Crossovers
Garena Free Fire celebrates 8th anniversary with Squid Game crossover
The collaboration will allow Free Fire players to experience Squid Game challenges from the Netflix TV show
New Partnerships
Supercell launches Brawl Stars as minigame on Tencent’s WeChat, Clash Royale following soon
The Squad Busters maker wants to leverage the market’s growth and the rising popularity of lightweight, instantly playable games
Layoffs Imminent
Microsoft to slash more Xbox jobs as part of wider workforce reduction
This could mark the fourth major layoff at Xbox in the past 18 months
Portfolio Prowess
FreePlay surpasses 2bn lifetime installs after expanding into hybridcasual
The developer and publisher’s games are available in more than 175 countries, with standouts including Count Masters, Twerk Race 3D and Zombie Apocalypse
Google Games
Google quietly launches HTML5 games hub Instant Games on select Android devices
The new app allows users to access a selection of games without downloading them separately
Gateway To Chinajoy
ChinaJoy 2025 to break records, now with one-day industry access via Pocket Gamer Connects
Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai on July 30 includes one-day entry to ChinaJoy
Roblox Record
Roblox’s Grow a Garden hits industry record 21.3m concurrent users, surpassing PUBG, Fortnite and more
The Roblox experience more than doubled its 8.9m record set in May
Market Growth
MyGamez ranked among Top 30 iOS Publishers in China for May 2025
Sales revenue of the Chinese mobile game market in May was $2.9bn, a month-on-month increase of 3.69%
Industry Outlook
Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen on AI labs, rising costs, and why mobile games need reinvention
"Mobile games are no longer cheap" - but innovation is still the priority
Funding News
Motorica raises €5m to accelerate AI-powered character animation and expand globally
“We're not here to upend the animation workflow, we're here to liberate it,” said Motorica CEO Willem Demmers
Sequel Strategy
Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond surpasses $20m in first week
Cygames’ strategy card game sequel quadrupled the original Shadowverse’s week one earnings
Major Milestone
Kingshot surpasses $100m in just 117 days
Century Games has blended strategy and survival genres once again, leading to another hit game growing month-over-month
Netflix Games
Netflix to delist over 20 mobile games from its library in July
Games leaving include Monument Valley 3, which had a major Netflix-exclusive launch
Expansions
True Gamers expands in Saudi Arabia with four new esports venues in Riyadh
The agreement marks the company’s first multi-location launch in Saudi Arabia
Digital Markets Act
Apple in last-minute talks with EU to avoid fresh DMA fines
EU regulators had given the company two months to comply following a $570m fine
Lagos Games Week Takeaways
Five takeaways from Lagos Games Week 2025: Strong networking, weak panels, and 'one hit' debate returns
The two-day event had no major announcements, but there were still plenty of talking points around the state of the African games industry
Eternally Earning
SD Gundam G Generation Eternal surpasses $100m in two months
Bandai Namco’s recent release peaked at $3.5m in daily player spending
New Name
Honor of Kings rebrands to Honor of Kings Plus with "biggest version update yet"
Tencent’s flagship is the highest-grossing mobile game in the world, with a revamp coming shortly after record revenue
Crossovers
Bluey joins Fruit Ninja Classic+ in exclusive Apple Arcade event
The collaboration runs from June 19th to August 13th, 2025
Game Closure
DanMachi Battle Chronicle to shut down this September
Distribution and customer support will end across all platforms, including the App Store, Google Play, and PC
Expansions
SciPlay invests $4m to expand Cedar Falls studio amidst hiring push
The company has over 900 employees, including 145 in Cedar Falls and follows a hybrid model
Government Support
UK Government launches £30 million Games Growth Package
Investment strategy aims to boost country's games sector and help plug skills gaps
Podcast | Episode 57
The solitaire gold rush and Finland's new immigration rules bite | 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 57...
