Funding News
Neon raises $13m Series A to expand direct-to-consumer commerce platform for game publishers
The company focuses on giving publishers control over commerce, payments, and player data
Pokemon Pvp
Pokémon Champions makes $7.2m in first month on mobile
Japan has led mobile spending thus far, accounting for 55% in month one
Jobs Roundup
July 2026's Movers and Shakers: Rollic, Scopely, Nodwin Gaming, Rovio and more
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
Freedom Regained
Alpha Dog Games returns to independent ownership after Microsoft closure
The founders reacquired the studio from Microsoft following its 2024 closure
Acqusitions
Palo Alto Networks to acquire Embrace to expand observability platform
The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of fiscal 2027
Pgc Nordics
More than mobile: how the Nordics have expanded beyond pocket-sized play
With international hits on every hardware platform - including the best-selling game of all time - here’s why the global games industry still looks to the Nordics in 2026
In The Hot Seat
In the Hot Seat: Three ways Western developers are leaving a fortune on the table in China
We speak to Kingsoft's Claire Yang about making cross-border deals work, the hires that can mean 10x to 100x the revenue and why China's giants don't hold every advantage
Global Game Jam
Global Game Jam's Maria Burns Ortiz: "We compare our first drafts to other people's finished products"
Global Game Jam's Maria Burns Ortiz on why Micro Missions is giving emerging developers their first step into the games industry.
Unity Upgrade
Unity 7 unveiled ahead of 2027 launch
Early beta testing begins this December
New Offerings
Juneinter unveils game revenue estimation model for F2P developers
The event targets F2P PC and mobile game developers
Hardcore, You Know The Score
How adjoe fixes early game engagement for hardcore games
“Hardcore games already ask a lot from new users, and the reward path should feel like support.”
Company Growth
Netflix says kids' mobile games engagement jumped 600% as cloud gaming gains traction
The company says gaming remains an important part of its broader entertainment expansion strategy
New Offerings
Drop Fake unveils DC mobile fighter DCKO ahead of 2027 launch
Developer claims real-time PvP is a first for a DC mobile fighting game
Mergers & Acquisitions
Judge temporarily halts Paramount-Warner Bros. merger over antitrust concerns
Preliminary injunction hearing is scheduled for August 3rd
Tencent In Talks
Report: Disney Solitaire maker SuperPlay could be purchased by Tencent in deal worth up to $1.5bn
Tencent and Playtika are believed to be in talks about an acquisition
Mobile Games Awards
Last chance to vote! The Mobile Games Awards 2026 in association with Samsung Gaming Hub
Voting ends at midnight tonight - Monday, July 20th - for the industry's most prestigious awards
Podcast | Episode 98
Epic and Google withdraw their US settlement and Pokémon Go revenue skyrockets | 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 98...
