Job News
Krafton appoints Kangwook Lee as chief AI officer
He will oversee company-wide AI R&D and foundational tech roadmap
Xbox Verdict
"Bad news for Xbox": Analysts react to the leadership shakeup at Microsoft's games division
Games industry analysts offer their insights on the future of Xbox as Phil Spencer exits and Asha Sharma steps in
Early In Endfield
Arknights: Endfield makes $46m in first month on mobile
The gacha game saw a boost with its first new character banner on February 7th
Pgc Summit San Francisco
Start GDC week with mobile-first business at Pocket Gamer Connects Summit San Francisco
Curated mobile games opportunities for partnerships, funding, and growth
Studio Closure
Tencent closes TiMi Montreal studio after five years
Studio was founded in 2021 to build open-world multi-platform titles
New Offerings
ByteBrew launches AI-powered cross-promotion network to scale app portfolios
The platform enables developers to target high-value users within their own apps and move them across titles
New Offerings
Roblox launches Global Parent Council to strengthen family engagement and online safety oversight
The council includes 80 parents and caregivers from 32 countries across four regions
Hot Five
Hot Five: Scopely acquires majority stake in Loom Games, Phil Spencer retires, and Unity shares approach all-time low
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Executive Shuffle
Xbox's outgoing president Sarah Bond: "I’m proud of what we’ve built together"
Executive releases statement after executive shuffle at Microsoft's games division
End Of An Era
Phil Spencer retires as ex-Instacart COO takes top job at Microsoft Gaming
Xbox president and COO Sarah Bond also exits the firm as Matt Booty is promoted to EVP and chief content officer
Podcast | Episode 84
Scopely's $1bn Loom Games deal and Matthew Ball's State of Video Games report | 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 84...
Week In Views
China’s rising chart power, Warzone Mobile’s final months and Pokémon Go’s PvP update | 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: Warframe, Horse Racing Solitaire, Paranormasight: The Mermaid’s Curse, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Job News
Make-A-Wish International appoints Markus Wilding to its Infinite Wishes Advisory Committee
Former Activision, Rockstar, 2K and Private Division leader brings 30 years of global industry experience to the initiative
Strategic Move
Meta splits Quest and Horizon Worlds as it pivots the social sandbox app toward mobile
The company claims Horizon Worlds' mobile MAU grew more than 4x in 2025
M&a
Scopely acquires majority stake in Istanbul’s Pixel Flow developer Loom Games at $1bn valuation
The performance-based deal structure values studio in excess of $1 billion
Major Deal
Why Scopely acquired a majority stake in the Pixel Flow team
"The combination of creativity and immediate traction is extremely rare with a new game, and we see high potential in this group of game makers"
Ai Insights
AI can build your game prototype but it can’t build your strategy
Tom Storr from The Experimentation Group explores how AI is speeding up game prototypes and why experience is still key
Pgc Summit Malmo
NEW FOR 2026! PG Connects Summit Malmö tickets have gone live!
New Offerings
UK government reveals expanded finance package to help creative businesses scale
The move includes a $60 million commitment to Redrice Ventures to boost seed-stage investment in creative firms
Brazil Games set to bring over 30 game studios to GDC 2026
The delegation aims to position Brazil as a global development partner
Pgc London
AppsFlyer talks buyer signals, player targeting and staying legally compliant
At PGC London, AppsFlyer SVP and GM, data collaboration platform Edik Mitelman spoke with global director of product Adam Smart about recent tech advancements and retargeting capabilities
Staying Power
“Scale lets us focus on years, not quarters”: Unico Studio on building games that last
Unico CEO Erkay Uzun discusses why long-term live operations shape every core decision
Shares Slump
Unity shares approach all-time low after falling 91% since November 2021
Unity shares stood at $18.36 each on closing yesterday, nearing their record low from summer 2024
Pokemon Pvp
Pokémon Go PvP revamped after competitive players "pushed the system to its limits"
Foundational changes have been made to reduce the impact of connectivity and hardware differences between players
New Offerings
FirstLook launches 1.0 as it expands into a full lifecycle player relationship platform
The platform now integrates playtesting, communications, analytics, rewards, creator campaigns and sentiment analysis in one suite
Market Report
Report: Global app installs climbed 10% in 2025 as sessions rose 7% year-over-year
Casual games led growth with 19% install gains and a 37% surge in sessions.
