Isa Muhammad's top stories of 2025: Saudi Arabia’s $55bn EA bid, Roblox growth, Netflix’s Warner Bros gamble, and more
Regular readers will be used to the PocketGamer.biz team’s usual Week in Views roundups, but as the year draws to a close, it’s time to take a deeper look at some of the biggest stories of 2025.
Here, PocketGamer.biz MENA reporter Isa Muhammad shares his take on some of the big moments of the year and some trending topics, from the EA acquisition to the strenuous process of game development.
Saudi Arabia’s PIF is acquiring Electronic Arts
2025 saw several big-money gaming moves from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, largely through its wholly owned subsidiary Savvy Games Group. The most notable was Scopely’s $3.5 billion acquisition of Pokémon Go, alongside a string of other investments.
The PIF is unlikely to pursue another acquisition of this scale anytime soon as available capital tightens.
Still, the biggest shock was the PIF’s proposal to acquire Electronic Arts for $55bn as part of a consortium. If completed, the deal would see Savvy’s parent take a 93.4% stake in EA, with finalisation expected within six to nine months.
Saudi Arabia’s games market generated $1.19bn in 2024 and is projected to reach $1.64bn by 2028. Owning one of the world’s largest game publishers would significantly strengthen the Kingdom’s long-term ambitions in games.
However, the deal has not gone unchallenged, with two US senators and trade bodies raising concerns. And while attention now turns to whether the acquisition clears regulatory hurdles, the PIF is unlikely to pursue another acquisition of this scale anytime soon as available capital tightens.
Roblox content surpasses one trillion all-time views on YouTube
Roblox had a truly fascinating year. It claimed content linked to the platform has surpassed one trillion lifetime views on YouTube, while players logged 88.7bn hours of engagement in 2025 and a host of other record-breaking figures.
That growth is striking given the platform’s ongoing child safety challenges. Several countries, including Russia, Iraq and Kuwait, have moved to ban Roblox despite its efforts to position itself as a safe space for younger players.
In response, Roblox hired a head of parent advocacy, launched its first Parent Council, and announced plans to introduce facial age estimation for users accessing chat features.
Even so, regulators remain unconvinced, raising questions about what further child safety changes the company will roll out in 2026 and whether more countries will add the platform to their ban lists.
Netflix set to acquire Warner Bros. in $82.7bn deal
The cinema experience still matters, but only when the movie is actually good.
I think 2025 quietly showed that the traditional theatrical model is weakening, with films taking years to make and then hitting digital and streaming platforms much faster than before. Audiences are being trained to wait, and studios know it.
The most surprising part for me was Netflix assigning little to no value to Warner Bros’ games business.
Seen through that lens, Netflix potentially acquiring Warner Bros. does not feel as alarming as it once would have. Netflix is built for direct access to audiences, while Warner Bros still carries the weight of legacy distribution.
Paramount is bidding to buy all of Warner Bros. Discovery for $108.4bn, higher than Netflix’s $82.7bn offer, which excludes WBD’s cable networks like CNN. That contrast also explains why Warner Bros appears to favour Netflix over Paramount’s hostile takeover bid.
Still, the most surprising part for me was Netflix assigning little to no value to Warner Bros’ games business. And I think that in the long run, whether Paramount or Netflix acquire WB, it will eventually lead to job losses on both sides. Also, Netflix taking control may not save cinema, but it might force Hollywood to finally accept that the old model is already fading.
"Every small game you create and release teaches you something the previous game never did”
I missed a few games industry events in 2025 that I would have loved to attend, but attending Gamathon 25 in Lagos stood out. A key takeaway was a session by Fer Factor CEO and founder Feranmi Oladosu, who spoke candidly about the difficult realities of game development.
I can count on one hand the number of African studios that secured funding in 2025.
In my MENA trends feature, I noted how smaller teams across the Middle East and Africa are aiming high with ambitious console and PC projects. While impressive, ambition can sometimes outpace resources, meaning many of these games may never be released.
This challenge is even more pronounced in Africa, where securing studio funding remains rare. At Lagos Games Week, I spoke with Soukayna Ennaji of Virtuos about how African studios can still compete globally despite limited capital.
Africa’s games market generated $2.1bn from 349m players this year, with 90% playing on mobile. Kiro'o Games is looking to tap into that audience with an upcoming mobile title and a $1m funding goal, while Kanessa Muluneh’s Rise of Fearless is raising $700,000 to blend African storytelling with battle royale gameplay.
I can count on one hand the number of African studios that secured funding in 2025, and hopefully that number increases in 2026. As Mekan Games founder Evans Kiragu said in an interview: “While funding is good and welcomed, it is a full-time job as well to get it."
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