Helika and Avalanche Bring Accelerator Demo Day to San Francisco Featuring Top Studios and a First Look at Helika’s Publishing...
Helika and Avalanche are co‑hosting a joint Accelerator Demo Day at Pocket Gamer Connects in San Francisco on March 9, 2026, concluding a 12‑week program that equips game studios with funding, mentorship, and Helika’s data‑driven publishing support. The event will debut Helika’s AI‑powered Publishing Engine, a modular stack that unifies content creation, community, and live‑ops. Avalanche will showcase its embedded finance infrastructure, enabling real‑time microtransaction settlement and cross‑game loyalty currencies. Participating studios will present their games to investors, publishers, and industry media.
Dubai Esports & Games Festival Returns on May 8th as the City Doubles Down on Its Gaming Ambitions
The Dubai Esports & Games Festival is set to return on May 8 2026, reinforcing the emirate’s ambition to become a global gaming hub. Organized under Dubai’s digital‑economy strategy, the event will host competitive tournaments, influencer appearances, and interactive fan zones that...
PUBG Mobile Joins the Esports Nations Cup 2026 as Its 16th Competitive Title
PUBG Mobile has been confirmed as the 16th title for the inaugural Esports Nations Cup 2026, scheduled in Riyadh from November 2‑29. The mobile title’s competition runs November 3‑8, featuring 32 national teams in a four‑group round‑robin stage that narrows to a...
AI Won't Make Your Game, but It Can Lighten the Load
AI won’t build an entire game, but it can dramatically speed up asset creation for indie studios, according to Ludo.ai CTO Jorge Gomes. The technology excels at generating concept sketches, sprite animations, and 3D props, turning tasks that once took...
"The Market, Both in MENA and at a Global Scale, Is Becoming Increasingly Competitive"
Steer Studios, a Savvy Games Group subsidiary, is gearing up for a 2026 milestone with the launch of its second title, Tom & Jerry Blast, slated for a global release this year. CEO Yannick Theler was recently named among Saudi Arabia’s Top 100...
BidOn Expands Leadership and Establishes Board to Advance Open Source Ad Tech
BidOn, a non‑profit open‑source ad‑tech platform, has announced a new board of senior executives from leading mobile‑gaming companies and the creation of a dedicated engineering team. The board will guide strategy, product direction, and governance, while the engineering group will...
"Bad News for Xbox": Analysts React to the Leadership Shakeup at Microsoft's Games Division
Microsoft Gaming announced its most significant leadership overhaul in a decade, with longtime Xbox chief Phil Spencer retiring and Xbox president Sarah Bond exiting. Core AI product president Asha Sharma will now lead the division, while Matt Booty steps up...
Arknights: Endfield Makes $46m in First Month on Mobile
Arknights: Endfield earned $46 million in its first month on mobile, with iOS accounting for $28.3 million and Google Play $17.7 million. Japan and China drove 39% and 28% of global spend respectively, while the U.S. contributed about 10%. Player spending peaked on...
Rainbow Six Mobile Launches Globally Today After Navigating Hiatus and Extended Development
Ubisoft’s Rainbow Six Mobile officially launched worldwide on February 23, 2026 after an extended soft‑launch and a seven‑month development hiatus. The global version ships with seven maps—including two mobile‑exclusive locations—and a roster of more than 20 operators, up from 16...
Rewarded UA Unlocked
Rewarded user acquisition (RUA) is a mobile marketing strategy that grants players in‑game rewards for completing post‑install tasks such as tutorials or level milestones. By tying incentives to meaningful actions, RUA drives higher engagement, retention, and ultimately better return on...
ByteBrew Launches AI-Powered Cross-Promotion Network to Scale App Portfolios
ByteBrew has introduced ByteBrew Ads, an AI‑powered cross‑promotion ad network that lets developers move high‑value users between apps in their portfolio. The service relies on Ctrl, the company’s proprietary AI engine trained on massive app data, to target users based...
Roblox Launches Global Parent Council to Strengthen Family Engagement and Online Safety Oversight
Roblox announced a Global Parent Council of 80 parents and caregivers spanning 32 countries, alongside a new Parent Champions programme. The council, representing expertise in psychology, education, digital well‑being, law enforcement and gaming, will meet quarterly to advise on safety...
