Major Shift
Google Play injunction can "transform Android game economics"
Tech giant forced to allow alternative payment systems in the US until 2027 under court ruling in Epic Games case
Market Growth
India’s games and interactive media sector projected to hit $7.7bn by 2030
Bitkraft Ventures report claims in-app purchases are set to grow sixfold within five years despite real-money gaming ban that had powered the market's rise
Sponsored
Japan’s open payment era: What game developers need to know
How Apple and Google’s upcoming compliance with Japan’s new digital market rules will reshape mobile game monetisation
Marvellous Mena
Gbrossoft CEO Mudathir Giwa on Outliver: Tribulation, creative resilience, and expanding to new platforms
"The key lies in incentivising games and building awareness among Africa’s young and tech-savvy population"
Buyout Concerns
CWA urges federal review of $55bn PIF-led EA buyout
CWA President Claude Cummings Jr warned the deal could harm workers, consumers, and the wider US games industry
Service Disruption
Microsoft Azure global service outage impacts Minecraft and Xbox services worldwide
The Windows company said an accidental configuration change triggered the global disruption
Busted
Supercell will shut down Squad Busters next year
Decision marks the first time ever the famous Finnish studio has closed a live game
Crush & Tell
Crush & Tell: Candy Crush’s behind-the-scenes series will explore game design and development
Candy Crush VP of marketing Luken Aragon gives the scoop on King’s series premiering today
Pocket Power
Pokémon TCG Pocket dethrones Pokémon Go as it celebrates first anniversary and $1.3bn
The digital card game had the most lucrative first year of any mobile Pokémon game
Aurora
Diversity and collaboration are what make games engaging and meaningful
Sari Latvala on building games based on different viewpoints and mutual understanding
Cracked Open
US Google Play store opens up to alternative payments in boost for DTC
Injunction will run until November 1st, 2027
Revved Up
"We kind of forgot that we're a game developer": Fingersoft's journey to Hill Climb Racing 3
Chief growth officer Daniel Rantala gives us the lowdown on the series' history and where the studio is headed for its future
Company Buyout
AppsFlyer reportedly nearing a $3bn buyout
Four investment funds have entered the final bidding stage
Layoff News
Amazon to cut around 14,000 corporate jobs including roles in its games division
Tech giant claims it wants to operate like the world's largest startup as it axes staff
Aurora
How diversity is one of the games industry’s best features
Suvi Latva on her passion for the industry and working towards the common goal of making better games
Soft Launch
Fingersoft soft-launches Hill Climb Racing 3
Sequel to popular series is available on Google Play in the UK, Norway, Sweden and Finland
New Offerings
Saudi Arabia launches Riyadh Season-themed entertainment experiences on Roblox
Developed with UGC creator The Gang, the experience brings Boulevard City and Boulevard World to life in Roblox
Milestone
Honor of Kings surpasses 260m global MAUs
The Chinese server now sees over 139 million DAUs, up from 100m in 2024
Unreal Mobile Games
How does mobile development fit into the overall product strategy for Unreal Engine?
Find out how Epic Games is making mobile a fundamental part of Unreal Engine's future - and what the future holds for mobile games in UE5
Make-a-wish
Steer Studios joins Make-A-Wish International’s Infinite Wishes Initiative to help grant wishes for children
Donations were unlocked through player activity in Steer’s debut mobile game Grunt Rush
Diamond Sponsor
GeeMee shines as diamond sponsor of the Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Korea
Leading ad tech company GeeMee expands its global footprint, powering the future of game monetisation at the debut Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Korea.
