Clash Newcomer
Supercell releases major Clash Royale update with new game mode Merge Tactics
The new mode is fully turn-based with ‘Rulers’, turn-based battles and more
China Changes
Overseas studios to be eligible for domestic licences in China for games developed in Shanghai
The Shanghai Municipal Government will test this in a pilot programme
New Offerings
Savvy Games Group and PNU’s Applied College sign MoU to equip women for careers in games development
Training will cover areas like concept design, 3D modelling, animation and interactive storytelling
Sporty Celebration
MLB Rivals hits 5m downloads and 1bn pitches as it marks second anniversary
Developer Com2uS is offering players a series of special events and rewards both in-game and on social media
Moving To Mobile
Global Worldwide closes funding round led by Bitkraft Ventures in mobile manoeuvre
The oversubscribed round was "tough" in the current AI landscape, according to chairman and CEO Will Harbin
Apple Troubles
Apple appeals $587m EU fine over App Store practices
The iPhone maker said it was forced to appeal to avoid “punitive” daily fines
New Partnerships
The CoLab partners with Universally Speaking to boost quality of indie games
The collaboration will improve quality and strengthen relationships between publishers and studios
Elevator Pitch
A step-by-step guide to a successful elevator pitch
How to pitch your game product efficiently to secure future support
The Power Of Pokemon
Pokémon Go celebrates ninth anniversary and $8.8bn in gross player spending
Total earnings are likely even higher when including alternative stores, Go’s web shop and more
Victorious Valorant
Valorant Mobile hits 40m pre-registrations in China
Riot Games opened pre-registrations on April 21st, exclusively for the Chinese version
Job News
Stillfront recruits Emily Villatte as chief financial officer
She will assume the position on January 7th, 2026 from interim Group CFO Tim Holland
Suites And Services
Keywords’ Liquid Violet expands London studio with new recording and mixing suites
Liquid Violet will now offer end-to-end audio services through a partnership with fellow Keywords subsidiary Laced
Lawsuit Triumph
French court hands suspended sentences to three ex-Ubisoft executives over workplace harassment
All three executives left the company in 2020 following the investigations
Esports Tournament
The Battle of Polytopia Global World Championship set to kick off with $10,000 prize pool
This year's prize pool marks the biggest competitive event in the game’s nine-year history
Recruitment
How games industry professionals are finding their next role with PGC Careers Zone
Recruitment with Sandsoft and Games Factory Talents proves that face-to-face networking and AI-powered matchmaking works
Hot Five
Hot Five: Zenless Zone Zero's $442m year one, King reportedly loses 10% of staff, and Toca Boca hit by layoffs
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Failure To Launch
What happens now for Xbox's mobile ambitions?
Microsoft's mobile strategy is cooked
Podcast | Episode 59
A dark day for Xbox | 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 59...
