PocketGamer.biz Podcast

PocketGamer.biz head of content Craig Chapple and deputy editor Paige Cook talk through the latest games industry news on the 105th episode of the Week in Mobile Games Podcast.

On the show this week:

• Europe's CPC targets King, Supercell, Mojang and others over virtual currencies.
• Mark Pincus reveals Zynga nearly acquired Supercell for $400m in 2012.
• Daily log-in bonuses and activity streaks under threat in EU Kids Act.
• The future of cloud gaming.
• And Craig rants about the insane AI PR machine and why cloud gaming will never work.

00:00 Introductions

05:29 Insane AI hype

10:47 PGC events

11:20 EU Kids Act

16:45 Investigation into In-Game Virtual Currencies

20:27 Cloud Gaming

27:18 Zynga's missed $400m Supercell acquisition

33:15 Xbox layoffs

** Let's Connect **

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👉🏻 Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

👉🏻 Read our games industry region reports on the UK, China, Nordics, Iberia, Türkiye and more here: https://www.pocketgamer.biz/reports/

PocketGamer.biz head of content Craig Chapple, features and data editor Aaron Astle, deputy editor Aaron Astle and editorial director for events Mariam Ahmad talk through the latest games industry news on the 104th episode of the Week in Mobile Games Podcast.

On the show we discuss:

• The newly announced Apple foldable phone, the iPhone Duo.
• The backlash against Apple's new EU terms and the European Commission's "apparent endorsement" of them.
• The top mobile games from August 2026's revenue and download charts.
• The change in leadership at UK studio Trailmix, developer of Love & Pies.
• The secret karaoke video.

** Let's Connect **

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👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/pocketgamer-biz/?originalSubdomain=uk

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

👉🏻 Read our games industry region reports on the UK, China, Nordics, Iberia and more here: https://www.pocketgamer.biz/reports/

PocketGamer.biz head of content Craig Chapple and features and data editor Aaron Astle talk through the latest games industry news on the 103rd episode of the Week in Mobile Games Podcast.

On the show we discuss:

• Our Gamescom 2026 insights.
• Sony Music's acquisition of a 23.29% stake in Puzzle & Dragons developer GungHo.
• The exit of CEO Brian Ward from Savvy Games Group.
• W4 Games' $18m investment, the rise of Godot and a very short history of game engines.
• How Monster Hunter Outlanders is bringing the classic experience to mobile.
• The newly announced animated movie Pokémon: Wild Card.

00:00 Introductions

05:41 Gamescom 2026 insights

14:36 Monster Hunter Outlanders

17:50 Sony Music's GungHo investment

20:28 Brian Ward exits Savvy Games Group

24:02 Pokémon: Wild Card movie

31:02 The rise of Godot

35:42 Conclusions

** Let's Connect **

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👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/pocketgamer-biz/?originalSubdomain=uk

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

👉🏻 Read our games industry region reports on the UK, China, Nordics, Iberia and more here: https://www.pocketgamer.biz/reports/

The PocketGamer.biz Podcast welcomes Xsolla president Chris Hewish in a new episode that dives into the world of direct-to-consumer and the company's key new announcements.Xsolla is rolling out six new solutions right now in the build-up to Gamescom, including Web Shop Ecosystem, a complete D2C offering built specifically for mobile games. There’s also 15 new local payment methods; the Xsolla AI Toolkit and its new CLI, an AI-assisted path from a new publisher account to a working web shop; an expanded creator platform; and a backend partnership with AccelByte.Sponsored by Xsolla and hosted by Peggy Anne Salz, this episode delves into:

• The state of the D2C space following legal and regulatory movements.
• Why the suite of tools announced by Xsolla aren’t just about payments.
• How the company is embracing AI to empower D2C. Developers can build a working storefront in a single session - but should they?
• How the Xsolla Partner Network works and the relevancy of creator campaigns for mobile publishers.
• The partnership with AccelByte and what it means for developers and Xsolla’s tool suite.

** Let's Connect **👉🏻 X - https://x.com/pgbiz 👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/poc... 👉🏻 Facebook -   / pgbiz  👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

PocketGamer.biz head of content Craig Chapple, features and data editor Aaron Astle, editorial director for events Mariam Ahmad and our special guest, AppsFlyer global director of product for gaming Adam Smart, talk through the latest games industry news on the 101st episode of the Week in Mobile Games Podcast.

