Podcast | Episode 47
GDC 2025 final thoughts | 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 47...
Nintendo App
Nintendo Today mobile app launches to keep fans informed on Switch 2 and more
App is free download but requires a Nintendo account
Investment News
Kameha Ventures launches $27m fund to support game tech startups
The team will provide strategic guidance, mentorship, and long-term backing for early-stage founders
Cloud Partnership
Amazon Luna partners with EA to bring Star Wars and more to cloud gaming platform
The service has expanded to four new regions, now available in 14 countries
Tax Breaks
Alberta scraps plans for video game tax credit
The government will now support the industry through “strategic funding partnerships and investments”
Super Backer
Supercell steps up investment arm push
Developer calls on companies to reach for potential partnerships on new website
Short Report
AppLovin shares dive 19% after latest short-seller report
Muddy Waters claims ad tech firm violates platforms' terms and conditions; AppLovin CEO says it's "easy to discredit a short report like this in minutes"
Investment Deal
Tencent invests $1.25bn in new Ubisoft subsidiary focused on top IP
Spin-off includes licences and teams for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six, Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry
Publising Deal
Skystone Games takes US publishing rights for Mobile Legends as TikTok ban looms
ByteDance has been forced to relinquish publishing rights to the MOBA and Marvel Snap by US lawmakers
Crossovers
Subway Surfers and Crossy Road collide in first-ever crossover event
Event will include limited edition crossover characters and other surprises
New Partnerships
Anzu and Claritas partner to offer improved attribution metrics for in-game ads
The partnership aims to bring transparency and performance optimisation to in-game advertising
Going Public
Discord could go public this year as IPO plans take shape
Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are on board for planned flotation
Gdc 2025
GDC 2025 wraps up with nearly 30,000 attendees
Next year's edition will take place at the Moscone Center from March 9th to 13th, 2026
Game Closure
Square Enix to shut down War of the Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius after five years
The title will remain playable until May 29th, 2025
Eid Al-fitr
Celebrate Eid al-Fitr with a 30% discount on Dubai GameExpo Summit 2025 tickets
Eid Mubarak! The Dubai GameExpo Summit 2025, the leading B2B event in the MENA region, is offering a special discount for the holiday season.
Pgc Barcelona
Super early bird tickets for Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona 2025 end soon
Book now before prices rise at midnight thursday, march 27, and attend the newest addition to the leading b2b conference for the mobile games industry
M&a
DoubleU completes $30m Paxie Games acquisition
Purchase sees South Korean developer take a 60% stake, with the remaining share to be purchased over the next three years
Investment News
Türkiye's Feraset secures $4.5m to expand AI-powered consumer apps
The funds will go towards scaling its marketing efforts and working towards increasing its global subscriber count
Market Report
German games market declined to €9.4bn in 2024 as in-app purchase and hardware sales fell
In-game and in-app purchases fell 3% to €4.6bn ($4.9bn)
New Studio
Space Ape vets launch Offroad Games
New studio takes Space Ape-developed titles Chrome Valley Customs and Fastlane: Road to Revenge with it
Partnership Deal
Scopely to make game based on CD Projekt IP
Polish developer has worked on The Witcher series and Cyberpunk 2077
Investment News
Planetarium Labs secures $3m funding to expand Immortal Rising 2
The funds will go towards enhancing gameplay mechanics and growing the community
Modest Metrics
Supercell’s Mo.co hits 2.5m downloads and $570k in first week
By comparison, Squad Busters accumulated 30m downloads and $11.8m during its first seven days
Price Cut
Havok lowers licensing fee for studios with budgets under $20m
Companies will only need to pay $50k to use its tech
New Offerings
GGWP teams up with Unity to launch proactive voice moderation tools
Vivox users can integrate GGWP’s AI to monitor voice and text, offering a full view of user behaviour
Investment News
Uthana raises $4.3m with open beta for AI-powered animation platform
The brand said its Motion Library offers over 10,000 animations searchable by natural language
New Partnerships
