Latest Layoffs
Pixelberry Studios reportedly lays off staff in another round of workforce reductions
The reductions mark the second round of job cuts at Pixelberry in two years
Pgc Summit Malmo
Tracks uncovered: Gain essential knowledge through PGC Summit Malmö's conference programme
Tightly focused four-track summit schedule runs alongside two days of meetings and curated networking opportunities
Game Closure
Bethesda to shut down The Elder Scrolls: Blades servers in June
The closure will take effect across all platforms, including Android, iOS and Nintendo Switch
Investment News
Maxim Krippa becomes co-owner of Burny Games expanding long-term investment role
Burny Games has surpassed 65m downloads across a portfolio of roughly ten mobile titles
Events
Ustwo Games revealed as first keynote for Develop: Brighton 2026
Maria Sayans, Daniel Gray and Peter Pashley will take to the stage to discuss the studio's journey and making a lasting impact
Acqusitions
Mistplay completes acquisition of Connected Rewards to link gameplay with real-world loyalty programs
The deal integrates Connected Rewards into the LoyaltyPlay platform
Job Losses
Epic layoffs spark launch of ‘Awesome People List’ job site for more than 1,000 displaced staff
The platform allows hiring managers to browse candidates across engineering, design, production, community management, and security roles
Fortnite Figures
Fortnite lands 5.7m downloads on Google Play after comeback, but chart rankings are mixed
Epic Games’ flagship peaked at second in the global download charts, but has topped Brazil and Mexico’s for over a week
Funding News
Sett raises $30m to scale AI-driven marketing automation platform
The company plans to expand beyond gaming into fintech, apps and e-commerce by the end of 2026
Acqusitions
Asmodee acquires ATM Gaming in €180m deal to expand social board game portfolio
The deal targets the fast-growing social and party games segment
Podcast | Episode 87
Was Epic's app store battle worth it? | 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 87...
Adaptations Ahoy
Baobab to adapt Roblox hits Deepwoken, Natural Disaster Survival and Barry’s Prison Run for film and TV
The studio selected titles with deep engagement and strong world-building rather than chasing short-lived viral success
Job News
Metasports appoints head of marketing to scale Hitwicket globally
He will lead user acquisition, brand, and partnerships across Metasports’ growing portfolio of sports games
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Strategic Move
Unity to shut down IronSource Ads Network and explore Supersonic sale as revenue beats guidance
The ironSource Ads Network will officially cease operations on April 30th 2026
Esports Growth
Honor of Kings World Cup 2026 brings Honor of Kings and Arena of Valor teams together
Twenty teams from multiple regional leagues will compete for a $3m prize pool at the event in Riyadh
Funding For Games
LVL Zero receives over 240 applications as new wave of Indian game studios takes shape
More than 30% of applicants are designing games with live operations and analytics frameworks from the outset
New Offerings
Iwot studios partners with Initiate Entertainment to expand The Wheel of Time across games and animation
The partnership brings former Riot Games franchise leader Thomas Vu into the next phase of The Wheel of Time’s global expansion
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
Expansions
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
New Offerings
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
Layoff News
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
Funding News
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
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
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
New Offerings
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
Closure
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
Acqusitions
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
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 Troubles
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
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
Layoff News
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 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
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
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
New Offerings
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
New Offerings
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
New Offerings
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
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...
Milestone
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
New Offerings
Amazon plans smartphone comeback years after Fire Phone failure
The new device is less about hardware competition and more about controlling daily customer interactions
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.
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
New Offerings
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
Acquisitions
ByteDance to sell Moonton to Savvy Games Group in $6bn deal
The move marks another major expansion for Savvy Games Group
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
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
New Offerings
LinkedIn launches new logic puzzle game Patches
New title challenges players to complete grids with no gaps or overlaps
Environmental Impact
PlanetPlay rallies games industry for global “Battle for the Habitats” campaign
Industry-wide initiative aims to raise $1m for environmental conservation