Leadership Hires
Xbox hires Matthew Ball and Scott Van Vliet in leadership team expansion
Focus is on improving execution and speeding up product development
Nazara Numbers
Nazara’s annual revenue rises 13% to $190m despite India’s Gaming Act and $95m impairment
"Nazara today operates at a materially different scale than it did 12 months ago"
Clash Of Critters
Lilith Games’ Clash of Critters launches globally today
Today’s global launch excludes parts of Asia like China and Japan
Web-based Gaming
Report: Hypercasual and puzzle games dominate the browser gaming space
New report from CrazyGames shows US browser gamers now spend 30 minutes per session on average
Online Safety
Ofcom warns children remain exposed to online safety risks across platforms including Roblox, TikTok and YouTube
Around four in ten children aged 11–17 use Roblox
New Offerings
Arctic Game launches six-month incubation model for indie studios
New programme focuses on helping developers move faster from prototype to release
Pgc Barcelona
Gameloft Barcelona GM Raúl Orrego to speak at PGC next month
Another star speaker joins the speaker lineup for Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona on June 15th and 16th
Esports World Cup
Esports World Cup 2026 relocates from Saudi Arabia to Paris amid regional uncertainty
The Paris tournament marks EWC’s first edition outside Saudi Arabia
Fifteen Years On
Inside Scopely's rise to a global mobile games giant
Chief operating officer Eunice Lee discuses 15 years of growth and building long-term live service games
M&a
Why Sensor Tower acquired rival AppMagic
Sensor Tower chief revenue officer outlines the company's reasons for the major deal that consolidates power in the mobile market intelligence space
Company Restructure
Embracer keeps mobile in-house as it spins off Fellowship Entertainment
Mobile stays with Embracer, keeping DECA, CrazyLabs and A Thinking Ape
New Offerings
Roblox expands mental health efforts with new partnerships and well-being resources
The company partnered with Koko, ThroughLine, and Thrive
New Offerings
Dubai Films & Games Commission partners with Good Game Club to promote games as a force for good
Dubai is targeting 30,000 gaming jobs and $1bn GDP contribution by 2033
In-game Event
Epic brings Mandalorian and Grogu watch party island to Fortnite ahead of film release
Fortnite players can watch an exclusive 10-minute sneak peek of the upcoming film
Pgc Summit Shanghai
No Discord or mailing lists: Rethinking game discovery in China
Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai is where Western studios define their China strategy
Podcast | Episode 91
Sensor Tower's AppMagic acquisition and Sega's brutal Rovio comments | 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 91...
Partnership Extension
Qiddiya expands Google Cloud partnership to build AI-powered gaming and entertainment city
The project links gaming, AI and smart city infrastructure under Saudi Vision 2030
Fortnite Freedom
Fortnite returns globally on the App Store, with one exception
Epic Games has yet to bring Fortnite back to the App Store in Australia
Milestone
Terraria mobile sales approach 20m as game surpasses 70m copies sold
Developer Re-Logic confirmed crossplay support is currently in development
Next From Nintendo
Nintendo reveals "kind of silly" photo game Pictonico!
