Industry Insights
Lessons in mastering live ops from Marvel Snap
Ethan Levy and Matt Ricchetti share insights for running live ops across platforms and keeping players coming back
All Stars Arrives
Making Candy Crush All Stars match ready with fresh mechanics and first official partnership
Senior game designer Dasha Mironava and principal games designer Therese Sander share details on All Stars’ design philosophy, new multiplier mechanic and Life Savers partnership
New Offerings
Mistplay launches Playtime Events to deepen engagement in rewarded ads
The new reward model blends time-based incentives with event-driven milestones
Latest
Buyout Concerns
AppsFlyer halts $1.9bn sale talks after private equity bidders seek revised terms
Talks with Apollo and Fortissimo Capital broke down as market pressure weighed on software company valuations
Company Restructure
nDreams proposes restructuring with 78 roles at risk and two studios set to close
VR developer plans to close Near Light and Compass studios
Pokemon Pocket
Pokémon TCG Pocket hits six-month high as franchise turns 30 years old
The digital card game generated $4.7m on February 27th, its highest sum since August 2025
New Offerings
Ofcom invites small games studios to workshop on navigating regulation
Regulator seeks feedback from early-stage developers on compliance challenges
New Offerings
Former PlayStation and Xbox hiring lead launches Rocket Game Talent
New boutique firm aims to help studios scale hiring operations
Market Report
Mobile games host three times more malicious ads than other apps says AppHarbr
One in every 58 ads in mobile games is malicious, AppHarbr report finds
Editor's Picks
Child Safety
UK consultation on kids’ online lives: what the video games industry needs to know
Celia Pontin explains the UK government’s consultation on keeping children safe online
Industry Insights
How Gossip Harbor builds live ops from day one
Balancy breaks down Gossip Harbor’s approach to onboarding players through live ops
Legacy Games
How King grew Pet Rescue Saga to $1 billion and sustained it for over a decade
King’s Oriol Caro discusses how long-term live ops shape decisions for legacy mobile titles
Opinion
Diversity isn't a 'nice to have', it’s essential to building great games
Liz Prince on how diversity builds a more creative, resilient and joyful industry
Letting AI create the whole game is a fantasy - it’s just not an option.
Ludo.ai CTO Jorge Gomes gives his view on the role of AI in game production
#Pocket Gamer Connects
Pgc Summit San Francisco
Helika is building the AI Publishing Engine game studios never had
Game development was democratised. Publishing wasn’t. Helika is going to fix that
Speaker Spotlight
BLKBOX.ai CEO Athar Zia talks marketing trends, ad failure rates and the future of AI
Zia gives insights into the current mobile marketing landscape ahead of his PGC San Francisco Summit talk on March 9th, 2026.
Aurora Award
Aurora Awards Europe - nominations now open!
Celebrating the women of the European games industry this summer at PG Connects Barcelona 2026
Pgc Summit Malmo
Nordic Networking? Come meet PGC Summit Malmö 2026 this May 27th and 28th
Meeting-centric summit purely focused on boosting business opportunities for games professionals
Industry Voices
Week In Views
Games industry regulation tightens and transmedia insights with the Umamusume: Pretty Derby movie director | Week in Views
The Pocketgamer.biz team pick their highlights from the headlines this week and deliver the stories behind the stories
Conquering Worlds
Inside Game of Thrones: Legends’ long-term design strategy
Lead game designer Christopher Magoun explains how live data, community feedback and transmedia tie-ins drive engagement in Game of Thrones: Legends
Umamusume Movie
Umamusume: Pretty Derby movie director talks creative decisions and adapting games to the big screen
Umamusume: Pretty Derby - Beginning of a New Era is out in North American theatres on Friday, February 27th
Marvellous Mena
"The market, both in MENA and at a global scale, is becoming increasingly competitive"
Steer Studios CEO Yannick Theler on recognition, building global IP from the KSA and balancing live service ambitions in MENA
Playbook
Rewarded UA unlocked
Gamelight offers tips and a playbook for managing rewarded UA campaigns
#MENA
Funding News
Istanbul-based Vento Games secures $4m to scale family-friendly mobile puzzle portfolio
Funding will support talent expansion and accelerate the rollout of new brain-building puzzle titles
New Offerings
Türkiye backs games studios with array of new incentives and financial support
Mobile studios can access up to 50% support on user acquisition and marketing spend
Marvellous Mena
Dubai Esports & Games Festival returns on May 8th as the city doubles down on its gaming ambitions
The festival blends esports tournaments, industry networking and community activities under Dubai’s digital economy strategy
Esports Nations Cup
PUBG Mobile joins the Esports Nations Cup 2026 as its 16th competitive title
The national team showdown will take place in Riyadh from November 2nd to 29th, 2026.
Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions
Acqusitions
Open World acquires Drope.me to scale creator-driven games marketing
Acquisition expands Open World’s ability to run large-scale creator campaigns
Finding Funds
Antihero Studios raises $4.5m in seed funding ahead of Misfitz open alpha
a16z Speedrun and Laton Ventures led the round
Funding News
Minit Games raises $2m to bring instant play gaming into the feed era
Startup prepares for invite-only early alpha following pre-seed round
Investment News
Replay Global backs Vietnam-based Playard to scale its mobile games portfolio
Playard to remain independent following undisclosed investment
New Partnerships
Bolt and Toffee sign strategic partnership to bring D2C payment services to games developers
The partnership is said to encompass more than $300 million in signed processing commitments
Game Over
Netflix drops Warner Bros. Discovery deal as Paramount wins bidding war
Streaming firm said it will not up its offer, effectively leading the way for Paramount's 'superior offer' to go ahead
Investment News
British Business Bank and Haatch pledge £32m to UK angel investment syndicates
Initiative has previously backed The Games Angels
Jobs News
Job News
Beyond The Pixels strengthens leadership ahead of its debut title Astro Burn
Former Fnatic and GIANTX CEO Wouter Sleijffers joins the studio as chief operating officer
Job News
Sixteen Tons appoints former Wooga VP creative Sebastian Nußbaum as chief creative officer
He joins amid renewed momentum for Emergency HQ, working alongside CEO Jan Richter
Mobile Mavens
Evolution or revolution at Xbox? The games industry reacts to leadership changes in Microsoft's games division
The Mobile Mavens share their insights on the past, present and future of Xbox
Leadership Change
Gamefam appoints Ricardo Briceno as CEO to drive its next growth phase
Founder Joe Ferencz transitions to a strategic growth and innovation role
Industry Growth
Cyprus games industry forms new trade association CYGMA
Founding members include Wargaming, Gaijin, Owlcat, My.Games and Helio Games
#Regulation
Security Review
Report: Trump administration reviews Tencent gaming investments over security concerns
Officials are assessing whether the company’s investments pose potential national security risks.
Regulatory Action
UK's ASA issues enforcement notice on loot box transparency in ads and app store listings
Publishers given three months to make use of loot boxes clear and prominent on App Store and Google Play store pages
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
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
More News
New Deal
Google cuts fees for mobile apps and games
Fortnite is set to return to Google Play as Epic settles worldwide legal disputes - though a revised US court injunction settlement is still pending
Rethink Liveops At Gdc
ThinkingData Summit: Global studios coming together to rethink live ops and data during GDC
Register for the ThinkingData Summit or sign up and receive the post-event recap series.
Policy Shift
Unity Asset Store to remove content from developers in Greater China region
The change affects developers based in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau
Tiga Stands Firm
TIGA calls on the UK government to strengthen the Video Games Expenditure Credit in the upcoming Autumn Budget
Proposed reforms include raising the VGEC rate and expanding qualifying expenditure to 100%
Making Matches
Hay Day Match is the latest match-3 attempt for Supercell’s IP
Supercell’s Hay Day Pop was cancelled in 2020, but Hay Day Match is being made by Playabit
Pokemon Party
Pokémon Day 2026: Legendaries, legacies and the latest opportunities for a $10.7bn mobile portfolio
The Pokémon Company’s seven active mobile games have surpassed $10bn in player spending, led by Pokémon Go and Pokémon TCG Pocket
Buyout Concerns
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos defends decision to walk away from Warner Bros. Discovery bid
“It should be highly scrutinised the way I’m glad that ours was highly scrutinised”
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Podcasts
Podcast | Episode 85
The future of Xbox and Pokémon's 30th anniversary | 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 85...
Podcast | Episode 84
Scopely's $1bn Loom Games deal and Matthew Ball's State of Video Games report | 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 84...
Podcast | Episode 83
Supercell faces Clash Royale controversy and banks on innovation | 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 83...
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...