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Apple's EU App Store changes, Supercell, PUBG, MTG, Poinpy, Gamescom, July's top games, more
The mobile gaming industry is currently navigating significant regulatory shifts, most notably Apple’s revised EU App Store terms.
- Apple has introduced new EU App Store terms that include a 15-20% commission for alternative payment processing and a 5% fee for apps distributed via alternative stores, though critics like Epic Games argue these changes violate the Digital Markets Act by maintaining high 'junk fees' and friction.
- Pokémon Go experienced its best revenue month since June 2022, with July 2026 in-app purchase earnings exceeding $100 million due to 10th-anniversary events and live-ops.
- Supercell is considering the future of its monster-hunting game 'Mo Co' after a recent reboot failed to meet performance expectations, though the company currently views a total shutdown as unlikely.
🚨📢 BREAKING NEWS: Tripledot Buys Supersonic for $40M + EA is Private for $55B + Netflix drama
The gaming industry is undergoing a period of intense consolidation, characterized by the divestment of publishing arms by major ad-tech firms, massive private equity buyouts, and volatile studio management.
- Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has acquired Electronic Arts in a $55 billion take-private deal, the largest leveraged buyout in gaming history.
- The EA acquisition includes approximately $20 billion in debt, which is expected to drive a strategic shift toward aggressive live-service monetization and mobile revenue.
- Tripledot acquired Supersonic from Unity for $40 million in cash, completing the divestment of ironSource assets Unity acquired in 2022.
🚨📢 BREAKING NEWS: Google's Antitrust Blow, AppLovin's Hidden Strength & Smash Fest's Copycat Army
The mobile gaming industry is currently navigating a period of significant regulatory and competitive shifts, characterized by the ongoing erosion of the 30% app store commission model and the rapid proliferation of copycat development strategies.
- The European Commission has fined Google €890 million for Digital Markets Act violations, mandating that developers be allowed to promote alternative payment methods outside the Google Play Store.
- Google faces a 60-day compliance window to reform its payment policies, with potential ongoing penalties reaching up to 5% of its total worldwide turnover.
- AppLovin maintains a structural advantage in mobile app discovery and monetization through its AppLovin Max mediation platform, despite recent stock volatility and market pressure.
TWIG #392: Pokémon’s Gamble, World Cup WHAT & the Monetization Debate
The gaming industry is increasingly relying on nostalgia-driven content to combat the diminishing returns of new releases.
- Developers are increasingly prioritizing nostalgia-driven content, such as League of Legends Classic and Fortnite OG, as a more reliable growth engine than the volatile cycle of new product launches.
- Aggressive or opaque monetization strategies, exemplified by the backlash against EA’s paid progression in College Football 2027, pose significant PR risks that threaten long-term player trust and sustainability.
- The gaming industry has completed an irreversible transition to a digital-first ecosystem, where physical media is largely obsolete and digital distribution is the standard for platform economics.
Xbox's big reset | Week in Mobile Games podcast
Xbox is currently executing a fundamental strategic pivot, moving away from an aggressive focus on scaling the Game Pass subscription service toward a broader objective of engaging one billion players.
- Microsoft is undergoing a major restructuring involving 3,200 staff layoffs and the divestment of five studios, including management buyouts for Compulsion Games and Double Fine and the sale of Ninja Theory and Undead Labs.
- Microsoft has set an ambitious goal to engage one billion daily active users, a target that industry analysts view as highly challenging given that current console markets are largely flat and the company's total monthly active user base across its gaming division was reported at 500 million in 2024.
- Pokémon Go has generated over $9 billion in lifetime revenue across the Google Play Store and Apple App Store during its 10-year history, with player spending peaking during the pandemic.
🚨📢 BREAKING NEWS: Xbox Layoffs, Niantic rebrand, New Turkish puzzle studio
The gaming industry is currently navigating a period of significant structural change, marked by large-scale workforce reductions and shifts in corporate strategy.
- Microsoft is restructuring its gaming division with 3,200 layoffs and the spin-out of four console studios, including Double Fine and Ninja Theory, to prioritize mobile growth and P&L efficiency.
- The Chinese mini-game market is projected to reach nearly $10 billion in revenue by 2025, supported by a 34% year-over-year growth rate and 1.2 billion monthly active users.
- M&A activity in the second quarter of 2026 reached $2.3 billion, marking the highest deal volume recorded since 2022.