Opinion
UKIE's Nick Poole: "The social media ban will change the rules of engagement"
The UKIE CEO on the UK's planned social media ban for under-16s, how games could get tangled up and what the industry can do about it
Sleeper Hit
Pokémon Sleep surpasses $230m in three years
Year three saw monthly revenue peak in December, making almost $6.7m
New Offerings
Kuro Games reveals Wuthering Waves: Elysium anime series
The anime expands the Wuthering Waves universe beyond the game
Funding For Games
Gamecity Hamburg opens second prototype funding round in September
Developers can apply for non-repayable grants of up to €80,000
New Offerings
Uzbekistan launches first game investment fund for developers
Funding ranges from $1,000 for early concepts to $100,000 or more for established studios
Regulations
EU orders Google to open Android and Search to rivals
The rulings require operational changes rather than financial penalties
Ea Acquisition
Saudi PIF-led $55bn Electronic Arts deal set for EU approval
The European Commission is expected to approve the deal under both subsidy and merger rules
Hot Five
Hot Five: Roblox’s new mobile-first AI tool, H1 2026 genre analysis, and Zenless Zone Zero makes $600m in two years
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Week In Views
China's game makers, the state of UK games jobs and Pokémon Go's record run | 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: Digimon Up, The Walking Dead: Aftermath, Barbie Magic Style Studio, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Region Focus
State of Play: How China's games industry is building a global powerhouse
China’s games industry has become a dominant force around the world. We delve into what makes it tick and ambitions for future growth
New Offerings
Roblox unveils mobile-first AI game creation with new Build tool
Users can generate games from simple text prompts
New Offerings
Aurion11 launches MDN11 to automate mobile ad yield optimisation
The platform uses user-level predictive algorithms for real-time optimisation
Game Closure
Looney Tunes World of Mayhem to shut down in October
The game will be removed from app stores on August 23rd
Restructure
Scopely reorganises Stumble Guys team after performance review
Some affected employees have moved to other teams within Scopely
Pgc Summit Shanghai
Special opportunities for indies at PGC Summit Shanghai
Exclusive ways to showcase your studio in the Asia market this July 29th
New Offerings
Netflix launches minigolf party game inspired by its hit shows
Netflix Minigolf launches on July 28th
Epic Vs Google
Google and Epic withdraw settlement as Play Store overhaul moves ahead
Google Play will begin carrying rival app stores in the US from July 22nd
H1 2026 Report
H1 2026 genre analysis: strategy stumbles, RPGs fall, and puzzle revenue ramps up
We analyse AppMagic data to determine the top genres both globally and in the US, with close competition between strategy and puzzle genres seemingly ahead
Milestone
Lingokids surpasses 500m plays across Disney activities
The platform reaches 30m families worldwide
Ai Insights
Lessons from building an AI-assisted Unreal Engine tool
Olga Taranova shares what building an AI-assisted Unreal Engine plugin taught her about where AI actually saves time in game development
In The Hot Seat
In the Hot Seat: Stefan Lampinen on why Chinese publishers are outpacing the West in European market intelligence
The EA Nordic founder and former Microsoft, Nokia and Mojang exec on why you can't buy your way into Europe - and what Chinese publishers already understand that Western studios don't
Investment News
Vgames raises $500m to launch growth financing platform for gaming companies
The fund plans to deploy more than $500m in additional financing in the coming years
Region Guide
Learn all about China’s games industry in our free region report
Dive into the state of one of the most dominant mobile games hubs in our new report, published in association with Xsolla
Job News
Nodwin Gaming appoints Teemu Koski as CEO of MENA business
He will lead strategy, operations, business development and expansion across MENA
Pgc Barcelona
The winning portfolio strategies of 2026 with two and a half gamers
At PGC Barcelona, Jakub Remiar broke down the portfolio strategies quietly winning the casual market, from templatisation to knowing exactly when to copy
Market Report
Gaming financings surpass $2.5bn in strongest quarter of the past 12 months
AppsFlyer raised more than $1bn, the largest disclosed financing of the quarter
Vote Now
Vote for Best Development Partner at the Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2026
Voting ends at midnight on July 20th
Industry Outlook
Ukie welcomes UK government's IP-backed lending plans for games studios
The scheme is expected to support 20,000 businesses a year, up from 8,000 currently
Acqusitions
Wemade founder sells controlling stake to NeoPulse in $593m deal
NeoPulse will become Wemade's largest shareholder with a 40.25% stake after the transaction closes
Develop Brighton
Why Ustwo Games shifted from mobile to PC and the "mind-boggling" discovery problem
CEO Maria Sayans discusses the challenges with subscription deals and why platform holders aren't earning their 30% fee
Web Games
Inside Poki's vision for the future of browser gaming
Poki COO Stein Janssen discusses browser gaming's evolution and why he believes the web is becoming a core platform for games once again
Cash Climb
Pokémon Go revenue skyrockets towards a record high during Go Fest 2026: Global
July 11th marked Go’s second-best day ever between Google Play and the App Store, with web store earnings potentially pushing it to first