Windup Minds' Bernie Yee on Plants vs. Zombies, UA costs and the wrong lessons from free-to-play

Windup Minds' Bernie Yee on Plants vs. Zombies, UA costs and the wrong lessons from free-to-play

The PvZ 2 producer opens up about gentle monetisation, why mobile was off the table for his new studio and what F2P actually requires

September 21, 2026

Lilith Games finds a new hit as Clash of Critters makes $45.6m in four months

Coins And Critters

Lilith Games finds a new hit as Clash of Critters makes $45.6m in four months

The game’s fourth month, between August and September, has been its most lucrative yet in player spending

September 21, 2026

AppLovin grows 60% Y/Y rounding to $20bn in annual platform ad spend

AppLovin grows 60% Y/Y rounding to $20bn in annual platform ad spend

CEO Adam Foroughi spoke on stage at the All-In Summit 2026

September 21, 2026

Latest

Zynga Ads+ brings 100 mobile games to advertising offering

Zynga Ads+ brings 100 mobile games to advertising offering

The company calls it a “Game Path Optimisation” approach

September 21, 2026

Nex raises over $150m to take Nex Playground global

Nex raises over $150m to take Nex Playground global

Nex Playground has surpassed 1m units sold and is distributed across more than 7,000 US retail locations

September 21, 2026

Playing for the Planet reveals 2026 Green Games Awards winners across sustainability categories

Winners Revealed

Playing for the Planet reveals 2026 Green Games Awards winners across sustainability categories

The awards concluded the 2026 Green Games Summit, with the Green Game Jam returning in 2027

September 21, 2026

Brian Ward asked to remain as Savvy Games Group advisor following departure

Brian Ward asked to remain as Savvy Games Group advisor following departure

Ward became Savvy’s founding CEO in 2021

September 21, 2026

Hot Five: Sega confirms Crazy Taxi Netflix film, Google Play’s £260m UK settlement, and Brawl Stars and Duolingo launch crossover

Hot Five: Sega confirms Crazy Taxi Netflix film, Google Play’s £260m UK settlement, and Brawl Stars and Duolingo launch crossover

Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz

September 21, 2026

5 more reasons PG Connects Nordics is an essential event

5 more reasons PG Connects Nordics is an essential event

From Finnish Games Week to multiplatform development and organic networking, here’s why you should be in the room this October 20th and 21st

September 21, 2026

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Editor's Picks

Trailmix on five years of Love & Pies: “There is no status quo in live service”

Trailmix on five years of Love & Pies: “There is no status quo in live service”

General manager of Love & Pies at Trailmix Games, Felicity Gracie-Herst, discusses the game's five-year journey and what comes next

September 15, 2026

September 2026's Movers and Shakers: Rovio, King, Trailmix, Tripledot, Apple and more

September 2026's Movers and Shakers: Rovio, King, Trailmix, Tripledot, Apple and more

Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers

September 16, 2026

Naphora managing director on rebuilding the studio, going mobile-first and building globally competitive games

Naphora managing director on rebuilding the studio, going mobile-first and building globally competitive games

“Mobile gives us access to the world's largest gaming audience, global distribution from day one, much shorter development and validation cycles, and an enormous amount of measurable player and market data"

September 17, 2026

Opinion

<blockquote>For me, the most interesting part isn't AI replacing creative talent, but how it can allow smaller teams to work faster.</blockquote>

For me, the most interesting part isn't AI replacing creative talent, but how it can allow smaller teams to work faster.

Hind Toufga discusses how Nordic studios are utilising AI

<blockquote>By making the cost of acquisition so high, I sometimes wonder where are you going to get all those innovations?</blockquote>

By making the cost of acquisition so high, I sometimes wonder where are you going to get all those innovations?

DoubleDown's Faith Price talks D2C, UA challenges and AI

#Pocket Gamer Connects

Nominate the women we should celebrate in this year's Aurora Nordics

Nominate the women we should celebrate in this year's Aurora Nordics

The honourees will be announced live at PG Connects Nordics this October 20th and 21st

September 18, 2026

Meet the next generation of developer talent at PG Connects Jordan

We're back in Amman this November 7th and 8th

September 17, 2026

Five reasons you might think PG Connects London isn't for you - and why it is!

Five reasons you might think PG Connects London isn't for you - and why it is!

