Pgc Summit San Francisco
Why Pocket Gamer Connects Summit San Francisco and why now?
How a focused, mobile-first business summit adds value during GDC week
Top 30
Nominations open for the first Top 30 US Mobile Game Makers 2026
Let us know who you think should be included and why
Investment News
Ares Interactive raises $70m as it plots expansion plans and new game launch
Company president Mike DeLaet discusses how the ambitious company aims to scale, potential acquisitions and the opportunities for Baseball Hits 26
Coding Error
Nexon to refund MapleStory Idle RPG players following pricing error
The company is reviewing the financial impact of the refunds on its consolidated results
Epic Milestones
Epic Games Store sees record $400m in third-party player spending
Third-party titles generated 2.78bn hours of playtime, marking a 4% year-on-year increase
Market Report
Games emerge as a dominant entry point into youth fandoms in the US and UK
Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft rank among the top youth fandoms across both markets
Virtual Concert
Lil Wayne to headline Supercell's Clash Royale virtual halftime show
The in-game performance will premiere globally on February 6th, 2026
Growth Drivers
UK games industry joins government delegation to China for the first time
The move reflects the growing importance of games to the UK’s creative economy and export strategy
Ai Debate
Google's Project Genie sparks fall in gaming shares as industry experts question use-case
"The direction is right. The timeline is not what traders think it is," says Storygrounds CEO Andrew Green
Gamescom Latam
Gamescom LATAM 2026 launches business ticket sales with Early Bird discounts
Up to 10% discounts on selected ticket categories
Funding News
Tesoro XP raises $5.4m to scale its rewards platform for games
The company plans to expand its SDK, publisher tools, and partner network ahead of a Q1 2026 launch
Hot Five
Hot Five: Love and Deepspace’s second anniversary, Arknights: Endfield’s payment problems, and Aristocrat Leisure sells off Big Fish Games assets
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Pocket Gamer Connects
One Pocket Gamer Connects mission delivered in multiple formats
How our streamlined one-day Summits facilitate high-impact outcomes
Podcast | Episode 81
Ubisoft turmoil and what happened to Big Fish Games? | 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 81...
Job News
Delphi Interactive appoints ex-Konami tech director Julien Merceron as new CTO
He will oversee a reimagined FIFA simulation launching exclusively on Netflix later this year
Week In Views
Record engagement on Roblox, Netflix Games’ cloud focus and Pokémon Go’s event strategy | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Going Public
Liftoff Mobile targets $5.17bn valuation in planned IPO
The company is offering 25.4m shares, with an additional 3.81m available through an overallotment option
New Games
New release roundup: Candy Crush Crushable, Dokimon Quest, Tetris Block Party, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Industry Outlook
Self-funding rises among game workers as layoffs persist and union interest grows
Co-development, private investment, and venture capital remain limited funding options across the industry
Accelerator Program
Dubai launches GameForward accelerator to support Emirati game developers
The programme supports both early-stage creators and teams looking to scale, with at least one Emirati founder required
An Anniversary Arrives
Love and Deepspace celebrates second anniversary as $1bn milestone draws near
Players celebrated in-game with a special banner and IRL at a Manhattan sci-fi setting
Strike
Ubisoft staff called to strike globally as unions protest layoffs and office mandate
Ubisoft unions have called for a three-day international strike from February 10th to 12th, 2026
Candy Crush Crushable
Candy Crush Crushable is a new daily puzzle game exclusive to Yahoo Games
King’s daily logic title will support Yahoo Games’ comeback, aiming to be "a best-in-class destination for casual play"
Ukie Awards
Vote for Pocket Gamer at the 2026 UKIE Awards
We’re proud to be nominated for Best UK Service Supplier – and we’d love your support
Esports Nations Cup
Esports World Cup Foundation commits $45m to Esports Nations Cup 2026
ENC 2026 will feature $20m in prize money paid directly to players and coaches across 16 titles
