Job News
Supercell head of investments Jaakko Harlas departs
Harlas said he has no new role planned and will spend time with his family
Pgc Summit Shanghai
MyGamez VP of partnerships Svitlana Verpakhovska to speak at PGC Summit Shanghai
The newly appointed MyGamez VP joins a growing roster to help Western developers crack the world's largest games market
Acqusitions
Kepler Interactive acquires minority stake in Oro Interactive
The investment gives Oro additional resources and expertise to support its growth.
New Policies
Godot to ban AI-generated code contributions and tighten contributor policies
New contributors will need approval before submitting major features or refactoring
Pley Partnership
Xsolla partners with Pley to expand browser game monetisation for mobile studios
The partnership targets monetisation gaps in markets with limited app store payment support
Pgc Summit Shanghai
How to make your ChinaJoy trip hassle-free
What international visitors need to know before they head to Shanghai later this month
New Offerings
NBCUniversal explores video game expansion after Comcast split
No gaming acquisitions or partnerships have been discussed yet
Big Backlash
Love and Deepspace's Valko romance cancelled following backlash
New romanceable werewolf Valko was planned to launch with version 6.0, but controversy has changed Infold’s plans
Staff Strike
Ubisoft Barcelona staff strike over proposed layoffs
Workers are seeking guarantees that all 51 affected staff will retain their jobs
Pgc Nordics
PG Connects Nordics: the companies that came to Helsinki in 2025
Looking forward to this October's two-day conference with a look back at last year's event
Pikmin Pollenation
Pikmin Bloom skyrockets to record revenue as Taiwanese spending surges 902%
The walking game has made $35.7 million in H1 2026, 94% of its total 2025 earnings
Sprite Set
Ludo AI updates Sprite Generator with new animation and export tools
The update introduces a revamped Pose Generator and new animation tools
Investment Incoming
PvX Partners secures $5m investment from MIT to expand user acquisition financing
The investment will expand PvX's user acquisition financing platform
Jobs News
Stillfront CEO Alexis Bonte to depart
Search is underway for a new chief exec
Mobile Games Awards
Voting opens for the Mobile Games Awards 2026 in association with Samsung Gaming Hub
Who do you want to win the industry's most prestigious awards this year?
Candy Crush Cabs
Candy Crush gives football fans a free ride in designated "Candy Cabs"
Football fans can get a free taxi in New York City today, provided they complete a level of Candy Crush
Pgc Summit Shanghai
Final Week: Save up to $160 before the PGC Summit Shanghai Early Bird ends
Start your 'world's biggest games market' journey by saving up to $160!
New Partnerships
Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha signs deal with UFL mobile game after World Cup heroics
The deal follows Vozinha's rapid rise in global popularity
In-game Tournament
Once Human: RaidZone to host $50,000 Raid for Glory tournament in July
$40,000 will be awarded through leaderboard placements based on eliminations
New Offerings
nDreams co-founder Patrick O'Luanaigh launches new games and music studio Atmospheric
The studio aims to combine storytelling, music and gameplay into unified creative experiences
Acqusitions
Griffin Gaming Partners acquires 3.24% stake in TinyBuild
The investment backs TinyBuild's strategy of building and growing wholly owned game IP
Milestone
A Webbing Journey hits 5 million mobile downloads alongside major content update
The sandbox game has added a fourth level and 10 new quests
Revenue Racer
Zynga’s CSR 2 celebrates 10th anniversary with 530m cars collected
AppMagic estimates suggest $859.3m has been generated in lifetime player spending
Angry Birds Arriving
The Angry Birds Movie 3 gets full reveal with family dynamic
Protagonist Red’s next mission is saving the world while surviving fatherhood
Podcast | Episode 95
Direct-to-consumer banks $17 billion and Google rolls out fee changes | 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 95...
New Partnerships
Savvy Games Group partners with Genvid and Massive Studios to expand AI access for Saudi developers
The agreement includes training, mentorship and educational programmes to develop local talent
Anniversary Arrival
Umamusume: Pretty Derby races to $100m on mobile in one year overseas
Cygames’ racing game has found its biggest international market in the US
Pgc Summit Shanghai
Thatgamecompany head of corporate development Shijie Xue to speak at PGC Summit Shanghai
A games M&A heavyweight joins the Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai lineup on July 29th
Development Details
Former Goddess of Victory: Nikke devs form Control9 with new game on the way
Miresi: Invisible Future is a time travel RPG being developed for PC and mobile
Applovin Advertising
AppLovin opens self-serve advertising platform to all advertisers
The company has renamed platform Axon to AppLovin Ads
New Game Launch
Netflix and Night School Studio to launch immersive horror game Unhinged
The game stars Zoë Kravitz, Sadie Sink and Troy Baker in its voice cast
Funding News
Spill Games raises $3.1m seed round to scale mobile games portfolio
The funding will support portfolio growth, technology development and selective team expansion
New Offerings
Fortnite adds Olivia Rodrigo to Icon Series alongside mobile karaoke launch
The collaboration includes three new jam tracks, themed emotes and back bling items
Pgc Summit Shanghai
Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai partners with ChinaJoy
Working in partnership with the world’s largest games expo
Price Increase
Apple raises MacBook and iPad prices as AI-driven memory costs climb
iPhone prices remain unchanged for now
Investment News
CVC Capital Partners invests in Chess.com to support global growth
CVC will support Chess.com's continued platform and community growth
Apple Troubles
Chinese developers file antitrust complaint against Apple over App Store fees
The group alleges Apple's App Store commissions in China remain unfairly high
New Office
Almedia opens London office to expand data and machine learning team
The office will focus on expanding the company's data science, engineering and machine learning teams
Real World Crossover
Clash of Clans brings interactive live experience to San Diego
The interactive attraction will run from July to September and overlap with San Diego Comic-Con
New Offerings
Google Play expands billing options and lowers fees for developers
The search giant is separating service fees from billing fees starting June 30th, 2026
Early Earnings
Pokémon Champions makes $3.5m in first week on mobile
Apple users account for $2.6m or 75% of total mobile spend thus far
Milestone
Rush Royale surpasses $500m in lifetime revenue
The mobile title has exceeded 105m downloads since launching in 2020
Web Games
Report: 53% plan to port mobile games to browser in next 12 months
The 2026 State of Web Gaming report surveyed 400 game developers and 2,000 web gamers
Direct Delivery
Tamatem launches first internally developed game with King of Delivery 2
The company has integrated local brand partnerships directly into the game world as part of the player experience
Funding News
Reactional Music secures €2.5m EIC grant to scale music monetisation in games
The EIC has also earmarked up to €6.5m ($7.3m) in future equity funding
New Tools
MobyGames launches beta careers platform for games industry workers
The new platform aims to help developers build professional networks and navigate the jobs market
Pgc Summit Bangkok
Save the date: PGC Summit Bangkok launches this October 28th
Pocket Gamer Connects Expands its Asia Pacific footprint
Market Report
Report: Mobile game D2C revenues reach $17bn as publishers push beyond app stores
New report from Appcharge shows 92% of publishers expect D2C revenues to grow in 2026, with many forecasting double-digit gains
Funding News
Playtika veterans secure $10m for AI-powered mobile app operations platform
The funding will support the development of new predictive models and AI-driven automation tools
Going Global
Nigeria to bring first-ever developer delegation and booth to Gamescom 2026
The delegation is led by Maliyo Games founder Hugo Obi