Strategic Market Status
UK’s CMA crawls to Apple and Google regulation
Competition and Markets Authority proposes designating Apple and Google with Strategic Market Status
Apple Approval?
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney cries “total capitulation” as report claims EU likely to greenlight App Store changes
Regulator's decision expected in the coming weeks
Studio Closure
Stillfront shuts down Super Free Games as part of strategic portfolio review
Closures to mark first part of restructure, the company said
Awards
SAVE up to £330! Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2025 Mid Term discounts end soon
Voting open until the end of the month
New Partnerships
Savvy Games Group and King Abdulaziz University partner to launch diplomas in games and esports
The new academic programmes aim to blend classroom learning with hands-on industry experience
Earnings Report
Stillfront Q2 revenue falls as Europe and North America underperform
Swedish firm aims to capitalise on the slow release of new mobile titles
Web Store Report
Appcharge: 50% of first-time web store buyers make a second purchase
New Appcharge report urges game publishers to optimise for repeat purchases to maximise lifetime value
Expansions
Apple launches online store and app in Saudi Arabia with Arabic support
Flagship Apple Stores also coming to Saudi Arabia in 2026
New Offerings
Roblox launches new learning hub for students
Children can build online safety skills in Google Be Internet Awesome World or learn coding with Lua Learning
Pgc Aqaba
Don’t sleep on the MENA games market - Why Aqaba should be your next stop
Explore the MENA games industry at Pocket Gamer Connects Aqaba on November 8th to 9th
Pokemon Portfolio
Pokémon Champions gets release window as slew of mobile games land updates
The latest Pokémon Presents gives a deeper look into the competitive battle game coming in 2026
Pokemon Puzzles
Pokémon Friends shadow dropped as new puzzle game on mobile
The title is available now on Android, iOS and Nintendo Switch
Financial Outlook
MTG revenue doubles to $304m in Q2 2025 following Plarium deal
Swedish group eyes further M&A and AI investments
Staff Stats
Nintendo hires at least 455 full-time staff as total headcount surpasses 5,600
Nintendo has 3,855 male full-time employees while 1,775 are female, with the largest disparity in Japan
Funding News
Delabs Games secures additional $5.2M to accelerate AI-powered web3 ambitions
Funding will support the launch of idle RPG Ragnarok Libre and its native Delabs tokens
Funding News
M00m World raises $500,000 to launch mobile game and real-world collectables
“This isn’t just about building a game - it’s about keeping it real”
Studio Closure
Muus Collective closes due to funding challenges
The studio had 16 employees listed on its website before winding down
Sleepy Spending
Pokémon Sleep sleepwalks to $182.8m in two years
Revenue yawned in year two, reaching 77% of its year-one sum, but Legendary events continued to drive strong surges
Attending Companies
From Tencent, NetEase and MiHoYo to hidden gems: Meet the companies coming to Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai 2025
Get ready for an exciting opportunity in Shanghai on July 30th. Discover the connections, ground breaking deals, and extraordinary talent that you won't want to miss
Money To Burn
Netflix plans to ramp up gaming investment
Streaming firm open to evolving business model in future and teases new set of interactive experiences.
Market Growth
Spanish games industry hit $2.8bn in 2024
The government allocated €5m ($5.8m) in EU funds to support local game development
Rewarded Ads On Ios
Midnite games scores big with Play2Earn on iOS, boosting ROAS by +80%
Midnite Games, known for hits like Slices and Get Lucky, taps into rewarded playtime ads as MAF's Play2Earn arrives on iOS
Job News
Former Scopely director Rohit Naini to lead corporate development at Tilting Point
Doubling down on strategic growth with key additions to its M&A team
Branching Out
The Chinese Room regains independence from Sumo Digital via management buyout
The move follows Sumo’s pivot away from original IP to focus on co-development services
Acqusitions
Coda acquires European payment provider Recharge
The deal aims to boost Coda’s presence beyond games and strengthen its footprint in Europe
Podcast | Episode 61
Zynga's successes and failures, and Moon Active takes the fight to Scopely | 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 61...
