Hot Five
Hot Five: Ares Interactive raises $70m, Google's Project Genie sparks gaming shares decline, and Arknights: Endfield hits $30m in two weeks
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Mobile Retreat
EA Sports FC Tactical to go offline as EA shuts down another mobile game
Turn-based sports title set to go offline on May 7th
Week In Views
Recognition for UK games, Iron Lung's indie film success and nine years of Fire Emblem Heroes | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
New Games
New release roundup: Civilization VII Arcade Edition, Might and Magic Fates TCG, King's Gambit, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Market Report
AppMagic: Games revenue growth stalls at 0.2% in 2025 as strategy emerges as the fastest-growing genre
AI has become mainstream in game marketing, with 56% of the top 100 grossing games using AI-driven ad creatives
Tiktok Troubles
European Commission finds TikTok in breach of Digital Services Act over addictive design
Infinite scroll, autoplay and personalised recommendations were cited as potential risks to users’ mental and physical well-being
Industry Outlook
UKIE welcomes new SIC codes for UK games publishing and development
The change marks the first time the UK games industry will be formally separated from broad software and IT categories in official economic data
Acqusitions
JetSynthesys confirms EverMerge acquisition from Big Fish Games
The deal supports JetSynthesys’ global expansion plans, with India a key growth market
Milestone
NYT Games' multiplayer word game Crossplay surpasses one million downloads
Launched in January, the title marks NYT’s move from solo puzzles into real-time competitive play
Forever Games
2026 live ops trends: Templatisation, personalisation and AI
We speak to Balancy CEO Pavel Ignatov about the latest trends in live ops and the strategies developers can employ right now
Ugc Finance
Why you should bring your finance team into product strategy
Travis Hughson from Tipalti Mass Payments explores the vital role of finance and payouts in making games a success globally
Pgc London
Direct-to-consumer at PGC London: "The Pandora’s Box is open"
Appcharge founder and CEO Maor Sason spoke with Play Ventures founding partner Harri Manninen at PGC London 2026 about the evolution of D2C
Endfield Earnings
Arknights: Endfield hits $30m in two weeks on mobile
Gryphline’s new gacha was released globally on January 22nd
Switch 2 Sales
Switch 2 surpasses 17m unit sales as Nintendo’s net sales rise 99%
The original Switch has become Nintendo’s best-selling console in history, at over 155m units and 1.5bn software sales
New Partnerships
Savvy Games Group signs MoU with Alfaisal University to launch new game design program
The program will be jointly delivered by Alfaisal University and Savvy Academy, blending academic teaching with industry expertise
New Offerings
Roblox launches 4D generation creation feature enters beta
The new system moves beyond static assets, allowing players to generate fully interactive objects in game
Esports World Cup
Esports World Cup Foundation launches global Road to EWC qualification program
The program links more than 230 tournaments into a single global qualification pathway
Funding News
UAE developer iBloxx Studios raises $5.4m to complete development of StrayShot
The funding will also support global marketing, live operations and preparation for console releases
Events
Dubai GameExpo Summit returns in May after record 1,400 game professionals from 70 countries in 2025
The two-day event returns on May 20th and 21st 2026 to engage with the vibrant MENA games market once more
Making Monopoly Go
"Playfulness and mischief": The strengths of subtle storytelling in Monopoly Go
Monopoly Go's director of content design Phil Williams talks fresh events, seasons and connecting with players
Industry Voices
"It's near impossible for a small team to launch a game following the traditional UA model"
From platform expansion to AI tools, Martine Spaans and Ethan Levy discuss how mobile studios can adapt to increasing UA costs
Acquisition
Skillz acquires Beamable's backend tech
Team that built the platform will continue working on the product
New Offerings
Scopely launches Monopoly Go Pets Season with charity-driven challenge
Pets Season links in-game play to real-world support for animal welfare organisations
Adaptations
Iron Lung movie breaks out at box office with $21.5m opening weekend
The film was produced on a reported $3m budget by YouTuber Markiplier, who also wrote, directed and starred in the adaptation
New Offerings
Fractional/ launches to connect studios with senior strategy and operations expertise
The collective focuses on everything but making the game
Pgc Summit San Francisco
Why Pocket Gamer Connects Summit San Francisco and why now?
