Sluggish Sonic
Sega’s operating income down 55% as it takes $200m impairment loss on Rovio
Sonic Rumble has also been highlighted for falling short of expectations across every KPI
Staff
Aaron Astle
Job Title
News Editor
About Aaron is the News Editor at PG.biz and has an honours degree in Creative Writing.
Having spent far too many hours playing Pokémon, he's now on a quest to be the very best like no one ever was...at putting words in the right order.
Articles by Aaron Astle
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Hot Five
Hot Five: Former Unity CEO David Helgason resigns from board, Supercell’s content creator furore, and Mattel acquires full ownership of Mattel163
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
New Games
New release roundup: Cadence, Goblin Sushi, Shiren: Serpentcoil Island, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Jobs Roundup
February 2026's Movers and Shakers: Shifts at Steel Media, Sega’s new CFO, Unity's board room shuffle, and more
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
Revenue Results
EA makes $254m on mobile this Q3 as FC Mobile drives net bookings
Mobile represented approximately 13% of EA’s total net revenue during the three months
Pgc London
The relationship between games and AI: Mechanisms, history and constant evolution
At PGC London, AI Guys CTO Ken Noland compared AI mechanisms to historic games and genres
Roblox Records
Roblox revenue up 36% Y/Y as Grow a Garden and Steal a Brainrot drive multiple milestones
Nearly $4.9bn was generated in 2025, with $6.8bn in bookings
Square Sales
"Weakness in existing titles" as Square Enix’s net sales fall 13% Y/Y
Despite the decline, operating income has risen by 39% year-over-year
Super Bowl Surprises
Pokémon and Mario splash the cash with Super Bowl LX ads
Lady Gaga’s favourite Pokémon, how Yoshi rides a motorbike and more unveiled at the NFL’s premium event
Collab Incoming
Honkai: Star Rail characters are coming to Fortnite
The crossover will commence on February 26th, 2026
Hot Five
Hot Five: Ares Interactive raises $70m, Google's Project Genie sparks gaming shares decline, and Arknights: Endfield hits $30m in two weeks
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
New Games
New release roundup: Civilization VII Arcade Edition, Might and Magic Fates TCG, King's Gambit, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Pgc London
Direct-to-consumer at PGC London: "The Pandora’s Box is open"
Appcharge founder and CEO Maor Sason spoke with Play Ventures founding partner Harri Manninen at PGC London 2026 about the evolution of D2C
Endfield Earnings
Arknights: Endfield hits $30m in two weeks on mobile
Gryphline’s new gacha was released globally on January 22nd
Switch 2 Sales
Switch 2 surpasses 17m unit sales as Nintendo’s net sales rise 99%
The original Switch has become Nintendo’s best-selling console in history, at over 155m units and 1.5bn software sales
Making Monopoly Go
"Playfulness and mischief": The strengths of subtle storytelling in Monopoly Go
Monopoly Go's director of content design Phil Williams talks fresh events, seasons and connecting with players
Fire Emblem Festivity
Nintendo’s Fire Emblem Heroes celebrates ninth anniversary and over $1.2bn in revenue
The strategy RPG series successfully found its mobile niche as a gacha, surpassing all other Nintendo mobile games
Hot Five
Hot Five: Love and Deepspace’s second anniversary, Arknights: Endfield’s payment problems, and Aristocrat Leisure sells off Big Fish Games assets
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
New Games
New release roundup: Candy Crush Crushable, Dokimon Quest, Tetris Block Party, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
An Anniversary Arrives
Love and Deepspace celebrates second anniversary as $1bn milestone draws near
Players celebrated in-game with a special banner and IRL at a Manhattan sci-fi setting
Candy Crush Crushable
Candy Crush Crushable is a new daily puzzle game exclusive to Yahoo Games
King’s daily logic title will support Yahoo Games’ comeback, aiming to be "a best-in-class destination for casual play"
Road To Kalos
Pokémon Go to experiment with new strategy on the Road to Kalos
Ahead of this year’s Go Tour, the now-Scopely-owned title will echo some of Go’s most lucrative events
Pgc London
Monetisation trends to watch in 2026: "Player expectations have changed"
PGC London panellists discussed the latest ad and in-app purchase strategies on mobile
Payment Problem
Arknights: Endfield players hit with extra PayPal charges at launch
Some players who made PayPal purchases were erroneously overcharged on launch day
