Money To Burn
Netflix plans to ramp up gaming investment
Streaming firm open to evolving business model in future and teases new set of interactive experiences.
Market Growth
Spanish games industry hit $2.8bn in 2024
The government allocated €5m ($5.8m) in EU funds to support local game development
Job News
Former Scopely director Rohit Naini to lead corporate development at Tilting Point
Doubling down on strategic growth with key additions to its M&A team
Branching Out
The Chinese Room regains independence from Sumo Digital via management buyout
The move follows Sumo’s pivot away from original IP to focus on co-development services
Acqusitions
Coda acquires European payment provider Recharge
The deal aims to boost Coda’s presence beyond games and strengthen its footprint in Europe
Hot Five
Hot Five: Rollic’s 1,000 ideations per month, Coin Master - Board Adventure soft launch, and Uma Musume: Pretty Derby’s post-expansion performance
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Networking
Reasons AI won’t beat you at networking
Trust, discernment, innovation - why AI can’t replace the power of the human mind in B2B networking
Podcast | Episode 61
Zynga's successes and failures, and Moon Active takes the fight to Scopely | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode 61...
Week In Views
Moon Active takes aim at Scopely, Roblox opens doors to Major IPs, and Rollic's $100m hit | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
New Games
New release roundup: My Talking Tom Friends 2, Coin Master - Board Adventure, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Job News
Apple appoints longtime exec Sabih Khan as chief operating officer
Current COO Jeff Williams to step down later this month
Underrated?
The UGC revolution the games industry is clueless about
How well do you know UGC?
New Offerings
Ubisoft and Netflix move forward with first Assassin’s Creed series adaptation
Netflix says the series will honour the franchise’s legacy while delivering a fresh cinematic experience
Online Safety
Roblox rolls out Trusted Connections and new parental tools in major safety update
Roblox said its updates aim to balance teen independence with strong safety measures.
New Offerings
Saga and Chrono Labs launch KEX to power next-gen AI agents in web3
New tech built on Saga's blockchain
Milestone
TowerLands joins Mamboo Entertainment's portfolio as the publisher crosses 1bn installs
The publisher said 20% of its mobile game installs come from platforms outside the App Store and Google Play
Apple Troubles
Wheels of Aurelia dev says Apple undermining value and sustainability of games as it looks to delist title
"It is hard to imagine how we could ever thrive within Apple's ecosystem"
New Offerings
Apple launches new emoji-based puzzle game for News+ subscribers
The game will also integrate with the upcoming Apple Games app in iOS 26
New Offerings
Stash and Adyen partner to power scalable D2C monetisation for game developers
“Partnering with a company as exceptional and selective as Adyen strengthens every pillar of that mission,” said Stash co-founder Justin Kan.
Jobs News
Ubisoft names new co-CEOs of Tencent-backed subsidiary
Questions remain about wider impact of the deal on publisher's teams and IP
Expansions
Scopely opens major games and creative hub in Barcelona with over 700 staff
Scopely is now Spain’s largest video game employer with nearly 1,000 staff across the country
Funding News
Green Games Showcase hits $150,000 goal to plant 50,000 trees in Timor-Leste
The trees will be planted by PlanetPlay's sustainability partner WithOneSeed
Mentorship
Take This opens applications for season two of its mental health-focused mentorship programme
The initiative is focused on improving mental health while elevating historically underrepresented voices in the industry
New Offerings
Roblox License Manager hands creators major IP for games
Roblox said creators are on track to surpass $1 billion in earnings this year
Deal Tracker
Show Me The Money: Scopely closes $3.5bn Niantic deal, UK gets £30m Games Growth Package, and Moshi Monsters' crowdfunding push in June 2025
Show Me The Money: The big deals from June 2025
Revenue Race
Uma Musume: Pretty Derby trots to $6.6m outside Japan after 18 days
Cygames’ flagship was Japan’s top-grossing mobile game in 2021 and 2022, and expanded into the West on June 26th, 2025
New Offerings
Discord launches Orbs to scale in-app rewards
Orbs give Discord users new ways to earn rewards and explore premium features like Nitro
Industry Outlook
