Crowdfunding
Clash of Clans Tabletop Game surpasses $50,000 Kickstarter goal in 30 minutes
Game is set to release in 2026
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
Funding For Games
Bigger Games raises $25m to fuel global expansion
Studio set to scale its currently soft-launched mobile game Kitchen Masters
New Partnerships
NBA, NBPA, and 2K strike new multiyear deal to expand global partnership
All parties involved are also launching a new NBA Take-Two Media as part of the deal
M&a
Korean games industry slams Tencent’s Nexon pursuit as threat to national security
It remains uncertain whether NXC is open to selling its Nexon stake
Trade War
Shenzhen targets 55% digital service trade by 2035 in new growth strategy
The strategy focuses on industrial support, IP development, infrastructure and more
New Offerings
HoYoverse to open its first ever themed café in Berlin this June
The café will launch with a Genshin Impact and Zenless Zone Zero event from June 20th to July 13th
Funding News
Candy Crush veterans secure $4.6m for Studio555’s interior design game app
Developer plans to launch the app next year
Agreement Reached
SAG-AFTRA board approves tentative deal to end strikes
Members have until July 9th, 2025 to vote on ratification
New Partnerships
Xsolla partners with Defold to simplify in-game purchases for web developers
“This is a huge win for our developers heading into the Game Jam,” said Defold product owner Björn Ritzl
Earnings Report
Ten Square Games records $7.4m profit despite drop in bookings
The company plans to double its efforts on scaling live games amidst ‘market evolution’
Training Camp
Khalifa Fund opens registration for 8th Venturist Summer Camp focused on game development
“The camp will also prepare students for freelance and future career opportunities in the gaming sector,” said Khalifa Fund acting CEO Mouza Al Nasri
Wwdc 2025
Apple expands iOS features with new social tools and player overlays
The iPhone maker also showcased new additions to developer tools such as Metal 4 and Xcode 26
New Offerings
Unity launches Audience Hub to help marketers bring privacy-first targeting to games
The tool is currently available to marketers in the US and Canada
Acqusitions
Nazara acquires Smaaash for $14.7m aiming to revamp the brand with digital IPs
“Smaaash was a bold idea once. It's time to build on that idea with sharper execution and a clearer lens,” said Nazara CEO Nitish Mittersain
Strike Over
SAG-AFTRA ends strike against video game companies after reaching tentative AI protections deal
All members have been instructed to return to work
Funding News
Team Angels launches to back early-stage startups in Mumbai
The initiative offers equity funding between ₹40 lakhs ($45,000) and ₹1.5 crore ($175,000)
Game Ban
Hong Kong bans mobile game promoting anti-communist content
The game has now been removed from both the Google Play and Apple’s App Store in Hong Kong
Price Adjustments
Supercell adjusts in-game prices in multiple countries due to tax and exchange rate changes
Price increase impact titles in Brazil, Peru, Azerbaijan and others
Studio Closure
Dundee game studio Cobra Mobile shuts down after 20 years
The liquidation has resulted in eight employees being made redundant
Leadership Overhaul
Phil Rogers named CEO of Embracer as Lars Wingefors shifts focus to M&A
Wingefors will leave the executive management team from August 1st, but stay on as a board member until the annual general meeting
Summer Camp
Zynga to host Girls Make Games 2025 summer camp at San Mateo HQ
Participants will learn the fundamentals of game development and design while working in teams
Marvellous Mena
Dubai’s games industry surges with 260 game developers and 16.6% growth rate
Data shows that 67% of game companies have their headquarters in Dubai
End In Sight
SAG-AFTRA reaches tentative deal with games companies to end strike
The labour union has been on strike against video game companies since July 26th, 2024
Strategic Growth
Games for Change welcomes five new board members
New and existing board members will guide the organisation's next phase of growth
Job News
Roblox names Naveen Chopra as new chief financial officer
