Preserving Games
California State Assembly passes landmark game preservation bill
The bill next needs to go through the California State Senate
Settlement Reached
Stillfront divests OFM Studios and cuts $26.5m Gameberry settlement
The proceeds will support Stillfront’s continued deleveraging efforts
Roblox Collaboration
Miraculous and Rabbids launch cross-experience Roblox collaboration
The collaboration links three Roblox experiences through a shared narrative
Deal
Akin Babayigit and Makers Fund launch AMF Capital with $28m UA financing for Bear Hug
Further deals from UA fund will be announced soon
New Office
Sheba Joy opens new office in Beijing
The move is part of its efforts to accelerate social gaming innovation for the Middle East
Pgc Summit Shanghai
What to expect at next month's PGC Summit Shanghai
Your gateway to the Asia market and your warmup to ChinaJoy this July 29th
Market Growth
New Zealand games industry surpasses $1bn revenue milestone ahead of schedule
Industry revenue reached $758.9m last year, while workforce numbers grew 29%
Restoring Streaks
Duolingo is restoring lost streaks for a limited time, aiming to recover lapsed users
Until June 30th, "any learner" can restore their old streak of 30 or more days by completing three lessons in one sitting
Morocco Gaming Expo
Studio expansions and $3bn ambitions take centre stage at Morocco Gaming Expo
Morocco is targeting $3 billion in games revenue and 1% of the global market by 2030
Netease Numbers
NetEase’s games business grows 7% to $3.7bn in Q1 2026
Eggy Party, Where Winds Meet and other titles were noted to have strong revenue performances
Marvellous Mena
Dubai hosts first-ever DEF Education & Gaming Summit on June 4th
The summit covers gaming careers, esports, content creation and digital innovation
Ai Strategy
Saga launches AI Labs following blockchain network transition
Saga is prioritising AI products and digital characters following the transfer of its blockchain network operations to Alapin Holdings
Pgc Barcelona
PG Connects Barcelona: full two-day schedule revealed
Save up to €120 this week before Mid Term prices end
Pgc Nordics
The Nordics’ biggest B2B games event is back
What to expect as Pocket Gamer Connects Nordics returns this October
Value In Vietnam
Vietnamese puzzle, simulation and arcade games are most-downloaded in the world
Vietnamese games achieved 4.9 billion downloads in 2025, with 67% coming from three genres
Acqusitions
Atari acquires Crossy Road creator Hipster Whale in deal worth up to $39.3m
The deal is expected to be completed in the coming days
European Impact
King’s first European market report reveals mobile's €5.9bn economic impact for the continent
Mobile studios in Europe employ 30,000 people, while 61% of public play mobile games
Support Programme
Global Game Jam launches micro-missions pilot to connect indie studios with emerging talent
The new programme introduces paid micro-projects across, art, audio and QA to support indie development and early-career experience
Content Incoming
Tencent reportedly preparing UGC initiative for Delta Force
Plans include creator tools, content distribution and monetisation systems
Strategic Moves
FIFA outlines multi-partner digital football strategy ahead of 2026 World Cup
FIFA said its Roblox experience attracts more than 10m monthly active users
Developer Training
Maliyo Games' GameUp Africa has trained 6,000 devs in five years
A new impact report tracks five years of building one of Africa's largest game development programmes
Game Approvals
China approves 158 games in May as licensing pace accelerates in 2026
Total game approvals in 2026 have reached 779, comprising 754 domestic and 25 imported games
Unblocked
Hungry Studio’s Block Blast returns to Google Play
The title, which the company claims has 300 million monthly active users, was temporarily unavailable during the past 24 hours
M&a
VantageCo agrees deal to acquire majority stake in UK games publisher Playstack
TruFin is selling its majority stake
Pocket Gamer Connects
PGC Summit Malmö sets the standard in Sweden
More than 500 attendees gathered for two packed days of tightly focused networking
Jobs News
TIGA names Elaine Green as new chair
The Nellyvision co-founder replaces Rebellion CEO and co-founder Jason Kingsley in the role
Blocked
Hungry Studio’s Block Blast no longer available on Google Play
The popular mobile game is said to have 300 million monthly active users worldwide
Topics And Trends
D2C, co-development and "volume over viability": GDC 2026 trends revealed
The GDC Festival of Gaming 2026 Trends Report has revealed five key topics from the event
Back Of The Net
Canada national football team partners with Roblox’s FIFA Super Soccer
Deal is part of Canada Soccer's 'Our Game Now' marketing campaign that aims to generate excitement for the team
Hardware Costs
The Steam Deck OLED returns with up to $300 price increase
Valve notes rising memory, storage and broader hardware costs across global markets
New Venue
Esports World Cup gets new Paris venue as tickets set to go live on May 29th
The tournament will take place at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles
Power Up
Epic teases Unreal Engine 6
Could Unreal Engine 6 be officially unveiled at Unreal Fest Chicago in June?
