Record engagement on Roblox, Netflix Games’ cloud focus and Pokémon Go’s event strategy | Week in Views
The games industry moves quickly and while stories may come and go there are some that we just can't let go of…
So, to give those particularly thorny topics a further going over we've created a weekly digest where the members of the PocketGamer.biz team share their thoughts and go that little bit deeper on some of the more interesting things that have happened in mobile gaming in the past week.
Craig Chapple
Roblox reports record 12.8m concurrent users for Bruno Mars virtual concert
Roblox has done it once again. The UGC platform recently hosted a virtual performance by Bruno Mars, this time through the highly popular game Steal a Brainrot.
Players were treated to a performance of the singer’s new single I just Might, as well as his earlier hit Locked out of Heaven.
The event was said to have attracted 12.8 million concurrent users. That’s obscene levels of engagement - and it’s only really possible in games like Roblox and Fortnite.
It’s further proof that these digital platforms are as big as console. The key problem remains of course: monetisation.
Roblox and Fortnite have been hard at work on that - the former adding advertising options (perhaps a tricky proposition when the key audience is kids), while Fortnite has rolled out in-island transactions for Fortnite creators.
If these platforms can maintain their popularity and can show the world’s top developers and publishers can make a serious buck, the sky’s the limit. But perhaps by then, it’ll already be too late for the development giants over the early adopters.
Paige Cook
Netflix unveils new cloud-first direction for its games strategy
Netflix introduced games to its service in 2021, and along the way they’ve shifted the focus a couple of times on what that offering looks like. The primary focus was on mobile, so we saw titles like Tomb Raider Reloaded, Monument Valley, and other third-party titles in the catalogue.
There were big name titles, like the GTA trilogy, which drove a significant increase in engagement and downloads.
But then the focus seemed to shift again to a more narrative-game outlook, one that fit with the broader Netflix offering, with TV shows like Emily in Paris, which had a narrative-game counterpart.
Netflix also scaled back on some of its bigger triple-A ambitions and we saw studio closures and cancellations.
Now, in 2026, we are entering the next shift in strategy. A cloud-first approach for gaming, with your TV being at the centre.
Party games that were released toward the end of last year, like Boggle, Pictionary and LEGO Party! Apparently, have shown strong engagement and I think having them available just before the holidays, when families get together and literally play party games, was a great move. Now the goal is to build on that.
I know Netflix say the games offering is less about being a revenue driver and more about overall engagement and increased value for the subscription, which I understand, but at the same time it seems like the number of users actually playing games is few compared to the overall user base.
So, how much do those users actually value games on Netflix right now?
I don't want to sound overly pessimistic. I hope this approach works for them, but I'm curious to see what comes next and how they tackle a cloud-gaming focus, because that comes with its own set of hurdles.
Aaron Astle
Pokémon Go to experiment with new strategy on the Road to Kalos
Pokémon Go’s sixth annual Go Tour approaches, suitably set to focus on the sixth generation, Kalos.
Since 2021, the geolocation title has been working through the regions starting back with Kanto, and the events have become an important part of Go’s calendar from a revenue perspective. Every year since its debut, Go Tour’s global weekend has been a top-three contender among all the year’s events, and in 2023 even peaked higher than Go’s anniversary based on AppMagic estimates.
Yet, the event comes round just once a year, and with nine main series regions to work with, there are still some years to go until every generation of Pokémon has been represented.
It’s a surprise, therefore, to see the game take a new live ops tactic this year, with turning the Go Tour weekend into more of a week, starting with the “Road to Kalos”. In practice, this means the five days leading up to Go Tour will echo previous years’ events, starting with Kanto on February 23rd, Johto on the 24th, and so on.
It’s an opportunity to drive engagement before the event arrives, with opportunities to find shiny Pokémon and battle legendaries from across the years, from Articuno to Kyurem. Furthermore, the now-Scopely-owned game is also selling a Go Pass Deluxe to get users spending for even more rewards, all before Go Tour Kalos - Global even gets going.
Considering 2026 is Pokémon Go’s 10th anniversary and the Pokémon franchise’s 30th, I’m expecting plenty more profit-maximising strategies to come throughout the year.
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