Pgc London
PGC London's industry health check: Investment, AI, D2C, and advantages of the UK
PGC London pannelists discussed a range of topics checking in on the post-pandemic landscape
Share Slump
Ubisoft shares fall almost 40% in five days as restructure plans unveiled
Shares have fallen from €6.63 on January 21st to €4.03 on January 26th
Hot Five
Hot Five: PGC London talks, MoneyTime’s $3m seed round, and mobile’s $167bn year in IAP revenue
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
New Games
New release roundup: Crossplay, Dragon Traveler, Arknights: Endfield, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Pgc London
Around 60% of Snapchat ads are for games
Snapchat’s Sara Antonelli spoke at PGC London about "impressive" Playables results
Candy Crush Challenge
Crafting Candy Crush’s difficulty: Blockers, level design, AI and the "complexity staircase"
Candy Crush’s senior product manager John Davies shares level design insights and tips on making a challenging puzzle fun
New Games
New release roundup: A Webbing Journey, MU: Dark Awakening, Motto Immortal, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
City Expansion
How Subway Surfers City aims to expand the franchise with unique ways to play
Sybo studio director Rafael Rodrigues discusses expectations for the new spinoff title launching on February 26th, 2026
Subway Surfers City
Subway Surfers City opens pre-registrations ahead of February launch
The "next chapter" for the Subway Surfers IP will release on February 26th, 2026
Theatre Time
Umamusume: Pretty Derby movie marked for US theatrical release
Umamusume: Pretty Derby - Beginning of a New Era will be the franchise’s first theatrical release in North America, coming February 27th
Jobs Roundup
January 2026's Movers and Shakers: Meta Reality Labs lays off dev relations head, Jagex creative design director exits, Unity's Larry Hryb is out, and more
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
Pgc London
Meet the UK Video Games Council in Q&A panel at Pocket Gamer Connects London
The two-day event kicks off on January 19th, 2026
Indie Revolution
Is an indie revolution coming in 2026?
Competitive pricing, a tough economy, and "better and better" experiences - is this the formula for indies to soar?
Hot Five
Hot Five: Four years of Savvy Games Group, Pixel Flow’s seven-figure investment, and how soft launch is changing in 2026
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
New Games
New release roundup: Heartopia, Cozy Caravan, Ichinome Monsters, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past weeks
Creative Candy
Competitive or casual? Designing Candy Crush with "a spectrum of flavours"
King’s senior game designer Mick Heijkens shares insights into game system overhauls, experimental design, and pleasing "a wide mix of playstyles"
Discovery Decision
Warner Bros. Discovery’s board unanimously rejects Paramount’s latest offer
The offer was made after an $82.7 billion deal with Netflix was already agreed, meaning multiple fees would be charged for backing out
Sophisticated Soft Launch
Soft launch is changing in 2026: How and where should you release your game?
Matej Lancaric and Claire Rozain discuss how soft launching games will change this year
Sonic Start
Sonic Rumble jogs to $772,000 in two months
The party royale had its most lucrative day early on, but events are keeping things moving
Eggy Endeavour
Eggy Party cracks $750m in mobile player spending
Player spending has fallen for two consecutive years, with 2023 still responsible for over 50% of the lifetime sum
Enhanced Experience
UX in Candy Crush and the "deceptively complex" world of boosters
King’s principal UX designer Andrea Serfaty talks player experience, the Super Colour Bomb, and more
Hot Five
Hot Five: Top grossing games of 2025, Nitro Games promotions, and New York’s mental health warnings for social media
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Best Of 2025
Aaron Astle’s top stories of 2025: Solitaire’s surge, Nintendo Switch 2, and Pokémon TCG Pocket dethrones Pokémon Go
PocketGamer.biz news editor Aaron Astle revisits his top stories from 2025
Come Together
Why Scopely hosted real-world event Dough Fest for Monopoly Go
The community get-together combined with global in-game trading event Trade Fest
New Games
New release roundup: Maneater, Sengodai, Cozy Coast: Merge Adventure, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Asian Domination
Asia dominates 2025’s biggest mobile releases as top 10 new games make $2.2bn
Spending on the biggest new releases fell, down from $3bn across the top 10 of 2024