Week In Views
Layoffs at Xbox raise questions about its future, and Rovio needs the greenlight from Sega | 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: Angry Birds Bounce, Mo.co, Goat Simulator 3 and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Zenless Celebration
Zenless Zone Zero celebrates first anniversary with $442.1m, just 23% of Genshin Impact’s year one
HoYoverse’s latest gacha game generated nearly one-third of its lifetime mobile revenue in its launch month
Pgc Barcelona
The value of retargeting players and when to do it
RTB House gaming account director Vera Manhoso talks data preparation and integrating an MMP at PGC Barcelona 2025
New Offerings
NetEase's Destiny: Rising hits 5 million pre-registrations ahead of August 28th global launch
Players who pre-registered early will receive in-game rewards
Acqusitions
RMV IT Services acquires hit mobile game Plane Evolution from Global Champions
Supersonic from Unity will keep its shares and continue as the game's publisher
Marvellous Mena
Gamezop commits $4m to expand in the Middle East with a new office in Bahrain
The company plans to onboard 1,000 new apps and hit $6m revenue within 18 months
Layoffs
Blizzard ends Warcraft Rumble development as company reportedly slashes up to 100 jobs
Move is part of sweeping cuts across Microsoft and its games division
New Offerings
Outfit7 unveils 2025 roadmap with three new games
Leading the rollout is My Talking Tom Friends 2 which already has 2 million pre-registrations
Antitrust Heat
Apple faces potential sanctions in Brazil over App Store antitrust violations
Antitrust body recommends fines and behavioural remedies to solve the competition problems
Job News
LEGO Group appoints Fredrik Loving as SVP and global head of LEGO Game
He will report to chief product and marketing officer Julia Goldin
Investment News
Boby.ai secures Revo Capital investment to scale AI products
This is Revo’s second seed investment from its new $86m Fund III, which launched in March
New Developer Friendly Marketplace
TeleStore: A new developer-friendly marketplace for browser games and web apps
TeleStore aims to reinvent the digital marketplace by making it fair, flexible, and accessible for both developers and users worldwide
Mobile Games Awards
Last chance for Mobile Games Awards Early Bird tickets
Book your spot at the Mobile Games Awards 2025 ceremony today
Pgc Helsinki
How to navigate Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki
Key points how to steer your way around one of the biggest industry events
Job Losses
Report: King loses 10% of staff as Microsoft makes games division cuts
Candy Crush maker hit hard by redundancies across games group
Funding For Games
Google Play’s Indie Games Fund returns to Latin America with $2 million for 10 studios
Selected studios will receive between $150,000 and $200,000 to grow their game
Milestone
Sky: Children of the Light surpasses 270m downloads ahead of sixth anniversary celebration
The anniversary ceremony will honour outstanding user-generated content across ten categories
Investment News
Liftoff secures minority investment from General Atlantic to accelerate growth
General Atlantic joins majority investor Blackstone in backing the AI-driven performance marketing platform
Fun & Effective Playable Ads
How to build great playable ads for casual games
"Across most casual game categories, playable ads consistently outperform video formats in ROI and registration rates"
New Offerings
Former CVCapital partner Jim Ying launches games M&A and investment advisory firm Mihada Capital
The company specialises in offering financial advisory services to businesses in games, ad-tech, and digital media
It's In The App
Messaging app EA Connect soft launches on mobile in Canada
Chat feature is already available across platforms in games such as EA Sports FC 25, Madden NFL 25 and NHL 25
Refund Round
FTC distributes $126m in refunds to "tricked" Fortnite players charged for unwanted purchases
Players are able to file for a refund until July 9th, 2025
Market Growth
India’s mobile games market booms with 8.45bn installs
In-app purchase revenue remains modest at just over $400m
Five Ways To Optimise Webshops
Five proven in-game linkout strategies to drive iOS players to your webshop
"The best way to minimise friction and boost conversions is by using an in-game web popup that lets players complete their purchase without ever leaving the game"
New Offerings
Game engine Godot rolls out asset store in early beta
“Once we are happy with the new platform, we'll start rolling out paid assets”
Roguelike Reimagining
Angry Birds Bounce game lead talks brick breaker genre, development under Sega and "a great deal of interest on Apple Arcade"
Bryan Cook reveals all from the ideation phase, prototyping, design decisions and creating the first Angry Birds game since Rovio’s acquisition by Sega
Anti-corruption
Perfect World investigates staff and suppliers over alleged corruption
The One Punch Man developer said it will strictly punish any fraudulent or self-serving behaviour that harms the company
Acqusitions
Tripledot completes $800m acquisition of AppLovin game studios
Following the acquisition, Tripledot now operates 12 studios, including the 10 acquired from AppLovin
Industry Insights
Industry Insights: The future of Xbox, the new platform gold rush, and Supercell's experimental release strategy
Analysis from around the industry
Market Growth
Newzoo revises 2025 global games market growth forecast to $188.9bn
Mobile is projected to reach $103.1bn in 2025 and $107.7bn by 2027
Discover Shanghai
First speakers announced for Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai
A first glimpse into the lineup of expert speakers coming to Shanghai, July 30th