Inside Zynga’s Play With Pride initiative and its evolving approach to representation

Pride Initiative

Inside Zynga’s Play With Pride initiative and its evolving approach to representation

Chris Garlington discusses how the Play With Pride initiative has grown and become embedded across Zynga’s studios and games

State of Play: The challenges and opportunities facing the Nordic games industry

State of Play: The challenges and opportunities facing the Nordic games industry

We delve into the vibrant games hubs across Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark - and the key challenges they face

June 2026's Movers and Shakers: Hires and promotions at Roblox, Scopely, Metacore and more

June 2026's Movers and Shakers: Hires and promotions at Roblox, Scopely, Metacore and more

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

Latest

Report: Mobile game D2C revenues reach $17bn as publishers push beyond app stores

Report: Mobile game D2C revenues reach $17bn as publishers push beyond app stores

New report from Appcharge shows 92% of publishers expect D2C revenues to grow in 2026, with many forecasting double-digit gains

Playtika veterans secure $10m for AI-powered mobile app operations platform

Playtika veterans secure $10m for AI-powered mobile app operations platform

The funding will support the development of new predictive models and AI-driven automation tools

Nigeria to bring first-ever developer delegation and booth to Gamescom 2026

Nigeria to bring first-ever developer delegation and booth to Gamescom 2026

The delegation is led by Maliyo Games founder Hugo Obi

Tencent explores exits from Japanese game studio investments amid portfolio review

Corporate Strategy

Tencent explores exits from Japanese game studio investments amid portfolio review

The company may sell some holdings back to management teams, even at a loss

HoYoverse’s new game Honkai: Nexus Anima gets closed beta test in July

HoYoverse’s new game Honkai: Nexus Anima gets closed beta test in July

The Evolution Test will begin on July 9th for iOS, Android and PC

Save up to €138 on PGC Nordics before Super Early Bird ends on Thursday 25th

Save up to €138 on PGC Nordics before Super Early Bird ends on Thursday 25th

Essential conference set to host 800 of the world's leading games companies this October 20th and 21st

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Editor's Picks

The Top 30 Iberia Game Makers of 2026

Best Of Iberia In 2026

The Top 30 Iberia Game Makers of 2026

The Spanish and Portuguese movers and shakers of the last 12 months revealed!

Three myths that cost Western games companies in the Chinese market

Three myths that cost Western games companies in the Chinese market

Monte Singman has brought over 50 Western games into China, from Gardenscapes to Sonic Dash. Ahead of his PGC Summit Shanghai session, he explains why companies keep getting the market wrong

4 key takeaways from PGC Barcelona: D2C’s reality, star names flock to Spain, and going AI-first

4 key takeaways from PGC Barcelona: D2C’s reality, star names flock to Spain, and going AI-first

We round up the key trends and talking points from this week's big show in Spain

Opinion

<blockquote>We have to ensure that we're not just trading on the skills base of previous decades but are investing in new talent.</blockquote>

We have to ensure that we're not just trading on the skills base of previous decades but are investing in new talent.

UKIE CEO Nick Poole reflects on the next generation of talent

<blockquote>Tetris is a cultural icon; it lives in pop culture in a way very few games do.</blockquote>

Tetris is a cultural icon; it lives in pop culture in a way very few games do.

How Tetris CEO Maya Rogers is maintaining a brand launched over 40 years ago

#Pocket Gamer Connects

SocialPeta CMO Summer Liu to speak at PGC Shanghai

Pgc Summit Shanghai

SocialPeta CMO Summer Liu to speak at PGC Shanghai

Liu joins the star speaker lineup for Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai on July 19th

PG Connects Nordics 23 conference tracks

PG Connects Nordics 23 conference tracks

Everything from AI to web3 - and where you'll find the hottest opportunities

Kingsoft's Claire Yang joins PGC Shanghai to talk mid-sized studio survival

Pgc Summit Shanghai

Kingsoft's Claire Yang joins PGC Shanghai to talk mid-sized studio survival

Kingsoft's overseas business development lead Claire Yang will tackle how smaller studios compete with the giants at Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai on July 29th

