Sweet Solitaire
Candy Crush Solitaire snaps up $379,000 in first two weeks
Lifetime revenue including soft launch reaches $692k
Bigger And Better
PG Connects San Francisco 2024 smashed records to become our biggest US event ever!
A look back at last year's Stateside edition that raised the bar with 1,000+ attendees from 500+ companies, representing 50 countries
Job News
February’s Mobile Movers and Shakers: Exits at Space Ape, Tilting Point and Fingersoft, new leadership at Mojang and LEGO Digital Play, and more
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
Financials
Nitro Games reports record $12.3m revenue in 2024
The Finnish developer highlights expanding portfolio and cost control for improved financials
Better Outcomes Automatically
Smarter Ad Monetisation: How GeeMee Uses AI to Maximise Your Revenue
GeeMee explores the use of Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to unlock new possibilities in revenue optimisation
Selling Up
Jam City agrees deal to sell Ludia
If approved, the sale isn’t expected to have a significant impact on Jam City’s business operations
Game Law
Career insights on breaking into games law
"It was my student radio and journalism experience that had caught the eye of the hiring team, less so my degree"
Mena Games Awards
Nominations open for the MENA Games Industry Awards 2025
Come celebrate the developers, publishers, investors, and leaders who are driving MENA's growing games market
New Studio
Ex-Belka games staff form new Cyprus mobile developer Studio42
Casual puzzle games developer headed up by former Belka Games CEO Alexandr Bogdanov
Funding For Games
Meeple Corp secures $629,000 funding to bring tabletop games to digital platforms
Its debut game, Kingdomino Digital will release later this year
Company Restructure
Big Fish Games to halt new game development and reduce investment in portfolio
Aristocrat Leisure fails to find a buyer for Big Fish following a review of its games business
Pgc San Francisco
A look back at last year's PG Connects San Francisco
It's a wrap! Mobile gaming's biggest reveals and hottest trends live from at PG Connects San Francisco
Big Deal
Niantic reportedly in talks to sell Pokémon Go and games business to Scopely for $3.5bn
The deal isn’t finalised, according to people familiar with the matter, but could be officially announced "in coming weeks"
Gaming Lab
Abertay University launches £9 million lab to boost Scotland's games and entertainment sectors
Investment will provide opportunities and support for UK technology companies across the creative industries
New Store
Alternative app store Aptoide launches on iOS in EU
Available for free to users despite Apple's €0.50 core technology fee for each download of the marketplace
Net Numbers
Ubisoft’s mobile net bookings share up to 10% following Assassin's Creed Shadows delay
Ubisoft’s $315.6 million in net bookings this Q3 were less than half compared to one year prior
Executive Exit
Fingersoft COO exits company
Ville Rauma had been with the company for 11 years as it grew from a team of 12 to 100 staff
Rainbow Revenue
Rainbow Six Mobile revenue surges as Ubisoft chases a global launch
Ubisoft’s troubled mobile shooter gets a rise in downloads and player spending as publisher aims to improve title's fortunes
Spend And Survive
Last War: Survival surpasses $2bn after record player spending in early 2025
Strategy title generated a record $212m in January 2025
Esports World Cup
Esports World Cup Foundation partners with Tencent for China expansion
A ''development team'' will also be formed to increase esports engagement and industry collaboration in China
Pokemon Pledge
The Pokémon Company and Niantic pledge $1m in support of LA wildfire recovery efforts
Pokémon Go Tour: Unova will go ahead in Pasadena, California this weekend
Gaming Trends
TIGA pushes for 39% games tax credit in the UK
The trade association said the changes would create jobs and boost investment
Levelling Up
Netmarble escapes the red with $4.6m net profit after two years of losses
The dev earned $1.95 billion in revenue in 2024
Focal Figures
Epic Games Store on mobile a "focal point" as cross-platform accounts rise by 94m in 2024
Monthly active users peaked at 74m across platforms, down by 1m compared to 2023
Ai In Games
Ludo AI launches 3D generator for developers to create game-ready models
Ludo AI said that models can be exported “in industry recognised formats”
Funding News
Beamable secures $13.5 million for decentralised gaming infrastructure
The funding will also support continued innovation in game infrastructure
Pgc San Francisco
WIN! FREE entry to PG Connects San Francisco
Plus you could win expo space in the Big Indie Zone, too
Podcast | Episode 42
How Brawl Stars succeeded and Squad Busters struggled, and AppLovin's $900m games fire sale | 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 and what's inside this week's episode 42...
