Applovin Accelerates
Apple and Google continue to lead in mobile game ads, but AppLovin wins over select genres
The AppsFlyer Performance Index - 2025 Edition highlights "sharper competition" and "maturing ecosystems"
Banned
Russia bans Roblox over harmful content claims
The ban follows allegations of extremist content and LGBT propaganda
Regulations
Apple pushes back against India’s "sledgehammer" mandatory cyber app plans
Insider sources say Apple sees the mandate as a major privacy and security risk for iOS
Acqusitions
Saudi Arabia’s PIF set to own 93.4% of EA in proposed takeover
The transaction is expected to close within six to nine months
Marketing Over Innovation?
Marketing is the tail that wags the dog of mobile gaming, not innovation
Marketing budgets outstrip development and it's the key driver of success, say industry experts
Layoff News
Outright Games lays off 27 staff across its UK and Spanish operations
Marketing, production, creative, QA, and OG Labs teams are among those affected
New Offerings
Discord launches wishlist feature for saving and showcasing cosmetic items
Friends can view a wishlist and gift items directly, with claimed gifts removed automatically
Streaming Surge
Twitch hits 21m streamers with billions of hours watched in 2025
Over a million creators streamed on Twitch from the UK alone
New Partnerships
Xsolla and HP launch global ecosystem to train and support future game developers
Pilot programs will roll out in Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, and the UAE, targeting over 100,000 young creators
New Partnerships
Magicave partners with The Observer to bring Mindset GO! to print
The newspaper will publish a new Mindset GO! puzzle every week on its logic page
Pgc London
Who comes to Pocket Gamer Connects London?
See the companies represented by C-Level executives, senior management and game-makers that attended last year’s sold out event
New Partnerships
Monopoly Go brings Harry Potter Magic to players in new limited-time event
The event launches December 10th 2025, celebrating iconic characters, locations and film moments
Sonic Spinoff
Sonic the Hedgehog gets a fifth movie slated for December 2028
The franchise has sped into a multi-title transmedia hit, with Sonic the Hedgehog 4 coming in 2027 and a spinoff in 2028
Ai Advancements
Supercell and Aiba talk AI and player experiences: "AI does not have taste"
Supercell AI lead Otto Söderlund and Aiba co-founder and COO Hege Tokerud spoke at PGC Helsinki 2025
Job News
Ali Farha joins Nordic games investor Behold Ventures
He will support fundraising, guide portfolio studios, and help steer Behold’s mission
Pikmin Power
Pikmin Bloom hits $100m after four years as 2025 becomes its best year yet
After making just $8.4m in its first full year, Pikmin Bloom has raked in $34.8m during 2025 with another month to go
Regulations
India orders all new smartphones to ship with a mandatory cybersecurity app
Smartphone brands have 90 days to ship devices with the Sanchar Saathi app installed
Apple Ai
Apple's head of AI stepping down
John Giannandrea will be replace in the top job by new VP of AI Amar Subramanya
Online Safety
Ofcom shares new guidance urging tech firms to boost protections for women and girls online
The regulator outlined nine priority areas for safer platform design and stronger user support
Revenue Report
Google Play in-app purchases fall 29% in RPGs and 50% in casino games
Revenue from the strategy genre has grown by 21% on Google Play since October 2024
Valorant Victory
Valorant Mobile is China’s most successful mobile launch of 2025 with 50m MAUs
Tencent highlights the successes of Valorant, Honor of Kings, Delta Force, Clash Royale and more
Tax Laws
Government updates VGEC rules as part of UK Budget
New guidance aligns games tax credits with the wider RDEC framework
Child Safety
UK launches mobile game child privacy review
Ten popular mobile titles will be scrutinised for data protection compliance
New Partnerships
Savvy Games Group and King Saud University team up to develop future talent for Saudi Arabia's games and esports sector
The MoU creates a framework for joint initiatives in skill development, knowledge exchange, and industry exposure
Job News
Jason Avent joins QA studio Six Peaks Games as founder and non-executive director
Six Peaks specialises in embedded QA teams that integrate directly with development pipelines
Milestone
Resident Evil Survival Unit surpasses two million downloads in under two weeks
The game has maintained strong momentum after crossing one million downloads last month
Podcast | Episode 74
Roblox's car crash interview on child safety and Ubisoft's curious Tencent deal | 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 74...
