Game Closure
Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile servers to shut down in April 2026
Players can continue accessing existing content until the April closure date
Duolingo Daus
More than 10 million Duolingo users have a 365-day streak
Of the learning app’s 50m daily users, over 10m have a year-long login streak
Podcast | Episode 83
Supercell faces Clash Royale controversy and banks on innovation | 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 83...
Sluggish Sonic
Sega’s operating income down 55% as it takes $200m impairment loss on Rovio
Sonic Rumble has also been highlighted for falling short of expectations across every KPI
Possible Acqusition
Report: ByteDance in advanced talks to sell Moonton to Savvy Games Group for up to $7bn
Sources say the transaction could close as soon as this quarter, with broad terms already agreed
Pgc Barcelona 2026
What to expect when Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona returns on June 15th and 16th
Explore compelling industry opportunities as Pocket Gamer Connects returns to the heart of Europe’s games industry on June 15th and 16th
Studio Closure
Mega Studio shuts down game development division after nearly five years
The studio built more than 35 games and apps, and at its peak employed nearly 40 staff
Strategic Move
Stillfront’s top shareholders call for extraordinary meeting to elect new board and chair
Laureus Capital and Knuth Capital have proposed a six-member board led by Lars-Johan Jarnheimer as chairman and Erik Forsberg as deputy chairman
Pgc Summit San Francisco
Learn from Scopely, Tencent, SYBO, Jam City, Mattel and more at PGC Summit San Francisco on March 9th
Gain insights on the latest market trends in this mobile-focused summit filled with top industry speakers
Marvellous Mena
19 MENA startups graduate from the second Exel by Merak accelerator cohort
Each startup will receive $300,000 in funding plus mentorship and global network access
New Offerings
IGDA Foundation unveils new visual identity in major rebrand
The move includes a new logo, redesigned website, and updated newsletter
Esports Nations Cup
Esports Nations Cup 2026 reveals first eight titles
Mobile leads the charge with Honor of Kings and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang fronting the initial lineup
Growth Drivers
Japan reveals plans to boost support for games and content industries as new growth pillar
Overseas sales of Japanese content reached $37.7bn in 2023
Mea Culpa
Supercell CEO sorry for failure to acknowledge role of content creators in Clash Royale's success
Ilkka Paananen takes full responsibility for blog post and thanks creators for their contribution
New Offerings
Ares Interactive opens pre-registration for Baseball Hits 26 featuring Cal Raleigh
The mobile title is being developed by 7th Inning, staffed by veterans of the former MLB Tap Sports Baseball franchise
Creator Clash
"Don’t you dare take credit": Twitch streamer Jynxzi calls out Supercell for not recognising Clash Royale content creators
"Part of me just wants to be like ... I hope the game f***g dies"
Industry Views
Africacomicade founder warns PC is not Africa’s monetisation solution
While mobile monetisation faces constraints, Michael Oscar Esio says PC carries its own systemic barriers
Child Safety
Egypt blocks Roblox over concerns about child safety and harmful online content
The Supreme Council for Media Regulation is coordinating with telecom authorities to enforce the ban
Funding News
Hogo Games lands fresh investment at a $10m valuation to scale its production pipeline
The Türkiye-based studio plans to expand its 13-person team and accelerate upcoming titles
Union Strike
Ubisoft restructuring sparks international strike as 1,200 staff walk out
The walkout comes after Ubisoft announced studio closures, six game cancellations, and further cost-cutting measures
Revenue Results
EA makes $254m on mobile this Q3 as FC Mobile drives net bookings
Mobile represented approximately 13% of EA’s total net revenue during the three months
Jobs News
Former Unity CEO David Helgason exits company as Bernard Kim joins board
IronSource co-founder and former CEO Tomer Bar-Zee has also left the tech firm
Pgc London
The relationship between games and AI: Mechanisms, history and constant evolution
At PGC London, AI Guys CTO Ken Noland compared AI mechanisms to historic games and genres
Roblox Records
Roblox revenue up 36% Y/Y as Grow a Garden and Steal a Brainrot drive multiple milestones
Nearly $4.9bn was generated in 2025, with $6.8bn in bookings
Child Safety
Australian government calls urgent meeting with Roblox over child safety concerns
Communications minister Anika Wells cited reports of grooming and sexually explicit user-generated content on the platform.