First PGC Summit Shanghai speakers revealed

Pgc Summit Shanghai

First PGC Summit Shanghai speakers revealed

Going to ChinaJoy? Make the most of your week with our gateway event

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Industry Voices

From pet project to investable games startup: How to become investor-ready

Industry Insights

From pet project to investable games startup: How to become investor-ready

Alena Patorskaya and Andrew Ermolenko discuss how early “pet projects” can be structured into investable business

UK under-16 social media ban, GTA VI’s industry impact and Pokémon Champions’ mobile launch | Week in Views

UK under-16 social media ban, GTA VI’s industry impact and Pokémon Champions’ mobile launch | Week in Views

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

The D2C window is open. Here's how mobile studios can walk through it

D2c At Pgc Barcelona

The D2C window is open. Here's how mobile studios can walk through it

Berkley Egenes, Chief Marketing & Growth Officer, Xsolla takes a deep dive into the growing opportunities for European game developers to go direct to consumers.

Deconstructing a $100m idle game: What 5 years of Gold & Goblins reveals about live ops and retention

Industry Insights

Deconstructing a $100m idle game: What 5 years of Gold & Goblins reveals about live ops and retention

Igor Voronetskiy, producer at AppQuantum, shares insights into the live ops and long-term systems behind Gold & Goblins

Ninja Kiwi on growing a portfolio beyond its flagship franchise

Portfolio Growth

Ninja Kiwi on growing a portfolio beyond its flagship franchise

Ninja Kiwi EVP Barry Petrie discusses Zombie Assault Resurgence and balancing established IPs with new opportunities

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#MENA

“The studios that thrive will not be those that resist AI. They will be those that learn how to use it effectively

Lagos Games Week

“The studios that thrive will not be those that resist AI. They will be those that learn how to use it effectively"

Maliyo Games CEO Hugo Obi told Lagos Games Week the studios that thrive will use AI rather than resist it

5 takeaways from Lagos Games Week 2026: Packed halls, stronger panels and embracing AI as a tool

Lagos Games Week Takeaways

5 takeaways from Lagos Games Week 2026: Packed halls, stronger panels and embracing AI as a tool

We round up the key trends and talking points from this week's big show in Nigeria

Dubai Esports and Games Festival 2026 attracts more than 43,000 attendees in largest edition yet

Event Milestone

Dubai Esports and Games Festival 2026 attracts more than 43,000 attendees in largest edition yet

The festival hosted 66 esports tournaments with prizes worth up to AED 1m ($272,000)

UAE bans children under-15s from social media accounts

UAE bans children under-15s from social media accounts

Children under 15 cannot access social media accounts even with parental consent

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Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions

AppsFlyer secures over $1bn investment from Moloco, Google, Meta and Unity

Investment News

AppsFlyer secures over $1bn investment from Moloco, Google, Meta and Unity

Firm stresses neutrality and independence as major tech and ad firms become backers

Affle acquires AdColony assets to expand mobile advertising reach

Affle acquires AdColony assets to expand mobile advertising reach

Affle expects the acquisition to broaden its global mobile publisher reach and strengthen audience intelligence capabilities

Codfish Academy to host Playstack-led Game Clinic for indie studios in Portugal

Codfish Academy to host Playstack-led Game Clinic for indie studios in Portugal

Selected indie studios will receive direct feedback from Playstack's Aaron Ludlow

Two Desperados secures $20m in user acquisition financing from PvX Partners

Two Desperados secures $20m in user acquisition financing from PvX Partners

The funding will be used to scale growth and expand the studio’s global player base

Roblox strengthens AI ambitions with Morpheus AI acquisition and founder hires

Roblox strengthens AI ambitions with Morpheus AI acquisition and founder hires

The company plans to integrate Morpheus AI technology into its Roblox Video Model

Angry Birds 2 kicks off football-themed season with new events and rewards

Angry Birds 2 kicks off football-themed season with new events and rewards

The limited-time update introduces football-themed challenges, rewards and events

FIFA and Gamefam launch FIFA World Cup 2026 event across Roblox

FIFA and Gamefam launch FIFA World Cup 2026 event across Roblox

The event includes live score updates and tournament standings tied to real-world matches