Market Overview
Niko Partners: Southeast Asia's games market forecast to hit $6.47 billion in 2029
Niko Partners' Darang Candra provides an overview of the region's games sector
Layoff News
Report: Amazon plans to cut up to 30,000 corporate jobs
The layoffs will affect around 10% of corporate staff across HR, operations, devices, and AWS
Ip Partnerships
"Every new partnership teaches us something": How ZiMAD brought Om Nom to Magic Jigsaw Puzzles
ZiMAD chief business development officer Elizaveta Savenkova tells us how the partnership came about and what makes IP collaborations worthwhile
Milestone
Pokémon TCG Pocket surpasses 150m downloads in under a year
New anniversary updates aim to make card collecting more accessible
Age Verification
Google is rolling out age verification on the Play Store
The rollout will vary by region, with some areas exempt from verification requirements
New Offerings
Monument Valley 3 returns to Android and iOS this December
The Garden of Life expansion launches the same day across mobile, console, and PC
Milestone
The Battle of Polytopia surpasses 25m downloads on mobile
The milestone follows steady updates including weekly challenges and new skins
Pgc Aqaba
Meet the sponsors at Pocket Gamer Connects Aqaba
Connect with the outstanding companies powering the next b2b games event in MENA, November 8th-9th
Pgc London 2026
Meet and learn from global experts at the biggest Pocket Gamer Connects London yet
Introducing the first of over 280 speakers coming to PG Connects London 2026
Shadowy Start
Fire Emblem Shadows makes less than $200,000 in 30 days
Fire Emblem Heroes generated $51.4 million in its first month in 2017
Southeast Asia
"Southeast Asia could become one of the most exciting centres for game development and esports"
Garena Online senior director of game operations Krit Pattanateacha dives deep into the state of the SEA games industry
Ad Experiments
What five in-game ad experiments taught us about player behaviour and revenue
GameBiz Consulting’s Božo Janković shares how small in-game changes led to big surprises in ad performance
Korean Games Industry
How Korea remains a strong challenger in the global games market
Expert insight on the Korean games industry ahead of PG Connects Summit Korea, October 31st
Pgc London 2026
Save 10% on tickets to Pocket Gamer Connects London 2026 with an exclusive Halloween offer
Unmissable opportunity to connect with the worldwide industry at the UK’s biggest b2b games event, January 19th-20th
Game Closures Incoming
Up to 40 games at risk as Stillfront net revenue falls 17%
Net revenue was $464.3m over the first nine months of 2025, down from $541.9m in the same time last year
Boat Game
Supercell’s Boat Game sets sail for second alpha test
Could Boat Game be Supercell's next global release?
Studio Closure
Netflix shuts down Boss Fight studio behind Squid Game Unleashed
Both Netflix Stories and Squid Game Unleashed remain playable
Apple Troubles
Apple faces up to $2bn damages after UK court rules against its App Store practices
Case represents millions of iPhone and iPad users in the UK
Milestone
Resident Evil Survival Unit surpasses 2m pre-registrations worldwide
The total includes combined sign-ups from the App Store and Google Play across multiple regions
Hot Five
Hot Five: Sensor Tower’s AI investment, Monopoly Go's Chat app, and AWS chaos
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Very Big Indie Pitch
Idle City Builder wins the Mobile Very Big Indie Pitch at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2025
Find out who took the top three spot at PGC Helsinki's mobile big indie pitching content
Investment News
Sensor Tower secures new investment for generative AI insights
Market intelligence firm aims to fuel its genAI ambitions with new capital
Week In Views
Unity enters the DTC race and HoYoverse's next big game | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Chat App
Scopely releases Monopoly Go Chat app
After amassing $5 billion and millions of players, the publisher looks to expand on the mobile game's blockbuster success
Soft Launch
Rovio soft-launches Angry Birds Match World
Famous mobile IP returns to match-3 with latest release
New Games
New release roundup: Foundation: Galactic Frontier, Hitman Absolution, Spooky Express, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Ai-first
Is Krafton's $69 million AI-first shift a sign of things to come?
The PUBG maker is saying publicly what some other publishers are doing privately
New Partnerships
Sega signs MoU with Media City Qatar to tailor games for Arab audiences
The partnership will support local talent, production, and Arabic localisation across Sega’s global titles
Revamped Offering
Amazon relaunches Luna with beginner-friendly multiplayer games designed for social play
The new GameNight collection adds over 25 local multiplayer titles for friends and family