Chopra is succeeding Michael Guthrie, who will be stepping down as CFO to pursue personal interests
Lawsuit Triumph
Tencent wins IP case against Peacekeeper Elite content leaker
The ruling comes over three years since the case first began in January 2022
New Offerings
FunPlus launches new cross-platform publishing label Kingsglory with debut game Aniimo
The title is set to launch in 2026 for Xbox Series X|S, PC and mobile
Accelerator Program
Turkish game startups join UK-focused accelerator ahead of London Tech Week
Startups include PaxAnimi Games, Game Actor, and Yamy Studio
Milestone
Moonton Games' Magic Chess: Go Go has surpassed 30m downloads
MCGG garnered more than 20m pre-registrations before launching globally on May 28th
New Offerings
Google brings Play Points to Roblox with launch of Diamond District experience
The search giant said the experience will be live until July 2nd, 2025
Marvellous Mena
Abu Dhabi University launches region’s first BA in Game Design
The program will offer a wide range of courses including genre-specific studies such as first-person shooters and mobile games
Funding News
Kohort closes fundraising round to fuel expansion beyond mobile
The funds will go towards platform development
Market Report
US video game spending hit $59.3 billion in 2024 led by mobile
Mobile is the most popular platform with 72% of households
Funding For Games
Yarnhub Animation raises $2.1m to develop WWII title
The team also plans to develop games using Unreal Engine 5, the same technology behind its animated films
Layoff News
Jagex cuts operational staff to refocus on player experience
Project Zanaris is also delayed
Winners Revealed
Apple reveals 2025 Design Awards winners
Balatro clinched best game in delight and fun category
New Partnerships
RevenueCat and Paddle partner to simplify web and mobile subscriptions
“Our goal at RevenueCat has always been simple: help developers make more money," said RevenueCat CEO and co-founder Jacob Eiting
Partnerships
Moloco and Xiaomi partner to expand global ad reach with machine learning
Brazil, India, Turkey, and Germany account for most of Xiaomi’s ad exposure
Esports World Cup
Esports World Cup Foundation partners with Amazon in three-year deal
“With Amazon, we are bringing esports into everyday digital lives for millions of people around the world,” said Esports World Cup Foundation COO Mike McCabe.
Funding For Games
Games Scale Up Fund awards £850,000 to six Welsh studios
Applications for Games Development Fund between £10,000 and £50,000 is ongoing until June 5th, 2025
Studio Closure
Zynga to shut down Torchlight 3 developer Echtra Games after four years
Echtra Games is listed as having 61 employees on its LinkedIn page
Market Report
Asia and MENA games markets hit $86.6 billion in 2024
Revenue is projected to reach $96bn by 2029
Mergers & Acquisitions
Siyata eyes $126bn mobile games market with Core Gaming merger
Core Gaming CEO Aitan Zacharin will lead the combined entity
New Partnerships
Khalifa Fund and Inovartic partner to support UAE games startups
Support will come in form of incubation, specialised training, and financial aid
New Offerings
Roblox unveils License Manager to let developers build with popular IPs
The tool is set to launch in Q3
New Partnerships
Appcharge partners with AppsFlyer to bridge mobile and web store analytics
The strategic partnership aims to fill a gap in measuring lifetime value (LTV) and campaign optimisation
New Offerings
ZiMAD launches World Hunger Day campaign in Magic Jigsaw Puzzles and Domino
50% of proceeds will be donated to The Hunger Project
Women In Games
Women in Games advocates for stronger inclusion following UK supreme court ruling
The organisation said it will work with policymakers, studios, schools, and grassroots groups to make the games industry truly inclusive
New Offerings
Stash launches in-game popups on iOS to boost off-platform conversions
“With the changes to Apple’s US guidelines, developers finally have more freedom to guide players toward better value,” said Stash co-founder Justin Kan.
Child Safety
Texas passes child safety law requiring age checks on app stores
Law is effective from January 1st