Most gaming companies aren't building creator platforms - they're building ecosystems

Creator Platforms

Most gaming companies aren't building creator platforms - they're building ecosystems

New research finds only five of 23 major gaming companies operate as true creator platforms, with hybrid ecosystems emerging as the industry's dominant model

Hot Five: Palworld 1.0, puzzle’s H1 2026 performance, and Ubisoft’s mobile net bookings share almost doubles

Hot Five: Palworld 1.0, puzzle’s H1 2026 performance, and Ubisoft’s mobile net bookings share almost doubles

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

How Palworld went viral and made its way to version 1.0

How Palworld went viral and made its way to version 1.0

Pocketpair's John discusses community engagement, the media backlash and why the studio isn't chasing trends

Latest

Garena is developing Palworld Online, launching this year

Palworld Partnership

Garena is developing Palworld Online, launching this year

The mobile game will "expand the narrative" of PocketPair’s popular IP

Roblox revenue rises 36% Y/Y, but young North Americans see falling per-hour monetisation

Roblox revenue rises 36% Y/Y, but young North Americans see falling per-hour monetisation

Roblox saw an increase in DAUs on a yearly basis this Q2, but the figure is down three quarters in a row

Reforged Labs shuts down as CEO says AI is closing its market opportunity

Closure Announcement

Reforged Labs shuts down as CEO says AI is closing its market opportunity

Co-founder Robert Huynh said the market for its product was too small

Digimon Up makes $7.9m in player spending during first two weeks

Digimon Up makes $7.9m in player spending during first two weeks

Daily spending peaked at $1.1m, but fell to $187,000 by the end of the fortnight

Talking Tom Gold Run surpasses 3.2bn downloads as Outfit7 marks 10th anniversary

Talking Tom Gold Run surpasses 3.2bn downloads as Outfit7 marks 10th anniversary

Outfit7 is introducing Arena Wipeout, a new competitive survival mode

Razer acquires StreamElements assets to expand creator ecosystem

Razer acquires StreamElements assets to expand creator ecosystem

StreamElements will continue operating without changes for creators

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Editor's Picks

In the Hot Seat: The ex-Riot producer betting mini-games will be China's next big export

In The Hot Seat

In the Hot Seat: The ex-Riot producer betting mini-games will be China's next big export

Ex-Riot and GoodDay Solution's Bo Mei on the East-West mistake everyone's making, mini-games' next big leap and the Chinese monetisation myth he wants everyone to drop

Burny Games CEO Anatolii Henis on building a repeatable mobile games business

Studio Strategy

Burny Games CEO Anatolii Henis on building a repeatable mobile games business

Anatolii Henis discusses restructuring the studio as well as expanding into publishing and why building a repeatable success matters more than chasing hits

The Top 30 China Game Makers of 2026

China Best Of 2026

The Top 30 China Game Makers of 2026

The China movers and shakers of the last 12 months revealed!

Opinion

<blockquote>I wouldn't even be able even to name a single department in the company that doesn't use AI in its work.</blockquote>

I wouldn't even be able even to name a single department in the company that doesn't use AI in its work.

My.Games CEO Elena Grigorian on live ops, new game R&D, D2C and why AI is a game changer

<blockquote>I think the game has made such a real difference in people’s lives that they have a loyalty to it that’s really special.</blockquote>

I think the game has made such a real difference in people’s lives that they have a loyalty to it that’s really special.

Scopely's Kim Adams on how Pokémon Go became a forever franchise

#Pocket Gamer Connects

InnoGames' Zoran Gjorgiev joins PGC Nordics speaker lineup

InnoGames' Zoran Gjorgiev joins PGC Nordics speaker lineup

From QA to product lead: InnoGames' product manager, Zoran Gjorgiev joins Pocket Gamer Connects Nordics this October

PG Connects Summit Shanghai: back, bigger and better!

Pgc Summit Shanghai

PG Connects Summit Shanghai: back, bigger and better!

