Expansions
Outfit7 launches PlayValley to expand into PC and mobile game development
The new studio is developing original new IPs aimed at expanding Outfit7’s portfolio beyond its existing franchises
Staff
Isa Muhammad
Job Title
MENA Reporter
About Isa Muhammad is the Lead MENA Reporter at PocketGamer.biz, spearheading the team's Middle East & Africa games coverage. He's been in games media for over seven years and is steadily writing his way to the sharp end of journalism. If he's not reading, playing games or catching up on his favorite TV shows, he's probably writing about them.
Articles by Isa Muhammad
Accelerator Program
Ukie and Tencent expand Games Growth Programme with 30 UK studios in new cohort
The programme combines an Accelerator track for emerging studios with a Scale-up track for high-growth companies
Developer Support
Arcade launches data-first publishing model for casual and hybrid-casual studios
The publisher’s model centres on analytics-driven decision-making and hands-on product execution
Market Report
Global mobile in-app purchase revenue hit $167bn in 2025
Over 280,000 apps were downloaded per minute, reaching 149 billion downloads in 2025 according to a new report from Sensor Tower
Esports World Cup
Esports World Cup 2026 to feature a $75m total prize pool
The winning Club will earn $7m as part of the expanded Club Championship payouts
New Partnerships
Coda partners with Unity to integrate in-app purchasing into web store platforms
Developers can manage digital catalogues across mobile, web, and PC through Unity’s existing IAP workflow
Milestone
RuneScape surpasses $3bn in lifetime revenue as Jagex marks 25th anniversary
The RS25 programme is positioned as the most ambitious evolution in RuneScape’s history
Talent Development
Belfast XR Festival launches £200,000 immersive development programme
Teams will receive stipends, mentoring, masterclasses, and hands-on prototyping support
Vision 2030
Scotland targets £1bn games sector by 2030 with new national action plan
The plan reframes games as a driver of economic growth, skills development and cross-sector innovation
Regulations
Italy watchdog opens probes into Activision Blizzard over mobile game monetisation
Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile are under scrutiny for allegedly misleading free-to-play practices
Funding News
Turborilla secures $5m non-dilutive user acquisition funding to accelerate growth
The studio reported its strongest financial performance in more than three years in December
New Offerings
Orbital expands to PC after surpassing 200,000 downloads on mobile
The mobile title recorded more than 180,000 hours of player engagement since its 2022 launch
Company Culture
"This is bullsh*t": Supercell opens up on cancelled projects and the role of failure in creativity
The company celebrates cancelled projects with a champagne toast to courage, not success
Strategic Move
Spry Fox founders take substantial pay cuts following Netflix buyback
The founders reduced their salaries to $20,000 per year during the "extremely fast" sale
Milestone
Fingersoft's Hill Climb Racing passes 2bn downloads worldwide
The physics-based driving title still attracts over 4 million daily players
Milestone
Game District surpasses 2.2 billion downloads in 2025
The mobile developer reached a peak of 22m daily active users last year
Next Steps
Krafton enters execution phase of long-term franchise IP strategy
The publisher plans to increase first-party investment while expanding its publishing output and tightening resource allocation
Layoff News
Playtika to lay off 500 employees in latest round of cuts
CEO Robert Antokol says the company is moving away from an unsustainable growth strategy
Market Growth
German games sector hits €3.73bn in revenue
Federal games funding has been a key growth driver, providing studios with $145m in annual support
Funding News
Liquidnitro Games raises $19.1m to scale AI-driven live services platform
The company is targeting growth across India, MENA, and Southeast Asia
Funding News
TaleMonster Games raises $30m Series A to scale Match Valley
The Istanbul-based studio plans to scale its debut title and launch a second game later this year
Funding News
Khosouf Studio secures $600,000 to fuel next phase of growth
The funding will support the studio’s relocation from the UAE to Saudi Arabia
Going Public
Liftoff files for IPO in the US
IPO proceeds are expected to be used for general corporate purposes and to repay outstanding debt
Layoff News
Ubisoft cuts 29 jobs at Abu Dhabi studio
