Hot Five
Hot Five: Fire Emblem Shadows’ first year, Google Playground, and Minecraft Blast’s testing phase
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Steep Climb
Lego Hill Climb Adventures to end service but all staff kept on
The Fingersoft title is expected to end service in 2027
Transmedia
Devsisters partners with Big Shot Pictures for CookieRun film
The adaptation is targeting a global release in 2029 to mark 20 years of CookieRun
Latest
Creator Tools
Roblox brings Audioscape team in-house to develop AI audio tools
The AI audio startup’s team will bring its audio discovery and production tools into Roblox’s creator ecosystem
Revenue Report
Mobile game IAPs down 7% as no new releases break top-grossing charts this year
Games industry deals are approaching a post-pandemic peak
Speaker Spotlight
Orio CEO Volha Paulovich on the rise of UGC and player creativity
Paulovich will join the “Beyond Roblox” panel at PG Connects Nordics to discuss the future of player creation
Pgc Summit Montreal
MIGS Early Bird ends this week
Save CA$100 on the Montréal International Game Summit before Thursday, October 16th - plus 15% off for PG Connects attendees
Going Public
MTG postpones PlaySimple’s potential IPO
MTG believes an IPO could create shareholder value and support PlaySimple’s growth plans
Pgc Nordics
Rovio's Wille Miljas on Nordic talent, global audiences and working on Angry Birds 2
Rovio’s Wille Miljas on why great games are no longer enough and why the Nordics’ next chapter depends on treating audience-building as part of the product
Editor's Picks
Week In Views
Rainbow Six Mobile's shutdown, Minecraft Blast's next steps and AI's risks for games | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Collabs Corner
October’s Collabs Corner: PUBG Mobile and B.Duck, Pokémon in space, Talking Tom meets SmileyWorld, and more
The latest crossovers in mobile games, all in one place
Podcast | Episode 105
AI's insane PR machine, Zynga's failed $400m Supercell deal and EU 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 105...
Opinion
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
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
Pgc Nordics
Who will you meet at PG Connects Nordics this October 20-21?
Companies already confirmed to attend include Activision, Epic Games, Meta, Rovio and Supercell
Pgc Summit Montreal
5 more seminars you'll want to catch at next month’s PG Connects Summit Montréal 2026
Get ahead of the rest on AI valuations, ground-up code rewrites, Discord as a development tool, indie adaptability and the science behind games that players can't put down
Pgc Nordics
Start networking right now! MeetToMatch is LIVE for PG Connects Nordics
Our online meeting platform is open to all attendees and meetings are already being made
Pgc London
Save up to £335 on PG Connects London 2027 before Super Early Bird ends this week
Tickets are on sale now from just £115 – but only until end of Thursday, October 8th
#MENA
New Partnerships
Kakao Games partners with Abu Dhabi to expand across MENA
The agreement will explore regional expansion through publishing, localisation and live operations
Marvellous Mena
MJ Studios' Mohammed Mohammed: "We’ve always preferred to let our games speak for us"
We speak with MJ Studios founder about Kingdom World’s 100m Roblox visits, building an authentic Saudi experience and turning a hobby into a self-sustaining studio
New Partnerships
Mastercard and Tamatem partner on gaming payments across MENA and Africa
The partnership will initially launch in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
Marvellous Mena
Impact46's Eric Husny: "The ecosystem today is simply much more investable than it was a few years ago"
We speak with Impact46 senior fund manager Eric Husny to discuss the firm’s approach to gaming investment, its $53 million-plus Kammelna deal and what it looks for in studios
Pgc Jordan
The eight unmissable seminar tracks at Pocket Gamer Connects Jordan this November 7th and 8th
From AI and global trends to development tips and tools, with insights from the best game makers
#The Nordics
Buyer Beware
In the Hot Seat: Ex-Take-Two AI chief Luke Dicken on the $2tn bubble, junior jobs and the next 2008
Take-Two's former head of AI on trillion-dollar valuations, disappearing junior roles and why studios on the sidelines might be wise to stay there
All-in On Ai
How Nordic studios are using AI part three: Lore checks, a "programmer's programmer" and the parts writers keep for themselves
Four more voices from the Nordics games industry on where AI earns its place and where studios are deliberately keeping it out
Pgc Nordics
Elena Lobova of Burny Games confirmed for PGC Nordics
The head of strategic partnerships will explore how studios decide when to walk away from a game
Pgc Nordics
Pocket Gamer Connects Nordics partners with Nordic Game
Uniting Sweden and Helsinki across the Baltic Sea
Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions
Deal Delivered
Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery’s $111bn merger officially closes today
David Ellison will lead as chairman and CEO
Funding News
General Intuition raises $220m at $6.2bn valuation
The company says its models are trained on billions of action-labelled videos
Acqusitions
Trophy Games acquires Playrion from Paradox
The acquisition will be funded entirely from Trophy Games’ existing cash reserves
New Partnerships
Pokémon Go partners with European Space Agency for space-themed event
The event runs from October 4th 2026, to April 30th 2027
Funding News
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
Funding News
Kalank secures €1.5m funding round to accelerate international expansion
The funding will support hiring, talent retention and publishing activities
Acquisition
Kakao Games to acquire 39.56% of Me2on for $71.5m
The deal values Me2on at approximately $181m based on the transaction
Jobs News
Job News
Xbox appoints new leaders for Mojang and franchise experiences
Maria Angelidou-Smith will become CEO of Mojang and Minecraft on October 19th
Job News
Harvey Elliott named chair of Ukie as trade body targets next phase of UK growth
He succeeds Maria Sayans as Ukie Chair
Growth Plans
MTG wants to double its size while leveraging AI
We speak to president and CEO Maria Redin about the company's ambitious plans for its gaming empire
Jobs Roundup
September 2026's Movers and Shakers: Scopely, Niantic Spatial, Trailmix, Roblox, Zynga and more
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
Restructure
Xbox to cut 268 jobs as it shakes up studio structure
Microsoft Casual Games now reports into King as UK studio Ninja Theory could be shut down
#China
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
Rankings Rise
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
Market Report
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
Party Partnership
Duolingo partners with Eggy Party in China
The partnership offers learners in China access to the Eggy Party Quest in Duolingo
More News
Shutdown Imminent
Rainbow Six Mobile to shut down in January 2027
Ubisoft said the shutdown is tied to its long-term strategic priorities
New Offerings
Xbox creates XP division to expand its gaming franchises
Kayleen Walters will lead the new division as president
Speaker Spotlight
Fingersoft’s Otto Simola on a decade of Hill Climb Racing 2
During his session at PG Connects Nordics, Simola will share lessons from evolving Hill Climb Racing 2 over the years
New Offerings
Unity unveils Spark AI game maker with Google Playground integration
Spark creators will be able to distribute their games through Google Playground
New Name
PUBG Mobile Light renamed to PUBG Mobile Flash ahead of launch
PUBG Mobile Flash is being designed to retain the core experience while broadening to lower device specs
Big Indie Pitch
The Big Indie Pitch heads to Paris Games Week for the first time
Plus dates for Helsinki, Amman, Montréal this year, London 2027 - and how to get your game in front of the judges
New Offerings
Safe In Our World launches Four Billion Gamers mental health campaign
The charity wants games companies to make mental health support easier for players to find
Latest Videos
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Podcasts
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...
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...
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...
Podcast
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