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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 ** 👉🏻 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 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 ** 👉🏻 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/

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 ** 👉🏻 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, 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 ** 👉🏻 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/

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

In the Hot Seat is our new video series where Pocket Gamer Connects speakers get candid before they take the stage at our worldwide events. First up is Devin Nambiar, chief operating officer at Mattel163, taking questions from PocketGamer.biz editorial director for events, Mariam Ahmad. Born as a joint venture between an iconic American toy giant and Chinese internet powerhouse NetEase, Mattel163 turned decades-old card games into a global business. In February of this year, Mattel moved to acquire NetEase's 50% stake outright, valuing the studio at $318 million and folding it in as its internal game development and publishing arm. Nambiar himself mirrors that blend: a Californian who's spent more than a third of his life in Asia, now running R&D, publishing and portfolio strategy after nearly a decade at EA. We sat down with him ahead of his 'Does the Best Game Win Anymore?' panel at PGC Summit Shanghai on July 29th. ** 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, editorial director for events Mariam Ahmad and features and data editor Aaron Astle talk through the latest games industry news on the 96th episode of the Week in Mobile Games Podcast. On the show we discuss: The latest numbers behind the WeChat Mini-Games boom.The big Love & Deepspace Valko controversy.Netflix and Night School Studio's new immersive horror game Unhinged.A discless future for consoles and what it means for the games market. Vote in the Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2026: https://www.pocketgamer.biz/vote-now-the-mobile-games-awards-2026-in-association-with-samsung-gaming-hub/ 00:00 Introductions 07:32 WeChat Mini Games Insights 12:12 Valko Controversy in Love and Deepspace 19:33 Netflix's Unhinged 24:17 The Future of Physical Discs in Gaming 34:23 Conclusion ** 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

In Part 2 of our deep dive into the world of rewarded ads, we move beyond the basics to explore how studios can master long-term campaign success through advanced technology and integrated design. Industry experts Zino Rost van Tonningen, CEO at TyrAds and Arseny Lebedev, Co-Founder & CEO at Original Games return to discuss why the "final boss" of monetization is the seamless merger of live ops and rewarded environments. This episode covers the transition from simple metrics like early ROAS to a holistic view of user engagement and retention. Learn how AI-driven hyper-segmentation is becoming the only way to scale personalization, why monetization must be a core pillar of game design from day one, and how to avoid the pitfalls of over-optimizing too early. We conclude with a rapid-fire round of expert advice on what studios should start, stop, and watch in the coming year. Chapters: 00:00 - Integrating Monetization into Game Design 03:41 - Measuring Beyond ROAS: The Importance of Early Engagement 07:48 - Growing the Baseline: Strategies for High-Value and Middle Segments 11:06 - The Dangers of Over-Optimization and Breaking Player Trust 14:01 - Troubleshooting Campaign Exhaustion and Event Setup 15:51 - AI and Hyper-Segmentation: The Future of Rewarded Ads 19:37 - The "Final Boss": Merging Live Ops with Rewarded Environments 21:31 - Rapid Fire: Expert Tips for Studios in 2026 24:20 - Personal Favorites: Runescape, Doom, and Subnautica 2 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 95th episode of the Week in Mobile Games Podcast. On the show we discuss: Appcharge's new report that claims direct-to-consumer platforms are banking $17 billion.Google's rollout of new Play store fees, including a 20% platform tax not tied to Google Pay.HoYoverse’s new game Honkai: Nexus Anima.Why Scopely launched the Monopoly Go Chat app.The Traitors WhatsApp game.Layoffs at Kabam and the impending Microsoft cuts.00:00 Introduction and Heatwave Experiences02:25 Pokémon Champions04:52 Patching old games with StarCraft 209:28 Direct-to-Consumer hits $17bn13:33 Honkai Nexus Anima 17:19 The Traitors Anywhere 20:36 Google Play fee changes 24:25 Monopoly Go Chat 28:20 Layoffs at Kabam 31:14 Outro ** Let's Connect ** 👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/ 👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com 👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform 👉🏻 The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2025 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/the-top-50-mobile-game-makers-of-2025/👉🏻 Join the AI Gamechangers newsletter - https://aigamechangers.substack.com

PocketGamer.biz head of content Craig Chapple, editorial director for events Mariam Ahmad and features and data editor Aaron Astle talk through the latest games industry news on the 94th episode of the Week in Mobile Games Podcast.On the show we discuss:- Takeaways from Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona 2026.- The UK social media ban for under-16s.- The launch of Pokémon Champions on mobile.- How Where Winds Meet made $22.1m on mobile in six months outside of China.- Unreal Engine for Fortnite creator payouts surpass $1 billion - and the Roblox vs Fortnite battle.- Whether GTA VI will really impact mobile game spending. 00:00 - Introductions 03:24 - PGC Barcelona Takeaways 11:37 - Pokémon Champions' Mobile Launch 15:27 - Fortnite vs Roblox 20:24 - The UK Under-16 Social Media Ban3 2:53 - Where Winds Meet Banks $22m 35:55 - Will GTA VI Impact Mobile Spending?** Let's Connect **👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform👉🏻 The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2025 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/the-top-50-mobile-game-makers-of-2025/👉🏻 Join the AI Gamechangers newsletter - https://aigamechangers.substack.com

Explore the rapidly evolving landscape of rewarded ads in mobile gaming with industry experts. In this episode we dive into the shift from simple install-driven models to sophisticated, data-led strategies that integrate live ops and deep user segmentation. Our guests Zino Rost van Tonningen, CEO at TyrAds and Arseny Lebedev, Co-Founder & CEO at Original Games discuss the critical role of data structure in the age of AI and why a "one-size-fits-all" approach no longer works for monetization. The discussion covers the diverse personas within the rewarded ecosystem—ranging from "rewards hunters" to dedicated casual players—and how these segments impact long-term profitability and LTV. Discover why rewarded ads are becoming a vital alternative for game discovery amidst the challenges of modern app store SEO. This is Part 1 of our in-depth conversation. Stay tuned for Part 2, where we dive deeper into the evolving world of rewarded ads, exploring how studios can leverage AI for hyper-segmentation, the critical importance of integrating monetization directly into game design, and expert tips for accurately measuring long-term campaign success. Timestamps: 00:00 - The Evolution of Rewarded Ads 02:40 - Data-Driven Market Correction 06:30 - A Publisher's Perspective on Rewarded UA 10:00 - High-Value User Behavior 12:50 - Balancing User Segments for Profitability 17:15 - Scalability and Competition 19:35 - The Four Main Rewarded Personas ** 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