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
Startup Seed
AI-powered startup EasyWin lands $15m valuation at close of first seed round
Funding came from Velo Partners, Vladimir Nikolsky, and various private angel investors
Pocket Gamer Connects 2026
Pocket Gamer Connects targets new key destinations with 2026 world tour
Malmö, Bangkok and the Canary Islands added to the global games industry event calendar
Milestone
Rush Royale surpasses 100m downloads and over $470m in lifetime revenue
The My.Games hit marks its fifth anniversary with nearly 6 billion battles played worldwide
Milestone
Budge Studios surpasses 2 billion lifetime downloads across its mobile games portfolio
The milestone marks 15 years of delivering child-focused digital play experiences
Publisher Speedmatch
How to master your game pitch at Publisher SpeedMatch
Expert tips to super-charge your pitch before Pocket Gamer Connects London, January 19th to 20th
Transmedia
Netflix didn’t attribute any value to Warner Bros. Games business in $83bn mega deal
“We think that there’s definitely an opportunity there. But just to be clear, we haven’t built that into our deal model”
Bidding Battle
Future of Warner Bros' games business on the line in Netflix-Paramount takeover war
Industry split on transmedia opportunity for Netflix or whether the games studios may struggle to survive a mega deal
All-in
Merge Mayor developer StarBerry Games goes all-in on AI
CEO and co-founder Antti Hattara explains how the studio has changed its approach to production and new game ideation
Investment News
Strategy games studio Hypemasters secures $1m investment
Investment round was led by Impact46 with significant participation from GEM Capital
Beyond Games
Win free expo table and tickets for Beyond Games: Transmedia Summit London 2026
Hosted at the Barbican Centre, the one-day event will explore the creative and commercial intersections between games, film, TV, music and other media
Partnership
SpecialEffect brings accessible play to the forefront at Pocket Gamer Connects London
Charity behind games accessibility breakthroughs partners with Pocket Gamer Connects for London 2026 event
Podcast | Episode 75
How mobile devs use AI and Pikmin Bloom blossoms | 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 75...
Capturing A Crossover
Duolingo taps Genshin Impact players with crossover rewards
The three-week collaboration begins today, with retained Duolingo players earning in-game rewards in Genshin Impact
Rival Bid
Paramount makes $108bn all-cash bid for Warner Bros. Discovery
The offer aims to outbid Netflix’s $82.7bn agreement announced last week
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
Milestone
PvX crosses $250m in committed UA financing for mobile games and consumer apps
The firm pitches cohort-based UA financing as a non-dilutive alternative to equity and traditional debt
Funding News
Qwacks secures $480,000 to advance game development and live ops technology
Investment will accelerate plans to scale its platform and expand across Saudi Arabia and the wider region
Job News
Stillfront names Emily Villatte CFO as early transition takes effect
Villatte joins the group's executive management team a month earlier than planned
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"
Winners Revealed
Pokémon TCG Pocket, Dredge, and What The Clash? named App Store Awards 2025 winners
Pokémon TCG Pocket takes iPhone Game of the Year
Hot Five
Hot Five: Netflix to acquire Warner Bros, Google Play in-app purchases fall, and Kingshot surpasses $500m
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Pgc London 2026
Everything you need to know about Pocket Gamer Connects London
Your business gateway to networking, insights and deals in 2026
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
Pgc London 2026
Pocket Gamer Connects London 2026 sponsorship opportunities for those seeking early-year deal flow
UK’s biggest B2B games industry event expands for its largest edition, with 70% of sponsorships already allocated
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
Deal Struck
Netflix set to acquire Warner Bros. in $82.7bn deal
The deal includes Warner Bros. Games and the firm's film and television studios HBO and HBO Max
New Games
New release roundup: Subway Surfers+, Monument Valley 3, Hello Kitty and Friends World, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Ramping Up Revenue
Kingshot catapults past $500m with nine months of consecutive growth
Century Games’ latest 4X strategy hit made $96.7m this November
Game Jam
Thatgamecompany launches first independently organised game jam
The developer invites creators to build accessible, emotionally driven experiences
Milestone
Unico Studio surpasses 1.6bn mobile downloads and 750m web plays
The Brain Test developer added 1.1bn downloads in three years
Freedom Regained
Netflix sells Spry Fox back to founders
Spirit Crossing stays in development with Netflix handling mobile publishing
Market Growth
Asia and MENA games revenue set to hit $88.97bn in 2025
The regional gamer population is also set to reach o 1.7bn this year
Recognition
IGDA Foundation Names Margaret Gathoni 2025 Eric Dybsand AI Scholar
The program supports one AI student each year to advance the next wave of engineering talent
New Offerings
Social platform Stan launches Photon to reward users for their online attention
Users can now earn rewards for watching videos, scrolling feeds, interacting with creators or playing games
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
Ua Trends & Strategy Report
The 2025 mobile game UA landscape: Inside XMP & Insightrackr’s newest report
The Global Mobile Gaming UA Trends & Strategy Report 2025, offers a comprehensive look at how mobile game user acquisition and creative strategies are evolving this year.
New Offerings
Gamez Quest launches to deliver premium Arabic localisation for global publishers
The studio provides localisation services across PC, console, mobile and VR
Applovin Accelerates
Apple and Google continue to lead in mobile game ads, but AppLovin wins over select genres
The AppsFlyer Performance Index - 2025 Edition highlights "sharper competition" and "maturing ecosystems"
Banned
Russia bans Roblox over harmful content claims
The ban follows allegations of extremist content and LGBT propaganda
Regulations
Apple pushes back against India’s "sledgehammer" mandatory cyber app plans
Insider sources say Apple sees the mandate as a major privacy and security risk for iOS
Acqusitions
Saudi Arabia’s PIF set to own 93.4% of EA in proposed takeover
The transaction is expected to close within six to nine months
Very Big Indie Pitch
Top tips to sharpen your indie game pitch and turn up better prepared
How to master your game pitch at the Very Big Indie Pitch at Pocket Gamer Connects London, January 19th-20th
Marketing Over Innovation?
Marketing is the tail that wags the dog of mobile gaming, not innovation
Marketing budgets outstrip development and it's the key driver of success, say industry experts
Layoff News
Outright Games lays off 27 staff across its UK and Spanish operations
Marketing, production, creative, QA, and OG Labs teams are among those affected
Jobs Roundup
December 2025’s Movers and Shakers: Clash of Clans’ esports manager, Metacore’s new CTO, Ali Farha joins Behold Ventures, and more
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
Industry Insights
Why hits are built not born
Omri Grinberg explains how data-driven iteration builds today’s mobile game hits
New Offerings
Discord launches wishlist feature for saving and showcasing cosmetic items
Friends can view a wishlist and gift items directly, with claimed gifts removed automatically