PocketGamer.biz Podcast

PocketGamer.biz head of content Craig Chapple, Steel Media CEO Chris James and COO Dave Bradley round up their final thoughts on GDC 2025.On this episode, they discuss:A quieter year and what that means for the conference and games industry at large.AI’s big presence without the big announcements.Who was and wasn’t on the show floor.Cancelled flights and turbulence for British travellers.** 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 2024 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/the-top-50-mobile-game-makers-of-2024/👉🏻 Download the PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Developer Trends Survey Winter 2024/25 report - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf3tbjUxVkG17CuHHljMblfmUC3DZ6gNAzV8qiz8bAALUXSvQ/viewform👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco (March 17th to 18th) - https://www.pgconnects.com/sanfrancisco/👉🏻 Five takeaways from GDC 2025 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/five-takeaways-from-gdc-2025-a-quieter-year-ai-was-the-big-trend-and-the-engine-wars-go-silent-on-the-show-floor/👉🏻 Join the AI Gamechangers newsletter - https://aigamechangers.substack.com

When MobilityWare reorganized its teams and reimagined its creative strategy, the result wasn’t just a fresh perspective—it delivered a 21% boost in CTR, powered by the tools and insights of key partners InMobi and AppsFlyer. That transformation didn’t happen in isolation; it was the product of smart collaboration, bold experimentation, and a laser focus on performance. We turned this episode of the PocketGamer Podcast into a masterclass in all three. Joining our hosts, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow, are Chris Kim, the UA mastermind behind MobilityWare's transformation, Adam Smart, AppsFlyer's Global Director of Product - Gaming and master of measurement, and Dharak Desai, the VP of Performance for North America & EMEA at InMobi Advertising, where he's written the playbook on a privacy-first growth strategy. Listen and learn from this group of unmatched UA experts as they dive into MobilityWare's success story, noting the tactics and tools that revealed a 13.5% drop in eCPI and a 38% increase in US-based iOS user growth for the studio—while offering smaller studios advice on standing out and mastering discoverability on a shoestring budget.Chris Kim - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cjkim213/MobilityWare - https://www.mobilityware.com/Adam Smart - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-smart/AppsFlyer - https://www.appsflyer.com/Dharak Desai - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dharak-desai-a3034231/InMobi Advertising - https://advertising.inmobi.com/CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro03:53 - MobilityWare challenges post-ATT06:06 - A dramatic restructuring08:00 - InMobi & AppsFlyer partnerships10:00 - Balancing UA and retention11:47 - InMobi's role18:26 - AppsFlyer's SSOT24:45 - Lessons in getting back on track27:20 - MobilityWare's three incrementality tests30:56 - Standing out on a shoestring budget34:43 - Rapid fire cheatsheet38:32 - Favourite games Q&A

Hugo Obi, Founder of the Lagos-based Pan-African studio Maliyo Games, joins hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow on this episode of the Pocketgamer.biz Podcast to share how he is driving the growth of Africa’s indie game development sector. While much of the region’s gaming revenue still comes from Western-made titles, Hugo is actively changing that by building a thriving ecosystem of African studios creating games rooted in local culture and folklore. He dives into Maliyo’s major initiatives, including insights from the 2025 Africa Games Industry Report, the GameUp Africa talent accelerator in partnership with Google, and Maliyo’s recent collaboration with Disney on Iwájú: Rising Chef.Hugo Obi - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugoobi/?originalSubdomain=ngMaliyo Games - https://www.maliyo.com/GameUp Africa - https://gameupafrica.com/2025 Africa Games Industry - https://africagamesreport.com/CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro02:20 - An abnormal start 04:48 - Telling African stories10:11 - Popular games in Africa11:20 - 2025 Africa Games Industry Report19:22 - Building an industry ecosystem22:18 - Making Disney Iwaju: Rising Chef27:08 - Safari City31:56 - A popular game is a global game35:10 - Comparing studios to car manufacturers 37:04 - GameUp Africa42:24 - Favourite games Q&A

