Gamescom Insights
4 takeaways from Devcom and Gamescom 2025: The DTC revolution, Asian publishers make a splash, and room for optimism
We analyse some of the big stories and trends coming out of Europe's largest games expo
Staff
Craig Chapple
Job Title
Head of Content
About Craig Chapple is the head of content at PocketGamer.biz, leading the team's editorial direction and developing the conference agenda for our Pocket Gamer Connects conferences around the world. He has previously served as Senior Editor at PocketGamer.biz, as well as holding roles at Sensor Tower, Nintendo and Develop.
Articles by Craig Chapple
Understanding Players
Decision traps in live game development
InnoGames product manager Anna Sieprawska discusses player feedback and understanding context
Mobile Momentum
“Mobile is going to eat and destroy PC and console gaming”
Mobile devices have matched or surpasses PS4 and Xbox One quality, says Azra Games CEO Mark Otero
Dtc Future
“Direct-to-consumer isn’t optional anymore”
Xsolla VP of monetisation products Artem Liubutov discusses the future of monetisation and getting players to your web shop
Dtc Revolution
FunPlus "forced to chase DTC” after IDFA deprecation
4X strategy specialist opted in to Apple's alternative business terms in the EU
Pre-regs Case Study
The challenges of running a pre-registration campaign
A comparison of the App Store and Google Play from the InnoGames team working on Heroes of History
Top Picks
Gamescom week preview: Top Devcom sessions for mobile devs
A look at the key sessions for the mobile games biz
Big Promos
Gamescom week preview: Who’s looking to make a splash at the show?
We take a look around the Koelnmesse to see which games and companies are getting the big promotions
Podcast | Episode 64
ChinaJoy insights and DTC earnings uncovered | 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 64...
Everyone Wants A Piece
Everything is a games platform: Part two
Duolingo, Spotify, Netflix and others make moves in gaming
Big Deal
Report: AppsFlyer to be acquired in deal worth up to $4bn
Talks said to be in an advanced stage
Podcast | Episode 63
The Esports World Cup unpacked and lightning strikes twice for Supercell | 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 63...
Money Makers
How much direct-to-consumer revenue are mobile games publishers making?
All the major mobile games companies are talking about it. And the results are in
Fighting Talk
AppLovin brushes off Unity Vector challenge to ads business
"Our market penetration inside gaming is really large at this point. It's materially higher than 70%"
Financials
Playtika eyes bullish 40% direct-to-consumer revenue
DTC sales were up 1.3% year-over-year to $175.9m in Q2
New Beat
Why the NextBeat team is joining the gamified learning revolution at Duolingo
Co-founders Simon Hade and Olly Barnes discuss why they went from seeking funding to joining the learning platform
M&a
Duolingo acquires majority of team at London studio NextBeat
Acqui-hire will see staff working to expand Duolingo Music
Financials
AppLovin revenue surges 77% to $1.3bn in Q2
Net income rises by 164% Y/Y to $820 million
Ai Ambitions
Unity game engine "competitive advantage" for AI ads platform Vector
CEO Matt Bromberg discusses substantially ramping up the tech firm's AI investments
A New Vector?
Unity pins hopes on Vector AI ads platform to spark revenue growth
CEO Matt Bromberg claims inflection point despite revenue decline
Return Of The Tariffs
Trump’s tariffs bite across the globe
More than 90 countries have been impacted, including popular manufacturing hubs for mobile and gaming hardware
Legal Battle
Google loses appeal in Epic Games case that could crack open the Play store
The case could now make its way to the Supreme Court
China Growth
Overseas revenue for Chinese developers rises by 11% to $9.5bn in H1 2025
WeChat sales surged by 40% to $3.2 billion in the first half of the year
Competitive Gaming
China plots national esports football team
Chinese FA is looking for cooperation zones to fund the team and provide training and competition venues
On The Leash
The heavy hand of regulation
Regulators continue to fight big tech with mixed results
Podcast | Episode 62
Apple's regulatory wins and 2025's top genres | 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 62...
Twists And Turns
Is the EU set for "total capitulation" on App Store regulation?
Regulators hit a wall as the UK struggles to get out of bed and the EU deals with nightmares of a Trump retaliation
Top 50
Nominations open for PocketGamer.biz's Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2025
We're also putting together special lists for Southeast Asia and MENA - all to be unveiled later this year!
Strategic Market Status
UK’s CMA crawls to Apple and Google regulation
Competition and Markets Authority proposes designating Apple and Google with Strategic Market Status
Apple Approval?
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney cries “total capitulation” as report claims EU likely to greenlight App Store changes
Regulator's decision expected in the coming weeks
Going Global
"The China market is like bootcamp for how to be a winning global player"
Joymaker VP of business development Tom van Dam gives us the lowdown on China's bustling games market
Global Ambitions
Can India's Nazara really crack $10 billion?
CEO and joint MD Nitish Mittersain discusses the company's key acquisitions, why M&A fails, and the future of India's games market
Money To Burn
Netflix plans to ramp up gaming investment
Streaming firm open to evolving business model in future and teases new set of interactive experiences.
Podcast | Episode 61
Zynga's successes and failures, and Moon Active takes the fight to Scopely | 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 61...
Underrated?
The UGC revolution the games industry is clueless about
How well do you know UGC?
Jobs News
Ubisoft names new co-CEOs of Tencent-backed subsidiary
Questions remain about wider impact of the deal on publisher's teams and IP
Region Report
Gain key insights into China’s games industry with our free report
Grab your copy of our China report to get a deep dive into the country’s influential games sector ahead of the PGC Summit Shanghai on July 30th
Deal Tracker
Show Me The Money: Scopely closes $3.5bn Niantic deal, UK gets £30m Games Growth Package, and Moshi Monsters' crowdfunding push in June 2025
Show Me The Money: The big deals from June 2025
Opening Up?
"It’s a great time to explore the Chinese games market"
We speak to MyGamez CEO Mikael Leinonen about the opportunities and challenges in China's lucrative games sector
Coin Master Go
Moon Active takes on Scopely with Monopoly Go-like Coin Master - Board Adventure
Scopely took inspiration from the hit casual casino game - now Moon Active is returning the favour
Age Of Casual
Tencent gives Age of Empires the Last War treatment on mobile
Age of Empires: Survival brings hypercasual gameplay to the longstanding strategy franchise
Podcast | Episode 60
Games investment tips, Clash Royale's evolution, and China's rising global influence | 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 60...
Region Focus
State of play: Inside China's increasingly influential games industry
Ahead of the debut Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai on July 30th, we speak to industry executives and take a look at the rise of China's games sector
State Of Investment
Aonic on the state of games investment in 2025 and tips for raising funds
Aonic co-founder and chief product officer Olliver Heins offers investment advice and thoughts on the state of the market at Develop: Brighton
Development Journey
Inside mobile hitmaker Lilith Games
Lilith Games' Vincent Ou guides us through the Chinese company's company culture, development strategy and live ops tactics it's used to create billion-dollar hits AFK Journey and Rise of Kingdoms
Failure To Launch
What happens now for Xbox's mobile ambitions?
Microsoft's mobile strategy is cooked
Podcast | Episode 59
A dark day for Xbox | 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 59...
Layoffs
Blizzard ends Warcraft Rumble development as company reportedly slashes up to 100 jobs
Move is part of sweeping cuts across Microsoft and its games division
Redundancies
Swedish dev Toca Boca hit by layoffs
Rubik's Match developer Nørdlight has also been closed
Job Losses
Report: King loses 10% of staff as Microsoft makes games division cuts
Candy Crush maker hit hard by redundancies across games group