Game Closure
Nintendo to shut down Mario Kart Tour in September
“Thank you for your support throughout the years”
Mobile Games Awards
Vote now! The Mobile Games Awards 2026 in association with Samsung Gaming Hub
Who do you want to win the industry's most prestigious awards this year?
Funding News
Exclusive: Türkiye studio Bold Games raises $6m
Studio aims to grow the team and scale debut sort puzzle mobile game Market Match
Union Support
CWA vows action after Microsoft layoffs impact unionised Xbox game workers
The union plans to bargain over severance, job placements and recall rights
Backlash Continues
Love and Deepspace cancels Bilibili World 2026 appearance amid ongoing controversy
The company will reimburse affected fans for tickets, flights and hotel cancellations
Strategic Move
Xbox CEO says mobile to play key role as Microsoft restructures gaming business
Asha Sharma said the Microsoft games division spread its resources too thin
New Offerings
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey launches Roblox companion game ahead of film release
The game has already recorded 1.7 million visits
Leadership
Xbox appoints Helen Chiang as first chief operating officer
The appointment comes as Microsoft continues a broader restructuring of its Xbox business
Pgc Summit Shanghai
Why developers can't miss PG Connects Summit Shanghai
A gateway for international companies to access the world’s largest games market
Xbox Reset
King and Mojang to report directly to Xbox CEO Asha Sharma after company "reset"
The Candy Crush and Minecraft developers were highlighted for their large player bases
Marvellous Mena
Dubai doubles down on public-private partnerships to drive gaming ambitions
Crown Prince Hamdan says the future of gaming depends on government and industry collaboration
New Offerings
YouTube launches supervised kid accounts across MENA with new parental controls
New accounts include built-in parental controls and safety protections
Studio Closure
Niantic Spatial closes New Zealand office amid enterprise shift
At least 10 employees are believed to have been laid off
Strategic Move
Stillfront extends €60 million loan facility until 2028 amid CEO search
Loan terms have been aligned with the company's revolving credit facility
Regulations
US Supreme Court allows Texas app store age verification law to take effect
Apple and Google are among the companies challenging the legislation
10 Years Of Pokemon Go
Pokémon Go celebrates 10th anniversary with over $9bn in revenue
The location-based game is the fifth highest-grossing mobile title across the decade
Sweeping Cuts
Xbox to cut 3,200 jobs and divest five studios
Microsoft is laying off 1,600 staff today and will make more staff redundant over the coming year
Rebranding
Pokémon Go studio Niantic rebrands to Scopely Explore
The studio had continued using the Niantic name following its $3.5 billion acquisition by Scopely
New Partnerships
Scopely invests in ex-Umamusume Pretty Derby director's startup Studio AuKnow
The studio is led by former Uma Musume Pretty Derby content director Takuma Akitsu
Funding For Games
Supercell opens applications for Africa-focused developer grants
Equity-free grants range from $20,000 to $200,000
Game Petition
Love and Deepspace 'bring back Valko' petition surpasses 229k signatures
The campaign has collected 228,970 signatures
Funding News
Tripo AI raises $150m in Series A3 funding round
Tripo AI plans to invest further in 3D foundation models and world model technologies
Game Concerts
Wuthering Waves concert tour expands to Los Angeles after selling out in Asia
The concert celebrates two years of Wuthering Waves music and updates
Pgc Summit Shanghai
Newzoo director of consulting Ben Porter to speak at PGC Shanghai
A leading games market analyst joins the speaker lineup for Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai on July 29th
Podcast | Episode 96
WeChat Mini-Games uncovered and the Love & Deepspace Valko backlash | 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 96...
Job News
Rovio CEO Alex Pelletier-Normand appointed COO of SEGA Europe's West Studios
Pelletier-Normand will continue serving as CEO of Rovio Entertainment
Providing Support
United Videogame Workers launches hardship fund for laid-off game workers
Eligible applicants can request between $1,000 and $5,000 in assistance
Funding News
Innovate UK opens £10m Createch funding call for game developers
Grants of between £100,000 and £500,000 are available for eligible projects
Mobile Games Awards
VOTE NOW: The games of the Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2026
Who will win? Featuring Arknights; Hatch Dragons; Kingdom Rush; My Talking Tom; The Division; Warframe; Zenless Zone Zero and more…
Funding For Games
Google launches $1m Indie Games Fund for African developers
Ten indie game studios will receive between $50,000 and $200,000 each
Google Loses
Google loses appeal against $4.7 billion Android antitrust fine
Regulators found Google used Android agreements to block rivals
Milestone
SuperCity reaches $100m revenue as it celebrates 15 years
The game has reached 40m installs worldwide
Job News
Supercell head of investments Jaakko Harlas departs
Harlas said he has no new role planned and will spend time with his family
Pgc Summit Shanghai
MyGamez VP of partnerships Svitlana Verpakhovska to speak at PGC Summit Shanghai
The newly appointed MyGamez VP joins a growing roster to help Western developers crack the world's largest games market
Acqusitions
Kepler Interactive acquires minority stake in Oro Interactive
The investment gives Oro additional resources and expertise to support its growth.
New Policies
Godot to ban AI-generated code contributions and tighten contributor policies
New contributors will need approval before submitting major features or refactoring
Pley Partnership
Xsolla partners with Pley to expand browser game monetisation for mobile studios
The partnership targets monetisation gaps in markets with limited app store payment support
Pgc Summit Shanghai
How to make your ChinaJoy trip hassle-free
What international visitors need to know before they head to Shanghai later this month
New Offerings
NBCUniversal explores video game expansion after Comcast split
No gaming acquisitions or partnerships have been discussed yet
Big Backlash
Love and Deepspace's Valko romance cancelled following backlash
New romanceable werewolf Valko was planned to launch with version 6.0, but controversy has changed Infold’s plans
Staff Strike
Ubisoft Barcelona staff strike over proposed layoffs
Workers are seeking guarantees that all 51 affected staff will retain their jobs
Pgc Nordics
PG Connects Nordics: the companies that came to Helsinki in 2025
Looking forward to this October's two-day conference with a look back at last year's event
Pikmin Pollenation
Pikmin Bloom skyrockets to record revenue as Taiwanese spending surges 902%
The walking game has made $35.7 million in H1 2026, 94% of its total 2025 earnings
Sprite Set
Ludo AI updates Sprite Generator with new animation and export tools
The update introduces a revamped Pose Generator and new animation tools
Investment Incoming
PvX Partners secures $5m investment from MIT to expand user acquisition financing
The investment will expand PvX's user acquisition financing platform
Jobs News
Stillfront CEO Alexis Bonte to depart
Search is underway for a new chief exec
Mobile Games Awards
Voting opens for the Mobile Games Awards 2026 in association with Samsung Gaming Hub
Who do you want to win the industry's most prestigious awards this year?
Candy Crush Cabs
Candy Crush gives football fans a free ride in designated "Candy Cabs"
Football fans can get a free taxi in New York City today, provided they complete a level of Candy Crush
Pgc Summit Shanghai
Final Week: Save up to $160 before the PGC Summit Shanghai Early Bird ends
Start your 'world's biggest games market' journey by saving up to $160!
New Partnerships
Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha signs deal with UFL mobile game after World Cup heroics
The deal follows Vozinha's rapid rise in global popularity