#GamingBusiness

$2B+ in Fraud Blocked: In 2024 alone, Apple stopped over $2 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions. 1.9M+ Risky Apps Blocked: Over 1.9 million app submissions were rejected for violating security, privacy, or quality standards. Massive App Review Scale: Apple reviewed 7.7 million apps, rejecting 43K for hidden features, 320K for spam/clones, and 400K for privacy violations. Account Enforcement: 146K developer accounts terminated for fraud. 711M customer account creations blocked; 129M accounts deactivated. Pirate App Crackdown: Blocked 10K+ pirate apps and stopped 4.6M illicit installs outside official stores. Rating Manipulation Prevention: Processed 1.2B+ reviews, removed 143M+ fake reviews. Removed 7,400+ apps from charts and 9,500+ from search results. Payment Security: Detected 4.7M stolen cards, banned 1.6M accounts. 420K+ apps use Apple Pay/StoreKit for secure transactions. Bottom Line Apple continues to invest heavily in fraud prevention, protecting users and developers with strict […]

UA costs rose to $60m, accounting for 61% of net sales. Embracer Group’s mobile division saw a 31% YoY drop in net revenue, reaching SEK 943 million ($98 million) in Q4 FY2025. For the full year, mobile game sales declined by 9% to SEK 5.35 billion ($553 million). Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) for the mobile segment jumped to SEK 8.2 billion ($856 million), but adjusted EBIT fell significantly to SEK 91 million ($9.5 million), largely due to the $1.2 billion sale of Easybrain to Miniclip. User acquisition (UA) costs rose to SEK 575 million ($60 million), making up 61% of net sales—an increase from 35% the previous year. Install numbers dropped from 248 million to 204 million, though daily and monthly active users stayed consistent at 28 million and 222 million, respectively. Despite the revenue and install declines, […]

RevenueCat, now the backbone of over 70,000 subscription-based mobile apps, just announced a $50M Series C to level up its mission: helping developers make more money, faster. Founded in 2018 as a side project by Jacob Eiting and Miguel Carranza, RevenueCat started as a simple tool to manage in-app subscriptions. Today, it's handling billions in payments and is used by 1 in 3 new subscription apps. Now valued at $500M, the company plans to go far beyond subscriptions. Why It Matters: New funding round led by Bain Capital Ventures (with support from Index, YC, and others) $100M total raised 2,000+ devs already testing RevenueCat’s web billing engine, now a serious Stripe/Chargebee contender CEO Jacob Eiting says: “We want to build the most important software company for apps—by a mile.” What’s Next for RevenueCat: Web billing: After the Apple-Epic ruling, devs […]

PlaySafe ID, a platform designed to safeguard gaming communities by blocking cheaters, bots, and predators, has raised €1 million ($1.12M) in pre-seed funding. The startup’s mission is to bring accountability and fairness to gaming without compromising user privacy. The funding round was led by Early Game Ventures, joined by Hartmann Capital and Overwolf. The investment will support PlaySafe ID’s expansion efforts and integrations with major gaming platforms, with a goal of reaching over 250,000 users in the near term. “This funding allows us to scale quickly, grow our elite team, and work with developers committed to creating safer game environments,” said CEO Andrew Wailes. He noted the urgency of tackling cheating and child safety, especially as new regulations like the Online Safety Act come into play. Andrew Wailes is CEO of PlaySafe ID. PlaySafe ID provides an anonymous, verified digital […]

Written by our partner, InvestGame. Notable Transactions MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS🤝 US-based mobile game developer Ares Interactive, Inc. has acquired Heroes vs Hordes from Germany-based mobile game publisher Swift Games for an undisclosed sum. Legal documentation changes suggest a potential full acquisition of Swift Games as well. According to AppMagic, Heroes vs Hordes is a mobile roguelike RPG that has generated $31m in IAP revenue. Ares Interactive was founded in 2024 by former Glu Mobile executives. UK-based game distributor Rokky has acquired China-based digital game store ChinaPlay for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition is part of Rokky’s strategic expansion into the Chinese market. After the deal, ChinaPlay will distribute game keys directly from Rokky’s publishing partners. France-based esports organization Team Vitality has acquired Indonesia-based esports organization Bigetron by Vitality for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition aims to strengthen Team Vitality’s position […]