App Store Removal
Square Enix shuts down Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles on iOS over 'unfixable' bug
It was discontinued due to an unfixable bug that prevented players from accessing paid content
Revenue Milestone
War Robots hits $1 billion in revenue with mobile driving the majority of earnings
The vehicle shooter celebrated its 10 year anniversary last year and regained its licence in China
New Studio
New studio Loadstar opens in Barcelona
The developer is currently on the lookout for funding for its upcoming sci-fi action-puzzle adventure game
Winners Revealed
Balatro wins Mobile Game of the Year at DICE Awards
The title came out on top in a category that included Halls of Torment, Monument Valley 3, Paper Trail and Wuthering Waves
Pgc Barcelona
Save the Date: Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona set for June 3rd to 4th, 2025
Conference within exquisite surroundings of major southwestern European cultural and tech centre marks a key addition to PGC event line-up
Hot Five
Hot Five: Unity’s latest layoffs, Supercell’s record $3bn year, and AppLovin’s plans to sell off apps business
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Week That Was
Who will buy AppLovin's games studios, Olympics esports delayed, and DeNA's profits surge | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Acqusitions
Skybound Entertainment acquires Maple Media
Skybound aims to leverage Maple Media’s expertise in mobile app operations to deliver stories across multiple platforms
Earnings Report
Nazara reports $61.5 million revenue in Q3 FY25 as gaming segment grows 53%
Gaming growth is fuelled by Fusebox Games acquisition and strong performance from Animal Jam
Esports In Mena
Emirates Esports Federation opens bidding for E Gaming League franchises
The league's owners see it as an opportunity to establish the UAE as a hub for digital entertainment and economic growth
Supercell Strategy
Supercell: The old versus the new
"We believe that creating new games is an essential part of a games company," says Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen
Trends Report
Download your free copy of PocketGamer.biz’s Mobile Games Industry Trends Survey report
Industry professionals open up on layoffs, threats to the industry, and the lack of new game releases
New Partnerships
Merak Capital partners with Huawei Cloud to boost Saudi Arabia’s games industry
The partnership will provide gaming startups with workshops on cloud-native game development
Tiktok Ban
TikTok returns to app stores in the US
US Attorney General Pam Bondi assured Apple in a letter that it wouldn't face fines for hosting TikTok on the App Store
Investment News
Spoilz secures strategic investment to launch new IPs
The studio said it will form new partnerships, uplift local talent, and improve monetisation
Five New Games
New release roundup: Dunk City Dynasty, Truck Manager 2025, The Masked Singer: Mask Mania, and more
We highlight the latest new mobile games that have broken cover over the past week
Segment Sales
Embracer’s net sales down as mobile profits dive and headcount plummets
Entertainment and services outearned PC and console sales in the latest quarter
New Partnerships
Merak Capital and Microsoft team up to support gaming startups in Saudi Arabia
The partnership builds on Merak Capital's $80 million gaming fund
Ads Vs Apps
AppLovin to sell apps business for $900m as it focuses on ads
But ads firm didn't disclose which company would acquire its games portfolio
Global Trends
Outfit7's Jernej Česen: "Mobile gaming isn’t just about fun gameplay anymore, it’s about creating lasting memories"
We catch up with industry leaders to get their insights on the state of play in the games sector
Job News
Leo Olebe joins Games for Change as chair of the board
Olebe takes over from Tilting Point chief business officer Asi Burak, who has served as chair for 10 years
Jobs In Games
Microsoft Gaming names Kayleen Walters as head of Mojang Studios
Exec will be based in Redmond and will report to Microsoft's studios chief operations officer Helen Chiang