Podcast | Episode 64
ChinaJoy insights and DTC earnings uncovered | 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 64...
Funding For Games
Fateless secures additional $8m to power Godforge toward 2026 launch
The new round brings its total to $14m
Acqusitions
Rewarded play platform Almedia acquires casback firm Zave.it
CEO calls the move a landmark step toward building an engagement engine
Awards Season
Gamescom LATAM 2026 opens submissions for BIG Festival Awards
Last year’s competition drew over 950 games from 71 countries
Make-a-wish
Make-A-Wish launches new initiative to grant games industry-related wishes for critically ill children
Infinite Wishes aims to create new pathways for game companies to fund wishes and spark fresh ideas
Winners Revealed
Savvy Games Group and HP conclude GameOn GameJam with winning teams revealed
Winners to join Savvy Academy’s three-month Incubator Program in collaboration with Xsolla
Introducing Applifters
AppLifters launches at Gamescom: All-in-one mobile growth ecosystem promises to boost game profitability by up to 50%
Following major investment, AppLifters brings user acquisition, monetisation, SDK technology, creative production, and data intelligence together in a single integrated growth platform
All About Indies
Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2025 offers big opportunities for indie developers
Several big opportunities are happening at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2025 on October 7th and 8th that indie developers won't want to miss
Big Deal
Report: AppsFlyer to be acquired in deal worth up to $4bn
Talks said to be in an advanced stage
Job News
Spin Master appoints Marc De Vellis as EVP and president of its Digital Games Creative Centre
He will oversee flagship platforms Toca Boca and PikNik
Mentorship
Supercell opens applications for AI Innovation Lab in San Francisco
Open to individuals or teams of up to three, with a cap of 20 participants
Sonic Slowdown
Sega sales down 23% as Rovio falls short of expectations
The Sonic owner has forecast 42% annual growth in its free-to-play sales
New Offerings
Hidden Door launches social role-playing platform for co-creative storytelling
Players can step into fictional worlds like Pride and Prejudice, The Wizard of Oz, and The Crow
Crossovers
Subway Surfers and 8 Ball Pool unite for their first-ever crossover event
Month-long collaboration features exclusive themed content, characters, and rewards
New Offerings
Discord launches social SDK for in-game voice and messaging integration
SDK gives developers access to Discord’s 200m monthly users
Avakin Life Hits Steam
After 200 million mobile users, Avakin Life is heading to Steam
"The Steam release gives us the opportunity to view and expand the experience in new ways. It’s an exciting milestone for us, and we want to thank our amazing community"
Expansions
Felicity expands to Singapore with $1m APAC growth plan
New hub will focus on high-growth markets like Vietnam and Thailand
Marvellous Mena
Dubai to host first Middle East government pavilion at Gamescom 2025
Pavilion to spotlight Dubai’s goal of becoming a top 10 global games hub by 2033
New Offerings
Xsolla unveils Unity SDK to give developers more monetisation freedom
The move is part of Xsolla’s push to boost direct-to-consumer revenue across mobile, PC, and web
Pgc Barcelona
"100% of IAP is up for hijacking" in DTC 2.0
Appcharge chief marketing officer Gil Tov-Ly spoke at PGC Barcelona about web shops, web games, alternative app stores and more
Series Support
Appcharge raises $58m to scale up with growing DTC demands
The direct-to-consumer platform has raised $89m to date, currently powering stores for more than 100 games
Strategic Move
Xsolla expands platform reach with SDKs for Windows Store and Epic Games Store
Partnership with Pley and Discord Bot launch expands cross-platform reach
Investment News
Arcanix secures funding to accelerate live ops platform growth
Funding will accelerate product development, early partner onboarding, and European team growth
Milestone
Fable Town surpasses $1m in monthly revenue
The merge-3 title has 2.3m installs and $7.5m in lifetime earnings
Australia Ahoy
Epic Games hails "win for developers and consumers" as Fortnite to return to iOS in Australia
After five years, a court ruling has determined Fortnite and the Epic Games Store can return to iOS
Protective Partnership
Roblox asks "vigilante groups" to leave child protection to experts, AI and law enforcement
The platform is partnered with law enforcement and has AI-based Sentinel to detect signs of exploitation
Training Camp
Maliyo Games opens applications for 2025 GameUp Africa Bootcamp
12-week remote program covers game art, design, and audio
Online Safety
Roblox open-sources Sentinel AI to detect harmful chat messages
Now open-source so other platforms can integrate the technology
Adaptations
Disney+ adapts hit mobile game Twisted-Wonderland into anime
Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Animation will premiere on October 29th 2025
Job News
Ex-King CEO Riccardo Zacconi joins Layer AI board
Layer AI is used by over 200 studios including Zynga, Tripledot, and SciPlay
New Partnerships
ZBD brings real-money embedded rewards to mobile games
TapNation’s Idle Bank is among the first to integrate ZBD’s SDK
Online Safety
PlaySafe ID report: Cheating makes 42% of players consider quitting games
Study shows 71% would verify their identity to stop cheaters
Pgc Helsinki
Unlock crucial opportunities in the Nordic games market
Join more than 1,500 attendees for the biggest B2B games event in the Nordics
Moshi Makeover
Mind Candy cancels Moshi Monsters Kickstarter as it targets campaign relaunch
The team is taking a pause to reflect on fan feedback almost two months into the original campaign
Earnings Report
Mobile powers Take-Two bookings growth to $1.4bn in Q1
CEO Strauss Zelnick signals continued focus on mobile direct-to-consumer growth
Investment News
Impact46 invests $6.7m in five Saudi game studios
Investments align with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and National Gaming Strategy
Acqusitions
Chinese publisher XD Inc acquires 5.3% stake in Miao for $14m
Deal values studio at approximately $264m
Earnings Report
Konami's games division grows 14% in Q1 as eFootball soars
eFootball surpasses 850m downloads across PC, console, and mobile
Podcast | Episode 63
The Esports World Cup unpacked and lightning strikes twice for Supercell | 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 63...
Earnings Report
Netmarble revenue falls to $502m in Q2 despite promising new launches
Seven Knights Re: Birth and RF Online Next were the company’s biggest revenue generators last quarter
Regulations
Japan orders Apple and Google to open payment systems and level app store competition
New guidelines will take effect from December 18th 2025
Subscription Strategy
Games subscription opportunities and challenges after "people have been trained to play for free"
GameHouse CEO Simonetta Lulli spoke at PGC Barcelona about lessons to learn from other industries
Milestone
Castle Duels celebrates first anniversary with 3.5m installs and $13m lifetime revenue
My.Games launches Creator Programme to reward and monetise community talent
New Partnerships
Odeeo and Claritas partner to power full-funnel measurement for in-game audio ads
The collaboration aims to direct ad budgets toward game titles
Fighting Talk
AppLovin brushes off Unity Vector challenge to ads business
"Our market penetration inside gaming is really large at this point. It's materially higher than 70%"
Financials
Playtika eyes bullish 40% direct-to-consumer revenue
DTC sales were up 1.3% year-over-year to $175.9m in Q2
Investment News
Apple to ramp up US manufacturing with additional $100bn investment
The iPhone maker plans to invest $600bn in the United States over four years
Expansions
Territory Studio partner with Savvy Games Group to expand into the Middle East
Territory will open its first Middle East location in Riyadh later this year
Talking Tom
Talking Tom & Friends: World launches globally with emphasis on sandbox experiences
The title is the second of three Talking Tom mobile games slated for 2025
Funding News
Liberty Pixel raises $1.1m for casual and hybridcasual games
Latest round brings the studio’s total funding to $2.3m