Revenue Report
Google Play in-app purchases fall 29% in RPGs and 50% in casino games
Revenue from the strategy genre has grown by 21% on Google Play since October 2024
Valorant Victory
Valorant Mobile is China’s most successful mobile launch of 2025 with 50m MAUs
Tencent highlights the successes of Valorant, Honor of Kings, Delta Force, Clash Royale and more
Tax Laws
Government updates VGEC rules as part of UK Budget
New guidance aligns games tax credits with the wider RDEC framework
Child Safety
UK launches mobile game child privacy review
Ten popular mobile titles will be scrutinised for data protection compliance
New Partnerships
Savvy Games Group and King Saud University team up to develop future talent for Saudi Arabia's games and esports sector
The MoU creates a framework for joint initiatives in skill development, knowledge exchange, and industry exposure
Job News
Jason Avent joins QA studio Six Peaks Games as founder and non-executive director
Six Peaks specialises in embedded QA teams that integrate directly with development pipelines
Milestone
Resident Evil Survival Unit surpasses two million downloads in under two weeks
The game has maintained strong momentum after crossing one million downloads last month
Podcast | Episode 74
Roblox's car crash interview on child safety and Ubisoft's curious Tencent deal | 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 74...
Acqusitions
Nintendo to acquire Bandai Namco Studios Singapore
The Switch maker will take an initial 80% stake in BNSS from April 2026
Ai In Games
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney says AI-made labels on storefronts “make no sense”
He argued that AI will feature in “nearly all future production” across the industry
Layoff News
Thunderful to cut up to 60 jobs at Coatsink as part of major restructuring effort
The company said the layoffs are needed to bring costs in line with current contracted revenue
Pgc London
KashKick Joins Pocket Gamer Connects London as Titanium Sponsor
Leading user acquisition company helps studios engage, reward and monetise their audiences as part of the biggest PGC event of the year
New Partnerships
Make-A-Wish teams up with IGG to launch Thanksgiving charity challenge in Lords Mobile
IGG will donate $50,000 to Make-A-Wish once 50,000 players claim the event decoration
Job News
Metacore taps ex-Rovio CTO Petri Hyökyranta and King's Daniel Lindkvist to lead tech efforts
The appointments aim to support Metacore’s long-term strategy and future scaling plans after the success of Merge Mansion
Champions Compete
Pokémon Unite Asia Champions League returns with $20,000 prize pool in India League
Winners will advance to the Offline Finals against other teams from across Asia
New Studio
Fat Rat Games launches to build Roblox games and support creators
The studio was founded and led by long-time Roblox creators
Anniversary Approaching
Infinity Nikki’s version 2.0 update arrives as title hits $70m on mobile ahead of its first anniversary
The stylish open-world title has generated $69.9m across the App Store and Google Play to date, according to estimates
Possible Acqusition
Report: ByteDance is exploring the sale of Moonton to Savvy Games Group
The talks revive a previously paused plan to offload the Mobile Legends maker
Esports Tournament
Chess.com, Moonton and SNK join publisher lineup for Esports Nations Cup
Seven major publishers now shape the ENC’s structure, formats and qualification paths
Accelerator Program
Avalanche and Helika select five studios for their debut accelerator cohort
Selected studios receive $25,000 upfront, mentorship, and showcase opportunities
New Offerings
Tencent rolls out Hunyuan 3D engine for AI-driven asset creation
The tool is designed to generate 3D assets from text, images, or sketches in minutes
Funding For Games
Gear Games secures $5m to scale its new card battler Arcane Rush
Metica is providing non-dilutive financing alongside UA and monetisation support
Acqusitions
Roundtable Interactive acquires Auroch Digital to mark a new chapter for the Bristol studio
Auroch said the deal offers fresh opportunities after two challenging years for the industry
Job News
TikTok names former Boeing executive Ziad Ojakli as head of public policy for the Americas
The appointment comes as the video-sharing platform accelerates plans to separate its US operations from ByteDance
Epic Delay
Epic Games pushes in-island transaction publishing for Fortnite creators to January 2026
