Podcast | Episode 96

WeChat Mini-Games uncovered and the Love & Deepspace Valko backlash | 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 96...

July 4, 2026

Mobile Mavens

“Players have the right to know what they're buying and how long they'll have it”: The Mobile Mavens on game ownership

The Mobile Mavens discuss game ownership, publisher responsibility and what happens when games reach end of life

July 2, 2026

New Games

New release roundup: Unhinged, CookieRun: Classic, Creatures of the Deep+, and more

We highlight the latest new games that have broken cover over the past week

July 3, 2026

Latest

Job News

Rovio CEO Alex Pelletier-Normand appointed COO of SEGA Europe's West Studios

Pelletier-Normand will continue serving as CEO of Rovio Entertainment

July 3, 2026

Providing Support

United Videogame Workers launches hardship fund for laid-off game workers

Eligible applicants can request between $1,000 and $5,000 in assistance

July 3, 2026

Funding News

Innovate UK opens £10m Createch funding call for game developers

Grants of between £100,000 and £500,000 are available for eligible projects

July 3, 2026

Mobile Games Awards

VOTE NOW: The games of the Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2026

Who will win? Featuring Arknights; Hatch Dragons; Kingdom Rush; My Talking Tom; The Division; Warframe; Zenless Zone Zero and more…

July 3, 2026

Funding For Games

Google launches $1m Indie Games Fund for African developers

Ten indie game studios will receive between $50,000 and $200,000 each

July 3, 2026

Beyond Games

Inside June's Journey's leap from mobile game to bestselling novel with Death Wasn't Invited

Wooga managing director Dennis Korf and author Carlene O'Connor discuss bringing June's Journey into publishing and expanding the game's world beyond mobile

July 2, 2026

Payers deserve clear expectations and for studios to sunset them with respect.

Pragma's Caroline Gao debates game owernship and Stop Killing Games

Sweden's success is particularly impressive for a country of only 10 million people.

Midjiwan CEO on The Battle of Polytopia's success and supporting Sweden's industry

Marvellous Mena

iBloxx Studios on building StrayShot for mobile, seven-figure backing and the road to console

"We fully understand the scepticism around web3 gaming and that's exactly why our philosophy has always been 'game-first"

June 30, 2026

Week In Views

Rising hardware prices, meaningful inclusion and Pokémon Champions’ early success | Week in Views

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

June 26, 2026

Mobile Mavens

"The question isn't whether it's the right intent, it is whether it will actually work": The Mobile Mavens on the UK's social media ban

The Mobile Mavens discuss the UK's proposed social media ban for under-16's

June 25, 2026

Marvellous Mena

Ouaz Games on surviving hypercasual's collapse and the rise of browser games

"I see new studios with no capital trying to ship console or Steam titles because they think that's what makes you a 'real' studio"

June 25, 2026

Chatty Companion

25m messages and 6.5m groups: Monopoly Go Chat "exceeding even our high expectations"

Monopoly Go now has a companion messaging app, supporting engagement and retention

June 25, 2026

Acqusitions

Kepler Interactive acquires minority stake in Oro Interactive

The investment gives Oro additional resources and expertise to support its growth.

July 2, 2026

Pley Partnership

Xsolla partners with Pley to expand browser game monetisation for mobile studios

The partnership targets monetisation gaps in markets with limited app store payment support

July 2, 2026

Collaborations Roundup

July's Collabs Corner: Monopoly Go meets The Simpsons, Brawl Stars partners with Adidas, and more

The latest crossovers in mobile games, all in one place

July 1, 2026

Investment Incoming

PvX Partners secures $5m investment from MIT to expand user acquisition financing

The investment will expand PvX's user acquisition financing platform

July 1, 2026

New Partnerships

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha signs deal with UFL mobile game after World Cup heroics

The deal follows Vozinha's rapid rise in global popularity

June 30, 2026

Acqusitions

Griffin Gaming Partners acquires 3.24% stake in TinyBuild

The investment backs TinyBuild's strategy of building and growing wholly owned game IP

June 30, 2026

New Partnerships

Savvy Games Group partners with Genvid and Massive Studios to expand AI access for Saudi developers

The agreement includes training, mentorship and educational programmes to develop local talent

June 29, 2026

Job News

Supercell head of investments Jaakko Harlas departs

Harlas said he has no new role planned and will spend time with his family

July 2, 2026

Staff Strike

Ubisoft Barcelona staff strike over proposed layoffs

Workers are seeking guarantees that all 51 affected staff will retain their jobs

July 1, 2026

Jobs News

Stillfront CEO Alexis Bonte to depart

Search is underway for a new chief exec

July 1, 2026

Podcast | Episode 95

Direct-to-consumer banks $17 billion and Google rolls out fee changes | 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 95...

June 29, 2026

New Tools

MobyGames launches beta careers platform for games industry workers

The new platform aims to help developers build professional networks and navigate the jobs market

June 25, 2026

Milestone

SuperCity reaches $100m revenue as it celebrates 15 years

The game has reached 40m installs worldwide

July 2, 2026

New Policies

Godot to ban AI-generated code contributions and tighten contributor policies

New contributors will need approval before submitting major features or refactoring

July 2, 2026

New Offerings

NBCUniversal explores video game expansion after Comcast split

No gaming acquisitions or partnerships have been discussed yet

July 2, 2026

Big Backlash

Love and Deepspace's Valko romance cancelled following backlash

New romanceable werewolf Valko was planned to launch with version 6.0, but controversy has changed Infold’s plans

July 1, 2026

Pikmin Pollenation

Pikmin Bloom skyrockets to record revenue as Taiwanese spending surges 902%

The walking game has made $35.7 million in H1 2026, 94% of its total 2025 earnings

July 1, 2026

Sprite Set

Ludo AI updates Sprite Generator with new animation and export tools

The update introduces a revamped Pose Generator and new animation tools

July 1, 2026

Mobile Games Awards

Voting opens for the Mobile Games Awards 2026 in association with Samsung Gaming Hub

Who do you want to win the industry's most prestigious awards this year?

June 30, 2026

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...

June 20, 2026

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...

June 15, 2026

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...

May 25, 2026

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...

May 19, 2026