We answer five of the most frequently asked questions about our annual flagship conference

September 17, 2026

In The Hot Seat: Colossal Order's Mariina Hallikainen on leaving Paradox and life after Cities: Skylines

Fresh Foundations

In The Hot Seat: Colossal Order's Mariina Hallikainen on leaving Paradox and life after Cities: Skylines

Seventeen years, one franchise, and now a blank page - Colossal Order's CEO on what comes after Cities: Skylines

September 16, 2026

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Industry Voices

Diablo heads to Netflix and Monster Hunter Now's $336.9m mobile milestone | Week in Views

Diablo heads to Netflix and Monster Hunter Now's $336.9m mobile milestone | Week in Views

The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories

September 18, 2026

“Apple's new foldable changes the canvas iOS developers are designing for”: The Mobile Mavens on the iPhone Duo

“Apple's new foldable changes the canvas iOS developers are designing for”: The Mobile Mavens on the iPhone Duo

The Mobile Mavens weigh in on Apple's entry into foldable phones and what the Duo could mean for mobile developers

September 17, 2026

Why most mobile games get LTV wrong at UA scale

Industry Insights

Why most mobile games get LTV wrong at UA scale

Leonid Malysh examines how mobile publishers can calculate LTV more accurately and avoid scaling unprofitable user acquisition campaigns

September 16, 2026

D2C isn't a payment method: Inside a webstore doing 70% of revenue

D2C isn't a payment method: Inside a webstore doing 70% of revenue

Ahead of his PGC Nordics talk, executive advisor Michal Korek on how Gamesture took its webstore from 32% to 70% of sales

September 15, 2026

Football's gaming ties, Epic's social push, Zelda's mobile connection and lessons from Sucker Punch | Week in Views

Football's gaming ties, Epic's social push, Zelda's mobile connection and lessons from Sucker Punch | Week in Views

The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories

September 11, 2026

More

#The Nordics

Wooga's Holger Wurst confirmed for PGC Nordics

Wooga's Holger Wurst confirmed for PGC Nordics

The UX veteran behind June's Journey will join the star speaker lineup for PGC Nordics

September 10, 2026

How Nordic studios are using AI part two: From solo game-builders to support that never sleeps

How Nordic studios are using AI part two: From solo game-builders to support that never sleeps

Five more industry voices from the Nordics explain how AI is reshaping legal risk, team structure, player support and where the human line gets drawn

September 9, 2026

Embark Studios' Neil Houari to speak at PGC Nordics

Superstar Speaker

Embark Studios' Neil Houari to speak at PGC Nordics

The 3D art lead brings his character and world-building expertise to Helsinki this October

August 28, 2026

InnoGames' Zoran Gjorgiev on rebuilding Heroes of History's live ops one layer at a time

InnoGames' Zoran Gjorgiev on rebuilding Heroes of History's live ops one layer at a time

The product manager of Heroes of History on rhythm over frequency, rewards over mechanics and the shift to multi-week "Big Beats"

August 25, 2026

More

Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions

Kalank secures €1.5m funding round to accelerate international expansion

Kalank secures €1.5m funding round to accelerate international expansion

The funding will support hiring, talent retention and publishing activities

September 17, 2026

Kakao Games to acquire 39.56% of Me2on for $71.5m

Kakao Games to acquire 39.56% of Me2on for $71.5m

The deal values Me2on at approximately $181m based on the transaction

September 16, 2026

Arcustin Games raises $500,000 in pre-seed funding

Arcustin Games raises $500,000 in pre-seed funding

The investment values the Istanbul-based studio at $10m

September 15, 2026

Andrew Stalbow-led investor group completes Bath City FC acquisition

Andrew Stalbow-led investor group completes Bath City FC acquisition

The investment aims to support Bath City’s men’s and women’s teams and make the club Football League-ready

September 11, 2026

Pocket Worlds acquires Hotel Hideaway and expands social-world portfolio to 80m users

Pocket Worlds acquires Hotel Hideaway and expands social-world portfolio to 80m users

Hotel Hideaway has more than 32m registered users and roughly 300,000 monthly active players

September 10, 2026

GenAI firm Tripo raises $445m two months after Series A3 round

GenAI firm Tripo raises $445m two months after Series A3 round

The tech firm had recently raised $150m in a series A3 financing round

September 9, 2026

LEGO Digital Play acquires Space Ape spinout Offroad Games

LEGO Digital Play acquires Space Ape spinout Offroad Games

Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed

September 7, 2026

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Jobs News

GDC welcomes four new members to its Advisory Board

GDC welcomes four new members to its Advisory Board

The new members are Amir Satvat, Alexa Ray Corriea, Lucien Parsons and Perrin Kaplan

September 18, 2026

Jonathan Knight takes expanded chief games officer role at The New York Times

Jonathan Knight takes expanded chief games officer role at The New York Times

Knight has held senior games roles at EA, Zynga, Warner Bros. Games and Activision

September 17, 2026

Report: 35% of game founders have decided against hiring because AI can do the work

Industry Report

Report: 35% of game founders have decided against hiring because AI can do the work

The ‘Talent Signals Reshaping the Games Industry’ report found that 48% of founders are currently operating at a loss

September 14, 2026

Apple's $2,000+ iPhone Duo and the backlash against new EU App Store rules | Week in Mobile Games podcast

Podcast | Episode 104

Apple's $2,000+ iPhone Duo and the backlash against new EU App Store rules | 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 104...