Saudi Esports Federation Partners with ROC Esports and Team Stallion to Strengthen the Kingdom’s Esports Ambitions
The Saudi Esports Federation (SEF) has signed memoranda of understanding with ROC Esports and Team Stallion to develop Saudi esports talent. The agreements will deliver joint training, specialised programs through the Saudi Esports Academy, and create clearer career pathways for...
Savvy Games Group Signs MoU with AUBH to Strengthen Student Training in Games and Interactive Entertainment
Savvy Games Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the American University of Bahrain under its Savvy Academy talent‑development program. The MoU will enable Media and Design students to undertake internships, studio visits and hands‑on projects that mirror professional...
Netmarble to Shut Down Seven Knights 2 in April
Netmarble announced that its mobile MMORPG Seven Knights 2 will cease operations on April 15, 2026. In‑app purchases were suspended on January 14, and all cash‑shop items have been removed. Servers will stay online until the shutdown date, with scheduled events proceeding as planned....
Grand Mountain Adventure 2 Wins Mobile Honour at Swedish Game Awards
The Swedish Game Awards 2026 highlighted the nation’s creative strength, with ARC Raiders sweeping multiple categories and Minecraft retaining Best Live Service. While PC and console titles dominated, mobile games earned a spotlight as Toppluva’s Grand Mountain Adventure 2 captured Best Small...
Exel by Merak Appoints Faisal Sedrani as CEO to Lead Its Next Growth Phase
Exel by Merak, the Saudi gaming accelerator owned by Merak Capital, has named Faisal Sedrani as its new chief executive officer. Sedrani, who previously built Exel as a Merak subsidiary and serves as VP of Innovation Platform, will steer the...
NEW FOR 2026! PG Connects Summit Malmö Tickets Have Gone Live!
PG Connects Summit Malmö launches May 27‑28, 2026 as a two‑day, focused networking event in partnership with MeetToMatch and powered by Xsolla. The summit replaces the traditional conference model, offering private lounge tables, meeting zones, and a blend of matchmaking...
UK Government Reveals Expanded Finance Package to Help Creative Businesses Scale
The UK government announced a £4 billion Industrial Strategy allocation targeting creative industries, with the British Business Bank taking a leading role. A £45 million cornerstone investment was made in Redrice Ventures, a seed‑stage investor for creative firms. The Bank is also...
Scottish Games Industry Releases Manifesto Calling for Government Support Ahead of Parliament Election
Interactive Entertainment Scotland, backed by UKIE and studios nationwide, released a manifesto ahead of the 2026 Scottish Parliament election. It outlines three priority areas: a task‑and‑finish policy review, enhanced access to long‑term funding, and expanded talent development through education and...
Brazil Games Set to Bring over 30 Game Studios to GDC 2026
Brazil Games, together with Abragames and ApexBrasil, will bring over 30 studios to GDC 2026, showcasing Brazil as a co‑development hub. The delegation spans development, publishing and production services across PC, console and mobile. A mini‑booth will feature titles such as...
AppsFlyer Talks Buyer Signals, Player Targeting and Staying Legally Compliant
At Pocket Gamer Connects London 2026, AppsFlyer executives Edik Mitelman and Adam Smart unveiled a data‑collaboration platform that taps consumers' real‑world credit‑card spend to identify high‑value gaming audiences. By partnering with Mastercard and other financial institutions, the firm can segment...
Saudi Arabia's PIF Transfers $3bn Take-Two Stake to Savvy Games Group
Monetisation, Player Retention and Communities on Discord: Top Tips Incoming at PGC San Francisco
Discord will showcase its Social SDK at Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco on March 9, 2026, where senior developer Anthony Tešija will present strategies for acquiring, retaining, and monetising mobile gamers via Discord. He will outline how the platform’s community...
How Inclusive Leadership Can Shape the Next Generation of Games
At Pocket Gamer Connects London 2026, Aurora UK Awards highlighted women and non‑binary leaders, featuring an interview with former Monument Valley director Jennifer Estaris. Estaris emphasizes designing inclusion into hiring, mentorship, and leadership culture, arguing it drives creative and commercial...