How a focused, mobile-first business summit adds value during GDC week
Top 30
Nominations open for the first Top 30 US Mobile Game Makers 2026
Let us know who you think should be included and why
Investment News
Ares Interactive raises $70m as it plots expansion plans and new game launch
Company president Mike DeLaet discusses how the ambitious company aims to scale, potential acquisitions and the opportunities for Baseball Hits 26
State Of Play
Neogames: The state of Finland's games industry in 2026
Neogames Finland's Suvi Latva and KooPee Hiltunen analyse the opportunities and challenges facing the Finnish games sector
Coding Error
Nexon to refund MapleStory Idle RPG players following pricing error
The company is reviewing the financial impact of the refunds on its consolidated results
Indie Publishing
LootLocker makes strategic investment in indie label Pantaloon
Pantaloon offers publishing services and an email newsletter to promote indie games
Epic Milestones
Epic Games Store sees record $400m in third-party player spending
Third-party titles generated 2.78bn hours of playtime, marking a 4% year-on-year increase
Market Report
Games emerge as a dominant entry point into youth fandoms in the US and UK
Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft rank among the top youth fandoms across both markets
Virtual Concert
Lil Wayne to headline Supercell's Clash Royale virtual halftime show
The in-game performance will premiere globally on February 6th, 2026
Growth Drivers
UK games industry joins government delegation to China for the first time
The move reflects the growing importance of games to the UK’s creative economy and export strategy
Ai Debate
Google's Project Genie sparks fall in gaming shares as industry experts question use-case
"The direction is right. The timeline is not what traders think it is," says Storygrounds CEO Andrew Green
Fire Emblem Festivity
Nintendo’s Fire Emblem Heroes celebrates ninth anniversary and over $1.2bn in revenue
The strategy RPG series successfully found its mobile niche as a gacha, surpassing all other Nintendo mobile games
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
The Slingshot Formula: How Angry Birds joined forces with Star Wars
This book excerpt from The Slingshot Formula by Pascal Clarysse delves into the beginnings of Angry Birds: Star Wars, launched in 2012
Company Growth
Stillfront records $253m non-cash impairment charge
The write-down is primarily linked to weaker performance in Europe and North America
Gamescom Latam
Gamescom LATAM 2026 launches business ticket sales with Early Bird discounts
Up to 10% discounts on selected ticket categories
Funding News
Tesoro XP raises $5.4m to scale its rewards platform for games
The company plans to expand its SDK, publisher tools, and partner network ahead of a Q1 2026 launch
Growth Drivers
India's Union Budget commits $27.3m to talent development in creative sectors
Game development and interactive media are set to be embedded into national skilling frameworks
Hot Five
Hot Five: Love and Deepspace’s second anniversary, Arknights: Endfield’s payment problems, and Aristocrat Leisure sells off Big Fish Games assets
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Game Approvals
South Korea to seek expanded Chinese game licence approvals in 2026 strategy
Games have been identified as a core pillar of the government’s K-culture growth agenda
Pocket Gamer Connects
One Pocket Gamer Connects mission delivered in multiple formats
How our streamlined one-day Summits facilitate high-impact outcomes
Aurora Awards Uk
On games as a universe where "we can be who we want to be, regardless of gender or disability"
Athena Worlds' Jane Whittaker on making game worlds for women, non-binary and disabled gamers
Podcast | Episode 81
Ubisoft turmoil and what happened to Big Fish Games? | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode 81...
Game Closure
Pocket Mortys to shut down after 10 years
Pokémon-like RPG based on Rick & Morty was first launched in January 2016
Pgc Barcelona
Tickets now live for Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona 2026 on June 15th and 16th
Start doing real games business in Barcelona this June. Tickets start at just £85!
Job News
Delphi Interactive appoints ex-Konami tech director Julien Merceron as new CTO
He will oversee a reimagined FIFA simulation launching exclusively on Netflix later this year