Ai Agents
Saga introduces AI influencer agent to mobile game Diamond Jewels
Crystal Beaumont will have a presence in-game and across social media platforms like Instagram
Competitive Gaming
Esports Nations Cup 2026 introduces wildcard slots
Solidarity Slots, Host Region Slots and Special Invites aim to boost opportunities and make competitions more accessible
Driving Downloads
Fortnite’s global iOS comeback drives downloads to eight-year high
Fortnite generated 3.4 million installs over its first week back with a daily peak of 674,000 on May 23rd
Avakin Life On Steam
Avakin Life officially launches on Steam after 200m registered users on mobile
The pioneering social simulator hits Steam after generating 500 million downloads
Finland Games Strategy
Jyväskylä city forms shared strategy for games sector development
The agreement brings the city, education institutions and Expa together to develop Jyväskylä’s games ecosystem
Mobile Games Awards
Closing soon - Nominate now for the Mobile Games Awards 2026
Get your nominations in by Monday, June 1st
Ai Ahoy
HoYoverse reportedly investing up to $14.7bn in AI over next three years
AI plans are said to include enhancement of NPCs in upcoming Petit Planet
M&a
Private equity firm Goldenpeak acquires majority stake in Ampere Analysis
Ampere also acquires streaming audience analytics firm PlumResearch
Settlement
Microsoft agrees $250m settlement in Activision Blizzard deal lawsuit
Both parties deny any and all allegations of fault, liability, wrongdoing or damages
Bulky Bookings
Take-Two Interactive celebrates "fantastic mobile performance" as net bookings surpass $6.7bn
Almost half of those net bookings came from mobile games, accounting for $3.3bn
Pgc Barcelona
Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona - Everything you can't miss this June 15th and 16th
Tale part in seminars, Investor Connector, Publisher SpeedMatch, Big Indie Pitches, AI Gamechangers, Careers Zone, Aurora Europe and more!
Turned Up To Eleven
TyrAds announces exclusive strategic partnership with Nordeus
The partnership will power 'player-first' rewarded engagement in Top Eleven
Growing Games
Hasbro makes $1bn in Q1 including $41m from Monopoly Go
The company’s Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming segment led the quarter with $298m in operating profit and a 51% operating margin
Podcast | Episode 92
The Sensor Tower / AppMagic deal unwrapped and Xbox's random rebrand | 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 92...
Pgc Barcelona
This June, games industry deals happen in Barcelona
Build the right connections at Pocket Gamer Connects on June 15th and 16th
Winners Revealed
Clash Royale wins Business Excellence Award at Finnish Game Awards 2026
The awards recognised the sector's top games, developers and impact of individuals
Job News
Room 8 Group appoints Juanita Draude as CEO
She joins the company with more than 20 years of leadership experience across media and entertainment
Esports Nations Cup
Esports Nations Cup 2026 unveils rankings system and Team Builder ahead of roster reveals
The rankings system tracks player performances from major international tournaments