M&a
Report: Tripledot to buy AppLovin’s games business
PocketGamer.biz has also heard the buyer is a London-based company
Pgc San Francisco
Save up to $130 with PG Connects San Francisco Mid Term rate!
Grab a ticket to start business-boosting networking before midnight March 6th!
Tour For More
Pokémon Go Tour Unova – Global weekend made $19.8m in two days
The free event with optional paid extras saw in-game spending at its highest since the eighth anniversary last July
Ai-powered Games
Activision promoting Guitar Hero, Call of Duty and Crash Bandicoot mobile games that don't exist
The publisher’s survey stated the titles are not real “but could be some day!’’
Kid Cosmo
Netflix’s The Electric State: Kid Cosmo game will serve as a prequel to upcoming film
The 80s-style puzzle adventure is set for release on March 18th, four days after the new film
Leadership Change
Stillfront names Alexis Bonte as new president and group CEO
Bonte joined Stillfront in 2017 after its acquisition of eRepublik Labs, which he co-founded
Leadership Change
Jagex CEO Phil Mansell steps down
Former Huuuge Games CCO and CVC advisor Jon Bellamy takes over the top job at the RuneScape developer
Valiant Victory
Goddess of Victory: Nikke hits $1bn on mobile during Romantic Valentine event
More than half of that player spending has come from the game’s Japanese players
New Approvals
China approves 110 new games including Plants vs. Zombies 3
The latest game approvals include 107 domestic titles and three foreign games
Company Shakeup
Room 8 Group expands leadership with new focus
Former Ubisoft veterans take key roles
Pgc San Francisco
Meet our awesome speakers at Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco 2025
More than 70 world class expert speakers share the latest industry insights and future forecasts this March 17th and 18th
Branding News
Longstanding games services firm PTW rebrands as Side
"I’m proud that all our employees are now united under one banner"
New Offerings
Sandsoft plots hybridcasual expansion with three new game deals
Publisher said that it has “several more" games in testing and are scheduled to release in the coming months
Opportunities Galore
Three no-cost ways to benefit from Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco 2025
Discover three great ways to make the most of your time in San Francisco without spending a dime...
Founder Fund
Ex-Tripledot president forms Arcadia Gaming Advisors with $100m fund for mobile game companies
The Tripledot founder has already invested in Dream Games, Layer AI, Spyke Games and more
Movers And Shakers
Lasse Seppänen named Supercell London GM
The new general manager will define the overall vision for the office
New Mode
Secret Mode breaks away from Sumo with buyout
Current leadership to remain at the helm
Pgc San Francisco
Full schedule revealed for PG Connects San Francisco 2025!
70+ experts lead the two-day games industry conference, March 17 to 18th
"more Than A Leader"
The OGs co-CEO Pablo Navajas passes away
“His legacy will live on through the countless people he inspired by example”
Investment News
Triple Tap Games secures $1.2m for hybridcasual puzzle games
The team is led by former Crazy Labs and Super Huge Studios staff
Partnership
EA partners with Flexion to bring mobile games to alternative app stores
First of EA's games included in the partnership will launch in Q1
China Regulations
Shanghai unveils new online game policies to ease licensing challenges
The city also introduced the Shanghai Online Game Publishing Application Service Platform
New Game Launch
StoryToys partners with LEGO and BBC for Bluey mobile game
The title will launch in August on the App Store and Google Play
Funding For Games
European Investment Fund pledges over $20m to boost Nordic game development
The EIF is helping Behold Ventures attract more investors to reach its target of $48m
Ready To Rumble
Sonic Rumble global launch delayed to spring
The title will launch on mobile and Steam
Fresh Details
AppLovin selling games business to private company for $500m in cash and $400m in shares
Buyer has entered into a term sheet with AppLovin and aims to borrow up to $250m to fund the deal
Podcast | Episode 44
AppLovin vs. short-sellers | 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 and what's inside this week's episode 44...
M&a
Jam City completes Ludia sale
Approximately 130 staff will remain at the developer, while a small number will stay with Jam City
Growth Engines
The need for growth engines: What they are and why they matter
According to a recent report by analyst Matthew Ball, the games industry shows significant growth potential in 2025. We explore what that means here - and at PG Connects San Francisco
Ai-powered
New AI creative tool Flora launches to “transform" creative workflows
“Current AI creative tools are built by non-creatives for other non-creatives to feel creative," says Flora founder Weber Wong.
Critical Hit
Pokémon TCG Pocket surpasses 100 million downloads
Special missions are now available until March 26th, 2025
Event Partnership
Xsolla partners with Pocket Gamer Connects to support mobile developers in 2025
Games commerce company will provide expertise in direct-to-consumer monetisation to developers across the globe
Cross-platform Release
Pokémon Champions is set to launch for Nintendo Switch and mobile
No release date set for the title
Big Indie Zone
Vote for your favourite game at the Big Indie Zone Audience Choice Award sponsored by Jam City at Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco 2025
Celebrate indie developers and their games at The Big Indie Zone Audience Choice Award sponsored by Jam City during Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco 2025
Playtika's M&a Plans
Playtika allocates up to $450m for “bolt-on” M&A activity over next three years
Publisher reports direct-to-consumer and overall revenue growth in Q4
Gameexpo Summit
Dubai GameExpo Summit 2025 Early Bird ends at midnight on Friday
Save up to 500 AED / $135 if you book before midnight, February 28th
Short Reports
AppLovin labels short-seller reports “nefarious” and “misleading” as shares sink
Ad tech firm goes on the offensive after research companies make series of accusations against its business practices
New Offering
Supercell reveals Boat Game with alpha test coming soon
“We can only share this game with a limited number of players”
Funding For Games
Turkish studio Surpass Games secures $1.5m to “redefine" the hybridcasual puzzle genre
The studio is led by former Fomo Games and Zynga staff
Dubai Gamesexpo Summit
Dubai GameExpo Summit 2025 The ultimate industry gathering you can't miss
Gain new opportunities in the MENA games industry in Dubai this May
New Studio
Madbox opens new studio in Annecy
The French developer plans to increase its workforce by 15% this year, half of which will be for the new studio
Business Opportunities
Time is running out to reserve your place for the Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco 2025 fringe events
Don't miss this chance to take part in the unmissable opportunities at our milestone 50th global games conference
Roundtable Discussion
Open call for web3 games industry speakers at PGC San Francisco
Join our roundtable delving into the state of web3 games and how the sector can emerge from a challenging few years
Funding For Games
Finnish startup Seven Stars secures seed round to build “next-gen" puzzle games
Spintop Ventures and Behold Ventures co-led the investment with Sisu Game Ventures
Skillz $75m Developer Accelerator
Skillz Announces $75 Million Developer Accelerator for Skill-Based Mobile Games
Accelerator will provide financial backing, operational resources, and expert guidance to bring competitive games to market
A Successful Snooze
Pokémon Sleep hits $150m mark despite slowdown since first anniversary
Japan is the app's most lucrative country at $109m to date
Age Rating
Indie hit Balatro sees PEGI rating drop to 12+ after review
“I hope this change will allow developers to create without being unfairly punished"
Lawsuit Triumph
The Pokémon Company wins legal battle over copyright-infringing mobile game
The companies were also required to issue public apologies in online and print media in China
Job Losses
Netflix lays off staff at Oxenfree developer Night School Studio
The redundancies will not affect ongoing projects at the developer
Mena Region
Saudi Social Development Bank backs esports and game development with $122m
The expanded financing portfolio has supported over 30 clients across esports, game development and publishing