New Offerings
Azur Games launches open version of internal analytics platform
Early adopters of Azur Games Analytics are receiving free access during the onboarding phase
New Offerings
Code Maestro Launches in public beta as AI copilot for Unity developers
“Developers often spend more time fixing issues than making games,” said Code Maestro CEO Alexander Goldybin
Layoff News
Firaxis confirms layoffs as part of a development restructuring plan
The number of affected staff was not disclosed
Crossovers
Scopely partners with Nickelodeon for a Stumble Guys and Avatar crossover event
Aang, Zuko, Toph, Sokka, and Appa all become playable characters
Accelerator Program
a16z Speedrun opens applications for its sixth accelerator program
The 12-week program starts January 2026 with up to $1m in funding
Adaptations
Amazon’s live-action Tomb Raider series to begin filming in January 2026
Sophie Turner confirmed to star as Lara Croft
Pgc Summit Korea
Unlock new business opportunities in Korea
Come meet the world's fourth biggest games market
Funding News
Symmetric Studio secures $300k to grow debut title Valley of Fog
The game blends dungeon crawling with city building in a hybrid casual experience
Investment News
GDEV increases stake in Zombie Miner developer Royal Ark to 57%
The move strengthens Gdev’s strategic partnership while keeping studio independence
Crossovers
SYBO teams up with Supercell for Subway Surfers and Brawl Stars crossover event
The four-week event brings themed unlockables, new modes, and exclusive content to both games
Investment News
Bitkraft Ventures says it will double down on India investments despite real-money gaming ban
The firm will double down on gaming studios, esports, and interactive media
Acqusitions
Aonic acquires Prime Insights in $250m deal to build global rewards platform
Prime Insights CEO Benjamin Ritzka stays on and reinvests to become a top Aonic shareholder
Pgc Helsinki
Rovio talks optimised ad placements, player segmentation and Beacon
Rovio principal product manager and team lead of Beacon product management Niina Ojala highlighted the uses of Beacon throughout a game’s lifecycle at PGC Helsinki 2024
New Offerings
Activision partners with Paramount to develop Call of Duty movie
Paramount will produce and distribute the live-action film, expanding the franchise to new audiences
Global Top Five
BIGO Ads marks five-year streak in IAB Tech Lab certification programme
BIGO Ads Achieves Five Consecutive Years of IAB Tech Lab Open Measurement SDK (OM SDK) Certification, Setting New Global Ad Transparency
Showdown Shutdown
Sword Art Online Variant Showdown will end service on October 30th
Bandai Namco Entertainment is closing down the troubled title after almost three years
Strategic Move
Savvy eyes multibillion-dollar deals in China and Asia amid US-China tensions
Currently ranked 8th globally, Savvy is pushing to climb the publishing charts
Acqusitions
Qiddiya acquires Evo operator RTS to expand its role in global esports
The acquisition supports Evo’s vision for original content and deeper live event experiences
Destiny Downloads
Destiny: Rising surpasses 1m installs on Apple’s App Store
NetEase Games’ latest release ranked as the third most-downloaded game on launch day on iOS
Romantic Revenue
Anime-style dating sim Love and Deepspace surpasses $750m
Infold Games’ departure from the Nikki series has proven fruitful, three-quarters of the way to $1 billion
Job News
Microsoft names Rare's Louise O’Connor as chief of staff at Xbox Game Studios
She will focus on driving collaboration across Xbox Game Studios while supporting its leaders and teams
Strategic Move
Nintendo rebrands Warpstar as Nintendo Stars to spearhead its transmedia strategy
Nintendo Stars will oversee merchandising, licensing, and events tied to the company’s film projects
New Offerings
Rooter launches AI-powered adtech tool rStream to allow creators monetise content
“For brands, it’s a matter of keeping that attention and not jolting gamers out of it,” said Rooter founder and CEO Piyush
Podcast | Episode 65
Gamescom insights and India's shock real-money gaming ban | 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 65...