Job News
Apple appoints longtime exec Sabih Khan as chief operating officer
Current COO Jeff Williams to step down later this month
New Offerings
Ubisoft and Netflix move forward with first Assassin’s Creed series adaptation
Netflix says the series will honour the franchise’s legacy while delivering a fresh cinematic experience
Online Safety
Roblox rolls out Trusted Connections and new parental tools in major safety update
Roblox said its updates aim to balance teen independence with strong safety measures.
Milestone
TapNation hits 150m downloads with Guess Their Answer and Doll Dress Up
The publisher’s mobile game portfolio has now surpassed 1.5 billion downloads
New Offerings
Saga and Chrono Labs launch KEX to power next-gen AI agents in web3
New tech built on Saga's blockchain
Pgc Summit Shanghai
Win a ticket to Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai
Connect with global games companies and gain cutting-edge industry insight on July 30th
Job Losses
Virtuos lays off 270 employees
Job losses hit staff in Asia and Europe
Milestone
TowerLands joins Mamboo Entertainment's portfolio as the publisher crosses 1bn installs
The publisher said 20% of its mobile game installs come from platforms outside the App Store and Google Play
Apple Troubles
Wheels of Aurelia dev says Apple undermining value and sustainability of games as it looks to delist title
"It is hard to imagine how we could ever thrive within Apple's ecosystem"
Pgc London 2026
Save the date: Pocket Gamer Connects London returns January 2026
Join the global games industry for two days of essential B2B networking on January 19th to 20th
Gateway To China
Enter China visa-free to connect with games companies like Tencent, NetEase, Epic Games and Supercell
Make the most of ChinaJoy in August and Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai on July 30th
New Offerings
Apple launches new emoji-based puzzle game for News+ subscribers
The game will also integrate with the upcoming Apple Games app in iOS 26
New Offerings
Stash and Adyen partner to power scalable D2C monetisation for game developers
“Partnering with a company as exceptional and selective as Adyen strengthens every pillar of that mission,” said Stash co-founder Justin Kan.
New Partnerships
Appcharge and Dots.eco partner to bring real-world environmental Impact to In-game purchases
Players can now support tree planting, plastic removal, and wildlife protection through in-game spending.
Jobs News
Ubisoft names new co-CEOs of Tencent-backed subsidiary
Questions remain about wider impact of the deal on publisher's teams and IP
Region Report
Gain key insights into China’s games industry with our free report
Grab your copy of our China report to get a deep dive into the country’s influential games sector ahead of the PGC Summit Shanghai on July 30th
Expansions
Scopely opens major games and creative hub in Barcelona with over 700 staff
Scopely is now Spain’s largest video game employer with nearly 1,000 staff across the country
Funding News
Green Games Showcase hits $150,000 goal to plant 50,000 trees in Timor-Leste
The trees will be planted by PlanetPlay's sustainability partner WithOneSeed
Crowdfunding
Rocketship launches Kickstarter for new Angry Birds graphic novel collection
The project expands Rocketship’s Bottlerocket! line for young readers, following titles like Felix the Cat and Fox Fires
Mentorship
Take This opens applications for season two of its mental health-focused mentorship programme
The initiative is focused on improving mental health while elevating historically underrepresented voices in the industry
New Offerings
Roblox License Manager hands creators major IP for games
Roblox said creators are on track to surpass $1 billion in earnings this year
Revenue Race
Uma Musume: Pretty Derby trots to $6.6m outside Japan after 18 days
Cygames’ flagship was Japan’s top-grossing mobile game in 2021 and 2022, and expanded into the West on June 26th, 2025
Marvellous Mena
MENA-3 games market set to reach $2.8bn by 2029
A Niko Partners report found that the region had 72 million gamers at the end of 2024
Strategic Move
Airship Interactive relaunches as Airmergent after entering administration
All employees have transferred to Airmergent as the company claims there has been no impact on contracts, payroll, or client work