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
Xsolla Report Q1 2025
Xsolla releases Q1 2025 report on the future of global gaming and game development: Analysis of metrics and emerging trends
Key topics include the global gaming market, mobile monetization trends, player engagement led by gen Z and gen alpha, and rising investments tools and platforms
Using Ip
How to choose IPs for a collaboration in games
Julie Levin breaks down how IP collaborations work in mobile games
Digital Digimon
Digimon mobile TCG game teased ahead of Digimon Con 2025
The annual convention is scheduled for March 20th, expected to unveil a trailer for the anime’s 25th anniversary, information on a new game and more
Game Cancellation
Zynga's Star Wars: Hunters set to shut down less than a year after launch
The game faced a long development process with many delays before reaching global launch
Hot Five
Hot Five: Scopely acquires Pokémon Go and more for $3.5bn, Wuthering Waves hits $250m on mobile, and Sonic Rumble’s reasons for delay
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Out Of The Zone
Zenless Zone Zero voice actors replaced following SAG-AFTRA strike decisions
Emeri Chase and Nicholas Thurkettle, who voiced Soldier 11 and Lycaon respectively, claim to have discovered they were replaced via patch notes
Speaker Spotlight
BIGO Ads' Eden Liu on how AI, emerging markets and privacy trends are changing the games market
Liu set to host the PGC San Francisco session 'Key Trends and Monetisation Strategies In Mobile Gaming''
Company Spotlight
Company Spotlight: WorldWinner
Discover how WorldWinner is using skill-based gaming to deliver valuable opportunities for brands, developers, and players alike
Speaker Spotlight
CrazyGames' Rabia Dincer on why web gaming can democratise access to high-quality games
"Keep an eye on the growth of web gaming, which could democratise access to high-quality games without the need for expensive hardware"
Week In Views
Alternative app stores aren't offering anything new for users, and Sonic Rumble insights | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Pgc San Francisco
AppCharge is transforming direct-to-consumer monetisation for game publishers at Pocket Gamer Connects in San Francisco 2025
Sean Megaw, Business Development Director for North America at AppCharge, is scheduled to discuss direct-to-consumer monetisation strategies at PGC San Francisco 2025
Company Spotlight
Company Spotlight: GeeMee
Find out how GeeMee empowers publishers and developers worldwide with AI-driven user acquisition and monetisation solutions
Five New Games
New release roundup: DC: Dark Legion, Expelled!, Hill Climb Racing Lite, Be Brave, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Full Capability Studio Partners
Developer relations through East Side Games' lens
Wally Nguyen, the Chief Revenue Officer of East Side Games talks to PG.biz about the importance of identifying developer partners and 'full-capability studios'
The Future Of Mobile Monetisation
Xsolla's Damon Marshall on Web Shops, Cloud Gaming, and the Future of Mobile Monetisation
“We’ve seen that developers who implement Web Shops alongside their mobile games can increase LTV by 30 percent or more through loyalty programs.”
Speaker Spotlight
Filuta AI CEO: "The biggest opportunities lie in AI-assisted game development, procedural content generation and intelligent automation"
Filuta AI CEO and founder Filip Dvorak is set to discuss game testing with planning agents at PGC San Francisco 2025
Funding Overdrive
Games industry investment heats up ahead of PGC and GDC
Money streams into the sector ahead of one of the biggest weeks in the sector's calendar
New Studio
Sporty Group opens new games studio in the UK led by Jon Hare
The news follows the company’s acquisition of Tower Studios in April 2024
Partner Up
Krafton launches Creator Network to support gaming content creators
Influencers can get in-game rewards, early access to new titles, and event invites
New Deal
Samsung cuts Galaxy Store revenue share for games to 80/20
Mobile giant also unveils new cloud gaming tools as it looks to court developers
Ai Automation
Nunu.ai secures $6m to scale AI Agents for game QA
This brings the platform's total funding to $8m after a $2m pre-seed round in 2024
Regulatory Battle
Epic Games Store and Fortnite coming to iOS in Brazil this July
Move comes after the competition regulator’s big court win against Apple
Pgc San Francisco
Meet our sponsors at PG San Francisco 2025
Show your support for the companies that make the 2-day event possible this March 17-18
Pg Party San Francisco
Get ready for an unforgettable Pocket Gamer Party in San Francisco
Join us for an exclusive, free-to-attend networking party for Games professionals with a lively celebration twist!