More than 1,000 registrations across all activities from 400 companies and 40 countries

Tips for navigating China's enormous games market

Pgc Summit Shanghai

Tips for navigating China's enormous games market

Tips on choosing a local partner, user acquisition and player behaviour

PGC Summit Shanghai begins with talks from Habby, Thatgamecompany, Mattel163, Kingsoft and more

Pgc Summit Shanghai

PGC Summit Shanghai begins with talks from Habby, Thatgamecompany, Mattel163, Kingsoft and more

A day of networking and industry insights kicks off ahead of ChinaJoy

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Industry Voices

China is not a translated market: How global game publishers can prepare for growth

China In Your Hands

China is not a translated market: How global game publishers can prepare for growth

Kash Ismail of MStars.ai outlines how publishers can lay the foundations to test, learn and scale with control in China, long before the media budget is deployed

Meaningful collaborations, Arknights: Endfield's first six months and AI in China | Week in Views

Meaningful collaborations, Arknights: Endfield's first six months and AI in China | Week in Views

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

In the Hot Seat: How a former Dow Jones investigator is bringing due diligence to games

In The Hot Seat

In the Hot Seat: How a former Dow Jones investigator is bringing due diligence to games

We speak to DD For Games founder Chelsea Anglin about the red flags that spook investors, the sanctioned entities she's uncovered and what makes Chinese due diligence its own discipline

How SayGames uses game analytics to balance difficulty in hybrid puzzle games

Industry Insights

How SayGames uses game analytics to balance difficulty in hybrid puzzle games

Pavel Korbut explains how testing and player data can help developers balance difficulty in hybrid puzzle games

How China's game industry is using AI, from art to ad-buying

How China's game industry is using AI, from art to ad-buying

Seven industry leaders explain how artificial intelligence is changing asset creation, esports strategy, live operations, advertising and staffing - and where the technology still falls short

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#China

Black Myth: Wukong was a inflection point for China and its pay-to-play market

Global Influence

Black Myth: Wukong was a inflection point for China and its pay-to-play market

Publishers, developers and investors are said to be turning their attention back to the country's development scene

Publishers are returning to China and not just for

Pgc Summit Shanghai

Publishers are returning to China and not just for "quick wins"

Companies no longer expect to enter a market that makes up 30% of global industry revenue with 3% of the effort

Who's coming to this week's PG Connects Summit Shanghai?

Pgc Summit Shanghai

Who's coming to this week's PG Connects Summit Shanghai?

The companies you could meet in the world's biggest games market this July 29th

CIGDC kicks off with focus on Chinese innovation over the algorithm and chasing market trends

Creativity-first?

CIGDC kicks off with focus on Chinese innovation over the algorithm and chasing market trends

GPC secretary general Tang Jiajun talks up building from personal experiences, innovation and persistence, rather than chasing trends

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Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions

Esports Foundation partners with adidas for Esports Nations Cup

New Partnerships

Esports Foundation partners with adidas for Esports Nations Cup

More than 2,000 athletes and coaches will receive bespoke competition apparel

Monopoly Go teams up with Looney Tunes for Happy Harvest Season

New Partnerships

Monopoly Go teams up with Looney Tunes for Happy Harvest Season

The collaboration introduces Infinite Harvest and Porky's Cafe

July's Collabs Corner: Spider-Man in PUBG Mobile, David Beckham in Fortnite, and more

Collaborations Roundup

July's Collabs Corner: Spider-Man in PUBG Mobile, David Beckham in Fortnite, and more

The latest crossovers in mobile games, all in one place

Ash Games Studio secures $1.5m seed funding for Saudi-inspired games

Ash Games Studio secures $1.5m seed funding for Saudi-inspired games

The studio is building games inspired by Saudi stories and history

Neon raises $13m Series A to expand direct-to-consumer commerce platform for game publishers

Neon raises $13m Series A to expand direct-to-consumer commerce platform for game publishers

The company focuses on giving publishers control over commerce, payments, and player data

Palo Alto Networks to acquire Embrace to expand observability platform

Palo Alto Networks to acquire Embrace to expand observability platform

The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of fiscal 2027

Vgames raises $500m to launch growth financing platform for gaming companies

Investment News

Vgames raises $500m to launch growth financing platform for gaming companies

The fund plans to deploy more than $500m in additional financing in the coming years