Banijay Rights and Tactile Games partner to launch Simon’s Cat Match on mobile
The title is now available on FireOS, Android and iOS devices
Spending Star
Honkai: Star Rail rockets past $2bn on mobile in under two years
The gacha RPG has taken 10 months longer than Genshin Impact to hit the milestone, but now frequently outperforms HoYoverse's flagship
M&a
Savvy Games Group plots PC and console M&A
Deal could potentially be led by Scopely, says CEO Brian Ward
Mobile Majority
Double-digit games industry growth labelled "a fantasy" as revenue forecast to hit $237bn in 2025
Mobile game predicted to earn $110.9bn this year, over half of all games software revenue
Gameexpo Summit
Here's why every MENA indie should be at May's Dubai GameExpo Summit
Connecting the Middle East and North Africa with the global games industry this May 7th and 8th
Subscription Superiority
Apple Arcade "likely wouldn’t be profitable" without Apple One bundle, report claims
Apple Arcade reached two million users in its first year, but would reportedly struggle to break even alone
Accessibility In Games
ESA launches Accessible Games Initiative with support from industry leaders
The initiative is supported by founding members Electronic Arts, Google, Microsoft, Nintendo of America, and Ubisoft
Funding News
Opus Major raises $10m to develop debut game and expand team
The studio is led by ex-Madbox founders Jean-Nicolas Vernin and Pierre-Armand Nicq
Eu Guidelines
New EU guidelines demand transparency for in-game purchases
The CPC said it will “monitor progress and may take further actions if harmful practices continue"
Mena Games Awards
Don't miss the chance to be considered for the MENA Games Industry Awards 2025
Become apart of the prestigious awards recognising the visionaries, developers, publishers, investors, and legends who are shaping the future of the MENA games market.
All Stars
Candy Crush All Stars returns with $1m prize pool
Qualifiers began on March 20th, with first knockout phase set to kick off next week
Lucrative Legendaries
Pokémon Sleep's big revenue strategy returns with first Legendary event of 2025
Previous Legendary events have raked in $16.5m over a combined six weeks
Pokemon Property
Pokémon Go won't get obtrusive ads or sell location data after $3.5bn Scopely acquisition, product director confirms
"That is not happening in Pokémon Go - not now, not ever."
Community Connection
How community and toxicity influence "kind games" like Netflix’s Spirit Crossing
Spry Fox co-founder Daniel Cook talks game design philosophy at GDC 2025, bringing 30 years’ experience from "angry" teens to "slower, emotional journeys"
Investing In India
Qila Games raises $1m to develop hybridcasual games tailored to Indian players
Funds will go towards creating new IPs and expanding its games portfolio
Mountain Milestone
Grand Mountain Adventure 2 surpasses 1m downloads in first month
The title released on iOS and Android on February 18th, 2025
New Partnerships
Xsolla partners with Ukie to boost UK games industry and support developers
Primary focus is to focus is to improve monetisation and commercialisation strategies
Future Goals
Netflix Games on big IPs, party games and a bold new vision
Netflix Games president Alain Tascan and vice president of games technology and portfolio development, Jeet Shroff discuss the future of Netflix Games
Games Industry Union
United Videogame Workers and CWA launch union to fight layoffs and demand job security
Part of the union’s mission is to create a supportive industry that values talent and invests in its future, rather than prioritising short-term profits
Unity Update
Unity 6.1 will add large foldable Android screen support and other new platform options
Meta Quest and Android XR build profiles are also being added to the list of over 20 supported platforms
Industry Insight
"Do not raise money to develop a game. Raise money to sell a game"
EGDF president Hendrik Lesser comments on new and existing European games industry issues, but offers advice on making it to 2026
Investment News
SekGames Secures Pre-Seed Investment from Qatar Development Bank
Funds will go towards expanding its team and enhancing its mobile offerings
Network Technology
Nvidia partners with telecom brands to develop AI-powered 6G networks
“We’re building an AI-enhanced 6G network that achieves extreme spectral efficiency,” said Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang
Pokemon Partnership
Pokémon and LEGO team up for the first time, bringing new sets in 2026
The partnership aims to bring "the world of Pokémon to life in entirely new ways"