Online Safety
42% of parents say the games industry doesn't do enough to protect kids online
Social media tops parents’ safety concerns with TikTok singled out by 52%
Top 50
Nominations open for PocketGamer.biz's Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2025
We're also putting together special lists for Southeast Asia and MENA - all to be unveiled later this year!
Data Dive
H1 2025 genre analysis: Mobile strategy games surge to $10.6bn as RPG revenue tumbles
We analyse AppMagic data to determine the top genres globally and in the US, comparing rising stars with stumbling giants
Bringing Back Buttons
Soolra iPhone case doubles as retro controller: "Mobile gaming has been held back by touchscreens for too long"
The company also has its own emulator with open source, properly licenced and public domain games preloaded
Market Growth
Global games market to hit $196 billion by 2026
Venture capital funding in games dropped to $193m in Q2 2025
Celebration Is Coming
Game of Thrones: Legends celebrates first anniversary and $23.6m in lifetime player spending
Ned Stark was the most-used Champion of year one, though he died 110m times
Earnings Report
Ubisoft Q1 revenue falls 3.9% to $365m as publisher reorganises into ‘creative houses’
Mobile also accounted for 10% of net bookings
Acqusitions
Gaijin Entertainment acquires Fortnite map The Pit from creator Geerzy
The company said it sees a profitable and scalable opportunity with Fortnite’s creator engagement model
Apple Approval?
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney cries “total capitulation” as report claims EU likely to greenlight App Store changes
Regulator's decision expected in the coming weeks
Studio Closure
Stillfront shuts down Super Free Games as part of strategic portfolio review
Closures to mark first part of restructure, the company said
New Partnerships
Savvy Games Group and King Abdulaziz University partner to launch diplomas in games and esports
The new academic programmes aim to blend classroom learning with hands-on industry experience
Web Store Report
Appcharge: 50% of first-time web store buyers make a second purchase
New Appcharge report urges game publishers to optimise for repeat purchases to maximise lifetime value
Expansions
Apple launches online store and app in Saudi Arabia with Arabic support
Flagship Apple Stores also coming to Saudi Arabia in 2026
New Offerings
Roblox launches new learning hub for students
Children can build online safety skills in Google Be Internet Awesome World or learn coding with Lua Learning
Pokemon Portfolio
Pokémon Champions gets release window as slew of mobile games land updates
The latest Pokémon Presents gives a deeper look into the competitive battle game coming in 2026
Pokemon Puzzles
Pokémon Friends shadow dropped as new puzzle game on mobile
The title is available now on Android, iOS and Nintendo Switch
Staff Stats
Nintendo hires at least 455 full-time staff as total headcount surpasses 5,600
Nintendo has 3,855 male full-time employees while 1,775 are female, with the largest disparity in Japan
Funding News
Delabs Games secures additional $5.2M to accelerate AI-powered web3 ambitions
Funding will support the launch of idle RPG Ragnarok Libre and its native Delabs tokens
Funding News
M00m World raises $500,000 to launch mobile game and real-world collectables
“This isn’t just about building a game - it’s about keeping it real”
Studio Closure
Muus Collective closes due to funding challenges
The studio had 16 employees listed on its website before winding down
Money To Burn
Netflix plans to ramp up gaming investment
Streaming firm open to evolving business model in future and teases new set of interactive experiences.
Market Growth
Spanish games industry hit $2.8bn in 2024
The government allocated €5m ($5.8m) in EU funds to support local game development
Job News
Former Scopely director Rohit Naini to lead corporate development at Tilting Point
Doubling down on strategic growth with key additions to its M&A team
Branching Out
The Chinese Room regains independence from Sumo Digital via management buyout
The move follows Sumo’s pivot away from original IP to focus on co-development services
Acqusitions
Coda acquires European payment provider Recharge
The deal aims to boost Coda’s presence beyond games and strengthen its footprint in Europe
Hot Five
Hot Five: Rollic’s 1,000 ideations per month, Coin Master - Board Adventure soft launch, and Uma Musume: Pretty Derby’s post-expansion performance
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Networking
Reasons AI won’t beat you at networking
Trust, discernment, innovation - why AI can’t replace the power of the human mind in B2B networking
Podcast | Episode 61
Zynga's successes and failures, and Moon Active takes the fight to Scopely | 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 61...