Lagos Games Week
“There's no big game that's made by just one studio"
Virtuos business development manager Soukayna Ennaji discusses industry outsourcing and growing Africa's games industry
Lagos Games Week
Lagos Games Week 2025 kicks off week of talks, exhibitions and showcases
The event will feature global players like Ubisoft, Ustwo Games and Nintendo’s Digital Schoolhouse
Root Raising
Social platform Root raises $9m in seed funding ahead of closed beta
Funding was led by Headline Ventures and Konvoy Ventures
No Deal
Tencent denies Nexon acquisition reports
The idea of a Chinese company purchasing South Korea-founded Nexon sparked backlash from the Korea Game Society
Funding News
Habby invests $2m in Istanbul studio Mavis Games
Casual games developer aims to expand its team as it looks to scale its portfolio
Trade Union
Workers at mobile studio Ubisoft Halifax file to unionise
Of the developer's 60 staff, 39 have publicly said they want to unionise with CWA Canada
Live Ops
Sensor Tower acquires live ops data platform Playliner
Platform tracks in-game events, monetisation and player engagement in mobile games
Refocus
Warner Bros. Games restructures around key IP
The outfit is now split into divisions focused on DC, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and Mortal Kombat
10th Anniversary
Fallout Shelter surpasses 230m downloads
The news comes as the title turns ten years old
Finland's Foreign Workers
Finnish Aliens Act amendment gives international talent just three to six months to find new employment
"We must not close the door on the very people who help make Finland thrive," says Finnish games trade association Neogames
Phoney Pledges
Moshi Monsters’ comeback Kickstarter sabotaged by "malicious actor" who made multiple fake pledges
It was previously believed that the campaign reached its £250,000 goal in less than 24 hours, before fake pledges with "clear intent" to mislead were discovered
Milestone
Fable Town overhaul sparks growth to $5m revenue
Marketing spend in the title has doubled this year as it scales to over two million downloads
Expansions
Unico Studio surpasses 100 employees amid global expansion and hiring push
The company claims to have achieved over one billion installs across its portfolio of 50+ games
Prize Pool
Dunk City Dynasty’s first competition Community Bash has $10,000 prize pool
Winning teams in Southeast Asia and North America will net $2,300 each
Crossovers
Sonic races into Squad Busters as Supercell and SEGA launch crossover event
Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Dr. Eggman will be featured in the game
Crowdfunding
Clash of Clans Tabletop Game surpasses $50,000 Kickstarter goal in 30 minutes
Game is set to release in 2026
Mobile Royale
Mobile-first Fortnite Blitz Royale mode launches on June 18th
Move comes shortly after Fortnite's return to mobile on the US App Store
Funding For Games
Bigger Games raises $25m to fuel global expansion
Studio set to scale its currently soft-launched mobile game Kitchen Masters
Making Playtime More Rewarding
MAF’s Play2Earn launches on iOS, outperforming multi-reward by +80% ROAS
MAF’s Play2Earn for iOS is outperforming traditional multi-reward setups. Discover how it delivers +80% ROAS and redefines what rewarded ads can do on iOS
New Partnerships
NBA, NBPA, and 2K strike new multiyear deal to expand global partnership
All parties involved are also launching a new NBA Take-Two Media as part of the deal
Moshi Monsters Mobile
Moshi Monsters to make mobile comeback after £250,000 Kickstarter target reached in one day
The 2000s web browser game is getting a follow-up on mobile, expected in 2027
M&a
Korean games industry slams Tencent’s Nexon pursuit as threat to national security
It remains uncertain whether NXC is open to selling its Nexon stake
Anzu And Amex
Amex Ventures invests in in-game ads firm Anzu
The investment will help Anzu scale faster in key segments
Trade War
Shenzhen targets 55% digital service trade by 2035 in new growth strategy
The strategy focuses on industrial support, IP development, infrastructure and more
New Offerings
HoYoverse to open its first ever themed café in Berlin this June
The café will launch with a Genshin Impact and Zenless Zone Zero event from June 20th to July 13th
Funding News
Candy Crush veterans secure $4.6m for Studio555’s interior design game app
Developer plans to launch the app next year
Agreement Reached
SAG-AFTRA board approves tentative deal to end strikes
Members have until July 9th, 2025 to vote on ratification