On the show we discuss:

• The upcoming big expo that is Gamescom - and what impact a discless console future could have on fandom.
• If cloud gaming really has an audience.
• Türkiye's fast-moving games hub and why it's so successful.
• Pokémon Go's stellar July for revenue and more chart toppers for the month.
• MTG's rebranding of its midcore division to Playamp and what it means for AI and D2C.

** Let's Connect **

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👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/pocketgamer-biz/?originalSubdomain=uk

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

👉🏻 Read our games industry region reports on the UK, China, Nordics, Iberia and more here: https://www.pocketgamer.biz/reports/

PocketGamer.biz head of content Craig Chapple, features and data editor Aaron Astle and editorial director for events Mariam Ahmad talk through the latest games industry news on the 100th episode of the Week in Mobile Games Podcast.

On the show we discuss:

• Key takeaways from our trip to ChinaJoy and PGC Summit Shanghai.
• Devolver Digital's proposal to go private.
• Tripledot's acquisition of Supersonic.
• EA's sale to a PIF-led consortium.
• Nintendo's use of its mobile apps to promote Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave.
• How Arknights: Endfield surpassed $125m in six months on mobile.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 X - https://x.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/pocketgamer-biz/?originalSubdomain=uk

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

👉🏻 Read our games industry region reports on the UK, China, Nordics, Iberia and more here: https://www.pocketgamer.biz/reports/

PocketGamer.biz head of content Craig Chapple, deputy editor Paige Cook and features and data editor Aaron Astle talk through the latest games industry news on the 98th episode of the Week in Mobile Games Podcast.

On the show we discuss:

- Epic and Google's decision to withdraw their Play Store settlement in the US.

- The Top 30 China Game Makers of 2026.

- How Go Fest 2026 saw Pokémon Go revenue skyrocket.

- The top mobile game genres for H1 2026.

- Why a California-led coalition seeks to block the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger.

- UKIE's 2025 UK Games Industry Workforce Demographics Survey.

** Let's Connect **

👉🏻 X - https://x.com/pgbiz

👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/pocketgamer-biz/?originalSubdomain=uk

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

👉🏻 Vote in the Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2026 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/mga2026/vote/

We speak to My.Games CEO Elena Grigorian about forever franchises like War Robots and Rush Royale, and delve into its new R&D structure and why it plots a $50m a year benchmark for new games.** Let's Connect **👉🏻 X - https://x.com/pgbiz 👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/pocketgamer-biz/?originalSubdomain=uk 👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

PocketGamer.biz head of content Craig Chapple, deputy editor Paige Cook and features and data editor Aaron Astle talk through the latest games industry news on the 97th episode of the Week in Mobile Games Podcast.

On the show we discuss:

• We unpack the news that Xbox is laying off 3,200 staff and divesting five studios,  with plans to engage one billion players daily.
• Pokémon Go's 10th anniversary.
• The Love and Deepspace 'bring back Valko' petition.
• The kick-off the Esports World Cup 2026.
• Nintendo's decision to shut down Mario Kart Tour.

00:00 - Introductions

04:08 - Xbox layoffs and reset

22:20 - Love & Deepspace 'Bring back Valko'

27:08 - Pokémon Go 10th anniversary

31:54 - Esports World Cup

34:40 - Mario Kart Tour shuts down

39:41 - Conclusion

** Let's Connect **

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👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/pocketgamer-biz/?originalSubdomain=uk

👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz

👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz

👉🏻 Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

👉🏻 Vote in the Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2026 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/mga2026/vote/

Appcharge and GDC estimated in a recent report that the global direct-to-consumer market for games is worth $17 billion - or around 15% of the global in-app purchase sector.To get further insights into the report and the D2C space, we spoke with Appcharge chief marketing officer Gil Tov-Ly on the PocketGamer.biz Podcast - part of our new expanded video series with industry leaders.

Download the D2C report here: https://www.appcharge.com/DTC-is-already-a-17b-market-report

** Let's Connect **👉🏻 X - https://x.com/pgbiz 👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/pocketgamer-biz/?originalSubdomain=uk 👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event