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Mobile Gaming Rebounds in 2025 with AI & Emerging Markets

The mobile gaming market is bouncing back in early 2025, showing clear signs of growth, according to Adjust’s latest Gaming App Insights 2025 report. After a turbulent period, the industry is finding its footing again—driven by evolving monetization strategies and AI-powered personalization. Global Gaming App installs rose by 4% YoY in 2024, with emerging markets leading the charge. LATAM saw a 9% increase in installs, while MENA followed closely with 7%. Hyper-casual games dominated install share at 27%, though they struggled with retention, while strategy games surged with an impressive 83% install growth. AI is also reshaping user acquisition, helping developers fine-tune their ad strategies for better engagement. “After a period of market volatility, mobile gaming is back on a growth trajectory,” says Tiahn Wetzler, director of content and insights at Adjust. With mobile-first adoption booming in LATAM and MENA, […]

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Angel Portfolio Playbook: What Failures and One Exit Taught Me

I had been a founder for over 15 years and in 2019, I felt like I wanted to take the leap into the startup investing side. Inspired by Jason Calacanis's book "Angel," I wrote my first check to a game studio founded by former Next Games colleagues of mine. After starting with small $5K investments, I eventually created an angel syndicate with 200+ gaming professionals before launching F4 Fund in 2024. Between 2019-2023, I made 34 angel investments. Note that I’ve stopped doing new angel investments after we started F4 Fund. Currently, in March 2025, the portfolio looks something like this. 1 exit (returned more than 1x of total invested capital) 4 companies doing extremely well, 4 that struggled but are now growing 16 with markups of 30-300% 7 gone to $0 (plus 4 more likely in 2024) 2 survived […]

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Tripledot’s Big Gamble on nearly $1B Acquisition

𝗗𝗜𝗚𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗢𝗥 𝗗𝗜𝗘: 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗼𝘁’𝘀 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗹𝗲 Tripledot’s nearly $1B acquisition of Applovin's studios is a massive gamble but reflects the shrinking pool in the hyper-to-hybrid publisher game. With this move, Tripledot radically shifts from 1% IAP to majority reliance. Meanwhile, peers like Voodoo and Homa slug through slow hyper-to-hybrid transitions. Rather than incremental growth, Tripledot opted for transformative growth overnight, betting they will learn, grow, and wield a zoo of studios and genres. Tripledot's filings reveal an astounding 98% ad revenue share, which brought in over $300M last year. Yet margins languished at a frustrating 15%, explaining the strategic necessity of shifting toward IAP and hybridcasual for better cost leverage and valuations. This is another reminder that gaming's unique economics differ significantly from traditional subscription models like Netflix or even software more broadly.Eric Seufert’s recent "Economics of Mobile Gaming" highlights […]

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Alternative App Stores: The Post-DMA Opportunity

In the world of alternative app stores, all eyes have been on the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Last week marked the deadline for compliance by @Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store. However, predictably, no substantial changes have been made, and the status quo persists. While pressure from the European Commission or other governments may eventually force some movement like in Brazil recently, Google and Apple have historically found ways to implement half-measures that prolong their dominance. A prime example is Apple, which introduced a “core technology fee” on every download (among other dissuasive measures), making alternative app stores financially unviable for both the app store and the developers. Another example is Korea’s mandate requiring Play Store to allow third-party billing. Google complied "technically" by allowing and reducing its revenue share from 30% to 26% (!?), rendering third-party payment adoption […]

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Scopely to acquire Niantic’s Games, including Pokémon GO!

$3.5B deal is official now! Scopely, the U.S.’s top mobile games company, is set to acquire Niantic’s games business, bringing "Pokémon GO," "Pikmin Bloom," and "Monster Hunter Now" into its portfolio. This move strengthens Scopely’s commitment to community-driven play, expanding its reach to over half a billion players in 2024. Massive Growth and Engagement Niantic’s games boast over 30 million MAUs and generated $1 billion+ in revenue in 2024. "Pokémon GO" remains a global juggernaut, ranking in the top 10 mobile games yearly since 2016, with 100M+ unique players in 2024. The combined portfolio will create one of the largest player communities in the world. Last Week: 3.5$ Billion Deal: Pokémon Go maker Niantic to Sell its Games Division Scopely’s Vision for the Future Scopely, known for "MONOPOLY GO!," "Stumble Guys," and "MARVEL Strike Force," aims to enhance the longevity […]

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Applivery Secures Strategic Investment from Supercell

Cloud-based app distribution powerhouse Applivery has landed a strategic investment from Supercell. The funding will accelerate Applivery’s mission to enhance device and software management across Android, Apple & Windows platforms. A Perfect Match “At Applivery, we empower companies with seamless, secure control over their devices and apps,” said CEO César Trigo. “Supercell’s trust in our technology validates our vision and fuels our drive to push innovation even further.” Supercell’s Developer Services Lead, Vadim Liman, echoed the enthusiasm: “The Applivery team has built something remarkable. As we sought a trusted partner in app distribution, Applivery stood out. We’re excited to deepen our partnership and support their growth.” Supercell’s Head of Investments, Jaakko Harlas, added: “This collaboration is off to a fantastic start. Investing in Applivery was the natural next step—we believe in their vision and are eager to support them on […]