In an era where discovery is harder than ever, community isn’t just important—it’s the deciding factor of your game's success. The usual approach? Build the game first, then work to attract the right audience. But Fateless Games followed a different path. They started as HH Gaming—a gaming content creation and community focused on mobile hero collector RPGs, particularly Raid: Shadow Legends—Simon Lockerby, which grew to 11M+ page views and 400K+ members before deciding to create their own game, Godforge.Raising $6M in just 10 weeks, the team partnered with ex-Riot, Microsoft, and EA talent to bring their vision to life—and the beta waitlist is already open.In this episode of the PocketGamer.biz Podcast, Peggy Anne Salz sits down with Co-Founder Simon Lockerby, Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Dan Francis, and Co-Founder & Game Director Hisham Saleh to discuss how they leveraged their community, turned engagement into momentum, and built a studio where players are part of the journey from day one.Simon Lockerby - https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-lockerby/Dan Francis - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-francis/Hisham Saleh - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hishamsaleh/Fateless Games - https://www.fateless.gg/HH Gaming - https://hellhades.com/CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro 00:40 - How Fateless started10:41 - The year of the true fan15:00 - Gearing up for the launch 17:37 - Supporting content creators22:42 - Cashing in on the k factor26:45 - Cultivating culture and talent33:55 - Creating the next HH Gaming group

PocketGamer.biz head of content Craig Chapple and news editor Aaron Astle discuss the latest mobile games industry news on the Week in Mobile Games podcast.On this episode, we:Analyse Scopely’s $3.5 billion acquisition of Niantic’s games business (check out our Pocket Gamer Reacts video for more insights).Highlight the recent flurry of investment news stories that could signal a more positive future for the games industry.Get insights on Sonic Rumble’s development, delay and IP partnership potential.Talk about whether alternative app stores are really capitalising on the opportunity to disrupt the App Store and Google Play.Discuss the news that France’s regulator wants to reverse ATT(!).** 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 2024 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/the-top-50-mobile-game-makers-of-2024/👉🏻 Download the PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Developer Trends Survey Winter 2024/25 report - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf3tbjUxVkG17CuHHljMblfmUC3DZ6gNAzV8qiz8bAALUXSvQ/viewform👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco (March 17th to 18th) - https://www.pgconnects.com/sanfrancisco/👉🏻 The Pocket Gamer Party San Francisco 2025 (March 17th) - https://www.pgconnects.com/sanfrancisco/pocket-gamer-party/👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Reacts: Breaking down Scopely's blockbuster $3.5bn deal for Niantic's games business - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPNzfeGlJ5E👉🏻Behind the scenes of Sonic Rumble's delay, development and the Rovio x Sega partnership - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/rovios-veli-kiviaho-talks-features-worth-delaying-for-sonic-rumbles-ip-collabs-and-global-launch-goals/

PocketGamer.biz head of content Craig Chapple and news editor Aaron Astle discuss the latest mobile games industry news on the Week in Mobile Games podcast.On this episode, we discuss:Tripledot’s surprise impending acquisition of AppLovin’s games business.Ludia’s plans for M&A and hiring spree after its exit from Jam City.The management shake up at RuneScape developer Jagex as CEO Phil Mansell steps down and CVC’s Jon Bellamy steps in.Goddess of Victory: Nikke’s induction into the billion-dollar club on mobile.Pokémon Day’s big announcements and why Pokémon Champions could be the next big thing.Supercell acts like a normal company as Lasse Seppänen is named Supercell London GM.** 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 2024 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/the-top-50-mobile-game-makers-of-2024/👉🏻 Download the PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Developer Trends Survey Winter 2024/25 report - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf3tbjUxVkG17CuHHljMblfmUC3DZ6gNAzV8qiz8bAALUXSvQ/viewform👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco (March 17th to 18th) - https://www.pgconnects.com/sanfrancisco/👉🏻 The Pocket Gamer Party San Francisco 2025 (March 17th) - https://www.pgconnects.com/sanfrancisco/pocket-gamer-party/

