This week I noted some key takeaways from the Vietnamese mobile gaming scene at MES Ho Chi Minh City, SensorTowers further expansion of analytics tools with the AppMagic acquisition and Grand Games $70mil Series B round.

Also this week, Wooga set to layoff more staff, SEGA reports losses with a pending Rovio restructure, Roblox signs an agreement with Savvy Games Group as it plans to grow in Saudi Arabia and Pixel Federation reports a record year.

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Mobile Executive Summit Ho Chi Minh City: A First of its Kind Event in Vietnam

This week I had the pleasure of organising, attending and being on stage at Gamesforum's first Mobile Executive Summit, exploring investment, financing, M&A, bussiness operations and studio and game scalibility in Vietnam.

A few key takeways:

• Vietnam continues its meteoric rise with speed a core of success, however a key message from Jakub Remiar, genre diversity is key in achieving longterm sustainable growth
• Tracy Phan confirmed she has had more conversations with Vietnamese studios about M&A in the last 6 months versus the last 6 years adding that studios need to focus on why they want investment or to sell over the when
• So interest from investors is prevalent, but what is needed to realise it? Infrastructure and due diligence, Martin Macmillan advised this can be as simple as hiring a CFO or Finance Director
• Adrian Lăscăteu highlighted the need for deeper operational development and the educational support being developed to help the mobile industry
• Meanwhile Anel Ceman encouraged the industry to reach out beyond Vietnam, to contact piers from other studios, publishers or consultants from across the world and industry

There was so much more to unpack, and the industry in Vietnam continues to astound me. The established knowledge and hunger for more knowledge are fantastic.

We also hosted a closed-door CEO Dinner with Mobile Finance Collective and EY-Parthenon but the details of that are underwraps...

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Sensor Tower Strengthens Mobile Intelligence Dominance with AppMagic Acquisition

Sensor Tower has acquired AppMagic in a move that further consolidates the mobile app intelligence market. AppMagic, widely used across the mobile gaming ecosystem (including me) for download, revenue, and live-ops analysis, will become Sensor Tower’s dedicated small and medium sized business offering following the deal.

The acquisition follows Sensor Tower’s previous acquisition of data.ai, Video Game Insights and Playliner and signals continued expansion across gaming, app analytics, and cross-platform intelligence.

Financial terms were not disclosed, though both companies positioned the deal as a way to broaden access to deeper market intelligence tools for developers and publishers.

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Sega Reports Finacnial Loss as Rovio Set for Restructure

Sega reported a $31.6 million net loss for year end March 2026, with Rovio set to focus on restructuring.

Sega also confirmed the cancellation of its long-running “Super Game” initiative as the company shifts away from large-scale live service ambitions

Originally positioned as a major long-term entertainment ecosystem, the project was quietly shelved following weak performance from recent free-to-play efforts and intensifying competition across the market. Sega is now reallocating over 100 developers toward traditional premium game development focused on established franchises.

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Grand Games Secures $70M as Hybrid-Casual Momentum Continues Accelerating

Turkish mobile gaming studio Grand Games has raised $70 million in Series B funding, bringing its total funding to more than $100 million in just two years. The investment follows rapid growth for the company’s hybrid-casual portfolio, with titles including Magic Sort and Block Out recently topping the US iOS download charts.

Led by Balderton Capital, the funding will support user acquisition, marketing expansion, and new game development as the studio scales globally from its Istanbul base.

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Another Round of Layoffs Hits Wooga Amid Ongoing Mobile Gaming Cuts

Playtika-owned studio Wooga has reportedly undergone another round of layoffs affecting approximately 10 to 20 people. This follows 50 people laid off in May 2025.

The cuts follow a broader pattern of downsizing across Playtika’s wider organisation as publishers continue reassessing growth strategies and operational efficiency across mobile gaming.

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Savvy Deepens Gaming Ecosystem Ambitions Through New Roblox Partnership

Savvy Games Group has signed a new agreement with Roblox aimed at accelerating the growth of Saudi Arabia’s game development ecosystem.

Under the agreement, Savvy will support Roblox’s regional expansion efforts, while Roblox will provide local creators with access to workshops, training initiatives, development tools, and educational resources.

The partnership will also involve collaboration with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education, further linking gaming, creator economies, and digital skills development within the country’s wider Vision 2030 strategy.

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Pixel Federation Posts Record Year as TrainStation Franchise Continues Scaling Globally

Slovak mobile studio Pixel Federation reported one of its strongest financial years to date, generating €41.2 million in revenue during 2025, up from €38.4 million the previous year. Much of the growth was driven by the launch of TrainStation 3, which became the most successful release in the company’s 19-year history, alongside continued strong performance from TrainStation 2.

The company also highlighted growing success from direct-to-consumer monetisation through Pixel Shop, which now accounts for more than 22% of mobile in-game revenue.

Massive shout out to Michal Prokop Grno, Michal Hablovic, Michal Bubernik and the team!

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The Weekly Pulse powered by AppMagic

The green line shows the games performance in the Top Charts over the last week, with the left side indicating its starting position in the rankings and the right side indicating its current position. Also included are downloads for the period.

This week’s trending charts continue highlighting the dominance of lightweight, highly scalable casual experiences, with puzzle, simulation, and accessible action games leading momentum across global downloads. Pure Sniper: Gun Shooter Games emerged as the strongest climber of the week, while titles such as Arrow Puzzle: Tap Puzzle Games and Mahjong Blast reinforce the continued strength of low-friction gameplay loops that can rapidly scale through broad audience appeal and aggressive user acquisition strategies.

Another notable trend is the growing mix of evergreen legacy IP and utility-style gaming experiences appearing side by side in trending charts. Ubisoft’s Hungry Shark Evolution continues proving the staying power of established mobile franchises, while games like Truck Star and Lucky Scoop: DIY Packing reflect how simple gameplay concepts combined with strong creative optimisation remain highly effective in driving chart momentum.

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My 2026 Events Calendar:

Next week I will be in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (10th to 14th) to discuss investment, M&A, financing, studio and game growth. Reach out to connect!

• Gamesforum Hamburg, June 9 & 10
• Gamesforum & Appsforum London, September 7 & 8
• Gamesforum Vancouver, October 22nd
• Gamesforum & Appsforum San Francisco, October 26 & 27
• Gamesforum Vienam, Hanoi, November 25

Got any suggestions, stories or topics worth covering? Drop me a DM!