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Tilting Point launches new $150M UA fund for Game Devs

Keep control & Scale faster. Mobile Games Publisher Tilting Point is rolling out a massive $150 million User Acquisition fund, designed to supercharge developers without the usual publishing constraints. Unlike traditional deals, developers retain full autonomy over their marketing. Tilting Point steps in only when requested, offering financial backing for growth without meddling in strategy. This is the company’s third major UA fund, following similar initiatives in 2016 and 2018. Early beneficiaries include Mythical Games, Begin, and a soon-to-launch web-based gaming hub. A Proven Growth Engine “With over 200 successful games, we’ve seen firsthand how impactful our UA funds can be,” said Tilting Point CEO Kevin Segalla. “It’s a powerful tool, letting developers scale efficiently while keeping their capital focused elsewhere.” CBO Asi Burak added: “We pioneered this model, and its strength lies in truly flexible, unlimited spending—while ensuring developers […]

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AI Gaming & UGC: Liminal Experiences secured $5.8M

Liminal Experiences, a fresh gaming startup blending AI with user-generated content, secured $5.8 million in funding to revolutionize storytelling in games. The round includes backing from industry giants like Bitkraft Ventures, Riot Games, and OTK Media Group, with Riot Games co-founder Marc Merrill also investing. CEO Brendan Mulligan envisions Liminal as a game where players don’t just play; they create. With AI-powered tools, users can craft immersive RPG adventures, design characters, and build worlds alongside friends. Inspired by childhood imagination, Liminal removes coding barriers, allowing anyone to shape and share interactive stories. “AI in gaming is controversial, with concerns over job replacement and ethical debates,” Mulligan. “Most studios quietly explore AI, leaving the public conversation to outsiders. We believe in AI as a tool to enhance, not replace, human creativity.” Liminal provides a platform for both original stories and beloved […]

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Tripledot is making $1.3M a Day!

Tripledot Studios is making around 1,3 million a day 🤑 in ad revenue within its portfolio, and it is the secret buyer 😲 of AppLovin gaming business, as we learned last week 💡. Why is the company so successful, and how big are they? Check out: $900M Deal: Tripledot Buys AppLovin’s Games As said, the key lies in ad revenue 💸, which is a little bit hard to spot with our usual industry tools, but as we have Felix on the team, the problem is solved 😎.The game that did put the company on the map is Woodoku, which is an ultra-casual Tetris like puzzler, which even though does currently just low, 30K daily downloads, still has a monster 1,3 Mil. DAU, with US playerbase being 15% of that. That's where the money is made 💰. Looking at last months […]

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Match-3 Games in Türkiye: Good Job Games Raises $23M

As reported by VentureBeat, Good Job Games, a fast-rising Mobile Game Developer from Turkiye, has secured a massive $23 million in seed funding to cement its place as a major entertainment powerhouse. The round was led by Menlo Ventures and Arcadia, the new gaming fund launched by Tripledot co-founder Akin Babayigit. For a company founded in 2017, waiting eight years before raising external capital is unusual. But Good Job Games never needed outside investment—until now. Led by Ilker Ilicali and Nazim Akmandil, the company has thrived on its own momentum, quickly becoming a hypercasual gaming giant with over three billion downloads. It sold its hit game Zen Match and has since doubled down on revolutionizing the match-3 genre, with Match Villains leading the charge. “We built Good Job Games without external funding, powered by our team’s passion and craftsmanship,” said […]

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Mobile Gaming Today: Beyond China & AI Wars

Moin Fam, Seen the hot news? Smt big, PRETTY BIG 👇🏻 🇨🇳 China’s AI Revolution: Manus, the Game-Changer While we’re all busy watching American AI Stars ChatGPT & Musk’s Grok, China just dropped Manus, ‘Game-changer Super-smart AI’. Chinese call it “First General AI agent.” » Better? “OpenAI-killer” 😅 👌🏻 Top Gaming Content » Collectible Albums: Motivation for Players Casual games thrive on simplicity, but long-term engagement needs fresh incentives. Collectible albums deliver just that, turning virtual card collecting into a compelling progression system that boosts Retention & Monetization without disrupting gameplay. Hits like Monopoly Go & Royal Match prove their power, and as Devs refine the concept, new variations will emerge. The secret? Refreshing albums with Quality Content & Meaningful Goals. Panini sticker books & Pokémon cards have been around for quite a while. 🤟🏻 Game of the Week » […]

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Felicity Games Secures $3M Seed Funding

India-based mobile game publisher Felicity Games has secured US$3 million in seed funding. The round was led by 3one4 Capital, with participation from T-Accelerate Capital in Singapore and MIXI Global Investments in Tokyo, as well as existing investors DeVC and Visceral Capital. Founded in 2023 by Anurag Choudhary, Felicity Games specializes in publishing hybrid-casual games. The company reported over US$1 million in annual recurring revenue and more than 1 million downloads of its key titles, Seek & Find and Nova Solitaire. VP at 3one4 Capital, Sonal Saldanha said:“The gaming industry has changed significantly, with mobile adoption and new advertising rules reshaping how games are built, discovered, and monetized. These shifts create opportunities for new companies to emerge.Felicity is taking a first-principles approach to building a substantial gaming business from India by leveraging exceptional talent, operational efficiency, and rapid execution. We […]

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