Hot Five
Hot Five: Supercell is shutting down Squad Busters, Pokémon TCG Pocket hits $1.3bn, and Google Play opens up
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
New Games
New release roundup: Hill Climb Racing 3, Monopoly Go Chat, Angry Birds Match World, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Pgc Aqaba
PGC Aqaba 2025 schedule revealed featuring Epic Games, ID@Xbox, Xsolla, Unity, Maysalward, Tamatem, and more
Master the MENA market with these eight conference tracks at PGC Aqaba
Major Shift
Google Play injunction can "transform Android game economics"
Tech giant forced to allow alternative payment systems in the US until 2027 under court ruling in Epic Games case
Buyout Concerns
CWA urges federal review of $55bn PIF-led EA buyout
CWA President Claude Cummings Jr warned the deal could harm workers, consumers, and the wider US games industry
Service Disruption
Microsoft Azure global service outage impacts Minecraft and Xbox services worldwide
The Windows company said an accidental configuration change triggered the global disruption
Crush & Tell
Crush & Tell: Candy Crush’s behind-the-scenes series will explore game design and development
Candy Crush VP of marketing Luken Aragon gives the scoop on King’s series premiering today
Cracked Open
US Google Play store opens up to alternative payments in boost for DTC
Injunction will run until November 1st, 2027
Company Buyout
AppsFlyer reportedly nearing a $3bn buyout
Four investment funds have entered the final bidding stage
Layoff News
Amazon to cut around 14,000 corporate jobs including roles in its games division
Tech giant claims it wants to operate like the world's largest startup as it axes staff
New Offerings
Saudi Arabia launches Riyadh Season-themed entertainment experiences on Roblox
Developed with UGC creator The Gang, the experience brings Boulevard City and Boulevard World to life in Roblox
Unreal Mobile Games
How does mobile development fit into the overall product strategy for Unreal Engine?
Find out how Epic Games is making mobile a fundamental part of Unreal Engine's future - and what the future holds for mobile games in UE5
Layoff News
Report: Amazon plans to cut up to 30,000 corporate jobs
The layoffs will affect around 10% of corporate staff across HR, operations, devices, and AWS
Age Verification
Google is rolling out age verification on the Play Store
The rollout will vary by region, with some areas exempt from verification requirements
Ad Experiments
What five in-game ad experiments taught us about player behaviour and revenue
GameBiz Consulting’s Božo Janković shares how small in-game changes led to big surprises in ad performance
Studio Closure
Netflix shuts down Boss Fight studio behind Squid Game Unleashed
Both Netflix Stories and Squid Game Unleashed remain playable
Apple Troubles
Apple faces up to $2bn damages after UK court rules against its App Store practices
Case represents millions of iPhone and iPad users in the UK
Milestone
Resident Evil Survival Unit surpasses 2m pre-registrations worldwide
The total includes combined sign-ups from the App Store and Google Play across multiple regions
Hot Five
Hot Five: Sensor Tower’s AI investment, Monopoly Go's Chat app, and AWS chaos
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Very Big Indie Pitch
Idle City Builder wins the Mobile Very Big Indie Pitch at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2025
Find out who took the top three spot at PGC Helsinki's mobile big indie pitching content
Investment News
Sensor Tower secures new investment for generative AI insights
Market intelligence firm aims to fuel its genAI ambitions with new capital
Week In Views
Unity enters the DTC race and HoYoverse's next big game | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Chat App
Scopely releases Monopoly Go Chat app
After amassing $5 billion and millions of players, the publisher looks to expand on the mobile game's blockbuster success
New Games
New release roundup: Foundation: Galactic Frontier, Hitman Absolution, Spooky Express, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Ai-first
Is Krafton's $69 million AI-first shift a sign of things to come?
The PUBG maker is saying publicly what some other publishers are doing privately
Revamped Offering
Amazon relaunches Luna with beginner-friendly multiplayer games designed for social play
The new GameNight collection adds over 25 local multiplayer titles for friends and family
New Partnerships
Stability AI and EA partner to co-develop generative AI tools for game creation
The collaboration aims to improve creative workflows, enabling faster prototyping and visual storytelling
New Offerings
AdInMo launches player-first hybrid monetisation tech as a new SaaS platform for mobile developers
The tool supports player lifetime value by predicting and integrating relevant ad opportunities during gameplay
Sonic Slowdown
Sonic Rumble braces for new November 5th release date
The Sega title was previously expected on May 8th, but was pushed back last minute
Podcast | Episode 69
The big AWS crash and Google delays Android regulation | 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 69...
Market Status
CMA designates Apple and Google with strategic market status on mobile
The designation gives the CMA new powers to ensure fair competition across mobile ecosystems
Unity Dtc
Unity gets into DTC with cross-platform "unified digital stores"
The update streamlines monetisation and live operations across mobile, web and PC
New Partnerships
Gadsme teams up with Zynga to bring immersive in-game ads to select titles
The integration blends ads into gameplay while supporting engagement and revenue
Accelerator Programme
Xsolla and Scaffold Institute launch accelerator to help studios grow and monetise games
The 12-week programme guides developers in building a playable demo and publisher-ready pitch deck
Closed Beta Coming
HoYoverse’s Petit Planet entering closed beta on November 7th
The life sim will be made available in closed beta on PC and iOS
Xbox Discovery Day
Don't miss Xbox Discovery Day at PGC Aqaba next month
Connect with ID@Xbox in person for practical insights into every stage of the development journey
Pgc Dubai
MENA region is open to global IPs but players want games "made for them"
Niko Partners analyst Mohamed Zaher spoke at the PGC Dubai GameExpo Summit 2025 about trends, stats and investment outlooks in the MENA region
Jobs Roundup
October 2025’s Movers and Shakers: Unity's latest leadership shift, new Kokku execs, InnoGames names CEO, and more
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
Deadline Extension
US judge grants Google one-week extension to comply with Epic Games injunction
Both Google and Epic jointly requested the deadline extension from October 22nd to 29th, 2025
Online Safety
Update: Iraq bans Roblox over child safety concerns
The government said Roblox’s chat features exposed children to exploitation and cyber-extortion
New Offerings
MSquared launches global Partner Programme to help brands build virtual experiences
The programme lets brands create and own interactive 3D worlds that can evolve over time
Game Closure
EA to shut down The Sims Mobile after seven years
The game will become unplayable from January 20th, 2026
Service Disruption
Amazon Web Services outage impacts Clash Royale, Pokémon Go, Fortnite, Roblox and more
Some of the world's biggest games and web services face downtime as Amazon scrambles to fix issues
New Partnerships
Mattel expands Roblox partnership with Monster High debut
Monster High debuts on Roblox October 24th, marking Mattel’s first self-published title on the platform
Industry Outlook
Survey: One in four game professionals laid off in the past year
39% of junior-level professionals exited the industry between 2024 and 2025
Week In Views
The Digital Fairness Act explained and Final Fantasy's mobile return | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Closure Announcement
AppLovin shuts down Array software amid allegations of unauthorised app installs
The company said the product was discontinued last quarter due to poor economic viability
Job News
2K Games appoints Ben Brinkman as new studio head of 31st Union
Brinkman to lead development of upcoming free-to-play shooter Project Ethos
Legal Proceedings
Sony opposes Tencent's legal defence over alleged Horizon inspired game lawsuit
The company called Tencent’s defence “nonsense,” saying the damage from copying Horizon has already been done
Milestone
Where Winds Meet surpasses 5m global pre-registrations ahead of launch
The game has already surpassed 30m players in China since its 2024 launch