The delay is to allow more testing and bug fixes ahead of the full launch
Expansions
Plan A Games secures investment to build new engineering team in southeast Louisiana
The studio is developing its free-to-play analytics platform from The Shop in New Orleans’ Warehouse District
Pgc London
Pocket Gamer Connects London 2026: See what’s shaping this year’s agenda
The 31 themed content tracks that will lead the conversation this January 19th and 20th
Masterclass
UX Strategist Celia Hodent to hold masterclass blending cognitive science with practical game UX frameworks
The session explores how perception, attention, memory, and emotion shape player experience
Expansions
Supercell to open new AI Innovation Lab in Tokyo next year
Opening in March 2026, the Lab expands a global network already operating in San Francisco and Helsinki
Royal Revenue
Royal Kingdom surpasses $300m in first year, beating Royal Match
Dream Games’ follow-up puzzler made 2% more than its forebear in its first full year
Hackathon
Tamatem Games launches new Content Creator Hackathon for emerging talent
All winners secure a guaranteed three-month internship or contract alongside cash prizes
In The Shadows
Fire Emblem Shadows makes just $353,000 in two months
Fire Emblem Heroes generated $77.6m in its first two months in 2017
Pgc London 2026
Speakers from Supercell, Com2uS, and EA announced for Pocket Gamer Connects London 2026
Meet the industry experts sharing insight across 31 content tracks on January 19th to 20th
Podcast | Episode 73
Industry insights on AI, China and EU tech regulation from RovioCon and Slush 2025 | 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 73...
Acqusitions
Novelist Naomi Alderman reacquires Zombies, Run! from former owner OliveX
The fitness game has surpassed 10m downloads since its 2012 debut
Ambition Check
Saudi Arabia’s PIF reportedly short on fresh capital for new investments
Insiders say much of the fund’s wealth is tied up in illiquid megaprojects like Neom
Safety Systems
Roblox CEO David Baszucki has heated debate about child safety: "I would categorically reject the actual description of what you’re saying"
The platform’s founder told The New York Times about how "enormously important" it is to pre-empt risks
Studio Strategy
Ubisoft lands $1.3bn Tencent investment for Vantage Studios
The deal values Vantage Studios at $4.3bn pre-money
Funding News
SuperGears Games raises $2.1m to power its next growth phase
Funding fuels expansion of the Racing Kingdom mobile racing universe
Xsolla State Of Play
Xsolla releases The Xsolla Report: State of Play Q3 2025 Edition, Vol. 8
Report unpacks regional trends across China, Europe, and MENA to inform growth, monetisation, and player engagement strategies
Regulations
Junglee Games parent Flutter records $556m impairment over real-money gaming ban in India
Junglee shifts fully to free-to-play while assessing future options
Investment News
Torpor Games closes a minority seed investment round to develop its next flagship title
Investment will also support two Suzerain DLCs and a new standalone game
Accelerator Program
Maliyo Games launches Creator Academy Accelerator to help aspiring creators in games
The 4-week programme includes curated learning materials, weekly challenges, and peer feedback
Arabic Games Conference
The Arabic Games Conference 2025 is just days away: Here's what’s in store for game makers
The Arabic Games Conference showcases games and interactive projects created by Arab developers across the region, and it returns online on November 29th
New Unit
Tencent’s €1.16bn Ubisoft investment on track to close in coming days as H1 bookings rise
Investment will establish new unity Vantage Studios responsible for top IP and help clear debts
Milestone
Resident Evil Survival Unit surpasses 1 million downloads in under three days
The game reached number one on the App Store’s top free charts in more than 15 regions
Trading Resumption
Ubisoft sets new date for delayed H1 financial results
The company will now publish its results before the opening of trading November 21st, 2025
Job News
Ex-Nordisk Games boss Mikkel Weider named CEO of Everplay
Effective from January 1st, 2026
Clash Contest
Supercell launches global Clash of Clans contest offering a month-long stay in an Irish castle
The £120,000 prize includes flights for four, private transfers, a personal chef and exclusive castle access
Winners Revealed
Google reveals winners of its Google Play best of 2025 awards
Pokémon TCG Pocket was crowned best game of 2025