Week In Views
Diablo heads to Netflix and Monster Hunter Now's $336.9m mobile milestone | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Providing Support
Business Finland receives €14m in creative industries R&D funding applications
Gaming companies submitted some of the largest funding applications
App Store Changes
Apple changes EU app tracking transparency with iOS 27.2
The tracking permission requirements themselves will remain unchanged
New Offerings
Smadex refreshes brand as Performance CTV becomes growth engine
The company combines mobile and CTV signals to optimise campaigns against predicted outcomes
Aurora
Nominate the women we should celebrate in this year's Aurora Nordics
The honourees will be announced live at PG Connects Nordics this October 20th and 21st
Crossovers
Brawl Stars and Duolingo launch global mascot crossover
Players can answer quizzes during the Boss Fight to earn rewards or avoid damage
Funding News
Kalank secures €1.5m funding round to accelerate international expansion
The funding will support hiring, talent retention and publishing activities
Mobile Mavens
“Apple's new foldable changes the canvas iOS developers are designing for”: The Mobile Mavens on the iPhone Duo
The Mobile Mavens weigh in on Apple's entry into foldable phones and what the Duo could mean for mobile developers
Milestone
Ludus: Merge Arena surpasses $50m in lifetime revenue
The game has surpassed 12m cumulative players worldwide
Marvelous Mena
Naphora managing director on rebuilding the studio, going mobile-first and building globally competitive games
“Mobile gives us access to the world's largest gaming audience, global distribution from day one, much shorter development and validation cycles, and an enormous amount of measurable player and market data"
Roaring Registrations
Monster Hunter Outlanders unveils more monsters as 5m pre-registrations achieved
Azure Rathalos, Great Girros, new radiant species and more can be seen in the latest trailer
Job News
Jonathan Knight takes expanded chief games officer role at The New York Times
Knight has held senior games roles at EA, Zynga, Warner Bros. Games and Activision
Child Safety
The EU Kids Act could restrict social media, AI chatbots and games for young people
European Commissions president Ursula von der Leyen has discussed concerns for children today
New Partnerships
Abu Dhabi University partners with Pearson on video game design degree
Pearson will provide digital learning content, platforms and academic support
Team Trifold
Black Salt Games unveils new studio Team Trifold
The team of three is working on its debut game Nothing Lost
Pgc Jordan
Meet the next generation of developer talent at PG Connects Jordan
We're back in Amman this November 7th and 8th
Pgc London
Five reasons you might think PG Connects London isn't for you - and why it is!
We answer five of the most frequently asked questions about our annual flagship conference
Settlement Reached
Competition Appeal Tribunal approves £260m Google Play settlement with UK app developers
The search giant has made no admission of liability or wrongdoing
Fresh Foundations
In The Hot Seat: Colossal Order's Mariina Hallikainen on leaving Paradox and life after Cities: Skylines
Seventeen years, one franchise, and now a blank page - Colossal Order's CEO on what comes after Cities: Skylines
Freedom Regained
Piñata returns as independent creative studio after Metacore stint
Its services include animation, illustration, visual development and UA creatives
Acquisition
Kakao Games to acquire 39.56% of Me2on for $71.5m
The deal values Me2on at approximately $181m based on the transaction
Industry Insights
Why most mobile games get LTV wrong at UA scale
Leonid Malysh examines how mobile publishers can calculate LTV more accurately and avoid scaling unprofitable user acquisition campaigns
Market Report
Cyprus ranks third globally for mobile game downloads
Cyprus-based studios generated around $2bn in mobile game revenue
Milestone
STAN sees 15x growth in StanShop monthly buyers as repeat purchases hit 70%
The platform boasts over 50m users across gaming, creators and communities
Milestone
3AM Experiences’ Roblox games surpass 1bn plays
The company operates across web, mobile, Roblox and UGC
Anniversary
Trailmix on five years of Love & Pies: “There is no status quo in live service”
General manager of Love & Pies at Trailmix Games, Felicity Gracie-Herst, discusses the game's five-year journey and what comes next
New Offerings
Sega expands transmedia strategy with Netflix Crazy Taxi film
Crazy Taxi will be the first project from the collaboration
Funding News
Arcustin Games raises $500,000 in pre-seed funding
The investment values the Istanbul-based studio at $10m
Going Direct
D2C isn't a payment method: Inside a webstore doing 70% of revenue
Ahead of his PGC Nordics talk, executive advisor Michal Korek on how Gamesture took its webstore from 32% to 70% of sales
Industry Backlash
Level-5 CEO apologises after AI use in recent game trailers
CEO Akihiro Hino apologised after fans criticised the presentation
Developer Support
App Store submissions open for Apple’s latest OS releases
Developers can use Xcode 27 Release Candidate and new SDKs
Industry Report
51% of game developers report player and revenue losses from cheating
Anybrain’s latest report finds 69% of developers consider cheating a significant or very significant problem
New Offerings
Roblox expands analytics tools with real-time alerts and player targeting
Roblox plans to bring analytics to its mobile-first Build creation tab later this year.
Pgc Nordics
The latest speakers announced for PG Connects Nordics
Featuring leaders from Colossal Order, Embark Studios, Fingersoft, Neogames Finland, Remedy Entertainment, Rovio and more
Roblox Developers Conference
Roblox unveils new play, creation and monetisation tools at RDC 2026
Roblox Everywhere will let creators offer games as standalone apps across mobile, PC and consoles
Monster Milestone
Monster Hunter Now makes $336.9m in three years on mobile
The location-based game earned 60% of earnings in its first year but has continued to introduce major updates and new features
Pgc Nordics
Take-Two's former head of AI Dr Luke Dicken to speak at PGC Nordics
The former Take-Two head of AI brings a pragmatist's take on the AI hype cycle to Helsinki this October
New Offerings
Diablo animated series in development at Netflix
The series will be set in the world of Diablo, but its story has not yet been revealed
Industry Report
Report: 35% of game founders have decided against hiring because AI can do the work
The ‘Talent Signals Reshaping the Games Industry’ report found that 48% of founders are currently operating at a loss
Winners Revealed
Roblox reveals 2026 Innovation Awards winners
The awards recognise games, studios, creators, UGC tools and video stars across Roblox
Hot Five
Hot Five: LEGO Digital Play acquires Offroad Games, Unity launches Claude Code plugin, and Pokémon Go is top grossing mobile game of early September
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Pgc Nordics
Why PG Connects Nordics is essential for developers, publishers and investors
The biggest Nordic games event returns to Helsinki this October 20th and 21st with unmissable content, whatever sector you work in
Podcast | Episode 104
Apple's $2,000+ iPhone Duo and the backlash against new EU App Store rules | 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 104...
Week In Views
Football's gaming ties, Epic's social push, Zelda's mobile connection and lessons from Sucker Punch | 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: New York Times Bonus Puzzles, Villain!, DIY Dadish, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Pgc London
How PG Connects London 2027 will be our finest flagship event ever!
Networking, seminars, Big Indie Pitches, fringe events and partner events, January 18th and 19th
Acquisition
Andrew Stalbow-led investor group completes Bath City FC acquisition
The investment aims to support Bath City’s men’s and women’s teams and make the club Football League-ready
Online Safety
California enacts new social media curbs for children under 16
Assembly Bill 1709 targets infinite scrolling, algorithmic autoplay and other engagement-focused features
Milestone
Age of Magic surpasses $120m revenue as installs near 20m
The team marked its anniversary earlier this year with special in-game activities and new mini-games
Closed Beta
Studio Atelico opens iOS closed beta for creature battler Bobium Brawlers
Players can create unique creatures by describing them in up to 140 characters