Acqusitions
Nintendo to acquire Bandai Namco Studios Singapore
The Switch maker will take an initial 80% stake in BNSS from April 2026
Ai In Games
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney says AI-made labels on storefronts “make no sense”
He argued that AI will feature in “nearly all future production” across the industry
Layoff News
Thunderful to cut up to 60 jobs at Coatsink as part of major restructuring effort
The company said the layoffs are needed to bring costs in line with current contracted revenue
Pgc London
KashKick Joins Pocket Gamer Connects London as Titanium Sponsor
Leading user acquisition company helps studios engage, reward and monetise their audiences as part of the biggest PGC event of the year
New Partnerships
Make-A-Wish teams up with IGG to launch Thanksgiving charity challenge in Lords Mobile
IGG will donate $50,000 to Make-A-Wish once 50,000 players claim the event decoration
Job News
Metacore taps ex-Rovio CTO Petri Hyökyranta and King's Daniel Lindkvist to lead tech efforts
The appointments aim to support Metacore’s long-term strategy and future scaling plans after the success of Merge Mansion
Champions Compete
Pokémon Unite Asia Champions League returns with $20,000 prize pool in India League
Winners will advance to the Offline Finals against other teams from across Asia
New Studio
Fat Rat Games launches to build Roblox games and support creators
The studio was founded and led by long-time Roblox creators
Anniversary Approaching
Infinity Nikki’s version 2.0 update arrives as title hits $70m on mobile ahead of its first anniversary
The stylish open-world title has generated $69.9m across the App Store and Google Play to date, according to estimates
Possible Acqusition
Report: ByteDance is exploring the sale of Moonton to Savvy Games Group
The talks revive a previously paused plan to offload the Mobile Legends maker
Esports Tournament
Chess.com, Moonton and SNK join publisher lineup for Esports Nations Cup
Seven major publishers now shape the ENC’s structure, formats and qualification paths
Accelerator Program
Avalanche and Helika select five studios for their debut accelerator cohort
Selected studios receive $25,000 upfront, mentorship, and showcase opportunities
New Offerings
Tencent rolls out Hunyuan 3D engine for AI-driven asset creation
The tool is designed to generate 3D assets from text, images, or sketches in minutes
Funding For Games
Gear Games secures $5m to scale its new card battler Arcane Rush
Metica is providing non-dilutive financing alongside UA and monetisation support
Acqusitions
Roundtable Interactive acquires Auroch Digital to mark a new chapter for the Bristol studio
Auroch said the deal offers fresh opportunities after two challenging years for the industry
Job News
TikTok names former Boeing executive Ziad Ojakli as head of public policy for the Americas
The appointment comes as the video-sharing platform accelerates plans to separate its US operations from ByteDance
Epic Delay
Epic Games pushes in-island transaction publishing for Fortnite creators to January 2026
The delay is to allow more testing and bug fixes ahead of the full launch
Expansions
Plan A Games secures investment to build new engineering team in southeast Louisiana
The studio is developing its free-to-play analytics platform from The Shop in New Orleans’ Warehouse District
Pgc London
Pocket Gamer Connects London 2026: See what’s shaping this year’s agenda
The 31 themed content tracks that will lead the conversation this January 19th and 20th
Masterclass
UX Strategist Celia Hodent to hold masterclass blending cognitive science with practical game UX frameworks
The session explores how perception, attention, memory, and emotion shape player experience
Expansions
Supercell to open new AI Innovation Lab in Tokyo next year
Opening in March 2026, the Lab expands a global network already operating in San Francisco and Helsinki
Royal Revenue
Royal Kingdom surpasses $300m in first year, beating Royal Match
Dream Games’ follow-up puzzler made 2% more than its forebear in its first full year
Hackathon
Tamatem Games launches new Content Creator Hackathon for emerging talent
All winners secure a guaranteed three-month internship or contract alongside cash prizes