Accurate Actionable Insight
ByteBrew launches LTV Reports in their all-in-one platform.
ByteBrew's latest update gives developers precise player Life Time Value from validated in-app purchases, ad impressions and customer events for accurate actionable insight.
Gamescom Latam
Gamescom LATAM 2025 reveals BIG Festival finalists
Latin America has 32 games in the competition
Mobile Growth
Half of mobile gamers in the US and UK are earning money playing games, survey claims
Almedia study reveals that 75% of players feel positive about games offering such incentives
Ready To Rumble
Behind the scenes of Sonic Rumble's delay, development and the Rovio x Sega partnership
Rovio's head of beacon growth Veli Kiviaho teases crossover content and a desire to reach "busier players"
Job Seekers
Pocket Gamer Connects offers complimentary tickets to job seekers for San Francisco 2025 conference
Looking to break into the games industry or land your next role in North America? Find out how you can attend Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco 2025
Ar And Ai
Niantic Spatial spin-off nets $250m funding after Scopely acquisition
Monopoly Go developer is investing $50m into the tech firm
Speaker Spotlight
Aghanim's Conor McLaughlin on why direct-to-consumer will be a game changer
"The single biggest opportunity right now in mobile gaming is direct to consumer. There is no debate. The question is how to do it effectively."
Pgc Shanghai
Save the date: PG Connects international event series expands with Shanghai Summit
All- new one-day conference for the global games industry lands in Asia this July 30
Jobs News
Eugene Evans departs Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast
Executive did not reveal his plans for the future following his exit
Video
Pocket Gamer Reacts: Breaking down Scopely's blockbuster $3.5bn deal for Niantic's games business
The PocketGamer.biz's hot takes on this big news
Straight Stats
Pokémon Go has 20m weekly active players nearly nine years after its global launch
New figures have emerged on Niantic’s licenced games following $3.5bn Scopely deal announcement
Motorised Mayhem
TinyBytes CEO Andres Constantinidis on Massive Warfare, Battle Cars and why the numbers just keep going up
From Massive Warfare's 70 million downloads to Battle Cars 100 percent monthly revenue growth, TinyBytes focus on motorised mayhem is setting the mobile games world on fire
Acquisition Accomplished
Scopely acquires Pokémon Go developer Niantic's games business in $3.5bn deal
Blockbuster deal brings the multi-billion-dollar hit mobile game under the Savvy Games Group umbrella
Deal Tracker
Show Me The Money: Jam City agrees Ludia sale, Scopely's rumoured $3.5bn Niantic deal, and MTG acquires Plarium in February 2025
Our deal tracker highlights the key acquisitions, investments, and partnerships from the last month
Jobs News
Former Netflix VP of games Mike Verdu exits streaming firm
Verdu had not long taken up the role of VP of GenAI for games prior to his departure
Funding News
PvX Partners secures $3.8m seed funding to scale games and consumer apps
Founding team include NetEase, Mobile Premier League and Morgan Stanley veterans
Platinum Sponsor
GeeMee joins Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco 2025 as platinum sponsor
GeeMee is the platinum sponsor of Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco 2025, bringing revolutionary advertising technology to the event.
Event Checklist
Your Pocket Gamer Connects event checklist be prepared before you walk through the doors
With this checklist, you can make the most of your time attending Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco 2025 and set yourself up for success.
Investment News
App distribution platform Applivery secures strategic investment from Supercell
Investment will go towards growth in device and software management worldwide
Funding News
Liminal raises $5.8 million to empower player creativity using AI
“A positive vision of the future should recognise the power of AI to ignite the imaginations of players of all ages,” said Liminal founder and CEO Brendan Mulligan
Funding For Games
Tilting Point launches $150m UA fund to support game developers
Developers retain “full autonomy" over their marketing strategies
Pgc San Francisco
It's next week: PG Connects San Francisco 2025!
Two days, 10 tracks, 90 speakers… Connect with the global mobile games industry on March 17th to 18th
Rollback Discount
Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco 2025 offers limited-time rollback discount on tickets
Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco will host over 750 attendees next week. To ensure everyone can attend, a limited-time rollback discount is now available.