Jobs Roundup
February 2026's Movers and Shakers: Shifts at Steel Media, Sega’s new CFO, Unity's board room shuffle, and more
Our regular roundup of the mobile games industry's movers and shakers
Industry Views
Africacomicade founder warns PC is not Africa’s monetisation solution
While mobile monetisation faces constraints, Michael Oscar Esio says PC carries its own systemic barriers
Mea Culpa
Supercell CEO sorry for failure to acknowledge role of content creators in Clash Royale's success
Ilkka Paananen takes full responsibility for blog post and thanks creators for their contribution
Latest
Industry Insights
How doubling down on physics expertise helped Rollance stand out in a crowded market
Nikita Tikhomirov talks on building successful products around a studio’s core expertise
Pgc London
The relationship between games and AI: Mechanisms, history and constant evolution
At PGC London, AI Guys CTO Ken Noland compared AI mechanisms to historic games and genres
New Offerings
Ares Interactive opens pre-registration for Baseball Hits 26 featuring Cal Raleigh
The mobile title is being developed by 7th Inning, staffed by veterans of the former MLB Tap Sports Baseball franchise
Creator Clash
"Don’t you dare take credit": Twitch streamer Jynxzi calls out Supercell for not recognising Clash Royale content creators
"Part of me just wants to be like ... I hope the game f***g dies"
Industry Views
From short-term to sustainable mobile game design in a shifting market
Sybo CEO Mathias Gredal Nørvig and Izyplay CEO Everton Baumgarten Vieira share their views on growth challenges and opportunities in mobile games
Child Safety
Egypt blocks Roblox over concerns about child safety and harmful online content
The Supreme Council for Media Regulation is coordinating with telecom authorities to enforce the ban
Editor's Picks
Industry Outlook
Masseka Games founder Teddy Kossoko on why mobile gaming monetisation is failing in Africa
“We came to realise that some companies in Africa inflate mobile gaming statistics by including betting and gambling activities”
Aurora Awards Uk
“There is still significant work to be done - particularly at leadership level”
Studio HEFT CEO Kate Booth on being authentic and challenging games’ corporate culture
Making Monopoly Go
"Playfulness and mischief": The strengths of subtle storytelling in Monopoly Go
Monopoly Go's director of content design Phil Williams talks fresh events, seasons and connecting with players
Opinion
AI isn’t replacing creative teams, it’s removing friction from development pipelines.
SciPlay CEO Josh Wilson reflects on 2025 and what priorities are shaping the year ahead
Culture-led stories improve awareness and make paid campaigns perform better.
Ada Mockute Jaime shares insights on how culture-led campaigns drive engagement
#Pocket Gamer Connects
Pgc Summit San Francisco
Double discount! PGC Summit San Francisco Valentine's offer x Early Bird rate
Save up to $290 before midnight Monday, February 16th
Pgc Summit San Francisco
The companies you can meet in San Francisco
From indie developers to the biggest brands in mobile represented at the games business event on March 9th
Dubai Gameexpo
Your gateway to MENA’s growing games market
Dubai GameExpo Summit on May 20th to 21st is an essential access point to the world’s fastest growing games market
Pgc Barcelona
Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona returns in June after our most successful launch event ever in 2025
Drawing over 1,000 attendees from 47 countries in 2025, PG Connects Barcelona returns June 15th to 16th, 2026. Tickets are on sale now
Industry Voices
Week In Views
Recognition for UK games, Iron Lung's indie film success and nine years of Fire Emblem Heroes | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Forever Games
2026 live ops trends: Templatisation, personalisation and AI
We speak to Balancy CEO Pavel Ignatov about the latest trends in live ops and the strategies developers can employ right now
Ugc Finance
Why you should bring your finance team into product strategy
Travis Hughson from Tipalti Mass Payments explores the vital role of finance and payouts in making games a success globally
State Of Play
Neogames: The state of Finland's games industry in 2026
Neogames Finland's Suvi Latva and KooPee Hiltunen analyse the opportunities and challenges facing the Finnish games sector
Aurora Awards Uk
On games as a universe where "we can be who we want to be, regardless of gender or disability"
Athena Worlds' Jane Whittaker on making game worlds for women, non-binary and disabled gamers
#MENA
Funding News
Hogo Games lands fresh investment at a $10m valuation to scale its production pipeline
The Türkiye-based studio plans to expand its 13-person team and accelerate upcoming titles
New Partnerships
Savvy Games Group signs MoU with NMBRS to boost Saudi Arabia’s games and esports creative capabilities
As part of the partnership, NMBRS will establish a local operations presence in Riyadh
Africa Is Mobile
Mobile leads as Africa’s games industry generated $2.29bn in 2025
