New Offerings
Esports Foundation and JioBLAST launch India Rising pathway to Esports World Cup
Chess will serve as the first competitive title for the programme
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
Esports Tournament
The Battle of Polytopia World Championship returns with a $10,000 prize pool
More than 10,000 players entered the tournament qualifiers in 2025
New Offerings
Flexion launches Exprexion to help expand mobile game monetisation beyond Apple and Google
The company is pushing for a more decentralised future for mobile game distribution
New Partnerships
Gamefam teams up with Borussia Dortmund for FIFA Super Soccer on Roblox
The event introduces exclusive Borussia Dortmund-themed quests and rewards for players
Funding Influx
Astrocade raises $56m to expand AI-powered games creation platform
The company claims its platform now generates hundreds of millions of plays monthly
Legal Proceedings
Supreme Court rejects Apple's bid to pause Epic Games contempt ruling
Apple now returns to Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers to fight over what commission it can lawfully charge on external payments
Funding For Games
Griffin Gaming Partners launches $100m indie games fund
The fund has already backed 15 game projects
New Offerings
IGDA Portugal launches to support local game developers
The organisation aims to support sustainable careers for game developers across Portugal
Comeback
Freecash returns to Google Play after policy review
Almedia is still working with Apple to restore Freecash on iOS
Leadership Change
Microsoft reshuffles Xbox leadership as Asha Sharma pushes turnaround
The Windows company will discontinue Copilot on console and begin winding down the mobile version
India On The Rise
LVL Zero founding partner Krish Anurag on selecting studios, equity-free funding and building India's global game pipeline
"The best teams aren't building just for India. They're building from India for players across the globe"
Unionisation
Wizards of the Coast declines to recognise MTG Arena union
Workers say an NLRB election is now expected within weeks
New Partnerships
Savvy Games Group and Roblox sign MoU to grow Saudi Arabia’s game development ecosystem
Partnership focuses on game development training and education initiatives
Investment News
EasyWin closes second seed funding round at $20m valuation
The company expands its real-money gaming platform into 12 countries
New Offerings
Supercell taps action sports filmmaker Ty Evans for Clash Royale short film
The campaign creates a fictional extreme sport called “rhino riding.”
Acqusitions
Supercell to acquire Merge Mansion studio Metacore as 160 jobs could be cut
Growth ambitions failed to materialise at the Finnish developer
Acqusitions
GameStop submits $55bn bid to acquire eBay
Ryan Cohen set to lead combined company if deal closes
New Offerings
Unity launches open beta for Unity AI game development tools
The new system is built directly into the Unity Editor
New Partnerships
Starbreeze partners with Gamefam for new Payday game on Roblox
The title is scheduled to launch later this year
Funding News
Chance Studios raises $3.2M for trading card collectibles platform
Platform surpassed $100,000 in daily trading volume during beta
Funding News
Turkish mobile studio Mindtail raises $2m for AI-driven puzzle games
The studio aims to triple its team size after the funding round
Epic Release
Epic Games Store launches on iPhone in Japan
Japanese iPhone users can now download Fortnite directly from Epic
Acqusitions
Pearl Abyss sells EVE Online studio CCP Games to management in $120m deal
The company acquired CCP Games for $425m in 2018
Partnership Extension
Star Wars expands in Fortnite with official creator tools and new experiences
Fortnite players can access new Star Wars PvP, co-op and tycoon games
Leadership Change
Jam City co-founder Joshua Yguado steps down as CEO after 16 years
Kabam CEO Chul-min Sim will serve as chief executive of both companies following his appointment
New Offerings
Roblox reveals hybrid architecture for photorealistic multiplayer worlds
“This architecture will empower creators of all sizes”
Pokemon Partnership
Pokémon Go teams up with LEGO for Go Fest 2026 in Copenhagen
The partnership ties into Pokémon Go’s 10-year anniversary celebrations
New Offerings
GameMaker launches new runtime to enable larger-scale development workflows
Source access and 3D upgrades expand the engine’s capabilities
Game Closure
Kakao Games to shut down Eversoul after three years of service
Shutdown process underway with purchases already disabled
New Offerings
Ares Interactive and AMC reveal free-to-play Walking Dead roguelite for mobile
Swift Games, the studio behind Heroes vs Hordes is handling development
Apple Troubles
US Appeals Court reverses Apple's stay of mandate in Epic Games case
Epic Games calls ruling the end of Apple’s delay tactics
Dma Review
EU's Digital Markets Act has "not yet reached its full potential"
Cloud and AI markets are next in the Commission's enforcement crosshairs
Unionisation
Magic: The Gathering Arena team unionises under CWA
Workers are demanding protections on layoffs, AI adoption and remote work
Market Growth
UK studios face heavier workloads as 62% report pressure from skill shortages
TIGA calls for stronger education and policy alignment in new report
Milestone
Ludus surpasses 10m downloads as new Divisions system drives competitive play
Ludus records 74.6% year-over-year revenue growth
Industry Outlook
European studios increased freelance spending 63% in 2025 as hiring shifts toward contract work
New study from Mellow shows remote talent demand is rising across every major role category
Acqusitions
Atari acquires Implicit Conversions to expand retro game preservation efforts
The deal expands emulation capabilities particularly for 32-bit era games
Cafes Incoming
Square Enix confirms official cafe and shops for Los Angeles and Shinjuku
The venues will feature themed food and drinks inspired by multiple game franchises
Going Public
Modern Times Group's PlaySimple files for $350m IPO in Mumbai
The Swedish firm will retain majority ownership post-listing
Milestone
Torn RPG surpasses 100,000 daily players after 22 years of growth
The game’s daily player count has more than doubled since early 2024
Global Ambition
Afrime Studios founders on funding Unyverse and building for 670m players of colour
“We've been in rooms where the vision is clear, the opportunity is clear, and you still feel the weight of scepticism that isn't evenly distributed"
Company Rebrand
Test Tropic rebrands to Tropic QA as company targets global expansion
The move signals expanded capabilities and a more global-facing strategy
Industry Outlook
Germany's games company count hits 956 but total employees fall for the second consecutive year
Funding programmes helped drive the creation of 75 new studios
Africa Is Mobile
"If players are not consistently returning and genuinely enjoying the experience, no payment model will succeed"
Maliyo Games’ founder Hugo Obi on mobile monetisation in Africa, execution gaps and why retention matters more than pricing
Legal Proceedings
Papaya Gaming ordered to pay $420m in landmark false advertising verdict
Verdict marks largest Lanham Act award in history
Funding News
Metasports Interactive secures $20m non-dilutive user acquisition funding
Capital will be used to scale marketing and global user acquisition
Funding News
Soloband Games raises Series A led by Zubr Capital to scale flagship title
Funding will accelerate user acquisition and global market reach
New Offerings
Finland confirms stock option tax reform aimed at strengthening startup talent competition
Tax now applies only when shares are sold, not when options are exercised
Layoff News
Behaviour Interactive confirms layoffs amid declining external development demand
Declining mobile and casual development work cited as key driver of layoffs
Strategic Move
Microsoft says Xbox mobile store “not dead” despite stalled rollout
Xbox also outlined a new strategy in a recent blog post