Story-driven Games
Female-first UGC platform Dorian partners with Women’s Game Fest
The Boost Track gives developers the chance to compete for a $500 gran, 1:1 coaching and game promotion
Market Growth
Player spending on games in China grew to $49.2bn in 2024
Revenue is forecast to reach $54.8bn by 2029
Funding News
Classy Games raises $300k to fuel growth and accelerate development of SillySuspects
Funding will also support team expansion and community-building initiatives
Leadership Change
Coffee Stain Group prepares for Embracer spin-off with new board
Coffee Stain co-founder and CEO Anton Westbergh exits Embracer’s management team amid restructuring
Layoff News
MPL to lay off 60% of its India staff after government ban on paid games
About 300 of 500 employees will be cut
Marvellous Mena
Saudi Arabia’s games market projected to reach $1.64bn by 2028
Savvy Games Group's 2024 annual report shows the MENA region generated $5.62bn in 2024 and is estimated to reach $6.94bn in 2027
New Offerings
Duet Night Abyss removes all gacha elements just weeks before its October launch
The upcoming RGP has amassed nearly seven million pre-registrations across all platforms
Funding News
Copa Fantasy raises $300k to scale football gaming platform in MENA
“We aim to become the region’s first true football super-app”
New Partnerships
Merak Capital signs MoU with HP to boost Saudi Arabia’s games and esports economy
Partnership to deliver events, workshops, and mentorship to build a sustainable talent pipeline
Pgc London
What to expect as the games industry gathers for the UK’s top B2B games event
Join more than 3,000 professionals to connect, discover, meet, learn, and gain visibility for two days at Pocket Gamer Connects London 2026
New Game Launch
NetEase Games launches Destiny: Rising globally on iOS and Android
Pre-registrations topped 10 million ahead of launch
Regulations
Apple warns UK’s proposed “EU-style rules” will harm both users and developers
The iPhone maker cites delayed features in Europe under similar laws as a cautionary example
Pgc Barcelona
AI vs art and the evolution of creative campaigns
PGC Barcelona panellists discuss user acquisition and the battle against "average" results
Audience Choice
PGC Helsinki returns with the Big Indie Zone Audience Choice Award sponsored by Jam City
The October conference offers developers several opportunities to showcase their games
New Partnerships
Saudi Esports Federation and Merak Capital sign MoU to accelerate Saudi Arabia’s games and esports sector
Partnership expands training, certification, and global collaboration while attracting international studios
Loads Of Layoffs
Rec Room lays off "roughly half" of staff as priorities shift away from broad UGC
Rec Room’s mobile creation tools have struggled to produce "impactful" experiences
Industry Outlook
India launches Game Publishers and Developers Association to drive its gaming and esports ambitions
Backed by the Online Gaming Bill, IGPDA champions Made-in-India IP, skills development, and game production
App Store Changes
Google to require identity verification for all Android app developers from next year
Developers in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand face new verification rules from September 2026
Office Opening
Lightspeed Japan opens Osaka office to recruit talent, including Capcom veterans
This is Lightspeed Studios’ second office in Japan after a Tokyo office was established in 2024
Pgc Summit Korea
SAVE up to $200! PGC Summit Korea 2025 Super Early Bird discount ends tonight
Super Early Bird prices end at midnight Thursday, August 28th
Triumphant Trot
Uma Musume: Pretty Derby picks up 57% of mobile revenue outside Japan in two months since global launch
Cygames’ horse girl racer has earned $46.8m overseas since June 26th, 2025
Roblox Rising
Roblox’s peak concurrent user count hits record 47.4m as Steal a Brainrot and Grow a Garden compete
Steal a Brainrot has become the platform’s second experience to hit 20m concurrent users
Jobs Roundup
August 2025’s Movers and Shakers: Playtika promotions, Appcharge's senior hire, SayGames' new head of PR, and more
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
Marvellous Mena
17 MENA game studios graduate from the first Exel by Merak accelerator cohort
Each startup secured $300,000 in funding plus access to global mentorship
Funding News
FitNot Games secures $300k to expand development on culturally-inspired titles
Funding will accelerate work on ALI, a story-driven 2D isometric stealth game set in Egyptian folklore
New Offerings
Unity launches Ad Quality as a free standalone SDK for all publishers
The tool gives developers transparency and control over in-game ads across 25 networks