PocketGamer.biz head of content Craig Chapple and Steel Media CEO Chris James discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.On this episode, we discuss: AppLovin vs. short-sellers: We discuss the claims, AppLovin's response and what it all means for the company and the wider advertising market. Is the industry seeing more investment? We look at where the money is flowing as new startups emerge. Developer Trends Survey takeaways: We analyse our survey report and discuss the big trends right now. As the Amazon App Store closes on Android and Epic Games Store third-party revenue is down (through Epic Payments), we discuss the future of alternative app stores and whether they can break through. Supercell has revealed its latest title: Boat Game. So naturally, we had to talk about it and Supercell's new games strategy.** 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👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards Winners - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/mga2024/winners/👉🏻 The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2024 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/the-top-50-mobile-game-makers-of-2024/👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Awards 2024 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/pocket-gamer-awards-2024-winners-revealed/👉🏻 Download the PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Developer Trends Survey Winter 2024/25 report - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf3tbjUxVkG17CuHHljMblfmUC3DZ6gNAzV8qiz8bAALUXSvQ/viewform👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco (March 17th to 18th) - https://www.pgconnects.com/sanfrancisco/👉🏻 The Pocket Gamer Party San Francisco 2025 (March 17th) - https://www.pgconnects.com/sanfrancisco/pocket-gamer-party/

Nailing mobile ad strategy isn’t just about making eye-catching creatives—it’s about understanding what works, iterating quickly, and scaling effectively, even on a tight budget. In this episode, Peggy Anne Salz and Brian Baglow sit down with Z, Founder and CEO of BLKBOX.ai, to discuss how AI-driven creative optimization is transforming the way gaming studios approach ads. By following BLKBOX’s Five Pillars of Creative Success, teams can break free from the copycat cycle, create unique ad variations, and boost performance without overloading their art teams. Z also explains how the latest AI tools can streamline go-to-market timelines, ensure brand-compliant creatives, and help studios make smarter scaling decisions.Z - https://www.linkedin.com/in/athar-zia-97555462/BLKBOX. - https://blkbox.ai/CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Intro02:58 - 1500% return05:26 - Demystifying the blackbox08:44 - The Five Pillars of Great Creatives10:55 - Pillar One: Analyse13:00 - Unlocking surprising insights16:03 - Pillar Two: Ideate19:55 - Pillar Three: Create22:30 - Pillar Three: Test26:46 - Pillar Three: Scale30:26 - "Don't go live yet."35:54 - Demo of Blkbox's dashboard44:30 - Treat art as science46:05 - Favourite games Q&A

PocketGamer.biz head of content Craig Chapple and news editor Aaron Astle discuss the latest mobile games industry news from the past week.On this episode, we discuss:NetEase's Marvel Rivals layoffs, it's change in investment strategy and how it echoes the global strategies of Japanese publishers like DeNA and Gree in the past, and why its plans are strictly business, not political.The reported sale of Niantic's games business, including Pokémon Go, to Scopely, and why Savvy Games Group may be leading the charge on the deal.Jam City's decision to sell Ludia, three and a half years after buying the studio – which it originally aimed to do so it could finally take the publisher public.The Epic Game Store's big numbers reveal, how many of its new accounts are actually on mobile, and the challenges of launching a rival digital games store to a monopoly, with third-party revenue down in 2024.Big Fish Games' future as it halts new development to focus on live games and Aristocrat Leisure scales down investment in the company. It was only in 2018 that the developer was acquired for $990 million.Unity's latest financials, the new ads platform Vector that has investors excited, and why it's been the same talk for the past year.** 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👉🏻Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards Winners - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/mga2024/winners/👉🏻 The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2024 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/the-top-50-mobile-game-makers-of-2024/👉🏻 Everything is a games platform - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/everything-is-a-games-platform/👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Awards 2024 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/pocket-gamer-awards-2024-winners-revealed/

"If you don't do D2C, you're leaving money on the table." David Stelzer, President of Xsolla, is blunt and bullish about direct-to-consumer strategy in his interview with Peggy Anne Salz at Pocketgamer Connects London. He shares his impressions of the gaming industry, insights from Xsolla's latest State of Play report, and why implementing a D2C in your monetisation mix is an absolute must in 2025.David Stelzer - https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidstelzer/Xsolla - https://xsolla.com/State of Play 2025 - https://xsolla.com/the-xsolla-report