Games industry deal value hits $6.2bn in Q2 2025
New report from Aream & Co shows that mobile revenue remains steady at $20bn quarterly
Coin Master Go
Moon Active takes on Scopely with Monopoly Go-like Coin Master - Board Adventure
Scopely took inspiration from the hit casual casino game - now Moon Active is returning the favour
Strategy Spending
Whiteout Survival hits $3bn in player spending in under 2.5 years
Century Games’ strategy title has been among the five highest-earning mobile games every month this year
Company Spotlight
Company spotlight: Digital Turbine
Find out more about Digital Turbine, The Austin, Texas headquartered ad tech company that bills itself as 'your direct line to the moments that matter'
Hot Five
Hot Five: Pokémon Go’s ninth anniversary, Clash Royale’s Merge Tactics mode, and China's domestic licence changes
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Age Of Casual
Tencent gives Age of Empires the Last War treatment on mobile
Age of Empires: Survival brings hypercasual gameplay to the longstanding strategy franchise
Podcast | Episode 60
Games investment tips, Clash Royale's evolution, and China's rising global influence | Week in Mobile Games podcast
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team give you the state of play every week. Here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode 60...
Week In Views
Raising investment in 2025 and Pokémon Go's $8.8 billion milestone | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
New Games
New release roundup: DC Worlds Collide, Subnautica, Raising Reincarnated SwordMage, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
New Partnerships
Genies partners with Unity to bring AI avatar tools and IP assets to developers
Genies will debut a custom landing page in the Unity Asset Store later in 2025, with full integration into the Unity Editor set for 2026
Roguelike Revenue
Habby's Wittle Defender hits $10m in gross player spending
Habby’s tower defence title launched worldwide on Android and iOS on June 9th
The Power Of Playables
Interactive ads surge 20% among top apps as advertisers bet big on playables
Liftoff’s latest report shows the playable ads formats grew eight times higher than non-playables for top spenders last year
Bitcoin Comeback
SaruTobi is first game on iOS with ZBD-powered Bitcoin microtransactions
The game is the first on the App Store to use ZBD's Lightning Network for Bitcoin integration
Strike Over
Video games strike ends after 11 months as SAG-AFTRA ratifies new contract
The new agreement includes an immediate pay increase of over 15% for performers, with raises scheduled for November 2025, 2026 and 2027
Building And Bolstering
French dev Million Victories secures almost $40m in funding from Haveli Investments
The studio’s flagship mobile game Million Lords: World Conquest has 100,000 monthly players
Deal Deluge
Games M&A hits $3bn disclosed deal value in Q2 2025
A new wave of M&A through late 2025 and into 2026 is expected as companies leverage improved valuations for growth
Creating A Council
UK Video Games Council establishes to inform and support government policy
The council will be supported by UK trade bodies Ukie and TIGA, with ongoing input from the wider industry
Mobile Mavens
Mobile Mavens: The verdict on Xbox Game Pass and Microsoft's games strategy
We asked our Mobile Mavens how they feel about Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft’s "play anywhere" shift and whether the subscription service model really works for games
Resilient Growth
Green Game Jam reached 108m daily active players to spur real-world climate action in 2024
The new Playing for the Planet Annual Impact report shows that the alliance fell short of its goal to grow membership by 25%, achieving a 14% increase
Data Diligence
The IAB updates its Diligence Platform to educate data suppliers in "increasingly regulated environment"
The update follows after the IAB’s new Gaming Measurement Framework, outlining ad formats for games
Playable Ads For Mid & Hardcore
How to build great playable ads for midcore/hardcore games
"The ad we produced together allowed users to experiment with how different character combinations impact the battle experience"
Revenue Royale
Clash Royale hits post-pandemic record of $3.8m daily revenue with new mode Merge Tactics
Daily player spending has reached its highest since 2021
Anime Ahead
Garena Free Fire anime details emerge in new teaser trailer
The series is being directed by Ken Takahashi, who previously worked on Fate/Grand Order’s anime adaptation