State Of Gdc
GDC 2026 rips off the band-aid
A look at the challenges facing one of the industry's largest annual gatherings of developers
Industry Insights
How the role of the marketing analyst is changing in the age of AI
Iaroslav Kobozev discusses how AI is reshaping the skills and workflows for marketing analysts
Funding News
Quicksave Interactive secures HyperScope Ventures investment for Playables.ai
Playables.ai enables advertisers to create playable ads using simple prompts rather than traditional development workflows
Latest
Nominations Named
No mobile games nominated for Best Game at BAFTA Games Awards 2026
Nominations are now public, and mobile’s appearance is sparse
Tencent Tech
Tencent showcases AI lighting tech MagicDawn at GDC
Open-world MMO Roco Kingdom: World was used as a demonstration of new capabilities
New Offerings
Apple cuts App Store fees in China after regulator talks
Developers in the Small Business Program and Mini Apps Partner Program will see fees drop from 15% to 12%
Layoff News
Meta planning layoffs that could affect 20% of workforce
The potential cuts would be the company’s largest since its 2022–2023 “year of efficiency” restructuring
Gdc 2026
GDC Festival of Gaming draws 20,000 attendees as industry gathers in San Francisco
GDC took place in San Francisco from March 9th to March 13th, 2026
Strategic Move
Nodwin Gaming appoints MTG gaming executive Arnd Benninghoff as board member
The company has launched a pre-IPO fundraising round to support global expansion and strategic acquisitions
Editor's Picks
Monetisation In Africa
Africa’s monetisation debate: founders weigh in on mobile, PC, and the realities of game revenue
Several founders warn that treating Africa as a single gaming market ignores the continent’s diverse economic and payment realities
Us Best Of 2026
The Top 30 US Mobile Game Makers of 2026
The US movers and shakers of the last 12 months revealed!
Mobile Mavens
“Finally, real evolution in the app store”: The Mobile Mavens weigh in on Google Play changes
Our Mobile Mavens share their insights on the latest Google Play changes and what they could mean for developers and the mobile games industry
Opinion
The issue is not a lack of talent or ambition. It is a restriction of opportunity.
Dr Marie-Claire Isaaman on issues around talent retention.
Google’s new fee structure should give developers more flexibility in how they monetise and engage players
Joanne Lacey on Google's changes to the Play Store.
#Pocket Gamer Connects
Pgc Barcelona 2026
Ten ways you’ll benefit from meeting the games industry in Barcelona this June
PG Connects Barcelona will bring together investors, publishers, platforms and developers for high-value networking on June 15th-16th
Event Report
Pocket Gamer Connects Summit San Francisco smashed expectations
Mobile-focused business event sets the tone for GDC week, bringing together leading games companies from around the world
Pgc Summit MalmÖ
Small region, huge in games: why the industry is coming to Malmö this spring
Join two days of curated networking at the heart of the Nordic games sector, May 27th-28th
Pgc Barcelona 2026
Meet major studios and local developers in Spain’s games industry at Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona
Connect with the likes of Activision, King, Riot Games, Bandai Namco, and more on June 15th-16th
Industry Voices
Building Accessible Social Worlds
From e-commerce to social ecosystems: Hardy World Studios on building for the mobile-first frontier
Khaleem Solomon, the founder of Hardy World Studios discusses how culturally grounded design and low-code accessibility are reshaping player retention across both VR and mobile
Week In Views
PEGI revises ratings with loot boxes among key changes, and Angry Birds marketing strategies | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Generate Identify & Scale Playables
Beyond the guesswork: introducing Playable Factory’s AI-generated playables
How Playable Factory is using over 50 billion playable sessions to move beyond the ‘guess and check’ era
Industry Insights
How Azur Games increased retention and doubled revenue with Hidden Objects 2
Daria Korbyleva explains how structural design and live ops helped Hidden Objects 2 outperform its predecessor
Portugal's Game Dev Scene
Redcatpig’s Marco Bettencourt on making games in The Azores
Redcatpig released its first vehicular combat game, KEO, in Early Access in 2021 and is in the process of developing its second title, Hovershock
#MENA
Developer Support
Tenjin joins Turkish government incentives programme for game developers
Eligible Turkish studios can now receive government reimbursement when using Tenjin’s services
New Office
Maysalward opens new headquarters in Amman
The new office will host The Capsule, a programme designed to expand the studio’s capacity-building efforts
Online Safety
Türkiye proposes new regulations for digital platforms and game distributors
