Acqusitions
Atari acquires Implicit Conversions to expand retro game preservation efforts
The deal expands emulation capabilities particularly for 32-bit era games
Cafes Incoming
Square Enix confirms official cafe and shops for Los Angeles and Shinjuku
The venues will feature themed food and drinks inspired by multiple game franchises
Going Public
Modern Times Group's PlaySimple files for $350m IPO in Mumbai
The Swedish firm will retain majority ownership post-listing
Milestone
Torn RPG surpasses 100,000 daily players after 22 years of growth
The game’s daily player count has more than doubled since early 2024
Vietnam Vitality
Over 50% of Vietnam population plays mobile games as MMORPGs and 4X dominate spending
Vietnamese mobile gamers spent $825m in 2025, averaging 2.5 hours of daily playtime
Cloud Coins
Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy makes $6.7m in first month
Cloud Strife and other fan favourites are appearing in Square Enix’s new gacha
Company Rebrand
Test Tropic rebrands to Tropic QA as company targets global expansion
The move signals expanded capabilities and a more global-facing strategy
Industry Outlook
Germany's games company count hits 956 but total employees fall for the second consecutive year
Funding programmes helped drive the creation of 75 new studios
Legal Proceedings
Papaya Gaming ordered to pay $420m in landmark false advertising verdict
Verdict marks largest Lanham Act award in history
Funding News
Metasports Interactive secures $20m non-dilutive user acquisition funding
Capital will be used to scale marketing and global user acquisition
New Offerings
Finland confirms stock option tax reform aimed at strengthening startup talent competition
Tax now applies only when shares are sold, not when options are exercised
Layoff News
Behaviour Interactive confirms layoffs amid declining external development demand
Declining mobile and casual development work cited as key driver of layoffs
Podcast | Episode 90
Tim Cook's Apple legacy | 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 90...
Next Stage Game Challenge
Supercent launches Next Stage Game Challenge, open to all mobile games worldwide
“NEXT STAGE is designed to give both new prototypes and live games the opportunity to scale globally through Supercent’s publishing capabilities”
Strategic Move
Microsoft says Xbox mobile store “not dead” despite stalled rollout
Xbox also outlined a new strategy in a recent blog post
Game Closure
Niantic Spatial to shut down Peridot mobile as AR ambitions shift beyond smartphones
The game will be removed from app stores on May 14th
Acqusitions
Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders approve Paramount Skydance merger
The transaction is expected to close in Q3 2026
Funding News
PvX raises $10.5m as user acquisition financing scales
The firm has now committed over $750m in user acquisition financing
Layoff News
Meta to reportedly cut 8,000 jobs as AI spending surges to $135bn
Hiring freezes will leave thousands of roles unfilled
Origin Spending
The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin nears $10m in one month on mobile
Netmarble’s gacha RPG is expected to launch new content updates every three weeks
Regulations
Türkiye passes sweeping digital law restricting social media access for under 15s
Meanwhile, foreign gaming platforms with over 100,000 daily Turkish users must now appoint a local representative
Regulations
India launches Online Gaming Authority with strict compliance mandates from May 2026
Online money games are explicitly barred from recognition as esports under Indian law
Pgc Summit Shanghai
Why great games need the right partnerships to succeed in China
Take the leap into the world's biggest games market on July 29th
Arknights In Action
Arknights: Endfield approaches $100m on mobile in three months
Japan currently leads player spending at 41% of the global mobile total
Mario Milestone
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie races past $755m to become highest-grossing film of 2026
The film earned $34.5m in the US on opening day, beating the original's $31.7m debut record
Roblox Revs Up
Roblox hires Joost Hagesteijn as first general manager for Europe
The newly created position has been established following significant growth in Europe
New Partnerships
Amanotes partners with Balancy to scale live ops across music game portfolio
Amanotes' 4bn downloads portfolio now managed through unified system
Funding News
Spill Games raises $3.1m seed round to scale systems-driven mobile games studio
The studio plans to expand its team and test over 20 prototypes in the next 18 months
New Partnerships
Playtika expands into microdrama with Bingo Blitz and Shortical collaboration
An original short-form drama series will integrate Bingo Blitz directly into its narrative
Podcast
Podcast: The state of the UK games industry with UKIE CEO Nick Poole
We discuss the challenges facing the UK's games industry and what developers need in the coming years to boost their success
Market Report
India's mobile in-app purchase revenue tops $300m in Q1 2026
Non-gaming apps generated over $200m, growing 44% YoY and driving monetisation
New Offerings
Microsoft cuts Game Pass price and drops Call of Duty day-one releases
The changes come under new Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma
New Offerings
VGW launches Monopoly Match as it enters match-3 puzzle market
The title is currently in phased rollout across North America
Investment Shift
Firstpoint VC launches $58m fund to back AI-driven gaming startups in emerging markets
The fund’s strategy is built on replicating Türkiye’s capital-efficient gaming success across Europe and Asia
Industry Outlook
Games industry M&A hit 15-month high in Q1 2026 with over $100bn in deal value
Savvy Games' $6bn acquisition of Moonton was among the quarter's biggest deals
Africa Is Mobile
Deluxe Creation Studios’ Shola Edu on monetisation in Africa, global audiences and what actually drives revenue
“The goal is to build something that feels genuinely African and is good enough that the rest of the world wants in”
Staff Surge
Roblox workforce grows 24% to over 3,000 full-time staff
The platform had a "banner year" in 2025 with hits like Steal a Brainrot and Grow a Garden
New Partnerships
Sega and Rovio expand Angry Birds licensing with WildBrain
The expansion comes ahead of The Angry Birds Movie 3, set to drive a new wave of consumer products
Pgc Summit Malmo
PGC Summit Malmö Mid Term prices end this week
Save now on new super-focused, networking-centric summit designed to boost your Nordic Game week
Hello Kitty Games
Sanrio launches in-house publishing label Sanrio Games with $62.9m investment
First title targets Switch and Switch 2 hardware in 2026
Raring To Go
Pokémon anime will lean into mobile portfolio with Unite, Sleep and Pokémon Go references teased
The new arc of Pokémon Horizons will begin on May 22nd, with more time to fill before the next main series games
Acqusitions
Tamatem acquires ad tech firm Playable Factory in AI-first shift
The publisher recently raised $10 million in a new funding round, bringing total investment to $25m
New Era
Apple CEO Tim Cook to step down
Apple senior VP of hardware engineering John Ternus will replace him in the top job from September 1st, 2026
Smash Out Of Stealth
Smash Games secures $2m UA financing to scale Animal Suika
PvX Partners led the round, supporting UA on mobile
Collab Central
Wuthering Waves lands collabs with Angry Birds, Resident Evil, Pragmata and more
Character designs will feature on the new Expedition Motorbike, introduced in version 3.0
New Partnerships
SayGames expands into Vietnam with BagMaster Isekai
The partnership signals SayGames’ push into Southeast Asia
Settlement Reached
Ubisoft Halifax workers approve settlement following sudden studio closure
Terms of the deal remain confidential but mark a key outcome for affected workers
Winners Revealed
Clair Obscur and Dispatch take top accolades at BAFTA Games Awards 2026
More than 1,700 BAFTA members voted across 17 categories
Funding News
Reforged Studios secures $30m to scale global games IP platform
The funding follows the company’s acquisition of German publisher Headup
New Offerings
Roblox launches agentic AI tools to speed up game development workflows
The company said 44% of top creators already rely on AI tools across Roblox’s ecosystem