Loads Of Layoffs
Refactor Games reportedly lays off 85% of staff
The layoffs have followed less than two months on from the release of FIFA World Cup: Launch Edition on Netflix Games
Deals Underway
Nazara revises terms to acquire Bluetile and Bestplay in all-cash deals
The board has granted its in-principle approval
Industry Insights
VFX optimisation in midcore games: Commonly overlooked techniques and advanced methods
Azur Games lead VFX Stanislav Stabrov shares practical techniques for optimising visual effects in midcore mobile games
Pgc Nordics
A peek behind the curtain of triple-A games, with Epic Games' Ari Arnbjörnsson
At PGC Helsinki, Epic Games' Ari Arnbjörnsson lifted the lid on how triple-A games really get made, from duct-tape fixes to the hidden headaches of shipping worldwide
Ai Agents
How AI agents could impact mobile gaming monetisation
Jonas Martins explores how agentic commerce could reshape mobile game monetisation
Content Creation
FirstLook’s Creators.gg platform launches with a "battle pass" model for streamers
The platform aims to offer developers a new way of reaching audiences via content creators
Big Indie Pitch
INFERIUS wins the Big Indie Pitch sponsored by Xsolla at NAGIS 2026
Find out who took the top three spots in our popular indie game developer pitching contest
Mobile Games Awards
Early Bird prices ending for the Mobile Games Awards 2026
Presented in association with Samsung Gaming Hub, the live gala ceremony takes place in Cologne on August 25th, during Gamescom week
Palworld Partnership
Garena is developing Palworld Online, launching this year
The mobile game will "expand the narrative" of PocketPair’s popular IP
Roblox Results
Roblox revenue rises 36% Y/Y, but young North Americans see falling per-hour monetisation
Roblox saw an increase in DAUs on a yearly basis this Q2, but the figure is down three quarters in a row
Closure Announcement
Reforged Labs shuts down as CEO says AI is closing its market opportunity
Co-founder Robert Huynh said the market for its product was too small
Digimon Data
Digimon Up makes $7.9m in player spending during first two weeks
Daily spending peaked at $1.1m, but fell to $187,000 by the end of the fortnight
Creator Platforms
Most gaming companies aren't building creator platforms - they're building ecosystems
New research finds only five of 23 major gaming companies operate as true creator platforms, with hybrid ecosystems emerging as the industry's dominant model
Hot Five
Hot Five: Palworld 1.0, puzzle’s H1 2026 performance, and Ubisoft’s mobile net bookings share almost doubles
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Anniversary
Talking Tom Gold Run surpasses 3.2bn downloads as Outfit7 marks 10th anniversary
Outfit7 is introducing Arena Wipeout, a new competitive survival mode
Acqusitions
Razer acquires StreamElements assets to expand creator ecosystem
StreamElements will continue operating without changes for creators
Krafton Campus
Krafton India launches BGMI Campus MVP student ambassador programme
Participants will build campus gaming communities, organise tournaments and host offline events
Kitten Collab
FarmVille 3 launches kitten rescue event with real-world animal welfare impact
Dots.eco will distribute 5,000 participation certificates during the campaign
Pgc Nordics
InnoGames' Zoran Gjorgiev joins PGC Nordics speaker lineup
From QA to product lead: InnoGames' product manager, Zoran Gjorgiev joins Pocket Gamer Connects Nordics this October
China In Your Hands
China is not a translated market: How global game publishers can prepare for growth
Kash Ismail of MStars.ai outlines how publishers can lay the foundations to test, learn and scale with control in China, long before the media budget is deployed
Cgdc
How Palworld went viral and made its way to version 1.0
Pocketpair's John discusses community engagement, the media backlash and why the studio isn't chasing trends
Pgc Summit Shanghai
PG Connects Summit Shanghai: back, bigger and better!