The layoffs follow Ubisoft’s confirmed closure of Ubisoft Halifax as part of wider global restructuring
New Offerings
Samsung revamps mobile gaming hub with personalised discovery
The platform aims to become a central destination for game discovery on Galaxy devices
Investment Shift
Saudi Arabia's PIF to transfer $12bn in gaming shares to Savvy Games Group
The move includes stakes in Nintendo and Bandai Namco Holdings, strengthening Savvy’s global games portfolio
Ai In Games
Shift Up CEO says AI is key to competing with China’s game industry scale
Kim argues AI adoption will boost productivity rather than replace jobs in the games industry
New Studio
Appcharge expands to Türkiye with new office in Istanbul
Istanbul hub to focus on commercial growth, customer success, and partnerships
Funding News
One Rule Games closes seed round to build hybridcasual mobile titles
The Montpellier-based studio is looking to launch its first titles this year
New Offerings
Pocketpair unveils Palworld Official Card Game for 2026 launch
Palworld Official Card Game will launch on July 30th, 2026 in partnership with Bushiroad
New Offerings
LEGO Pokémon sets launching in February
The Kanto starter evolutions set is the most expensive release, priced at $649.99
New Studio
Halal Games launches with values-driven game development focus
The developer aims to create fun games without gambling mechanics, musical instruments, or explicit content
Lawsuit
Paramount sues Warner Bros. Discovery over Netflix offer disclosure
The lawsuit follows WBD's rejection of Paramount’s amended tender offer to acquire the company
Industry Outlook
Games industry M&A hit a record $161bn in 2025
Electronic Arts’ $55bn buyout and Netflix’s $82.7bn acquisition of Warner Bros. dominated dealmaking during the year
Investment News
E2VC closes €100m Fund III to continue backing early-stage founders
The firm said it has already committed to more than 10 companies under Fund III
New Offerings
Epic Games rolls out in-island transactions for Fortnite Creative
Creators can now sell digital items and offers using V-Bucks inside their custom Fortnite Creative islands
Layoff News
Warner Bros. Games reportedly cuts staff at San Francisco studio
Senior staff confirmed the cuts via LinkedIn, with at least one entire team affected
Milestone
AppsFlyer surpasses $500m in ARR as firm reportedly nears sale
The milestone comes amid reports of a potential $2bn acquisition
Online Safety
Roblox rolls out mandatory facial age checks for in-game chat worldwide
Users must now complete an age check before they can chat with others
Esports Growth
Esports World Cup Foundation unveils national team framework for Esports Nations Cup 2026
At least $20m per year will be committed to supporting national team programmes
Job News
Aghanim appoints new CRO and COO
The duo will lead teams across New York City and Los Angeles
Job News
NetEase Games veteran Lin Yunfeng resigns after more than 22 years at the company
His departure follows a major internal restructuring of the publisher's games business last year
New Offerings
Rovio and Sega unite Angry Birds licensing under global transmedia strategy
The move forms part of a broader long-term investment in the Angry Birds brand roadmap
Game Jam
Global Game Jam aims to surpass 500,000 lifetime participants ahead of 2026 event
The annual event brings together developers, students, and creatives to build games around a shared global theme
Anniversary
Savvy Games Group CEO Brian Ward talks four years of growth, major acquisitions and what comes next
“If the people who played Scopely’s games over the last 12 months were a country, they would be the third largest country in the world"
Layoff News
Ubisoft closes Halifax studio weeks after unionisation
The closure will result in 71 employees losing their jobs
Milestone
Block Blast reaches 70m daily active users and 300m monthly active users worldwide
Hungry Studio credits the milestone to a year-long experimentation system running more than 10,000 A/B tests
Funding News
NEOM selects five studios for funding in expanded Level Up accelerator
An additional 18 studios will join an expanded mentorship phase, marking the programme’s largest cycle to date
New Offerings
Roblox reveals new Homepage Feature and expands programmatic partnerships
The company said younger audiences are shifting from passive viewing to active participation in creator-led environments
Marvellous Mena
How MENA studios can attract funding in 2026
Securing capital this year will require more than creative ambition alone