Accessibility In Games
ESA launches Accessible Games Initiative with support from industry leaders
The initiative is supported by founding members Electronic Arts, Google, Microsoft, Nintendo of America, and Ubisoft
Funding News
Opus Major raises $10m to develop debut game and expand team
The studio is led by ex-Madbox founders Jean-Nicolas Vernin and Pierre-Armand Nicq
Eu Guidelines
New EU guidelines demand transparency for in-game purchases
The CPC said it will “monitor progress and may take further actions if harmful practices continue"
Mena Games Awards
Don't miss the chance to be considered for the MENA Games Industry Awards 2025
Become apart of the prestigious awards recognising the visionaries, developers, publishers, investors, and legends who are shaping the future of the MENA games market.
Hot Five
Hot Five: Supercell’s mo.co gets invite-only launch, Blood Strike celebrates first anniversary, and Pokémon Sleep’s Legendary comeback
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
All Stars
Candy Crush All Stars returns with $1m prize pool
Qualifiers began on March 20th, with first knockout phase set to kick off next week
Five New Games
New release roundup: mo.co, Halfbrick Sports: Football, Avatar Legends: Realms Collide and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover and are all set to do big business
Lucrative Legendaries
Pokémon Sleep's big revenue strategy returns with first Legendary event of 2025
Previous Legendary events have raked in $16.5m over a combined six weeks
Pokemon Property
Pokémon Go won't get obtrusive ads or sell location data after $3.5bn Scopely acquisition, product director confirms
"That is not happening in Pokémon Go - not now, not ever."
Community Connection
How community and toxicity influence "kind games" like Netflix’s Spirit Crossing
Spry Fox co-founder Daniel Cook talks game design philosophy at GDC 2025, bringing 30 years’ experience from "angry" teens to "slower, emotional journeys"
Investing In India
Qila Games raises $1m to develop hybridcasual games tailored to Indian players
Funds will go towards creating new IPs and expanding its games portfolio
Mountain Milestone
Grand Mountain Adventure 2 surpasses 1m downloads in first month
The title released on iOS and Android on February 18th, 2025
New Partnerships
Xsolla partners with Ukie to boost UK games industry and support developers
Primary focus is to focus is to improve monetisation and commercialisation strategies
Future Goals
Netflix Games on big IPs, party games and a bold new vision
Netflix Games president Alain Tascan and vice president of games technology and portfolio development, Jeet Shroff discuss the future of Netflix Games
Gameexpo Summit
Why Dubai? The hottest city for the games industry in MENA right now
We explore the unique set of circumstances pushing the UAE’s biggest city front of stage in the fastest growing territory in games
Games Industry Union
United Videogame Workers and CWA launch union to fight layoffs and demand job security
Part of the union’s mission is to create a supportive industry that values talent and invests in its future, rather than prioritising short-term profits
Unity Update
Unity 6.1 will add large foldable Android screen support and other new platform options
Meta Quest and Android XR build profiles are also being added to the list of over 20 supported platforms
Top Tips
Stay hungry: The mindset behind great game development
The team at Hungry Studio share on the mindset of ‘stay hungry’ and how you can apply it to games development
Industry Insight
"Do not raise money to develop a game. Raise money to sell a game"
EGDF president Hendrik Lesser comments on new and existing European games industry issues, but offers advice on making it to 2026
Investment News
SekGames Secures Pre-Seed Investment from Qatar Development Bank
Funds will go towards expanding its team and enhancing its mobile offerings
Marvellous Mena
"The most accessible platform to reach South Africans is mobile"
Pineapple on Pizza CEO Kushal Jeethendra Sithlu discusses upcoming mobile titles, localisation efforts and funding challenges
Network Technology
Nvidia partners with telecom brands to develop AI-powered 6G networks
“We’re building an AI-enhanced 6G network that achieves extreme spectral efficiency,” said Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang
Pokemon Partnership
Pokémon and LEGO team up for the first time, bringing new sets in 2026
The partnership aims to bring "the world of Pokémon to life in entirely new ways"
Speaker Wave
Airship Interactive, Gamester Kids, BLKbox, and more to speak at Dubai GameExpo Summit 2025
