New Office
Almedia opens London office to expand data and machine learning team
The office will focus on expanding the company's data science, engineering and machine learning teams
Real World Crossover
Clash of Clans brings interactive live experience to San Diego
The interactive attraction will run from July to September and overlap with San Diego Comic-Con
New Offerings
Google Play expands billing options and lowers fees for developers
The search giant is separating service fees from billing fees starting June 30th, 2026
Early Earnings
Pokémon Champions makes $3.5m in first week on mobile
Apple users account for $2.6m or 75% of total mobile spend thus far
Milestone
Rush Royale surpasses $500m in lifetime revenue
The mobile title has exceeded 105m downloads since launching in 2020
Web Games
Report: 53% plan to port mobile games to browser in next 12 months
The 2026 State of Web Gaming report surveyed 400 game developers and 2,000 web gamers
Direct Delivery
Tamatem launches first internally developed game with King of Delivery 2
The company has integrated local brand partnerships directly into the game world as part of the player experience
Funding News
Reactional Music secures €2.5m EIC grant to scale music monetisation in games
The EIC has also earmarked up to €6.5m ($7.3m) in future equity funding
New Tools
MobyGames launches beta careers platform for games industry workers
The new platform aims to help developers build professional networks and navigate the jobs market
Market Report
Report: Mobile game D2C revenues reach $17bn as publishers push beyond app stores
New report from Appcharge shows 92% of publishers expect D2C revenues to grow in 2026, with many forecasting double-digit gains
Funding News
Playtika veterans secure $10m for AI-powered mobile app operations platform
The funding will support the development of new predictive models and AI-driven automation tools
Going Global
Nigeria to bring first-ever developer delegation and booth to Gamescom 2026
The delegation is led by Maliyo Games founder Hugo Obi
Corporate Strategy
Tencent explores exits from Japanese game studio investments amid portfolio review
The company may sell some holdings back to management teams, even at a loss
Anima Arriving
HoYoverse’s new game Honkai: Nexus Anima gets closed beta test in July
The Evolution Test will begin on July 9th for iOS, Android and PC
Pgc Nordics
Save up to €138 on PGC Nordics before Super Early Bird ends on Thursday 25th
Essential conference set to host 800 of the world's leading games companies this October 20th and 21st
Pgc Summit Shanghai
SocialPeta CMO Summer Liu to speak at PGC Shanghai
Liu joins the star speaker lineup for Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai on July 19th
Pgc Nordics
The 23 conference tracks that will be at PG Connects Nordics this October 20th and 21st
Everything from AI to web3 - and where you'll find the hottest opportunities
$1bn In D2c On Pc
Xsolla data reveals direct-to-consumer PC game transactions surpassed $1 billion in 2025
Transaction data across Xsolla's publisher network shows D2C on PC operating at scale across more than 1,000 games, an opportunity the market has historically overlooked
Leadership Change
Newzoo CEO Michelle Van der Wilk-Rouhof steps down after six years
Current CRO Joris Goossens will step into the CEO role as of July 1st
Lagos Games Week
“The studios that thrive will not be those that resist AI. They will be those that learn how to use it effectively"
Maliyo Games CEO Hugo Obi told Lagos Games Week the studios that thrive will use AI rather than resist it
Early Everness
Neverness to Everness steers towards $50m in two months on mobile
The gacha RPG released in China on April 23rd with a worldwide rollout soon after
Awards Ahead
BAFTA reveals 15 finalists for student awards
The finalists were selected from entries submitted by more than 600 universities worldwide
New Partnerships
Brawl Stars teams up with Adidas for first apparel collaboration
A second Adidas x Brawl Stars collection is planned for 2027
Expansions
Hill Climb Racing 3 expands soft launch to Germany
Fingersoft cites promising engagement and retention in early soft launch markets
New Offerings
CityDays and All3Media team up to launch The Traitors game on WhatsApp
Players participate in missions, banishments and secret traitor activity over approximately one week
Pgc Summit Shanghai
Kingsoft's Claire Yang joins PGC Shanghai to talk mid-sized studio survival