Ramadan Kareem
Ramadan festivities unfold across mobile with themed events and seasonal rewards
We’ve rounded up a selection of the most engaging and inventive in-game events and promotions currently live
Ready To Reflect
Matthew Ball's State of Video Gaming in 2026: "China is eating the video games industry"
Highlights from the State of Video Gaming in 2026 report include content sales growth, fewer layoffs and victory for China and Roblox
Chart Rankings
January 2026 mobile game charts: Clash Royale falls, PUBG Mobile rises, and Microfun breaks into the top 10
A deep dive into the global mobile game rankings across the App Store and Google Play
Pgc San Francisco
Monetisation, player retention and communities on Discord: Top tips incoming at PGC San Francisco
Discord senior developer Anthony Tešija will talk on stage about best practices for acquiring, retaining and monetising mobile gamers through the platform
New Offerings
Mellow launches Indie Launchpad to support game studios
The program offers six months of full access to Mellow’s contractor management tools
Share Drop
AppLovin shares dive as much as 40% this year despite strong earnings growth
The stock recently traded around $390.66, valuing the company at approximately $132bn
Game Closure
Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile servers to shut down in April 2026
Players can continue accessing existing content until the April closure date
Crushable Consortium
King and Yahoo Games: filling a bite-sized "appetite" with Candy Crush Crushable
Candy Crush Saga VP of marketing Luken Aragon and Yahoo head of games Andrew Pedersen discuss the new daily puzzle title
Duolingo Daus
More than 10 million Duolingo users have a 365-day streak
Of the learning app’s 50m daily users, over 10m have a year-long login streak
Podcast | Episode 83
Supercell faces Clash Royale controversy and banks on innovation | 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 83...
Pgc Summit San Francisco
Meet decision-makers at Pocket Gamer Connects Summit San Francisco
Where mobile games business gets done during GDC week
Studio Closure
Mega Studio shuts down game development division after nearly five years
The studio built more than 35 games and apps, and at its peak employed nearly 40 staff
Hot Five
Hot Five: Former Unity CEO David Helgason resigns from board, Supercell’s content creator furore, and Mattel acquires full ownership of Mattel163
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Week In Views
End of an era at Unity, Resident Evil Survival Unit's future and Pokémon's Super Bowl appearance | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Mobile Mavens
Mobile Mavens: What Google’s AI world-building tech Project Genie means for games
Industry insiders give their opinions on the tech and its potential practical applications
Pgc Summit San Francisco
Learn from Scopely, Tencent, SYBO, Jam City, Mattel and more at PGC Summit San Francisco on March 9th
Gain insights on the latest market trends in this mobile-focused summit filled with top industry speakers
New Games
New release roundup: Cadence, Goblin Sushi, Shiren: Serpentcoil Island, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Pocket Gamer Connects
Wherever the event, Pocket Gamer Connects is all about business
Why a curated B2B format works across different markets
New Offerings
IGDA Foundation unveils new visual identity in major rebrand
The move includes a new logo, redesigned website, and updated newsletter
Esports Nations Cup
Esports Nations Cup 2026 reveals first eight titles
Mobile leads the charge with Honor of Kings and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang fronting the initial lineup
Growth Drivers
Japan reveals plans to boost support for games and content industries as new growth pillar
Overseas sales of Japanese content reached $37.7bn in 2023
Mea Culpa
Supercell CEO sorry for failure to acknowledge role of content creators in Clash Royale's success
Ilkka Paananen takes full responsibility for blog post and thanks creators for their contribution
New Offerings
Ares Interactive opens pre-registration for Baseball Hits 26 featuring Cal Raleigh
The mobile title is being developed by 7th Inning, staffed by veterans of the former MLB Tap Sports Baseball franchise