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Jobs News

Wizards of the Coast president John Hight to step down in September

Wizards of the Coast president John Hight to step down in September

He will remain with the company as an advisor after leaving the role

Epic Games taps Martin Keely to lead Epic Games Store and Epic Online Services

Epic Games taps Martin Keely to lead Epic Games Store and Epic Online Services

He will help deliver new capabilities for players, creators and developers

Lil Snack appoints former Supercell executive Bill Kang as COO

Lil Snack appoints former Supercell executive Bill Kang as COO

Kang spent 12 years at Supercell before joining the company

July 2026's Movers and Shakers: Rollic, Scopely, Nodwin Gaming, Rovio and more

July 2026's Movers and Shakers: Rollic, Scopely, Nodwin Gaming, Rovio and more

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

Global Game Jam's Maria Burns Ortiz:

Global Game Jam

Global Game Jam's Maria Burns Ortiz: "We compare our first drafts to other people's finished products"

Global Game Jam's Maria Burns Ortiz on why Micro Missions is giving emerging developers their first step into the games industry.

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#Regulation

Apple pushes back against proposed UK App Store rules

Apple pushes back against proposed UK App Store rules

The CMA wants developers to steer users to alternative payment options

In the Hot Seat: Three ways Western developers are leaving a fortune on the table in China

In The Hot Seat

In the Hot Seat: Three ways Western developers are leaving a fortune on the table in China

We speak to Kingsoft's Claire Yang about making cross-border deals work, the hires that can mean 10x to 100x the revenue and why China's giants don't hold every advantage

Epic and Google withdraw their US settlement and Pokémon Go revenue skyrockets | Week in Mobile Games podcast

Podcast | Episode 98

Epic and Google withdraw their US settlement and Pokémon Go revenue skyrockets | 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 98...

UKIE's Nick Poole:

UKIE's Nick Poole: "The social media ban will change the rules of engagement"

The UKIE CEO on the UK's planned social media ban for under-16s, how games could get tangled up and what the industry can do about it

More

More News

Krafton India launches BGMI Campus MVP student ambassador programme

Krafton India launches BGMI Campus MVP student ambassador programme

Participants will build campus gaming communities, organise tournaments and host offline events

FarmVille 3 launches kitten rescue event with real-world animal welfare impact

FarmVille 3 launches kitten rescue event with real-world animal welfare impact

Dots.eco will distribute 5,000 participation certificates during the campaign

EA expects acquisition by PIF-led consortium to close on August 4th

EA expects acquisition by PIF-led consortium to close on August 4th

All regulatory approvals for the merger have now been obtained

Unity adds dedicated engine support for Netflix Games

Unity adds dedicated engine support for Netflix Games

The support includes optimisations for Netflix's cloud gaming offering

Chroma Pixel Games expands support for SADC game studios

Expanded Support

Chroma Pixel Games expands support for SADC game studios

The company is planning a SADC-wide matchmaking initiative for studios, publishers and investors

Battlefield 6 success helps lift EA CEO's pay to $38.6m months after team layoffs

Almighty Earnings

Battlefield 6 success helps lift EA CEO's pay to $38.6m months after team layoffs

The company laid off an undisclosed number of developers who worked on Battlefield 6 in March 2026

Krafton achieves record Q2 results with revenue up 95% Y/Y

Pubg Performance

Krafton achieves record Q2 results with revenue up 95% Y/Y

Operating profit increased by 67% in Q2 2026

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Latest Videos

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

How D2C lets you 'take the power back' from app stores

How D2C lets you 'take the power back' from app stores

08:25 | 45 views

More

Podcasts

Google's €890m EU fine and why Netflix's gaming figures mean nothing | Week in Mobile Games podcast

Podcast | Episode 99

Google's €890m EU fine and why Netflix's gaming figures mean nothing | 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 99...

Xbox's big reset | Week in Mobile Games podcast

Podcast | Episode 97

Xbox's big reset | 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 97...

The truth behind mobile gaming's $17bn D2C market

Pocketgamer.biz Podcast

The truth behind mobile gaming's $17bn D2C market

We speak with Appcharge CMO Gil Tov-ly about its D2C estimates, the true value of the market and whether the trend is actually growing the industry

In the Hot Seat: Mattel163 COO Devin Nambiar on Uno, the East-West divide and life after the NetEase deal

In The Hot Seat

In the Hot Seat: Mattel163 COO Devin Nambiar on Uno, the East-West divide and life after the NetEase deal

Mattel163's COO Devin Nambiar gets candid about cross-border publishing and the NetEase acquisition

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