Europe's Mobile Game Market Hits €6bn, Playstack Sold, April Revenue Insights
A recent report commissioned by King, the developer behind Candy Crush Saga, reveals that over 1,000 mobile game studios in Europe contributed nearly €6 billion to the economy in 2025. The study, conducted by King and Nordicity, also notes that these developers supported more than 63,000 jobs and generated €7.53 billion in revenue from global audiences last year, with expectations to exceed €8 billion by 2028. Mobile games now account for 55% of global video game revenue, with the average player being 31 years old. This report appears to target EU regulators, as King president Todd Green emphasizes the importance of balanced regulation that supports the mobile gaming sector while addressing player protection.
In corporate news, TruFin has agreed to sell its 84.5% stake in UK indie publisher Playstack to VantageCo for approximately £112.4 million ($151.3 million). The deal values Playstack at around £125 million ($168 million) and is pending shareholder approval. Playstack is known for titles like Abiotic Factor and Mortal Shell, and for 2025, it reported a pre-tax profit of £12.2 million ($16.28 million). Playstack founder and CEO Harvey Elliott reassured that the change in ownership will not alter the company's identity or strategic direction.
Mobile game investments are also on the rise, as Akin Babayigit and Makers Fund have launched AMF Capital, a new UA financing firm. The fund's first investment is a significant $28 million in Bear Hug Entertainment.
April saw mobile games revenue reach $4.51 billion, according to Sensor Tower data. While this marks a 1.4% decline year-over-year and a 3.7% drop from March, Honor of Kings topped the charts with $123.8 million in revenue, followed closely by Last War Survival and Whiteout Survival. Downloads for mobile games totaled 3.58 billion, down 13% year-over-year, with Block Blast leading the pack with 30.15 million downloads.
Golf Rival now boasts 65 million registered users, as reported by Zynga, along with the announcement of a new feature for players to collect stickers for rewards. Zynga acquired the Golf Rival franchise for approximately $525 million in October 2021, celebrating over 30 million downloads by March 2022.
In financial news, NetEase reported a 6.1% year-over-year increase in net revenue for Q1 2026, totaling RMB 30.6 billion ($4.4 billion). Games and related services accounted for 84% of this revenue, reflecting a 6.9% increase, with online titles being the primary source of income. Notably, the Chinese NPPA approved 158 games in May, including 137 mobile titles, bringing the total for 2026 to 779 games approved so far.
HoYoverse, the publisher of Honkai: Star Rail and Genshin Impact, is reportedly planning to invest up to $14.6 billion in AI over the next three years. This investment aims to develop an internal AI ecosystem to enhance game development and player interactions.
Why it matters
Lastly, UAE-based startup Sparq Worlds has raised $8.5 million for its AI-native game engine, aiming to empower creators to build 3D games with minimal programming expertise. With 6,000 creators already on the beta access waitlist, Sparq positions itself as a bridge between complex game engines and accessible game creation.
Original source
MobileGamer.biz
