+ rating to EA Sports FC’s age three rating
Milestone
Balatro has sold over 3.5 million copies
The card game also won the 2024 Mobile Game of the Year at The Game Awards
Awards Season
Balatro wins Mobile Game of the Year at The Game Awards
Balatro also won Best Debut Indie Game and Indie Game of the Year
Week That Was
Adjust's PR vacuum, Balatro's premium success, and a $100m anime hit | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Premium Power
Balatro nears $4.4m on mobile amid a sudden spending surge
LocalThunk’s premium game had been on the decline throughout October
Premium Power
Balatro approaches $1 million in seven days on mobile
Solo developer LocalThunk released a mobile adaptation of the popular card game on September 26th
New Game Launch
Card roguelike Balatro is coming to iOS and Android this month
For iOS users Balatro will be included as part of the Apple Arcade subscription
Podcast
Insights From PGC London 2023, Pt 1 | Podcast
Exclusive video: Check out insights from some of industry professionals that were at PGC London 2023 earlier this year
Women In Games
International Women's Day 2023: Harriet Hughes, CMO at Playstack
We get the real state of play and showcase a world of talent for International Women's Day
Women In Games
Harriet Hughes, the CMO of Playstack, on the appeal of the games industry and what makes it unique
"This industry never fails to inspire and influence me"
How To Say "welcome" In Simlish
Playstack acquires Magic Fuel Games, reunites EA veterans
The deal brings Magic Fuel's exec team, including Kevin Shrapnell, together with Playstack CEO Harvey Elliot, following previous collaboration on the SimCity franchise
One In Four
Playstack: one in four players click on charitable interactive billboard ads
Follows recent charity campaign to raise awareness for charity:water's 'Clean Water Pledge'
Pg Connects Interviews
Video interview: Playstack on creating in-game ads that better suit the players
"In some instances, there are more adverts than gameplay."
Post-pg Connects Thoughts
Mobile Mavens: the future of live events
PG Connects London attendees share their thoughts on future live events
Don't Interrupt Me
Playstack launches Interact SDK for less interruptive mobile game ads
Offers three methods of non-interruptive ad monetisation
Endangered
On The Edge Conservation wants to raise awareness for endangered species with Kakapo Run
"EDGE species, such as the kakapo, represent entire branches of the tree of life – if we lose them, there will be nothing like them left in the world"
The Prodigal Son
Playstack brings back product manager Aaron Ludlow as new head of product
Overseeing an "exciting game franchise" and new growth area
Gold Rush
PlayStack’s new mobile game Dig That Gold gives away real 24k gold bars to players
Publisher partners with UK start-up Project M on title
Acquisition News
UK publisher PlayStack acquires Finnish developer Hisome
Studio renamed PlayStack Oy and will be responsible for development and finding new partners
Ready To Ignite
How PlayIgnite's £100 million warchest aims to jumpstart new games through UA
We speak to MD Matt Frenchman about how it plans to jumpstart games that show big potential
Stack 'em Up
PlayStack snaps up former Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe Creative Director
Another senior hire for the UK publisher
Stacking Up
UK games publisher PlayStack recruits new COO and Director
Mads Jensen to drive company's technology plans
Jobs News
PlayStack appoints new Head of Developer Partnerships
Rob Crossley to seek out developer deals for publisher
Stacking Up
New UK publisher PlayStack snaps up former Jagex, Space Ape and EA Mobile staff
UK outfit also signs publishing deal with Foxglove Studios
Exposing Hidden Talent
PlayJam and Marmalade vets join to launch new UK publisher PlayStack
Founded by former Marmalade CEO Harvey Elliott