New Era
An Epic deal for Google?
Epic and Google propose new rules for how you monetise your games
Chart Rankings
October 2025 mobile game charts: New hits rise as PUBG Mobile falls
Our monthly look at the global mobile game rankings across the App Store and Google Play
Week In Views
EA’s creative control, Switch 2’s early success, and a wave of new mobile hits | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Latest
New Games
New release roundup: Sonic Rumble, Boat Game, Sword of Justice, MapleStory: Idle RPG, and more
We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week
Studio Closure
Atomhawk closes Canadian studio as part of restructuring
The firm will continue operating from the UK as a creative innovation partner for the games industry
Strategic Growth
My.Games extends publishing program to MENA as part of global expansion
The program offers funding, marketing, and development support across mobile, PC, and console
Studio Closure
Bad Brain Game Studios to shut down after partner search falls through
The studio says the game and IP remain available for acquisition or partnership
Company Restructure
Square Enix to close overseas studios and consolidate development in Japan
Staff in both the US and UK are being notified of potential layoffs
Media Partnership
GamesBeat Next adds 100 final tickets after selling out
GamesBeat Next has released a final batch of passes as the San Francisco event approaches capacity on November 12th to 13th
Editor's Picks
Pgc Aqaba
Pocket Gamer Connects Aqaba agenda reveal
Discover the conference agenda connecting you with the world’s fastest growing games sectors, November 8th and 9th
Beyond Bloons
Inside Ninja Kiwi’s next game: Building beyond Bloons with Fightland
Ninja Kiwi’s CEO Scott Walker shares staying true to the studio’s roots while building the next generation of games
Jobs Roundup
November 2025’s Movers and Shakers: Rovio’s VP of game evolution, rising the ranks at Roblox, and Rockstar snatches Rob Saunders from Apple
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
Opinion
When you are responsible for driving revenue, you quickly learn that every small detail matters.
Božo Janković on how small in-game changes led to big surprises in ad performance
To stress, the DFA isn’t even a draft law yet - it’s the beginning of the process, and there’s still time to respond to the consultation.
Celia Pontin on the the Digital Fairness Act
#Pocket Gamer Connects
Pgc London
Aurora: Celebrating women in the British games industry at Pocket Gamer Connects London 2026
Aurora returns to honour industry-leading women whose vision, talent, leadership and more are making their mark in every corner of the UK
Pgc London
PGC London double discount! Save up to £299 with Early Bird and Fireworks Night combo offer!
Stackable special offers end this week
Aurora
Diversity in the Finnish games industry
Quicksave’s Elina Arponen on her entry into the games industry and how Finland’s game sector is more inclusive
Pgc London 2026
Transmedia summit announced for PGC London
One-day event Beyond Games Transmedia Summit joins Pocket Gamer Connects London 2026
Industry Voices
Marvellous Mena
DaFluffs Games founder on leveraging early funding to scale global mobile games
“We see a huge appetite for games that feel global but carry subtle local touches”
Mobile Mavens
"You can’t world-build your way out of a broken core loop": The games industry weighs in on the transmedia boom
Our Mobile Mavens share if transmedia projects help to elevate games or simply cause more distraction
Marvellous Mena
Gbrossoft CEO on creative resilience and African gaming
"The key lies in incentivising games and building awareness among Africa’s young and tech-savvy population"
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
Aurora
Diversity and collaboration are what make games engaging and meaningful
Sari Latvala on building games based on different viewpoints and mutual understanding
#MENA
New Partnerships
Savvy Games Group signs MoU with Humain to advance AI adoption across its operations
The partnership focuses on developing tailored AI tools for key business functions, including game development
Expansions
ESL FACEIT Group opens new regional headquarters in Riyadh
The venue will act as an esports venue and talent development hub for Saudi nationals
Market Report
Jordan’s $312.8m games market could nearly double by 2030
The sector is expanding at an annual growth rate of 11.5%
New Partnerships
Mad Hook partners with Audiomob to expand in-game audio monetisation
Mad Hook said the partnership has boosted revenue and opened new opportunities
Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions
Crossovers
Turborilla teams up with SX Global for a Mad Skills Motocross 3 crossover event
The collaboration debuts in Season 12: House of Good Times
Investment News
Arcadia Gaming Partners invests $4m in Iron Games studio led by former Gram Games execs
Developer aims to redefine what players expect from casual and merge genres by introducing new, original mechanics
Pulling The Plug
IOC parts ways with Saudi Arabia on Olympic Esports Games deal
The split comes 14 months after announcing a 12-year deal for the Olympic Esports Games
Company Buyout
AppsFlyer reportedly nearing a $3bn buyout
Four investment funds have entered the final bidding stage
Investment News
Sensor Tower secures new investment for generative AI insights
Market intelligence firm aims to fuel its genAI ambitions with new capital
New Partnerships
Sega signs MoU with Media City Qatar to tailor games for Arab audiences
The partnership will support local talent, production, and Arabic localisation across Sega’s global titles
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
Jobs News
Podcast | Episode 70
Squad Busters shuts down and Google Play's transformative changes | 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 70...
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
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
Studio Closure
Netflix shuts down Boss Fight studio behind Squid Game Unleashed
Both Netflix Stories and Squid Game Unleashed remain playable
Company Restructure
Ubisoft RedLynx eyes 60 job cuts
Helsinki studio will shift focus to mobile development
#Regulation
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
Cracked Open
US Google Play store opens up to alternative payments in boost for DTC
Injunction will run until November 1st, 2027
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
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...
More News
New Offerings
Discord expands Family Centre tools with new teen safety features
New parental controls also let guardians manage how Discord uses teen data and ads
Funding News
Hoora Games raises $1.3m to accelerate mobile ambitions
The startup aims to become a global reference point for mobile entertainment
New Offerings
Zynga partners with Dots.eco to launch FarmVille 3 conservation bundles
The initiative links in-game play with measurable real-world environmental action
Rumble Arrival
Sonic Rumble launches globally with 10m "early Rumblers"
The Sonic spinoff was originally slated to release last winter, but has finally arrived after multiple delays
Switch 2 Sales
Nintendo Switch 2 surpasses 10m unit sales in under four months
The original Switch sold 4.7m units in its first four months
Pgc Helsinki
80% of first-time web store visitors come back again
Appcharge’s Miikka Luotio spoke at PGC Helsinki 2025 about players increasing understanding of web stores, but personalisation remains key
Settlement Reached
Google and Epic reach proposed settlement to open Android app store access
The proposal would allow third-party app stores to be downloaded more easily
Latest Videos
Podcasts
Eu Regulation
Podcast: The EU's Digital Fairness Act and what it means for the games industry explained
Arcanix CSO Oscar Clark and Flux Digital Policy director of policy and public affairs Celia Pontin delve into potential impact on free-to-play
Podcast | Episode 68
The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers revealed, and crisis in the EU's games industry | 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 68...
Podcast | Episode 67
The $55bn EA acquisition unpacked | 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 67...
Podcast
Gaming Meets Beauty: Inside Henkel’s first brand activation
The PocketGamer.biz podcast team and guests give you the state of play, here's where to get it and what's inside this week's episode.