Kingsoft's overseas business development lead Claire Yang will tackle how smaller studios compete with the giants at Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai on July 29th
Layoffs
Electronic Arts reportedly hit by further layoffs across support and operations teams
Reports suggest that the cuts have affected customer support, recruitment, trust and safety, and IT roles
Investment News
AppsFlyer secures over $1bn investment from Moloco, Google, Meta and Unity
Firm stresses neutrality and independence as major tech and ad firms become backers
Fortnite Flurry
Fortnite surpasses 1m daily App Store installs for first time ever after global comeback
During Fortnite’s first month back, the game generated 11.5m downloads on the App Store
Consolidation
Kabam to consolidate Los Angeles office amid reported layoffs
The Marvel Contest of Champions developer says it remains committed to partners and ongoing development
Mistbound On Mobile
Guild Wars spinoff Mistbound is coming to mobile
ArenaNet, NC, and bilibili are collaborating on the title
Event Milestone
Dubai Esports and Games Festival 2026 attracts more than 43,000 attendees in largest edition yet
The festival hosted 66 esports tournaments with prizes worth up to AED 1m ($272,000)
Pgc Summit Shanghai
Thatgamecompany, Charles Cecil, Newzoo, Xsolla, Kingsoft and more confirmed to speak at PGC Summit Shanghai
Going to ChinaJoy? Make the most of your week with our gateway event
Going Public
Jio files for IPO that could become India’s largest share sale
The company is reportedly targeting a raise of around $3.8 billion to $4bn
Online Safety
UAE bans children under-15s from social media accounts
Children under 15 cannot access social media accounts even with parental consent
Podcast | Episode 94
PGC Barcelona takeaways, the UK's social media ban and Fortnite vs Roblox | 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 94...
Games Preservation
The European Commission rejects calls to stop publishers from taking games offline
The Commission plans to consult with publishers and consumer on end-of-life standard for video games
Market Revenue
Global Games revenue surpasses $200bn for the first time, mobile generates $113bn
The report shows that mobile generated more than half of all games revenue in 2025
Charity Event
Jingle Jam names eight charity partners ahead of 2026 games fundraiser
The announcement was made during Jingle Jam’s annual awards event
Roblox Fee
Roblox reveals creator fee structure for brand integrations from 2027
The new framework will calculate charges based on audience reach and player location
Trending Trainers
Pokémon Champions tops iPhone App Store installs in 13 countries on launch day
The new Pokémon battler released on mobile on June 17th, two months after Switch launch
Events
Lagos Games Week 2026 kicks off two days of talks, exhibitions and showcases
The event centres on connecting African game development talent with global markets, under the theme "Play Without Borders”
Making Money
Unreal Engine for Fortnite creator payouts surpass $1bn
Creators can monetise through engagement payouts and in-island transactions
Esports
Esports Nations Cup 2026 opens ticket sales ahead of debut event
The nation-based esports competition is set to take place in Riyadh across four weeks in November
Pgc Summit Shanghai
How Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai is your gateway to the world’s largest games market
Games industry summit returns on July 29th to connect East and West
Unreal Updates
Epic Games outlines its vision for Unreal Engine 6
The next generation of Unreal Engine is currently targeting early access in late 2027
Reinstated
Almedia’s Freecash returns to Apple App Store following removal
The rewarded user acquisition platform is now once again available on both major mobile storefronts
Pgc Barcelona
PGC Barcelona a sun-soaked success
More than 1,100 registrations across all activities from 49 countries and five continents
Industry Service
Liz Prince awarded MBE for services to games industry and diversity
The recognition reflects her work in games recruitment as well as her contribution to diversity and inclusion initiatives
Chat Of Clans
Global Chat returns to Clash of Clans amid partnership with World Cup winners
Previous World Cup winners Thierry Henry, Kaká and Bastian Schweinsteiger have teamed up with Supercell this football season