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
M&a
MTG completes $620m acquisition of Raid: Shadow Legends developer Plarium
Deal could see a further $200m in earnouts
Capybara Cash
Habby’s Capybara Go surpasses $100m in gross player spending
The US is this text-based roguelike’s third-biggest market despite being among the latest launch regions
Pokemon Power
Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has a "very high retention rate compared to other DeNA games"
DeNA made $120.4m in games profit during TCG Pocket’s release quarter, versus $9.7m in Q2
Mena Expansion
Roblox rolls out Arabic language support
The UGC platform has seen daily active users grow by an average of 80% across five MENA countries
Profitable Pokemon
DeNA’s games business profits up 8,126.8% after Pokémon TCG Pocket’s success
Nine months into its fiscal year, DeNA attributed profits surge in part to Pocket’s "strong performance"
Leadership Change
Koei Tecmo appoints Hisashi Koinuma as new CEO
He will replace co-founder Yoichi Erikawa as president and CEO effective from April 2025
Layoff News
Update: Unity lays off staff and axes Behavior team
The exact number of employees affected by Unity's latest round of redundancies remains unclear
Expansions
Mobile ad platform Adjoe opens new offices in Tokyo and Singapore
The ads platform has tapped industry experts to lead its Asia-Pacific expansion
Esports In Mena
Savvy Games Group and HP sign MoU to help Saudi Arabia learners get careers in gaming and esports
Saudi games and esports group said it will also provide skill-building opportunities through incubator programs
New Partnerships
Savvy Games Group and Merak Capital partner to boost Saudi Arabia’s games ecosystem
The partnership builds on Merak Capital's $80 million gaming fund to support the Kingdom's esports sector
Royal Revenue
Royal Kingdom surpasses $50m in player spending
Revenue for the title is on the rise after racking up $13.5m in January
Marvellous Mena
"Mobile web-based gaming is set to play a significant role in our future"
Sea Monster Entertainment CEO and co-founder Glenn Gillis discusses impact games, EdTech in Africa, funding challenges and building a climate resilience game
Valentines Day Offer
Double the love, double the discount: exclusive Valentines Day offer at Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco 2025
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Shifting Up
Shift Up revenue up 30% to $151m in 2024 despite decrease in Goddess of Victory: Nikke sales
The South Korean developer acknowledged "fierce" competition in the industry but asserted Goddess of Victory: Nikke’s "possibility of long-term success"
Financials
Sega’s net sales slide down 8% year-over-year as Football Manager 25 skips release
Entertainment division saw 8% growth during the past nine months
Ai In Games
KGeN and Mira Network partner to build AI agents in games
KGeN will also use Mira's APIs, like Generate, Verify, and Verified Generate to create gaming AI tools
Esports In Mena
Olympic Esports Games in Saudi Arabia delayed to 2027
The IOC did not provide a reason for the delay, but confirmed that qualification will begin this year
Pgc San Francisco
Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco 2025 latest ticket price updates and exclusive deals
Secure your spot at Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco 2025 with the best ticket deals before prices rise!
Industry Insights
How game development teams identify and hire the right junior analysts
Azur Games’ Maxim Kozhnov explains how logical thinking can outweigh technical skills when hiring analysts
Pubg Push
Krafton makes record-breaking $1.9bn with mobile revenue up 35.7% in 2024
Operating income also hit a record high, attributed to the success of the PUBG series
New Partnerships
Xsolla partners with AppsFlyer for improved web shop analytics and ad tracking
Deal aims to provide improved ad tracking for web shop purchases
Turkish Totals
Turkish games industry success "deeply rooted" in mobile with total $935m in capital since 2020
investgame’s Five Years of The Rising Gaming Empire: Türkiye report found Dream Games has seen the highest level of investment of any Turkish games studio
Games For Sale
Supercell in discussions to transfer Space Ape games to other studios
News follows 100% acquisition of London developer last year
Highs And Lows
How Brawl Stars became a mega hit and why Squad Busters didn’t
Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen, Brawl Stars GM Frank Keienburg, and Squad Busters lead Eino Joas open up on the company's highs and lows
Record Revenue
Supercell hits record $3 billion in revenue in 2024
Finnish developer's live games garnered more than 300 million monthly active players globally
Financials
Mobile sales slump hits Square Enix profits
MMOs have proven Square Enix’s only growing games segment nine months into the current fiscal year
Dubai What To Expect
What to expect at Dubai GameExpo Summit 2025 the premier hub for MENA game industry investment
Discover exclusive insights, unmatched networking, and investment opportunities in the fastest-growing games market
Jordan Investments
Jordan eyes significant investment to grow local games and tech sectors
Speakers at the online event Expanding Horizons: Doing Business in Jordan discussed establishing private businesses in Jordan, employment law and more
Investigations
Roblox is under SEC investigation
News follows a Hindenburg report in October that claimed misrepresentation of player metrics and a downplaying of child safety issues
Earnings Report
Roblox revenue up 32% in Q4 2024 as losses narrow
UGC platform averaged 82.9 million daily active users in 2024, up 21% year-over-year
Mobile Plans
Nintendo claims it’s still developing mobile games
But the console giant’s last mobile game release was Mario Kart Tour in September 2019
Lawsuit
Roblox sues PlayerAuctions over ‘unauthorised’ digital goods sales
It claims 8% to 10% of players appealing bans for real-money trading referenced PlayerAuctions
Acqusitions
Blind Squirrel Games acquires Distributed Development
The studio will now operate as Blind Squirrel Games Colombia
Hot Five
Hot Five: Fire Emblem Heroes’ voting power, Candy Crush Solitaire broadens the brand, and Pokémon TCG Pocket hits half a billion dollars
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz