Milestone
Balatro exceeds five million in sales across all platforms
“Selling five million units of any game is an incredible milestone worthy of celebration"
Pgc London 2025
A VC’s perspective on AI in games: "AI is going to change and replace lower development-effort work"
AI.Fund principle Maximilian Seeburg says its time to "make games smarter"
New Offerings
SuperScale launches Ecosystem to simplify mobile game publishing
The Launchpad is also tailored for indie, midsize, and VC-backed game studios
Understanding Ua
72% of mobile devs plan to increase UA spending in 2025 as reward-based campaigns rise
95% of those using reward-based marketing campaigns feel at a competitive advantage
New Partnerships
Clear Angle Studios appoints Raptor PR as global communications agency
The PR firm said it will focus on enhancing Clear Angle’s visibility and expanding into new industries
Gone In A Snap
US TikTok ban takes Marvel Snap and Mobile Legends offline
Mobile games by ByteDance-owned companies go dark following Supreme Court's decision to reject company's appeal against ban
Call For Speakers
Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco 2025 join the speaker line-up for a leading mobile games industry event
Shape the future of mobile games industry and submit your ideas for an opportunity to speak at Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco 2025
Tiktok Ban
TikTok faces imminent US ban as Supreme Court rejects appeal
Judges conclude a ban does not violate freedom of speech
Power Of Ai
Nefta set to unveil new AI-powered ad platform at Pocket Gamer Connects London
Nefta’s AI agents categorises games based on their style and genre, making it easier for game makers to market them effectively
Titanium Sponsor
TikTok announced as titanium sponsor for Pocket Gamer Connects London 2025
TikTok has been announced as the titanium sponsor for Pocket Gamer Connects London 2025, the flagship event of the year for the games industry...
New Offerings
Tencent and Ubisoft’s Guillemot Family explore new venture to boost company value
The deal could let Tencent own a share and gain more control over Ubisoft's IPs, expanding its video game business outside China
Acqusitions
Winking Studios to acquire game art studio Mineloader Digital for $27 million
An upfront payment of $24.5m will be made with the remaining balance paid after five years
Network Away
See who YOU could Connect with at this month's PGC London
From the most talented indie developers to the biggest brands attending the global games industry event, January 20th to 21st
Partnership Deal
Curve Games signs three-game mobile deal with Crunchyroll
Publisher to bring Space Crew, Patch Quest and 10 Second Ninja to subscription service Game Vault
Job Cuts
Huuuge Games lays off 122 staff and closes offices as it refocuses on social casino
Poland office sees 89 redundancies as studios in Netherlands and Finland are closed
Diamond Sponsor
Almedia announced as diamond sponsor for Pocket Gamer Connects London 2025
Almedia takes to the stage at Pocket Gamer Connects London 2025 as diamond sponsor. Don't miss their visionary insights and networking opportunities...
Web Gaming
CrazyGames partners with ByteBrew to support web game developers
Games makers can now access ByteBrew's technology through the web gaming firm's developer portal
Investment Strategy
Saga Origins plots non-web3 deals as it appoints new head of gaming investments
Former Samsung director Fernando Vasconez to identify, nurture and invest in new gaming projects and strategic partnerships
In-game Advertising
Audiomob launches new CPI audio ad product for mobile game developers
The product is powered by algorithms that personalise ads based on factors like location, time, device, and user behaviour
Switch 2 Confirmed
Nintendo Switch 2 unveiled
Nintendo’s successor to the Switch has finally been revealed
New Partnerships
Carry1st partners with Stellar Gate Games to boost Blood Strike MENA with new payment solutions
Steller Gate Games was formed by Sandsoft and NetEase in March 2024
Industry Enthusiasm
90% of developers plan to launch at least one game in 2025
Metaplay’s The Game Development Renaissance report suggests more than two in three devs are optimistic about the industry this year
What To Expect
Pocket Gamer Connects returns to San Francisco for milestone 50th conference
Celebrate the 50th Pocket Gamer Connects with two days of networking, expert insights, and business opportunities during GDC week.
F**k It
Gordon Ramsay is in f**king Hay Day
Supercell's latest partnership brings the celebrity chef to the farming title for a limited time
Partnership
Flexion partners with King to market Candy Crush Solitaire on alternative app stores
The game is set to launch globally on Thursday, February 6th 2025 across multiple mobile platforms
New Partnerships
Fusebox snags rights for Bigg Boss and Big Brother interactive fiction games
The two titles are set to launch in 2025
Investment News
Aonic invests $10m in Mega Fortuna as part of $70m acquisition plan
Mega Fortuna is best known for its flagship platform Richie Games
Supercharged Sequel
Habby’s Archero 2 makes $6.6m in first week from player spending
The US has quickly established itself as a key market for Archero 2, spending $1.9 million
Sponsor Shoutout
Meet the sponsors at PG Connects London 2025
Show your support for the companies that make it all possible this January 20th and 21st
Job News
Stillfront appoints VPs and CFO exits amid leadership shakeup
The firm's CFO Andreas Uddman has decided to step down as president finance & global functions
Job News
OV Entertainment continues expansion with new hires and promotions
The restructuring aligns with the company's unified, project-based revenue model
Job News
PTW taps David Dorans as new chief financial officer
He will oversee PTW's global financial operations to support the company's growth strategy
Job News
Exient appoints NaturalMotion veteran Paul Topping as new chief commercial officer
Topping brings two decades’ experience from NaturalMotion, Criterion, Codemasters and more
Jobs News
Super Evil Megacorp's Ian Fielding replaces Kristian Segerstrale as CEO
Segerstrale moves to role of chair at the studio
Strategic Review
Ubisoft recruits advisors to explore "strategic options" amid buyout reports and €200m cost-cutting measures
Publisher wants to "review and pursue various transformational strategic and capitalistic options to extract the best value for stakeholders”
Gaming Growth Guide
Level Up ROAS: Get Your Gaming Growth Guide for 2025 and Beyond
Mobile gaming attribution insights from Kochava + TikTok for Business
Sweet Solitaire
Candy Crush Solitaire to launch worldwide on February 6th
Release marks developer's first global release since Crash Bandicoot: On the Run
New Office
Audiomob opens MENA headquarters in Abu Dhabi
The new office is located on Yas Island in the United Arab Emirates
Funding For Games
Grand Games lands $30m in Series A funding
The studio aims to launch a flagship title later this year
New Studio
Space Ape exec Simon Hade heads up new spinoff studio NextBeat
New developer takes on Beatstar and Country Star from Space Ape portfolio
Podcast | Episode 41
How Scopely made $10bn, and 2025's big stories to watch | 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 41...
Podcast
How to keep players loyal, playing, and paying in a crowded market | Podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team and guests give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode…
Pgc London Schedule
Pocket Gamer Connects London 2025 schedule revealed: Insights and networking await
Plan your experience and dive into a breakdown of sessions for the upcoming Pocket Gamer Connects London
Finance And Fashion
Infinity Nikki styles up $16 million in launch month on mobile
The fifth entry in the Nikki series has far exceeded its predecessors in launch month revenue
Startup News
Meta and Creative Assembly vets form AI engine startup Studio Atelico
Tech aims to help developers build games powered by generative AI
Gotta Catch 'em All
Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket smashes $400 million in 10 weeks
Player spending was lower on average in Pocket’s second month, but also saw a new record high
Green Light
Netflix's Squid Game: Unleashed mobile game surpasses 10m downloads
Recent launch becomes the firm's fifth most downloaded game to date
Success Story
Stardew Valley sells over 41 million copies
The PC version has shifted 26m units on PC and 7.9m on Nintendo Switch
Publishing News
Former Annapurna Interactive employees take over Private Division portfolio
Haveli Investments is backing the venture
No-pro
Meta Quest Pro is officially discontinued
The Meta Quest Pro store page now suggests customers shop for the Meta Quest 3 instead