The title is available for pre-registration now, with a release date of May 28th
Milestone
Stan reaches 45m users as product-led growth model gains traction
The platform is targeting further expansion across APAC and MENA regions
Industry Insights
Hybridcasual growth starts with smarter creative strategy
Karen Levy explores how creative strategy in hybridcasual games balances performance marketing with player trust and long-term growth
New Offerings
Appcharge launches MCP server to power AI-driven mobile game DTC onboarding
Additional agentic workflows and API coverage planned through 2026
Play To Learn
Savvy Games Group wraps Saudi 'Play to Learn' competition with 719,000 students involved
The competition involved 7,705 schools and more than 36,000 instructors across Saudi Arabia
Pgc Summit MalmÖ
Connect and do games business in Sweden next week
Get direct access to developers, publishers and investors at PG Connects Summit Malmö, May 27th to 28th
Marvellous Mena
Exel by Merak Gaming Accelerator: Everything Middle East and Africa studios need to know
A full breakdown of how the Exel by Merak Gaming Accelerator works, including funding structure, eligibility, program phases, cohort timeline and what studios get beyond the investment
Pgc Barcelona
Learn how Scopely crafted a distinct visual identity for Monopoly Go at PGC Barcelona
Join over 1,000 attendees at the conference on June 15th and 16th to network and gain insights on global hits like Monopoly Go
New Partnerships
Xsolla partners with Skich to support alternative mobile game distribution
Xsolla becomes merchant of record for Skich mobile marketplace
Possible Acquisition
StreamElements confirms acquisition talks amid shutdown speculation
The company says it is in “positive discussions” with potential buyers
Hot Five
Hot Five: Sensor Tower acquiring AppMagic, Grand Games’ $70m Series B, and Switch 2 nears 20m unit sales
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Newsletter Column
The NYT Games blueprint
Media platforms turn to games in a digital battle for users' time
Week In Views
Wordle heads to television and Nintendo Switch 2's big sales surge | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Esports World Cup
Esports World Cup reportedly set for Paris move amid Middle East conflict
The Esports Nations Cup is still scheduled for Riyadh in November
India On The Rise
Tencent commits over $1m to support India’s Orange economy
The publisher also signed three-year partnerships with SEPC and GDAI
New Offerings
Mistplay launches Audience Network for rewarded advertising following acquisitions
Network combines Mistplay inventory with Connected Rewards and MyChips assets
Funding For Games
UK Global Screen Fund opens video game release funding programme
Grants between £5,000 and £50,000 available for UK developers
Winners Revealed
Unity names 10 winners of 2026 Unity for Humanity Grant from $600,000 prize pool
The programme celebrated projects using real-time 3D to tackle global challenges aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals
New Games
New release roundup: Meg's Monster, Jolly Match 3, Cats & Soup: Magic Recipe, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Pgc Summit Malmo
Revealed: PGC Summit Malmö schedule (May 27th to 28th) for new networking event
Expert insight alongside meeting-centric summit designed to boost your business
Pgc Barcelona
FunPlus CBO Chris Petrovic to discuss the games industry's 'new normal' at PGC Barcelona
The industry veteran is another big name to join our raft of star speakers heading to the Spain conference on June 15th and 16th
Milestone
Pixel Federation reports $48m revenue in 2025 as TrainStation 3 drives record launch
TrainStation 2 remained the top performer overall, pulling in $15m in 2025
Market Report
Okre and Ukie launch unified framework to better measure UK video games’ impact
65% of UK adults and 88% of children play video games, yet the sector's broader influence remains poorly understood by policymakers
Industry Insights
One genre, three strategies: How Magic Sort, Knit Out, and Pixel Flow are redefining sort puzzle monetisation
Oxana Fomina explores how three breakout sort puzzle hits built different monetisation strategies within the same genre
Investment Insights
Show me the money: UKIE CEO Nick Poole on how a more realistic investment landscape is beginning to emerge
UKIE CEO Nick Poole delves into the state of games industry investment in his first PocketGamer.biz column
Deal Analysis
Why the Savvy-Roblox deal lands differently in Saudi Arabia
A look at why Savvy Games Group has cut a deal with popular UGC platform Roblox despite local restrictions and global allegations around child safety
New Offerings
Time and Business Insider follow New York Times Games playbook with puzzle launches
Both publishers are chasing the retention loop that turned NYT Games into a subscription engine
Acqusitions
Atari acquires rights to first five Wizardry RPGs as it plans franchise revival
Wizardry’s revival extends beyond games into film, TV, and merchandise
M&a
Sensor Tower acquires mobile market intelligence rival AppMagic
Terms of the deal were not disclosed
Jobs Roundup
May 2026's Movers and Shakers: Xbox leadership reshuffle, Stillfront hires CHRO, and more
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
Events
PocketGamer.biz and EnJoyPay Vietnam Global Game Developers Mixer welcomes local and international studios
Representatives from VNGGames, Gamota, Funtap Games, Sky Mavis, Tencent, Scopely and more joined for an evening of networking