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
Staff
Aaron Astle
Job Title
Features & Data Editor
About Aaron is the Features & Data Editor at PG.biz and has a First-Class 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
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
Warner Warning
Warner Bros. will urge shareholders against Paramount’s $108.4bn deal, reports claim
A deal with Netflix was already accepted, subject to regulatory approval
Retention Rates
"We don’t talk about low CPIs anymore" as hybridcasual raises player retention
Utku Erdinç and Teemu Kokkonen discussed genres and retention rates at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2025
Award Achieved
Shift Up CEO wins Presidential Commendation for Goddess of Victory: Nikke and Stellar Blade
His impact on South Korea’s games industry was recognised by the Ministry for Culture, Sports, and Tourism
Supercell Shift
Supercell elevates Sara Bach to president as key teams unite under Live Games banner
Paananen called this Live Games unit the "next evolution of Supercell"
Action Arrival
Where Winds Meet makes $557,000 during launch weekend outside China
Everstone Studio’s flagship launched overseas on mobile on December 12th
Hot Five
Hot Five: Netflix vs Paramount in Warner Bros. deal, EasyWin lands $15m valuation, and Duolingo’s Genshin Impact crossover
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Privacy Policy
Stricter data collection rules mark a "defining moment" for India's games industry
The updated Digital Personal Data Protection Act requires greater transparency and data protection
New Games
New release roundup: Where Winds Meet, Rust Mobile, Bluey’s Quest for the Gold Pen, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Pgc Helsinki
How Mo.co used AI to test the player experience
Markus Ojala spoke at PGC Helsinki about "reinforcement learning" and using bots to test Supercell’s latest launch
Startup Seed
AI-powered startup EasyWin lands $15m valuation at close of first seed round
Funding came from Velo Partners, Vladimir Nikolsky, and various private angel investors
Capturing A Crossover
Duolingo taps Genshin Impact players with crossover rewards
The three-week collaboration begins today, with retained Duolingo players earning in-game rewards in Genshin Impact
Hot Five
Hot Five: Netflix to acquire Warner Bros, Google Play in-app purchases fall, and Kingshot surpasses $500m
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
New Games
New release roundup: Subway Surfers+, Monument Valley 3, Hello Kitty and Friends World, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Ramping Up Revenue
Kingshot catapults past $500m with nine months of consecutive growth
Century Games’ latest 4X strategy hit made $96.7m this November
For The Fish
How player feedback, memes, and rebuilt architecture led to Candy Crush’s "Fish 3.0"
As Candy Crush’s Swedish Fish fell behind, the team set out to revolutionise their mechanics to meet modern gameplay standards
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"
Jobs Roundup
December 2025’s Movers and Shakers: Clash of Clans’ esports manager, Metacore’s new CTO, Ali Farha joins Behold Ventures, and more
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
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
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
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
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
Hot Five
Hot Five: Roblox CEO's heated debate, Gear Games' $5m funding, and Infinity Nikki’s big update
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
New Games
New release roundup: Netflix Puzzled, Hello Yoshi, Fruit Ninja Adventures, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
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
Candy Crush Collectibles
Why collectibles matter and how pins "explore details of the Candy Crush world"
Artists and narrative designers spent hundreds of hours coming up with pins, introduced into Candy Crush in 2023. We ask senior narrative designer Catt Mott if they’ve paid off
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
Apps Vs Games
"I don't see app studios getting into games. I just see game studios getting into apps"
EHVM Capital founder Evelin Herrera talks M&A and why apps are able to scale and attract more investment right now
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
In The Shadows
Fire Emblem Shadows makes just $353,000 in two months
Fire Emblem Heroes generated $77.6m in its first two months in 2017
Safety Systems
Roblox CEO David Baszucki has heated debate about child safety: "I would categorically reject the actual description of what you’re saying"
The platform’s founder told The New York Times about how "enormously important" it is to pre-empt risks
Hot Five
Hot Five: Supercell's AI plans, Tim Sweeney at Unite 2025, and Resident Evil Survival Unit hits 1m installs
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
New Games
New release roundup: Resident Evil Survival Unit, Besiege, The Sims Labs: Life Together and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week