🚨📢 BREAKING NEWS: Stillfront's CEO Steps Down + AdColony Sold for Under $5M + Meowdoku Hits 1.7M DAU
The mobile gaming industry is currently experiencing a period of rapid structural shifts, characterized by the decline of aggressive roll-up business models and the emergence of new, high-growth casual titles.
- Stillfront's CEO is stepping down following a period of declining revenue, downloads, and share price, signaling the risks of roll-up business models that rely on high valuations for acquisitions.
- The casual puzzle game Meowdoku scaled from 15,000 to 1.7 million DAU since mid-May by combining Sudoku mechanics with cat-themed aesthetics, generating estimated daily ad revenues of $70,000 to $120,000.
- Affle acquired the AdColony brand and technology assets from Digital Turbine for less than $5 million, gaining access to approximately 80,000 existing app integrations.
Google Play store fees, Kingshot's World Cup ads, AppsFlyer gets $1bn, Kabam layoffs, more
The mobile games industry is currently navigating significant shifts in platform policy, investment trends, and studio operations. A primary development is Google’s adjustment of Play Store fees, effective June 30.
- Starting June 30, Google Play is lowering store fees for most developers in Western markets, effectively reducing the standard 30% fee to approximately 25% for in-app purchases.
- AppsFlyer secured a $1 billion investment from Google, Meta, Unity, and Moloco, a move analysts suggest is intended to bolster the company's independence and measurement capabilities against AppLovin's market dominance.
- Queen Digital Entertainment, a startup founded by former King executives that raised up to $50 million in VC funding, has ceased operations after failing to scale its casual puzzle game portfolio.
2026 World Cup Effect on Games
The 2026 FIFA World Cup serves as a catalyst for significant shifts in the mobile football gaming landscape, highlighting a divergence between established market leaders and the governing body’s own interactive efforts.
- Konami’s eFootball has surpassed EA’s FC Mobile in cumulative revenue, reaching $1.9 billion compared to FC Mobile’s $1.6 billion.
- While eFootball leads in total revenue, FC Mobile maintains a larger daily active user (DAU) base, highlighting a divergence in monetization strategy versus user reach.
- Major football titles have abandoned traditional seasonal resets in favor of continuous progression and power inflation to reduce user churn.
Kingshot ads with Harry Maguire, Michael Owen, John Terry, Fabrizio Romano, Thiago Silva + Jorginho.
The marketing strategy for the mobile game King Shot centers on a high-profile influencer campaign featuring prominent football figures, including Harry Maguire, Michael Owen, John Terry, Fabrizio Romano, Thiago Silva, and Jorginho.
- The mobile game 'King Shot' utilized a high-profile influencer marketing campaign featuring football stars Michael Owen, John Terry, Thiago Silva, Jorginho, and journalist Fabrizio Romano during the 2026 World Cup.
- The core value proposition emphasized across all influencer creative is the complete absence of in-game advertisements, positioning the title as an uninterrupted, 'ad-free' gaming experience.
- Influencer messaging consistently targets the 'waiting' periods surrounding major sporting events, framing the game as a casual, easy-to-pick-up companion for football fans.
🚨📢 BREAKING NEWS: The Surprise World Cup Winner, Block Blast's $120K/Day Bleed, Supercell's US news
The mobile gaming industry currently faces significant volatility regarding distribution and development, as evidenced by recent performance shifts among major titles and studios.
- Block Blast lost approximately $120,000 in daily advertising revenue and saw a 17% decline in Android daily active users following a 24-hour removal from the Google Play Store.
- Supercell is contracting its U.S. development operations after canceling a project in development for three and a half years and losing key staff from another team.
- The FIFA Panini Collection achieved 500,000 daily downloads and 1.7 million daily active users by utilizing a hybrid model that links physical Coca-Cola QR codes to digital sticker collecting.
Call of Duty ‘at risk’ from GTA 6, EA set for World Cup boost, and Switch 2 hits UK milestone
The global gaming industry is currently navigating a period of intense volatility and strategic realignment, driven by the anticipation of major blockbuster releases and shifting consumer hardware trends.
- Grand Theft Auto 6 is identified as a primary market disruptor expected to threaten the player retention rates of established shooter and sports franchises.
- The Nintendo Switch 2 has reached a milestone of one million units sold in the UK within 39 weeks, matching the historical performance of its competitors.
- UK PlayStation 5 sales have experienced a 50% year-over-year decline following recent price adjustments.