Unity's potential $25bn buyout, AI's IP risks, Pikmin Bloom's record year and player re-engagement | Week in Views
The games industry moves quickly and while stories may come and go there are some that we just can't let go of…
So, to give those particularly thorny topics a further going over we've created a weekly digest where the members of the PocketGamer.biz team share their thoughts and go that little bit deeper on some of the more interesting things that have happened in mobile gaming in the past week.
Craig Chapple
Report: Silver Lake and PIF explore $25bn deal to acquire Unity
We had speculated here that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund might start pulling back from its investments in the games industry. It’s already invested substantial amounts acquiring shares in the world’s top companies, while PIF-owned Savvy Games Group acquired Scopely - and that publisher going on to buy Niantic’s games business and Loom Games. The PIF has also purchased publishing giant EA in a $55 billion mega deal.
In the wake of Savvy Games Group CEO Brian Ward’s departure, our MENA reporter Isa Muhammad wrote about all that here. Ward leaving coincided with Saudi Arabia pulling back investments elsewhere, such as LIV Golf and the NEOM project.
But, it seems, the PIF might not be done with games. Partnering once again with Silver Lake (as with the EA deal), Reuters reports it’s eyeing up a $25bn deal to buy Unity.
Unity, of course, is perhaps the most widely used game engine in the world. It’s suffered major setbacks - the Runtime Fee fiasco has seen some developers shift to tools like Godot, as I outlined here.
The company’s most promising business also appears to be in ads, with Vector helping to scale sales as Unity looks to take on AppLovin. Game engines have always been a tricky business - how, exactly, do you monetise them? I analysed that topic here, too I also previously wrote a history of game engines article way back in 2016!).
While Unity’s star may have fallen, it still represents a critical part of the industry and how games are made. If the $25bn deal is another highly leveraged buyout, what does that mean for Unity’s future focus and structure?
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 could suggest that part of the aim is to help it fuel its tech ambitions at home.
But should a deal emerge, what PIF, if it even has the capacity for this, and Unity management will have to ensure is confidence in Unity’s long-term future. The company simply cannot afford anymore shocks to its reputation and business model, even if it has been on the road to recovery. Developers want one thing: stability.
After the Unity Runtime Fee was axed, I recall this quote from Rami Ismail in the Mobile Mavens, which remains relevant if Unity gets acquired by the PIF or any other suitor.
“Not only was it a massive blow to people's trust in the engine and Unity's understanding of development realities affecting their userbase, but their communication also sent a signal that if the model didn't go through, the continuity of Unity as an engine isn't guaranteed - honestly, the one thing that developers need from an engine is for it to keep existing.”
Paige Cook
Outfit7's VP of legal on the risks AI poses to game IP ownership
We hear a lot about AI in the games industry, particularly around how it’s being used to speed up processes. But one area I feel hasn’t come up as much in recent conversations is the legal side of things, especially when it comes to working with other IPs.
I spoke with Outfit7 VP of legal Tina Stockbauer Zagorac for an interview this week and she raised some interesting points.
For one, there’s the question of what exactly teams are putting into these AI tools. If you are uploading your own code, unreleased assets, or even featuring an IP belonging to a partner, how can you be sure that information isn’t being used or shared elsewhere?
Then there’s the issue of ownership in general. If AI helped create something, at what point can you actually claim it as your own? And how much human involvement is needed to ensure that your work is protected? This is all part of the wider AI discussion too, not just in games.
Zagorac didn’t simply say studios should avoid AI. She offered practical advice on how teams can protect their work and stay mindful of the risks while still exploring these tools. Because let's be honest, AI tools in game development aren’t going anywhere, so learning how to use them safely is crucial.
We also had part one of a Mobile Mavens go out this week that shared a whole host of opinions on AI and people’s views on the promise and challenges that come with the territory.
Aaron Astle
Pikmin Bloom blossoms in fifth year with record $36m
Between Ocarina of Time and Monster Hunter Outlanders, I’m spoilt for choice on what to play right now. But, a lesser-discussed game that often flies under the radar is getting a big update too.
Pikmin Bloom has just celebrated its five-year anniversary with record annual revenue, continuing to blossom into one of the biggest geolocation games around. These days, it’s actually outearning Monster Hunter Now, although of course it faces still competition from Pokémon Go.
Pikmin Bloom has made $97.1m in net revenue between Google Play and the App Store since launch with $36.1m of that coming during its fifth year. That accounts for 37% of lifetime earnings, not including its web shop.
Much of this growth is due to a frankly explosive spending surge in Taiwan, where spending grew by more than 900% in H1 2026 and even outperformed Japan during this latest trip around the sun.
With a fresh revenue stream and record numbers, there’s a natural incentive for Scopely Explore to introduce new content, too. Soon, Pikmin Bloom will feature a new mode taking inspiration from Nintendo’s Pikmin 2 and Pikmin 4, that being underground cave systems. Pikmin will go in search of treasure but may encounter hungry enemies along the way, finally giving players a proper battle mode to test out their Pikmin squad’s combat abilities.
Considering Pikmin Bloom’s emphasis on collection, no Pikmin will be harmed in the process. They can’t get eaten, but they might need a rest from time to time.
Mariam Ahmad
How Supremacy: Warhammer 40,000 developer Twin Harbour Interactive wins back lapsed players
If one thing unites almost every mobile marketer I talk to, it’s a tired sigh about CPIs. We were asking whether acquisition costs were really rising more than a decade ago. Spoiler: they have, and show no signs of slowing down.
So it’s refreshing when a studio says it’s trying something different, and even more refreshing when it admits the first attempt didn’t work.
Stillfront’s Twin Harbour Interactive, the studio behind the Supremacy games, including Supremacy: Warhammer 40,000, has spent 18 months chasing lapsed players.
Growth marketer Faisal Nimri told me during an interview that its first test ‘was a failure’ because the audience was far too broad. Now it splits players by spend and uses incrementality testing to see whether a campaign actually changes behaviour.
Nimri dives into all the details during our interview and you can hear his full session ‘A Guide to Re-Engagement and Incrementality Testing’ during his PGC Jordan session next week.
Tickets are available here.
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