Supercell and King bosses warn EU’s Digital Fairness Act could hurt players and studios
King president Todd Green says Europe's 1,000-plus mobile studios face "dramatic consequences". UK trade body Ukie has also weighed in on the controversy.
On the podcast: Fortis closes, Rovio cuts, Google Play Store woes, PIF x Unity(?), EU proposals slammed, more
This week’s inside view of the mobile game business.
Rovio cuts 20 staff at Turkish studio Ruby Games
The studio is not being closed and a small team will continue to run its existing titles.
“Unworkable, unjustified and disproportionate”: trade bodies slam the EU’s Digital Fairness Act
Two European games trade bodies have warned that if introduced, the EU’s Digital Fairness Act would be “game over for the European games industry”.
Sled Surfers drives mobile net sales up 42% at Embracer
Glow Fashion Idol is also gaining traction at the Swedish roll-up firm, which says its had optimised UA costs and also acquired Island Hoppers from Nexters for $4.5m.
Data digest: Learnings tops ad charts, Savvy’s $6bn Moonton deal, Deca’s $4.5m buy, more
We’ve also got a load of top grossing game numbers from AppMagic, Krafton's latest financials and a Digimon Alysion pre-reg stat in this week’s round-up.
Generative video startup Anorak raises $5m from Supercell, Play Ventures and more
"We're not making mobile games this time," says former Hutch boss Shaun Rutland.
Fortis Games appears to have closed with over 400 staff likely affected
A flurry of LinkedIn posts suggest that parent company Las Vegas Sands closed the developer and cancelled all contracts with immediate effect, leaving over 400 people out of work.
My.Games seals UAE-backed management buyout from owner Alexander Chachava
Now-former owner Chachava bought the company from VK for $642m in 2022.
EU’s draft Digital Fairness Act takes aim at loot boxes, virtual currencies and pay-to-win
All players would also be able to switch off loot boxes and "addictive" features, according to the draft.
Lego Digital Play acquires Golf Clash veterans’ new studio ForthStar
"The rumours of mobile's death have been greatly exaggerated," says Lego Digital Play president Aaron Loeb.
Take-Two mobile bookings fall 13%, with another decline forecast for Q3
Toon Blast and Words With Friends grew, but Color Block Jam fell by double digits year-on-year.
Google’s Play Store is already hosting multiple clones of unreleased Steam game Fart Together
“I think we may have broken a record for the most clones in the shortest time – for a game that hasn’t even launched yet,” said the original game's developer.
The soft launch games you need to know about from Supercell, EA, Moon Active, Zynga, more
Take a peek at the games in testing from the mobile games industry’s top publishers.
PlayStation cancels Ratchet & Clank: Ranger Rumble a year into soft launch
The mobile shooter never got a global release, and its servers will shut down in May 2027.
New game digest: Honkai: Nexus Anima, WB All Star Mayhem, Crossy Road, Red Dead, Vampirio, more
There's also another new Genshin Impact-like RPG and a load of indie games in this week's round-up.
The Saudi-led consortium that bought EA is in talks to acquire Unity, says Reuters
A potential $25bn deal was discussed before Unity’s latest earnings report, according to Reuters sources.
Playtika calls off sale search as Q3 revenue holds flat at $674m
The Bingo Blitz maker posted record adjusted EBITDA in Q3 as it cut marketing spend, but daily players fell 13%.
Unity posts first profit since its IPO as Vector grows 126%
The engine maker expects its strategic Grow revenue to more than double year-on-year in Q4.
MTG revenue flat in Q3 as D2C hits 42% of sales
The Raid: Shadow Legends owner has postponed Playsimple's planned IPO in India, and said Google's US fees on external links have reduced some of the cost advantages of D2C.
AppLovin posts record revenue of $2.2bn in Q3 – up 55%
CEO Adam Foroughi said AppLovin's gaming business "grew nearly 50% year-over-year".
