The Esports Foundation appoints National Team Partners ahead of the Esports Nations Cup 2026 debut

Esports Nations Cup

The Esports Foundation appoints National Team Partners ahead of the Esports Nations Cup 2026 debut

National partners will take responsibility for player selection, community mobilisation and long-term talent development pipelines

AviaGames opens Global Trust Centre in Singapore to boost real-money game security

AviaGames opens Global Trust Centre in Singapore to boost real-money game security

The new facility will coordinate global security standards and regulatory compliance as the company expands into additional markets

Sybo adds permanent competitive race mode to Subway Surfers after player demand

Sybo adds permanent competitive race mode to Subway Surfers after player demand

New Showdown mode allows up to six players to compete in real-time races

Meta cuts roughly 700 jobs as it shifts resources toward artificial intelligence infrastructure

Meta cuts roughly 700 jobs as it shifts resources toward artificial intelligence infrastructure

Layoffs impact recruiting, social media, sales and the company’s Reality Labs division

Verse8 secures $5m to scale its AI-driven game creation platform

Verse8 secures $5m to scale its AI-driven game creation platform

The company aims to compress full game development into a single natural language prompt

Budge Studios continues Nickelodeon partnership with global launch of Dora: Explore and Play

Partnership Extension

Budge Studios continues Nickelodeon partnership with global launch of Dora: Explore and Play

The studio has surpassed two billion downloads across its portfolio of children’s entertainment apps

Xsolla and CYGMA team up to grow Cyprus’ game development sector

New Partnerships

Xsolla and CYGMA team up to grow Cyprus’ game development sector

The deal gives local studios access to global monetisation infrastructure and publishing support

Teebik to launch Rome: Total War and Medieval II on mobile in China

Teebik to launch Rome: Total War and Medieval II on mobile in China

The move signals a continued push to bring premium strategy titles into tightly controlled mobile markets

OpenAI shuts down Sora video-generation app less than two years after launch

OpenAI shuts down Sora video-generation app less than two years after launch

The company is redirecting resources toward robotics and autonomous AI systems with real-world applications

Reforged Studios acquires Headup to expand global publishing footprint

Reforged Studios acquires Headup to expand global publishing footprint

Headup will continue operating independently while gaining access to Reforged’s international infrastructure and support network

Start your ChinaJoy trip at Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai 2026

Pgc Summit Shanghai

Start your ChinaJoy trip at Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai 2026

Focused summit connecting the world’s game sectors from East to West on July 29th

Epic Games to retire three Fortnite modes after failing to attract and retain players

Epic Games to retire three Fortnite modes after failing to attract and retain players

Rocket Racing, Ballistic, and Festival Battle Stage are being shut down

Appcharge surpasses $1bn in D2C transactions

Mighty Milestone

Appcharge surpasses $1bn in D2C transactions

Transaction volume on the platform has more than doubled in six months following its $58m Series B funding round

Epic Games cuts 1,000 jobs as Fortnite slowdown forces major reset

Epic Games cuts 1,000 jobs as Fortnite slowdown forces major reset

“Since it's a thing now, I should note that the layoffs aren't related to AI," said Epic CEO Tim Sweeney.

Duolingo experiments with tool to lock other apps until daily lessons are complete

Duolingo Design

Duolingo experiments with tool to lock other apps until daily lessons are complete

The new tool links access to social media directly to learning progress, turning education into a gatekeeper for screen time

Pgc Summit MalmÖ

Gain visibility and do games business in southern Sweden on May 27th to 28th

PG Connects Summit Malmö connects indies with publishers, investors and co-creators

TIGA clamours for government support as UK game dev jobs fall at record rate and startup activity collapses

Industry Decline

TIGA clamours for government support as UK game dev jobs fall at record rate and startup activity collapses

CEO Richard Wilson calls for better tax incentives and support initiatives to compete on the global stage

Australia’s game development industry generated $425m in revenue during FY25

Industry Outlook

Australia’s game development industry generated $425m in revenue during FY25

Nearly half of Australian studios have been operating for more than six years, pointing to a more durable industry base

Minecraft World to open at Chessington theme park in 2027 with $67m investment

Minecraft World to open at Chessington theme park in 2027 with $67m investment

The project marks Minecraft’s largest step yet into location-based entertainment

Ex-Supercell devs at Bit Odd soft launch debut game after $18m raise

Ex-Supercell devs at Bit Odd soft launch debut game after $18m raise

The Canada launch is intended to generate early player feedback before a broader global rollout

Roblox to take cut of in-game brand deals from 2027 under new advertising rules

The company is restructuring its ad ecosystem to position Roblox as a full-scale media and commerce channel, not just a games platform

The final word on GDC | Week in Mobile Games podcast

Podcast | Episode 86

The final word on GDC | 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 86...

Devsisters outlines multi-game expansion for CookieRun as franchise surpasses $1 billion

Devsisters outlines multi-game expansion for CookieRun as franchise surpasses $1 billion

Series has crossed 300m players and $1bn in revenue to become a global IP

Amazon plans smartphone comeback years after Fire Phone failure

Amazon plans smartphone comeback years after Fire Phone failure

The new device is less about hardware competition and more about controlling daily customer interactions

Supercell partners with Taika Waititi to launch new character in Brawl Stars

New Partnerships

Supercell partners with Taika Waititi to launch new character in Brawl Stars

The collaboration signals a shift from traditional marketing toward story-driven promotion for live service games.