More than 1,000 registrations across all activities from 400 companies and 40 countries
New Games
New release roundup: Netflix Minigolf, Afterglow, CookieRun: Crumble, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Acqusitions
EA expects acquisition by PIF-led consortium to close on August 4th
All regulatory approvals for the merger have now been obtained
Week In Views
Meaningful collaborations, Arknights: Endfield's first six months and AI in China | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Netflix Games
Unity adds dedicated engine support for Netflix Games
The support includes optimisations for Netflix's cloud gaming offering
Expanded Support
Chroma Pixel Games expands support for SADC game studios
The company is planning a SADC-wide matchmaking initiative for studios, publishers and investors
Almighty Earnings
Battlefield 6 success helps lift EA CEO's pay to $38.6m months after team layoffs
The company laid off an undisclosed number of developers who worked on Battlefield 6 in March 2026
New Partnerships
Esports Foundation partners with adidas for Esports Nations Cup
More than 2,000 athletes and coaches will receive bespoke competition apparel
Regulations
Apple pushes back against proposed UK App Store rules
The CMA wants developers to steer users to alternative payment options
Pubg Performance
Krafton achieves record Q2 results with revenue up 95% Y/Y
Operating profit increased by 67% in Q2 2026
Studio Strategy
Burny Games CEO Anatolii Henis on building a repeatable mobile games business
Anatolii Henis discusses restructuring the studio as well as expanding into publishing and why building a repeatable success matters more than chasing hits
Industry Outlook
Mobile IAP revenue dipped 2% while ad spend climbed in H1 2026
New Sensor Tower report shows that eight publishers cleared $1bn in H1
In The Hot Seat
In the Hot Seat: The ex-Riot producer betting mini-games will be China's next big export
Ex-Riot and GoodDay Solution's Bo Mei on the East-West mistake everyone's making, mini-games' next big leap and the Chinese monetisation myth he wants everyone to drop
Pgc Summit Shanghai
Tips for navigating China's enormous games market
Tips on choosing a local partner, user acquisition and player behaviour
Funding For Games
Drilo Ventures launches $30m fund for Turkey's next generation of mobile game founders
The fund will invest $500,000 to $1.5m in early-stage studios
New Partnerships
Monopoly Go teams up with Looney Tunes for Happy Harvest Season
The collaboration introduces Infinite Harvest and Porky's Cafe
New Partnerships
AppQuantum partners with Skazka Games to scale midcore Tower Defense games
AppQuantum will provide publishing, UA, analytics, monetisation, and liveops support
Collaborations Roundup
July's Collabs Corner: Spider-Man in PUBG Mobile, David Beckham in Fortnite, and more
The latest crossovers in mobile games, all in one place
June Charts
June 2026 mobile game charts: World Cup events thrive, eFootball scores, and Meowdoku sweeps global installs
A deep dive into the global mobile game rankings across the App Store and Google Play
New Offerings
Roblox rolls out new Chat and Me tabs in app update
The new tabs will expand globally over the next several months
Pgc Summit Shanghai
PGC Summit Shanghai begins with talks from Habby, Thatgamecompany, Mattel163, Kingsoft and more
A day of networking and industry insights kicks off ahead of ChinaJoy
Job News
Wizards of the Coast president John Hight to step down in September
He will remain with the company as an advisor after leaving the role
Global Influence
Black Myth: Wukong was a inflection point for China and its pay-to-play market
Publishers, developers and investors are said to be turning their attention back to the country's development scene
Esports Tournament
EA names Bangkok and Seoul as hosts for FC Pro Mobile's first global tournaments
The World Championship will feature 32 players competing for a $250,000 prize pool
Pgc Summit Shanghai
Publishers are returning to China and not just for "quick wins"
Companies no longer expect to enter a market that makes up 30% of global industry revenue with 3% of the effort
Scholarships
ESA Foundation awards scholarships to 31 students pursuing games and esports careers
Scholarships are worth between $5,000 and $10,000
Pgc Nordics
The first speakers announced for PG Connects Nordics
We're heading back to Helsinki with more than 150 speakers delivering 22 unmissable conference tracks
Pgc Summit Shanghai
Why China is embracing AI and "very few" studios refuse to adopt it
AWS's Huang Zhuobin and Transcend Fund's Lirui Ding discuss
Financials And Franchises
Stillfront’s "key franchises" see second consecutive quarter of double-digit organic growth
Strategy is focused on becoming a more franchise-led company