Week In Views
Moon Active takes aim at Scopely, Roblox opens doors to Major IPs, and Rollic's $100m hit | 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: My Talking Tom Friends 2, Coin Master - Board Adventure, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Job News
Apple appoints longtime exec Sabih Khan as chief operating officer
Current COO Jeff Williams to step down later this month
Underrated?
The UGC revolution the games industry is clueless about
How well do you know UGC?
New Offerings
Ubisoft and Netflix move forward with first Assassin’s Creed series adaptation
Netflix says the series will honour the franchise’s legacy while delivering a fresh cinematic experience
Online Safety
Roblox rolls out Trusted Connections and new parental tools in major safety update
Roblox said its updates aim to balance teen independence with strong safety measures.
New Offerings
Saga and Chrono Labs launch KEX to power next-gen AI agents in web3
New tech built on Saga's blockchain
Milestone
TowerLands joins Mamboo Entertainment's portfolio as the publisher crosses 1bn installs
The publisher said 20% of its mobile game installs come from platforms outside the App Store and Google Play
Apple Troubles
Wheels of Aurelia dev says Apple undermining value and sustainability of games as it looks to delist title
"It is hard to imagine how we could ever thrive within Apple's ecosystem"
New Offerings
Apple launches new emoji-based puzzle game for News+ subscribers
The game will also integrate with the upcoming Apple Games app in iOS 26
New Offerings
Stash and Adyen partner to power scalable D2C monetisation for game developers
“Partnering with a company as exceptional and selective as Adyen strengthens every pillar of that mission,” said Stash co-founder Justin Kan.
Jobs News
Ubisoft names new co-CEOs of Tencent-backed subsidiary
Questions remain about wider impact of the deal on publisher's teams and IP
Expansions
Scopely opens major games and creative hub in Barcelona with over 700 staff
Scopely is now Spain’s largest video game employer with nearly 1,000 staff across the country
Funding News
Green Games Showcase hits $150,000 goal to plant 50,000 trees in Timor-Leste
The trees will be planted by PlanetPlay's sustainability partner WithOneSeed
Mentorship
Take This opens applications for season two of its mental health-focused mentorship programme
The initiative is focused on improving mental health while elevating historically underrepresented voices in the industry
New Offerings
Roblox License Manager hands creators major IP for games
Roblox said creators are on track to surpass $1 billion in earnings this year
Deal Tracker
Show Me The Money: Scopely closes $3.5bn Niantic deal, UK gets £30m Games Growth Package, and Moshi Monsters' crowdfunding push in June 2025
Show Me The Money: The big deals from June 2025
Revenue Race
Uma Musume: Pretty Derby trots to $6.6m outside Japan after 18 days
Cygames’ flagship was Japan’s top-grossing mobile game in 2021 and 2022, and expanded into the West on June 26th, 2025
New Offerings
Discord launches Orbs to scale in-app rewards
Orbs give Discord users new ways to earn rewards and explore premium features like Nitro
Industry Outlook
Games industry deal value hits $6.2bn in Q2 2025
New report from Aream & Co shows that mobile revenue remains steady at $20bn quarterly
Coin Master Go
Moon Active takes on Scopely with Monopoly Go-like Coin Master - Board Adventure
Scopely took inspiration from the hit casual casino game - now Moon Active is returning the favour
Strategy Spending
Whiteout Survival hits $3bn in player spending in under 2.5 years
Century Games’ strategy title has been among the five highest-earning mobile games every month this year