Milestone
Mamboo Entertainment surpasses $55m in lifetime revenue
The developer has also crossed 1bn installs and published more than 50 mobile games
Road To Kalos
Pokémon Go to experiment with new strategy on the Road to Kalos
Ahead of this year’s Go Tour, the now-Scopely-owned title will echo some of Go’s most lucrative events
Layoff News
Amazon to cut 16,000 roles worldwide in a new round of organisational changes
Separately, Amazon Games Studio VP Christoph Hartmann is leaving the company
New Offerings
Yodo1 launches IPVerse platform for in-game IP licensing
IPVerse aims to replace intuition-led collaboration decisions with clear global and regional data
Pgc London
Monetisation trends to watch in 2026: "Player expectations have changed"
PGC London panellists discussed the latest ad and in-app purchase strategies on mobile
Industry Insights
How culture became currency in gaming campaigns
Ada Mockute Jaime shares insights on how culture-led campaigns drive engagement and strengthen communities
Manifesto
Women in Games launches Manifesto 2026 to push for gender fairness
The organisation said women make up nearly half of players, but remain underrepresented in the games workforce
New Partnerships
Stray Fawn and Sidekick Publishing partner on roguelike chess-builder Gambonanza
Digital agency Ateo has also joined the project to handle mobile ports
New Offerings
Godot 4.6 launches with focus on performance and workflow polish
The update arrives less than six months after the previous major release
Funding News
Vietnam’s Panthera Global raises $1.5m to scale mid-core RPG ambitions
The Hanoi-based studio is doubling down on sustainable, higher-LTV game design over hit-driven scale
Pgc Summit San Francisco
Meet the world’s leading mobile game companies in San Francisco
Join a high-impact mobile-first Summit for focused networking and expertise on March 9th
Very Big Indie Pitch
Couch Party! wins the Very Big Indie Pitch at Pocket Gamer Connects Aqaba 2025
Find out who took the top three spot at PGC Aqaba's mobile big indie pitching content
Payment Problem
Arknights: Endfield players hit with extra PayPal charges at launch
Some players who made PayPal purchases were erroneously overcharged on launch day
Pgc London
PGC London's industry health check: Investment, AI, D2C, and advantages of the UK
PGC London pannelists discussed a range of topics checking in on the post-pandemic landscape
Portfolio Strategy
Inside SciPlay's long-term approach to live games and growth
SciPlay CEO Josh Wilson reflects on 2025 and what priorities are shaping the year ahead
Layoffs Imminent
Ubisoft proposes up to 200 job cuts at Paris headquarters
The company plans to use a voluntary collective termination process
Acqusitions
Mistplay to acquire Mobivity’s Connected Rewards platform
The deal is expected to close in early Q1 2026, pending standard regulatory and closing conditions
Speaker Opportunities
Inspire and help define the games industry agenda at Pocket Gamer Connects
Speaker applications to San Francisco, Dubai, and Malmö now open
Milestone
Roblox reports record 12.8m concurrent users for Bruno Mars virtual concert
Players collected more than 5.4m limited-edition “Brunito Marsito” brainrot collectables during the activation
Pgc Summit San Francisco
What to expect as Pocket Gamer Connects lands in San Francisco
Why Pocket Gamer Connects Summit San Francisco is the mobile industry’s must-attend event this March
New Partnerships
Savvy Games Group and NEOM sign MoU to fast-track Saudi gaming startups
The deal connects Savvy’s Nine66 Incubator directly to NEOM’s Level Up Accelerator, creating a clearer growth pathway for startups
Share Slump
Ubisoft shares fall almost 40% in five days as restructure plans unveiled
Shares have fallen from €6.63 on January 21st to €4.03 on January 26th
Soft Launch
52 top mobile games in soft launch: Jelly Busters, Temple Run 3, Angry Birds Rush, and more
The top mobile games in soft launch right now
Pgc Summit San Francisco
Why the games industry needs a dedicated mobile-first event in 2026
PG Connects Summit San Francisco brings together industry professionals for business-driven networking on March 9th
D2c Moment
Inside mobile's DTC moment: Control, margins, and the user relationship
Digital Turbine EVP of global strategy and partnerships Matt Tubergen discusses a new era of direct-to-consumer that spans distribution, monetisation and marketing