Speakers from Zynga, Rovio and Layer AI set for Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona 2026

Pgc Barcelona 2026

Speakers from Zynga, Rovio and Layer AI set for Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona 2026

First speakers among 100+ revealed for returning games industry event on June 15th-16th

Epic Games opens Star Wars tools to creators as branded content push expands inside Fortnite

Epic Games opens Star Wars tools to creators as branded content push expands inside Fortnite

The release represents one of the largest IP integrations on the platform to date

ByteDance to sell Moonton to Savvy Games Group in $6bn deal

ByteDance to sell Moonton to Savvy Games Group in $6bn deal

The move marks another major expansion for Savvy Games Group

Supercent and Sumo Digital sign strategic MOU to co-develop next-generation mobile titles

Developing Next-gen Mobile Titles

Supercent and Sumo Digital sign strategic MOU to co-develop next-generation mobile titles

The MOU brings Supercent’s mobile-first innovation and data-driven publishing ecosystem together with Sumo Digital’s deep development expertise and cross-platform capabilities

How MeetToMatch will maximise deal-making at Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Malmö

Pgc Summit MalmÖ

How MeetToMatch will maximise deal-making at Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Malmö

Two-day networking event coming to the Nordic games industry on May 27th to 28th

LinkedIn launches new logic puzzle game Patches

LinkedIn launches new logic puzzle game Patches

New title challenges players to complete grids with no gaps or overlaps

PlanetPlay rallies games industry for global “Battle for the Habitats” campaign

Environmental Impact

PlanetPlay rallies games industry for global “Battle for the Habitats” campaign

Industry-wide initiative aims to raise $1m for environmental conservation

Fortnite is back on the Google Play Store today

Finding Fortnite

Fortnite is back on the Google Play Store today

Epic’s flagship returns after more than 5.5 years

Values Value and InGame Job launch 10th annual survey tracking global games industry employment

Values Value and InGame Job launch 10th annual survey tracking global games industry employment

Study draws on thousands of developers to map labour market trends worldwide

King’s Farm Heroes Saga officially hits $2 billion

Major Milestone

King’s Farm Heroes Saga officially hits $2 billion

PocketGamer.biz has learned that Farm Heroes Saga reached the $2 billion lifetime revenue mark

Afrime Studios enters seed round after raising $400,000 to build afrofuturistic RPG Unyverse

Afrime Studios enters seed round after raising $400,000 to build afrofuturistic RPG Unyverse

The studio is targeting an estimated 670m gamers of African descent globally

Playstack profit jumps 59% as Balatro and Abiotic Factor drive record sales

Playstack profit jumps 59% as Balatro and Abiotic Factor drive record sales

Balatro gains momentum through 25 IP collaborations and a top-performing premium mobile version

Sustainable Games Alliance rolls out energy-saving tools across major engines

Sustainable Games Alliance rolls out energy-saving tools across major engines

New plugins target Unreal, Unity and Godot to reduce power usage at scale

Nazara to acquire a 50% controlling stake in Bluetile and BestPlay in $100m deal

Nazara to acquire a 50% controlling stake in Bluetile and BestPlay in $100m deal

The company has an option to acquire the remaining stake by 2028

Deluxe Creation’s Stickman Fight: Magic Brawl surpasses 300,000 downloads

Deluxe Creation’s Stickman Fight: Magic Brawl surpasses 300,000 downloads

International audiences drive the game’s strongest revenue performance

Krafton signs strategic alliance with Hanwha Aerospace to develop real-world AI systems

New Partnerships

Krafton signs strategic alliance with Hanwha Aerospace to develop real-world AI systems

The company will back a $1bn fund targeting AI, robotics and defence startups

Malmö boosts games industry with new funding push for startups

Developer Support

Malmö boosts games industry with new funding push for startups

Nearly $400,000 annually will back new studios and early-stage developers

Meta pulls Horizon Worlds from VR as platform shifts to mobile

Service Disruption

Meta pulls Horizon Worlds from VR as platform shifts to mobile

Horizon Worlds will disappear from the Quest Store by March 31st 2026, with full shutdown on headsets by June 15th

Save up to €290 on PGC Barcelona before Super Early Bird offer ends

Save up to €290 on PGC Barcelona before Super Early Bird offer ends

Last chance to save - tickets start from just €98 until Thursday, March 19th

Ubisoft names Julien Bares as GM of mobile and casual-focused Creative House 5

Ubisoft names Julien Bares as GM of mobile and casual-focused Creative House 5

Former Tencent Games and 2K veteran will head up division home to Ketchapp, Kolibri and others

Smartly signs letter of intent to acquire measurement platform Incrmntal

Smartly signs letter of intent to acquire measurement platform Incrmntal

Terms of the deal were not disclosed

Epic Games Store opens up to mobile self-publishing in August

Alternative Marketplace

Epic Games Store opens up to mobile self-publishing in August

GM Steve Allison teases major publishers could release on the marketplace later this year

Fortnite set to return to Google Play on March 19th

Fortnite Comeback

Fortnite set to return to Google Play on March 19th

The return follows a long legal battle with Google that saw the title originally removed from the Google Play Store in 2020

Melon Sandbox surpasses $1m payouts in 2025

Melon Sandbox surpasses $1m payouts in 2025

Melon Sandbox has accumulated 150m downloads across platforms

Ludus hits $3m monthly revenue as installs surpass 8m

Ludus hits $3m monthly revenue as installs surpass 8m

Vietnam launch marks a strategic push into Southeast