More

Jobs News

Newzoo CEO Michelle Van der Wilk-Rouhof steps down after six years

Leadership Change

Newzoo CEO Michelle Van der Wilk-Rouhof steps down after six years

Current CRO Joris Goossens will step into the CEO role as of July 1st

Electronic Arts reportedly hit by further layoffs across support and operations teams

Electronic Arts reportedly hit by further layoffs across support and operations teams

Reports suggest that the cuts have affected customer support, recruitment, trust and safety, and IT roles

Luna Abyss’ entire Kwalee Labs dev team has been laid off

Luna Abyss’ entire Kwalee Labs dev team has been laid off

The team was laid off just 26 days after launching the new game

Metacore appoints Jose Saarniniemi as general manager of Merge Mansion

Metacore appoints Jose Saarniniemi as general manager of Merge Mansion

He previously served as CEO of Small Giant Games

TIGA appoints nine new members to board of directors

Broadening The Board

TIGA appoints nine new members to board of directors

The move follows shortly after Elaine Green taking up the position of TIGA’s new chair

More

#Regulation

The European Commission rejects calls to stop publishers from taking games offline

Games Preservation

The European Commission rejects calls to stop publishers from taking games offline

The Commission plans to consult with publishers and consumer on end-of-life standard for video games

UK social media ban plans could affect gaming platform features

UK social media ban plans could affect gaming platform features

The government hopes to implement the measures by spring 2027

Roblox says “chat will remain off in the majority of the Middle East

Roblox says “chat will remain off in the majority of the Middle East" until Arabic moderation matures

Following PGbiz's analysis of the Savvy-Roblox MoU last month, Roblox MENAT GM Mohamed El Sheakh responded to a series of questions on its MENA strategy

Epic's final battle approaches

Epic Conclusion?

Epic's final battle approaches

After years of legal battles, the Fortnite developer is nearing the end of a journey that has come with a high cost

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More News

Xsolla data reveals direct-to-consumer PC game transactions surpassed $1 billion in 2025

$1bn In D2c On Pc

Xsolla data reveals direct-to-consumer PC game transactions surpassed $1 billion in 2025

Transaction data across Xsolla's publisher network shows D2C on PC operating at scale across more than 1,000 games, an opportunity the market has historically overlooked

Neverness to Everness steers towards $50m in two months on mobile

Neverness to Everness steers towards $50m in two months on mobile

The gacha RPG released in China on April 23rd with a worldwide rollout soon after

BAFTA reveals 15 finalists for student awards

BAFTA reveals 15 finalists for student awards

The finalists were selected from entries submitted by more than 600 universities worldwide

Brawl Stars teams up with Adidas for first apparel collaboration

New Partnerships

Brawl Stars teams up with Adidas for first apparel collaboration

A second Adidas x Brawl Stars collection is planned for 2027

Hill Climb Racing 3 expands soft launch to Germany

Hill Climb Racing 3 expands soft launch to Germany

Fingersoft cites promising engagement and retention in early soft launch markets

CityDays and All3Media team up to launch The Traitors game on WhatsApp

CityDays and All3Media team up to launch The Traitors game on WhatsApp

Players participate in missions, banishments and secret traitor activity over approximately one week

Fortnite surpasses 1m daily App Store installs for first time ever after global comeback

Fortnite Flurry

Fortnite surpasses 1m daily App Store installs for first time ever after global comeback

During Fortnite’s first month back, the game generated 11.5m downloads on the App Store

More

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

PGC Barcelona takeaways, the UK's social media ban and Fortnite vs Roblox | Week in Mobile Games podcast

Podcast | Episode 94

PGC Barcelona takeaways, the UK's social media ban and Fortnite vs Roblox | 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 94...

Record D2C revenue and international studios flock to Spain | Week in Mobile Games podcast

Podcast | Episode 93

Record D2C revenue and international studios flock to Spain | 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 93...

The Sensor Tower / AppMagic deal unwrapped and Xbox's random rebrand | Week in Mobile Games podcast

Podcast | Episode 92

The Sensor Tower / AppMagic deal unwrapped and Xbox's random rebrand | 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 92...

Sensor Tower's AppMagic acquisition and Sega's brutal Rovio comments | Week in Mobile Games podcast

Podcast | Episode 91

Sensor Tower's AppMagic acquisition and Sega's brutal Rovio comments | 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 91...

More