Developer Training
Maliyo Games' GameUp Africa has trained 6,000 devs in five years
A new impact report tracks five years of building one of Africa's largest game development programmes
Game Approvals
China approves 158 games in May as licensing pace accelerates in 2026
Total game approvals in 2026 have reached 779, comprising 754 domestic and 25 imported games
Unblocked
Hungry Studio’s Block Blast returns to Google Play
The title, which the company claims has 300 million monthly active users, was temporarily unavailable during the past 24 hours
M&a
VantageCo agrees deal to acquire majority stake in UK games publisher Playstack
TruFin is selling its majority stake
Pocket Gamer Connects
PGC Summit Malmö sets the standard in Sweden
More than 500 attendees gathered for two packed days of tightly focused networking
Jobs News
TIGA names Elaine Green as new chair
The Nellyvision co-founder replaces Rebellion CEO and co-founder Jason Kingsley in the role
Blocked
Hungry Studio’s Block Blast no longer available on Google Play
The popular mobile game is said to have 300 million monthly active users worldwide
Topics And Trends
D2C, co-development and "volume over viability": GDC 2026 trends revealed
The GDC Festival of Gaming 2026 Trends Report has revealed five key topics from the event
Back Of The Net
Canada national football team partners with Roblox’s FIFA Super Soccer
Deal is part of Canada Soccer's 'Our Game Now' marketing campaign that aims to generate excitement for the team
Hardware Costs
The Steam Deck OLED returns with up to $300 price increase
Valve notes rising memory, storage and broader hardware costs across global markets
New Venue
Esports World Cup gets new Paris venue as tickets set to go live on May 29th
The tournament will take place at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles
Power Up
Epic teases Unreal Engine 6
Could Unreal Engine 6 be officially unveiled at Unreal Fest Chicago in June?
Ai Agents
Saga introduces AI influencer agent to mobile game Diamond Jewels
Crystal Beaumont will have a presence in-game and across social media platforms like Instagram
Competitive Gaming
Esports Nations Cup 2026 introduces wildcard slots
Solidarity Slots, Host Region Slots and Special Invites aim to boost opportunities and make competitions more accessible
Driving Downloads
Fortnite’s global iOS comeback drives downloads to eight-year high
Fortnite generated 3.4 million installs over its first week back with a daily peak of 674,000 on May 23rd
Avakin Life On Steam
Avakin Life officially launches on Steam after 200m registered users on mobile
The pioneering social simulator hits Steam after generating 500 million downloads
Finland Games Strategy
Jyväskylä city forms shared strategy for games sector development
The agreement brings the city, education institutions and Expa together to develop Jyväskylä’s games ecosystem
Mobile Games Awards
Closing soon - Nominate now for the Mobile Games Awards 2026
Get your nominations in by Monday, June 1st
Ai Ahoy
HoYoverse reportedly investing up to $14.7bn in AI over next three years
AI plans are said to include enhancement of NPCs in upcoming Petit Planet
M&a
Private equity firm Goldenpeak acquires majority stake in Ampere Analysis
Ampere also acquires streaming audience analytics firm PlumResearch
Settlement
Microsoft agrees $250m settlement in Activision Blizzard deal lawsuit
Both parties deny any and all allegations of fault, liability, wrongdoing or damages
Bulky Bookings
Take-Two Interactive celebrates "fantastic mobile performance" as net bookings surpass $6.7bn
Almost half of those net bookings came from mobile games, accounting for $3.3bn
Pgc Barcelona
Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona - Everything you can't miss this June 15th and 16th
Tale part in seminars, Investor Connector, Publisher SpeedMatch, Big Indie Pitches, AI Gamechangers, Careers Zone, Aurora Europe and more!
Turned Up To Eleven
TyrAds announces exclusive strategic partnership with Nordeus
The partnership will power 'player-first' rewarded engagement in Top Eleven
Growing Games
Hasbro makes $1bn in Q1 including $41m from Monopoly Go
The company’s Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming segment led the quarter with $298m in operating profit and a 51% operating margin
Podcast | Episode 92
The Sensor Tower / AppMagic deal unwrapped and Xbox's random rebrand | 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 92...
Pgc Barcelona
This June, games industry deals happen in Barcelona
Build the right connections at Pocket Gamer Connects on June 15th and 16th
Winners Revealed
Clash Royale wins Business Excellence Award at Finnish Game Awards 2026
The awards recognised the sector's top games, developers and impact of individuals
Job News
Room 8 Group appoints Juanita Draude as CEO
She joins the company with more than 20 years of leadership experience across media and entertainment
Esports Nations Cup
Esports Nations Cup 2026 unveils rankings system and Team Builder ahead of roster reveals
The rankings system tracks player performances from major international tournaments
Expansions
Fortyseven Communications expands with new London office
The company also launched a new global Creator Relations practice
New Partnerships
Xsolla partners with Dubai Films and Games Commission to expand global opportunities for MENA developers
The partnership will create a Dubai-based studio accelerator program for game developers
Events
Game AiCon Seoul brings together developers, publishers, investors and more next week
PocketGamer.biz can get a special discount to attend the show on May 26th to 28th
Pgc Barcelona
GAMEx’s Aïda Figuerola to discuss building elite teams at PGC Barcelona in June
Another star speaker joins the speaker lineup for Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona on June 15th and 16th
Child Safety
FTC urged to investigate Roblox over child safety and spending concerns
Roblox accused of complex in-game spending system using Robux currency
Artistic Achievement
Sky: Children of the Light surpasses 300m downloads
The milestone gets confirmed as thatgamecompany turns 20 years old
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
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
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
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