Just some of the 70+ experts bringing you 20 hours of content across 9 tracks on May 7 - 8 2025
Crossovers
Puzzle & Dragons teams up with Disney Pixel RPG for crossover event
Rewards include pixel-inspired versions of iconic Disney characters like Pooh and Stitch
New Studio
Design studio Buck opens new game development studio Buck Games
The studio is focused on games that “spark curiosity" and embody its “impeccable vibes”
Partnerships
The Sandbox brings Jurassic World to life with new immersive experiences
Players join the Dinosaur Protection Group to explore, collect, and complete quests
Storytelling Seed
PhilosopherKing raises $3m in seed funding to bolster AI-driven storytelling
The funding round was led by 468 Capital and 212
Pgc San Francisco
How to steer players to your web shop
Stash head of product Archie Stonehill offers a guide on getting players to use your direct-to-consumer platform
Pgc San Francisco
How Scopely shares knowledge across its teams
The publisher's president of games Steve Huff on how one team's learnings can benefit the whole company
Arts And Acquisitions
Perforce acquires Snowtrack with closed beta launch for digital artists
Global launch is expected to follow later in 2025
Dealing With Data
Sensor Tower acquires Video Game Insights to expand into PC and console data
Video Game Insights tracks over 150,000 titles on Steam and recently expanded into Xbox and PlayStation
Event Report
PG Connects San Francisco hits it out of the ball park again in the USA
The 50th conference solidified its status as a top mobile games event with 1000 attendees, 75% game makers, 38% C-level or founders and 69% senior executives from 59 countries.
Discord Features
Discord launches SDK to help developers integrate social features in games
Console and mobile support for the SDK is in the works
New Partnerships
MetStudios partners with Safe In Our World to support mental health in game development
Safe In Our World will integrate mental health resources into its courses to promote the well-being of future game developers
Mo.co Makes It
Supercell’s mo.co launches today as studio’s seventh global game - but there’s a catch
Players will only be able to install mo.co via invite
Pgc Barcelona
PG Connects Barcelona 2025: What to expect
1,000 professionals set to learn, network, pitch, party – it's all going on June 3-4!
Company Profile
Company Spotlight: BIGO Ads
Find out more about the deep learning-based advertising platform which has helped over 50,000 clients scale their user base and maximise their ad revenue
Ai Storytelling
Former Disney and Pandora execs launch Operative Games to create immersive experiences with AI
The company said its Story Engine gives game characters their own stories while letting players stay in control
Platform Power
90% of devs’ most recent games launched on mobile
Unity’s Gaming Report 2025 revealed a 34% year-over-year increase in developers targeting three or more platforms
New Partnerships
Paper Boat Apps teams up with Hasbro to bring PJ Masks to Kiddopia
Collaboration will bring PJ Masks-themed games to the children's learning platform later this year
Employee Engagement
What makes games industry employees more engaged and loyal?
InGame Job CEO Katya Sabirova shares her findings on the engagement of games industry employees using data from the Big Games Industry Employment Survey 2024
Investment News
PlaysOut raises $7 million to boost mini-game ecosystem
This latest round brings the company's valuation to $70m
Racing Revenue
Uma Musume: Pretty Derby gallops past $2.5bn in Japan alone
Cygames’ hit horse girl racing game is still awaiting its English release
Pgc San Francisco
“Everything is still a little bit on fire”
The PGC San Francisco Growth Engines panel discusses the state of the games industry
Pgc San Francisco
Türkiye's bustling multi-billion dollar games industry in numbers
How companies like Peak Games, Gram Games and Rollic helped drive further success
Developer Tools
Roblox launches Cube 3D and mesh generation API for creators
Open-source version of Cube 3D will be available from next week
Podcast | Episode 46
Games industry investment overdrive | 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 and what's inside this week's episode 46...
Pgc San Francisco
Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco begins two-day conference with speakers from Scopely, Lilith Games, SYBO, Activision and more!
Conference takes place from March 17th to 18th
Celebratory Strike
NetEase’s Blood Strike surpasses 60m mobile installs and $22.9m in time for first anniversary
The US has proven Blood Strike’s most lucrative mobile market in year one, despite accounting for just 7% of downloads