Digital game distributors may be required to appoint a local representative to operate in the country
Funding News
Cheer Games raises $4.5m pre-seed to build puzzle franchises
The studio plans to use the funding to develop new puzzle titles and expand its Barcelona team
Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions
Acqusitions
Open World acquires Drope.me to scale creator-driven games marketing
Acquisition expands Open World’s ability to run large-scale creator campaigns
Finding Funds
Antihero Studios raises $4.5m in seed funding ahead of Misfitz open alpha
a16z Speedrun and Laton Ventures led the round
Funding News
Istanbul-based Vento Games secures $4m to scale family-friendly mobile puzzle portfolio
Funding will support talent expansion and accelerate the rollout of new brain-building puzzle titles
Funding News
Minit Games raises $2m to bring instant play gaming into the feed era
Startup prepares for invite-only early alpha following pre-seed round
Investment News
Replay Global backs Vietnam-based Playard to scale its mobile games portfolio
Playard to remain independent following undisclosed investment
New Partnerships
Bolt and Toffee sign strategic partnership to bring D2C payment services to games developers
The partnership is said to encompass more than $300 million in signed processing commitments
Game Over
Netflix drops Warner Bros. Discovery deal as Paramount wins bidding war
Streaming firm said it will not up its offer, effectively leading the way for Paramount's 'superior offer' to go ahead
Jobs News
Jobs Roundup
March 2026's Movers and Shakers: Pokémon’s product marketing manager, multiple King promotions, founding Rocket Game Talent, and more
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
New Offerings
Former PlayStation and Xbox hiring lead launches Rocket Game Talent
New boutique firm aims to help studios scale hiring operations
Job News
Beyond The Pixels strengthens leadership ahead of its debut title Astro Burn
Former Fnatic and GIANTX CEO Wouter Sleijffers joins the studio as chief operating officer
Job News
Sixteen Tons appoints former Wooga VP creative Sebastian Nußbaum as chief creative officer
He joins amid renewed momentum for Emergency HQ, working alongside CEO Jan Richter
Mobile Mavens
Evolution or revolution at Xbox? The games industry reacts to leadership changes in Microsoft's games division
The Mobile Mavens share their insights on the past, present and future of Xbox
#Regulation
Apple Troubles
German publishers urge antitrust fine against Apple ATT
Industry groups say Apple’s proposed ATT changes fail to resolve competition concerns
Security Review
Report: Trump administration reviews Tencent gaming investments over security concerns
Officials are assessing whether the company’s investments pose potential national security risks.
Child Safety
UK consultation on kids’ online lives: what the video games industry needs to know
Celia Pontin explains the UK government’s consultation on keeping children safe online
Week In Views
Games industry regulation tightens and transmedia insights with the Umamusume: Pretty Derby movie director | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
More News
New Offerings
Google Play rolls out Game Trials so players can try full paid games before purchasing
New “buy once, play anywhere” model lets players access supported games on both mobile and PC
Company Growth
Mobvista reports $2.05bn revenue for 2025 as Mintegral drives growth
Mintegral generated $1.96bn in revenue, remaining Mobvista’s primary growth driver
Market Report
Study shows 77% of mobile gamers spend $100 or more per month on online purchases
92% of gamers who bought a product after seeing an ad said they were satisfied with the purchase
New Offerings
Razer reveals AI tools to speed up game development pipelines
The company’s “Future of Play” showcase introduced tools designed to accelerate game development pipelines
Leadership Change
Stillfront announces change to Nomination Committee ahead of AGM
Roger Storm of Handelsbanken Fonder has stepped down from the Nomination Committee with immediate effect
Expansions
Sega Sammy plans to expand transmedia strategy as mobile and live service titles take centre stage
The company is using games as the starting point for broader entertainment expansions across multiple platforms
New Offerings
Google Cloud unveils autonomous AI agents as next phase of game development
The company said the games industry is entering its biggest shift since the move from 2D to 3D graphics
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Podcasts
Podcast | Episode 85
The future of Xbox and Pokémon's 30th anniversary | 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 85...
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...
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...
Podcast | Episode 82
What do game developers really think of Project Genie? | 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 82...