Highlights

Saudi Arabia’s Lobah just secured a massive $12M investment from the Social Development Bank at Leap 2025 in Riyadh, a bold move that fuels the country's ambitious National Gaming Strategy. Founded by industry veteran Eisa Atawi, Lobah isn’t just making games, it’s building an ecosystem. In January, it launched Lobah Play, a dynamic platform for game publishing, networking, and monetization. With a lineup of ambitious projects in the works—including Kingdom of Letters (trivia), Jackaroo (board game) & Faza (PvP battle royale set in the Arabian Peninsula), Lobah is set to make waves in the mobile gaming space. The Gaming Industry is getting hotter and hotter over there. Saudi Arabia’s Games & Esports industry is a story the world should watch. A Booming Saudi Gaming Scene Saudi Arabia is doubling down on gaming, increasing esports and game development funding by 53% […]

As reported by MobileGamer.biz, Miniclip has expanded its gaming empire, acquiring German hybrid-casual studio Lessmore, creators of Eatventure and We Are Warriors, for an undisclosed sum at the end of 2024. Confirming the deal, Miniclip CEO Saad Choudri praised Lessmore’s rapid growth: "We were incredibly impressed by their ability to prototype fresh game concepts and scale hit titles. This acquisition strengthens our footprint in new gaming categories, and we’re excited to help Lessmore grow its portfolio." Data: AppMagic Lessmore Co-Founder Jeremy Ries echoed the excitement, calling the deal "an important new chapter" that will leverage Miniclip’s expertise to expand their reach. Data: AppMagic According to Appmagic, Eatventure has racked up 69.3M downloads and nearly $28M in IAP since its 2022 launch, while We Are Warriors has hit 36.3M installs, earning close to $10M. This move is part of Miniclip’s ongoing […]

Thinking Pokemon was a tough benchmark for AI? Researchers at Hao AI Lab threw top AI models into the Mushroom Kingdom to see who could handle the pressure. Claude 3.7 crushed it, followed by Claude 3.5. Meanwhile, Google’s Gemini 1.5 Pro & OpenAI’s GPT-4o? Struggling like a noob on World 1-1. The catch? This wasn’t your grandma’s 1985 Mario. The game ran in an emulator using GamingAgent, a framework that let AI control Mario by spitting out Python commands. It got simple instructions like “jump to dodge” and real-time screenshots—but no cheat codes. Here’s where it gets wild: AIs built for deep reasoning played worse than their more instinctive counterparts. Why? Overthinking kills. In a game where milliseconds separate a perfect jump from a pitfall, slow decision-making is a death sentence. Gaming has been an AI testing ground for years, but […]

Akin Babayigit, co-founder of Tripledot Studios, is back in the game—this time as an investor. The gaming entrepreneur has launched Arcadia Gaming Advisors, a new investment firm armed with a $100 million fund dedicated to mobile game companies. According to sources speaking to Bloomberg, the firm is targeting studios shaping the future of mobile gaming. London Roots & A Familiar Face A Companies House filing confirms Arcadia Gaming Advisors was established in London in December 2024, with Babayigit joined by Orkun Kilic—neither holding a majority stake. While Babayigit has yet to officially announce the firm, Spyke Games CEO Rina Onur Sirinoglu spilled the news on LinkedIn, congratulating her "long-time friend, brother, colleague, and investor." A Power Player in Gaming & Investment Babayigit co-founded Tripledot Studios in 2018, propelling it to one of the UK's top mobile game publishers. The company […]

Triple Tap Games secures $1.2 million in pre-seed funding led by Eximius Ventures and Kalaari Capital. Mumbai-based Triple Tap Games has raised $1.2 million in pre-seed funding to craft next-gen hybridcasual puzzle games. The studio—helmed by former Crazy Labs & Super Huge Studios veterans—is setting its sights on US and European markets, with plans to expand its team and supercharge its AI-driven content pipeline. Powering Up with Top Investors The funding round was led by Eximius Ventures and Kalaari Capital, alongside influential angel investors from the gaming and entertainment world. The capital will bolster rapid prototyping, data analytics, distribution, and monetization efforts. A Team with Proven Hits Founded in 2024 by ex-Crazy Labs India head Karan Khairajani, Triple Tap Games brings together industry heavyweights from Firescore Interactive, Games2win, Super Huge Studios, and Nukebox Studios. Their track record? 400 million+ downloads […]

Yes, it's still a hot topic. After what? AppLovin Monopoly in Mobile Gaming? AppLovin Scandal: New Target of Short Sellers? AppLovin to Sell Its Gaming Division for $900M AppLovin’s $900M Games Sale: Mystery Buyer, Big Moves & Strategic Shifts Ad Tech Titan AppLovin is offloading its gaming division in a $900 million deal—$500M in cash, $400M in equity—to a still-undisclosed buyer. The acquirer has signed a non-binding term sheet and plans to borrow up to $250M to fund the purchase. If financing falls through, AppLovin will step in with a promissory note. The February 12, 2025 agreement comes with a catch: AppLovin can’t negotiate with other buyers for now. While speculation swirls, one major contender is Savvy Games Group, while public giants like Playtika and Tencent are ruled out. Why the Sale? Despite strong gaming revenue, $1.5B in 2024, up […]

Source: YLE While game studios worldwide are laying off thousands, Supercell continues to thrive. Since its 2018 release, Brawl Stars has raked in over $2 billion out of 480M Downloads, making it one of the most successful mobile games ever. Data: AppMagic Something Cooler? Something even cooler? Helsinki HQ, Hey Spike! The Secret Behind *Brawl Stars' *Success At Supercell’s Helsinki headquarters, the Brawl Stars team operates like a well-oiled machine. The workspace is filled with game memorabilia, plush toys, and even South Korean cereal boxes featuring Brawl Stars characters—an indication of the game’s global reach. Frank Keienburg, the game’s team leader, attributes their success to continuous innovation. “We update the game every two months, keeping content fresh and players engaged,” he explains. The team, which started with 19 members, now has 64 developers from around the world, proving that diversity […]

Source: PocketGamer Mobile gaming giant Playtika is gearing up for a major acquisition spree, earmarking $300 million to $450 million for "bolt-on" M&A over the next three years. That’s straight from President and CFO Craig Abrahams during the company’s latest Q4 and 2024 investor call. The move follows Playtika’s $1.95 billion takeover of Dice Dreams and Domino Dreams developer SuperPlay last November. While speculation had swirled about Playtika making a play for AppLovin’s $900M games portfolio, this budget suggests that’s off the table. D2C Growth, But a Mixed PicturePlaytika’s direct-to-consumer (D2C) revenue climbed 8.6% Y/Y to $694M in 2024, continuing its push toward first-party distribution. In Q4, D2C revenue hit $174.6M—up 8% Y/Y, but barely nudging quarter-over-quarter growth at 0.1%. However, D2C’s share of total revenue slipped to 26.8% in Q4 (down from 28.1% in Q3), which Playtika attributed to […]