Google Play continues to dominate mobile distribution across Africa, while Apple App Store retains a smaller but higher-value audience in select markets
Global Games Show
Global Games Show Riyadh 2026 returns to support Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 games ambitions
The Riyadh edition will bring together developers, publishers, investors, and esports leaders for two days of talks, demos, and networking
Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions
M&a
Mattel acquires full ownership of Mattel163 from NetEase for $159m
Entertainment firm snaps up Chinese publisher's 50% share to value mobile games studio at $318m
New Partnerships
Arab Youth Centre and Games Ventures partner to train next generation of MENA game developers
The programme is designed to mirror real-world game studio environments rather than classroom-based learning
M&a
Private equity firm Haveli to acquire Budge Studios
Terms of the deal were not disclosed
Funding News
Levellr secures $2.5m funding to scale community intelligence platform for game studios and brands
The startup is focused on helping studios understand the reasons behind player behaviour
Acqusitions
JetSynthesys confirms EverMerge acquisition from Big Fish Games
The deal supports JetSynthesys’ global expansion plans, with India a key growth market
Funding News
UAE developer iBloxx Studios raises $5.4m to complete development of StrayShot
The funding will also support global marketing, live operations and preparation for console releases
Acquisition
Skillz acquires Beamable's backend tech
Team that built the platform will continue working on the product
Jobs News
Jobs News
Former Unity CEO David Helgason exits company as Bernard Kim joins board
IronSource co-founder and former CEO Tomer Bar-Zee has also left the tech firm
Pocket Management
Leadership transition at Pocket Gamer HQ
Founder Chris James moves into chairman role as Dave Bradley takes on day-to-day leadership of the business
Podcast | Episode 81
Ubisoft turmoil and what happened to Big Fish Games? | 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 81...
Job News
Delphi Interactive appoints ex-Konami tech director Julien Merceron as new CTO
He will oversee a reimagined FIFA simulation launching exclusively on Netflix later this year
Company Restructure
Ubisoft moves mobile studios and IP into new Creative House under wide-ranging restructure
The reset is built around a new operating model, a refocused content roadmap and accelerated cost-reduction measures
#Regulation
Regulations
CMA secures fairness commitments from Apple and Google for UK app stores
The measures mark the first changes since both platforms were designated with strategic market status
Tiktok Troubles
European Commission finds TikTok in breach of Digital Services Act over addictive design
Infinite scroll, autoplay and personalised recommendations were cited as potential risks to users’ mental and physical well-being
New Partnerships
Court reveals secret $800m deal between Google and Epic Games amid antitrust case
The deal was revealed during a court hearing in San Francisco, with a judge questioning its impact on Epic’s legal demands
Regulations
Italy watchdog opens probes into Activision Blizzard over mobile game monetisation
Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile are under scrutiny for allegedly misleading free-to-play practices
More News
Union Strike
Ubisoft restructuring sparks international strike as 1,200 staff walk out
The walkout comes after Ubisoft announced studio closures, six game cancellations, and further cost-cutting measures
Revenue Results
EA makes $254m on mobile this Q3 as FC Mobile drives net bookings
Mobile represented approximately 13% of EA’s total net revenue during the three months
Roblox Records
Roblox revenue up 36% Y/Y as Grow a Garden and Steal a Brainrot drive multiple milestones
Nearly $4.9bn was generated in 2025, with $6.8bn in bookings
Child Safety
Australian government calls urgent meeting with Roblox over child safety concerns
Communications minister Anika Wells cited reports of grooming and sexually explicit user-generated content on the platform.
Online Safety
Discord to roll out global safety update with automatic teen protections
The new safety settings strengthen age-appropriate protections across chats, servers and content access
Under Pressure
Pressure to launch a new game led to Squad Busters' global release
Supercell reveals the KPIs and emotions that went into the title's release and failure
Financials
Supercell revenue declines 4% to €2.65bn in 2025
EBITDA rose by 6% year-over-year as Clash Royale growth makes up for Brawl Stars decline
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Podcasts
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...
Podcast | Episode 80
Pocket Gamer Connects London 2026 unwrapped | 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 80...
The Slingshot Formula
Podcast: How Angry Birds reached the stars
The Slingshot Formula book author and ex-Rovio leaders discuss Angry Birds Rio, Space, Star Wars and more
Podcast | Episode 78
2026 predictions | 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 78...