On the podcast: GDC concerns, AppLovin allegations, why app makers want game talent and more
This week’s inside view of the mobile game business.
New game digest: Reigns does The Witcher, Warframe, Candy Crush, an ‘AI first’ battler, more
There's also Moonton's new game, a new Supercent soft launch and a new battle royale in this week's round-up.
Sound Games raises $6.5m to publish premium cross-platform titles
Its debut title, Go Ape Ship, is set for launch on February 18 across mobile and PC. And like all of Sound Games’ releases, it is a ‘pay once, play anywhere’ title.
Data digest: US and 2025 market stats, CEO optimism, December’s top games, more
There's also Mag's latest financials, ZBD's $40m raise and Dino.io numbers in this week's round-up.
AppLovin demands the retraction of fresh short seller claims
Short seller CapitalWatch claims that AppLovin is a “digital laundromat” for criminal money. AppLovin has denied all the claims and sent a cease-and-desist letter to get the report retracted.
Why non-gaming companies are hot on mobile game talent
The wider app economy might offer an escape route for those tiring of the endless churn in games – and app developers are increasingly looking for mobile game expertise.
Many international visitors are skipping GDC amid cost concerns and US safety fears
GDC’s organiser has told us it is working to make the show safer and more affordable, but industry chatter suggests international GDC attendance will nosedive this year.
Jobs digest: big moves at Scopely, Arcade, Netflix, Outfit7, Agora, Voodoo, Blizzard, more
There's also moves at Miniclip, Embracer, Outplay, NaturalMotion, Liftoff, Craftsman, Supercell in our latest round-up.
Ubisoft reorg puts Kolibri, Ketchapp, Hungry Shark and more into casual mobile arm
‘Creative House 5’ will also be home to Ubisoft’s Hasbro games, its Invincible title, Uno, Just Dance and other casual fare. One mobile game has been cancelled; costs will be reduced by a further €200m over the next two years.
Critics week: Marvel Snap thrills by turning its players into game designers
Legendary games writer and author Christian Donlan says the genius of Second Dinner's card battler is in how it turns players into creators.
Critics week: how Pokémon TCG Pocket lures players back again and again
A mix of nostalgia, compulsive card-collecting and peer pressure has kept Guardian games critic Tom Regan playing daily.
Critics week: the unexpected genius of Suika Game
Once designed as an app for a Japanese-made projector, this merge game has since become a viral phenomenon. And for good reason, says Aftermath, Polygon and Guardian writer Nicole Carpenter.
Critics week: breaking the curse of Disney Solitaire
Games media legend Chris Scullion has a real love/hate relationship with Playtika's big-name solitaire game.
Critics week: the endless magic of SpellTower
This week, we're running five articles from game critics who rarely get to write about mobile games. First up, it's The Guardian's Keith Stuart on Zach Gage's timeless puzzler.
The soft launch games you need to know about
Take a peek at the games in testing from Supercell, Playrix, EA, Ubisoft, Rovio, Miniclip and more.
Playtika to cut 500 staff, plans to “leverage AI and automation to do more with less”
Reports from Israeli tech publication CTech state that the publisher is cutting 15% of its workforce as it abandons its growth strategy and looks to AI.