September 12, 2026

Blizzard developers ratify first union contract with Microsoft covering AI, layoffs and remote work

Union Contracts

Blizzard developers ratify first union contract with Microsoft covering AI, layoffs and remote work

The agreement consolidates Blizzard’s unions into three larger bargaining units

September 10, 2026

More

#China

Delta Force surpasses $10m in daily player spending for the first time

Delta Force surpasses $10m in daily player spending for the first time

The tactical shooter hit a new record on September 5th, ranking as the most lucrative mobile game globally for one day

September 7, 2026

China games market surpasses $50bn for the first time as player base is forecast to hit 769m by 2030

China games market surpasses $50bn for the first time as player base is forecast to hit 769m by 2030

New data from Niko Partners forecasts the market will reach $59.8bn by 2030

September 7, 2026

Duolingo partners with Eggy Party in China

Party Partnership

Duolingo partners with Eggy Party in China

The partnership offers learners in China access to the Eggy Party Quest in Duolingo

September 2, 2026

5 takeaways from Gamescom 2026: A truly global show, AI's impact, Apple and Google's charm offensive, and what was missing

Gamescom Insights

5 takeaways from Gamescom 2026: A truly global show, AI's impact, Apple and Google's charm offensive, and what was missing

A look at some of the key trends and talking points coming out of one of the world's biggest trade and consumer shows for games

August 28, 2026

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More News

King faces potential strike in Sweden over collective agreement

King faces potential strike in Sweden over collective agreement

Unionen and Sveriges Ingenjörer issued the strike notice on September 15th

September 18, 2026

AppsFlyer expands attribution tools to cover AI referrals and ChatGPT Ads

AppsFlyer expands attribution tools to cover AI referrals and ChatGPT Ads

The update covers both app installs and re-engagements from AI referrals

September 18, 2026

Business Finland receives €14m in creative industries R&D funding applications

Providing Support

Business Finland receives €14m in creative industries R&D funding applications

Gaming companies submitted some of the largest funding applications

September 18, 2026

Apple changes EU app tracking transparency with iOS 27.2

App Store Changes

Apple changes EU app tracking transparency with iOS 27.2

The tracking permission requirements themselves will remain unchanged

September 18, 2026

Smadex refreshes brand as Performance CTV becomes growth engine

The company combines mobile and CTV signals to optimise campaigns against predicted outcomes

September 18, 2026

Brawl Stars and Duolingo launch global mascot crossover

Brawl Stars and Duolingo launch global mascot crossover

Players can answer quizzes during the Boss Fight to earn rewards or avoid damage

September 17, 2026

Ludus: Merge Arena surpasses $50m in lifetime revenue

Ludus: Merge Arena surpasses $50m in lifetime revenue

The game has surpassed 12m cumulative players worldwide

September 17, 2026

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Latest Videos

Highlights From The Mobile Games Awards 2026

Highlights From The Mobile Games Awards 2026

00:57 | 4 views

Highlights from Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona 2026

Highlights from Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona 2026

01:33 | 8 views

How to leverage incentivised rewards for high value UA

How to leverage incentivised rewards for high value UA

10:34 | 116 views

Rewarded Marketplaces & How Surprise Equals Engagement

Rewarded Marketplaces & How Surprise Equals Engagement

08:50 | 138 views

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Podcasts

Gamescom 2026 insights and Sony Music's shock Puzzle & Dragons investment | Week in Mobile Games podcast

Podcast | Episode 103

Gamescom 2026 insights and Sony Music's shock Puzzle & Dragons investment | 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 103...

September 6, 2026

Did Apple really resolve its EU dispute? | Week in Mobile Games podcast

Podcast | Episode 102

Did Apple really resolve its EU dispute? | 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 102...

August 24, 2026

Podcast: Xsolla on D2C's growing momentum and its biggest product wave yet

Podcast: Xsolla on D2C's growing momentum and its biggest product wave yet

Xsolla president Chris Hewish discusses all things direct-to-consumer ahead of a big week at Gamescom

August 21, 2026

Coming soon to the PocketGamer.biz Podcast: Xsolla on D2C and key pre-Gamescom reveals

Coming soon to the PocketGamer.biz Podcast: Xsolla on D2C and key pre-Gamescom reveals

Xsolla president Chris Hewish discusses the state of direct-to-consumer and the company's six new solutions for its expanding product suite

August 20, 2026

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