Pgc Summit San Francisco
Double discount! PGC Summit San Francisco Valentine's offer x Early Bird rate
Save up to $290 before midnight Monday, February 16th
Regulations
CMA secures fairness commitments from Apple and Google for UK app stores
The measures mark the first changes since both platforms were designated with strategic market status
Online Safety
Discord to roll out global safety update with automatic teen protections
The new safety settings strengthen age-appropriate protections across chats, servers and content access
M&a
Mattel acquires full ownership of Mattel163 from NetEase for $159m
Entertainment firm snaps up Chinese publisher's 50% share to value mobile games studio at $318m
Pocket Management
Steel Media announces leadership transition as Pocket Gamer enters its 20th year
Founder Chris James moves into chairman role as Dave Bradley takes on day-to-day leadership of the business
Under Pressure
Pressure to launch a new game led to Squad Busters' global release
Supercell reveals the KPIs and emotions that went into the title's release and failure
Financials
Supercell revenue declines 4% to €2.65bn in 2025
EBITDA rose by 6% year-over-year as Clash Royale growth makes up for Brawl Stars decline
New Partnerships
Savvy Games Group signs MoU with NMBRS to boost Saudi Arabia’s games and esports creative capabilities
As part of the partnership, NMBRS will establish a local operations presence in Riyadh
Square Sales
"Weakness in existing titles" as Square Enix’s net sales fall 13% Y/Y
Despite the decline, operating income has risen by 39% year-over-year
Africa Is Mobile
Mobile leads as Africa’s games industry generated $2.29bn in 2025
Google Play continues to dominate mobile distribution across Africa, while Apple App Store retains a smaller but higher-value audience in select markets
Global Games Show
Global Games Show Riyadh 2026 returns to support Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 games ambitions
The Riyadh edition will bring together developers, publishers, investors, and esports leaders for two days of talks, demos, and networking
New Partnerships
Savvy Games Group signs MoUs with Saudi Ministry of Education for games and esports programs
The agreements aim to integrate games education into national curricula and formal learning frameworks nationwide
New Partnerships
Arab Youth Centre and Games Ventures partner to train next generation of MENA game developers
The programme is designed to mirror real-world game studio environments rather than classroom-based learning
New Offerings
Appcharge launches new Checkout aimed at boosting mobile D2C revenue
The new Checkout is built specifically for mobile games, targeting friction at the most sensitive point of the monetisation funnel
M&a
Private equity firm Haveli to acquire Budge Studios
Terms of the deal were not disclosed
Super Bowl Surprises
Pokémon and Mario splash the cash with Super Bowl LX ads
Lady Gaga’s favourite Pokémon, how Yoshi rides a motorbike and more unveiled at the NFL’s premium event
Podcast | Episode 82
What do game developers really think of Project Genie? | 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 82...
Milestone
Resident Evil Survival Unit surpasses 5m downloads following global expansion
Strong traction in North America, Europe, and Japan helped power the milestone alongside new launches in Korea and Taiwan
Collab Incoming
Honkai: Star Rail characters are coming to Fortnite
The crossover will commence on February 26th, 2026
Pgc Barcelona
Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona returns in June after our most successful launch event ever in 2025
Drawing over 1,000 attendees from 47 countries in 2025, PG Connects Barcelona returns June 15th to 16th, 2026. Tickets are on sale now
Arabic Localisation
Resident Evil Survival Unit launches across MENA with full Arabic language support
The mobile strategy title is now available in 17 additional MENA countries on mobile
Funding News
Levellr secures $2.5m funding to scale community intelligence platform for game studios and brands
The startup is focused on helping studios understand the reasons behind player behaviour
Delayed Ipo
Liftoff Mobile delays IPO amid tech stocks sell-off
Investor caution around generative AI disruption is weighing on first-time tech listings
Mobile Retreat
EA Sports FC Tactical to go offline as EA shuts down another mobile game
Turn-based sports title set to go offline on May 7th
Market Report
AppMagic: Games revenue growth stalls at 0.2% in 2025 as strategy emerges as the fastest-growing genre
AI has become mainstream in game marketing, with 56% of the top 100 grossing games using AI-driven ad creatives