Mellow Launches Indie Launchpad to Support Game Studios
Contractor management platform Mellow has introduced Indie Launchpad, a support program for independent game studios. The initiative offers eligible teams of up to 15 developers six months of full access to Mellow’s platform and its AI Scout freelancer‑matching tool, with...
Pocket Gamer Connects Wishes You a Prosperous Lunar New Year
Pocket Gamer Connects announced the 2026 PG Connects Summit in Shanghai for July 30, positioning the event as a gateway to ChinaJoy and the Chinese games market. Early registrants receive a 10 % ticket discount and access to the MeetToMatch platform for...
King and Yahoo Games: Filling a Bite-Sized "Appetite" With Candy Crush Crushable
King has launched Candy Crush Crushable, a daily bite‑sized puzzle exclusive to Yahoo Games in the United States, while international players can access it via a dedicated website. The game is designed around a single‑puzzle‑per‑day format that emphasizes clarity, fairness...
Ad Monetisation Basics in Mobile Gaming
The guide outlines how mobile game developers can monetize free titles through ads, emphasizing early design decisions. It breaks down three primary ad formats—banners, interstitials, and rewarded videos—and provides placement and frequency best practices. It explains mediation platforms such as...
More than 10 Million Duolingo Users Have a 365-Day Streak
Duolingo disclosed that more than 10 million users have logged into the app every day for a full year, representing roughly 20 % of its 50 million daily active base. The language‑learning platform posted a record $88.9 million in gross user spending in January...
Mega Studio Shuts Down Game Development Division After Nearly Five Years
Mega Studio has shut down its game development division after nearly five years, ending its mobile development efforts. The company will retain a four‑person team focused on its Mega Rewards growth platform. CEO Adam Jaffe announced a pivot from traditional...
Stillfront’s Top Shareholders Call for Extraordinary Meeting to Elect New Board and Chair
Stillfront Group’s two largest shareholders, Laureus Capital GmbH and Knuth Capital LLC FZ, representing roughly 23% of voting rights, have formally requested an extraordinary general meeting to elect a new board and chair. They propose a six‑member slate led by Lars‑Johan...
Hot Five: Former Unity CEO David Helgason Resigns From Board, Supercell’s Content Creator Furore, and Mattel Acquires Full Ownership of...
Unity co‑founder David Helgason stepped down from the board after more than two decades, trimming the board to nine members. Supercell’s CEO Ilkka Paananen issued an apology for overlooking content creators in Clash Royale’s 2025 resurgence, highlighting the growing influence...
End of an Era at Unity, Resident Evil Survival Unit's Future and Pokémon's Super Bowl Appearance | Week in Views
Former Unity co‑founder and CEO David Helgason left the company on February 5, 2026, while Bernard Kim was appointed as an independent director on the board. Resident Evil Survival Unit has exceeded 5 million downloads after its global launch, yet players criticize its...
Wherever the Event, Pocket Gamer Connects Is All About Business
Pocket Gamer Connects (PGC) has become a business‑centric conference series that delivers tangible outcomes for the global games industry. Since its 2014 launch, the brand has hosted 57 events in 16 cities, attracting 70,000 attendees and scheduling more than 155,000...
19 MENA Startups Graduate From the Second Exel by Merak Accelerator Cohort
Nineteen MENA game studios have graduated from the second cohort of Exel by Merak, an $80 million gaming accelerator launched by Merak Capital. Each studio receives $300,000 in seed funding plus mentorship and global network access. Cohort 2 has already produced $1.2 million...
IGDA Foundation Unveils New Visual Identity in Major Rebrand
The IGDA Foundation has launched its first major visual rebrand, unveiling a new logo, refreshed website, and updated newsletter. The redesign keeps visual ties to the parent IGDA while emphasizing the Foundation’s focus on access, opportunity, and professional growth for...
Esports Nations Cup 2026 Reveals First Eight Titles
The Esports Nations Cup (ENC) announced its first eight titles for the inaugural 2026 edition, spotlighting mobile games like Honor of Kings and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. National team slots range from 24 in Honor of Kings to 32 in...
