PocketGamer.biz Podcast

PGbiz Podcast
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  • Updated Biweekly

Welcome to your regular glimpse into the business of mobile games. Featuring interviews with games industry experts! Your hosts are the insiders at PocketGamer.biz, the top B2B site for the mobile games industry. It covers the people, technology and deals that drive this multi-billion dollar sector. In our ongoing podcast, you’ll hear the editorial team and their guests dive into the topics and themes at the forefront of the industry. You’ll get unique insight and exclusive Q and As, taking you behind the scenes on the international mobile games scene.

  1. How Emerald City Games Stayed Independent And Kept Shipping

    9h ago

    How Emerald City Games Stayed Independent And Kept Shipping

    Recorded live on-site at GDC, host Peggy Anne Salz sits down with Derek Day and Jamie Young, the cousins behind Emerald City Games, to talk about what it really takes to build an independent studio that lasts. Emerald City started in a basement in 2008, with families upstairs, developers downstairs and a team doing whatever it took to keep the dream alive. Fast forward and the studio has shipped more than a dozen titles across original IP and major franchises, including Star Trek and Tomb Raider. Derek and Jamie share how Emerald City has stayed independent by balancing creativity with survival, building strong internal tools, protecting its visual identity and staying flexible enough to work across original worlds, licensed IP and live mobile games. Skillz enters the conversation as the infrastructure layer that helps studios like Emerald City keep that focus. By bringing competition systems, backend support, analytics and live ops tooling closer together, Skillz gives developers more room to build the parts players actually feel: the game, the world, the community and the experience. In this episode, Peggy, Derek and Jamie get into: How two cousins built Emerald City Games from a basement into a long-running independent studioWhy staying independent means knowing when to say no, even when opportunities come callingHow the team puts its own creative stamp on major franchises like Star Trek and Tomb RaiderWhy retention, live ops and community now shape how mobile games are built from the startWhy integrated SDKs, analytics and platform tools can give indie teams more room to punch above their weight For indie developers, Emerald City’s story is proof that survival is a strategy. Stay creative, stay adaptable, build the right team and use the right tools so you can keep shipping the games only you can make. Let's Connect 👉🏻 X - https://x.com/pgbiz 👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/pocketgamer-biz/?originalSubdomain=uk 👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

    23 min

  2. May 25

    The Sensor Tower / AppMagic deal unwrapped and Xbox's random rebrand | Week in Mobile Games podcast

    PocketGamer.biz head of content Craig Chapple, deputy editor Paige Cook and features and data editor Aaron Astle talk through the latest games industry news on the 92nd episode of the Week in Mobile Games Podcast. On the show we discuss: Our interview with Sensor Tower's Tom Cui on why it acquired AppMagic.Xbox's rebrand, player voice and hire of Matthew Ball as chief strategy officer.Nintendo's new mobile app Pictonico.The rise of UGC platform Melon Sandbox.Fortnite's big return to the App Store worldwide - except for Australia.Nex Playground's success and global expansion.00:00 - Introduction and Personal Updates04:09 - Sensor Tower Acquires AppMagic10:04 - Fortnite's Return to the App Store13:34 - Nintendo's Pictonico!17:59 - Xbox's Branding Change21:49 - Leadership Changes at Xbox25:00 - Next Playground: A New Motion-Based Console30:20 - The Rise of Melon Sandbox ** Let's Connect ** 👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/ 👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com 👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform 👉🏻 The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2025 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/the-top-50-mobile-game-makers-of-2025/ 👉🏻 Download the PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Developer Trends Survey Winter 2024/25 report - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf3tbjUxVkG17CuHHljMblfmUC3DZ6gNAzV8qiz8bAALUXSvQ/viewform 👉🏻 Join the AI Gamechangers newsletter - https://aigamechangers.substack.com

    37 min

  3. May 19

    Sensor Tower's AppMagic acquisition and Sega's brutal Rovio comments | Week in Mobile Games podcast

    PocketGamer.biz head of content Craig Chapple, deputy editor Paige Cook and news editor Aaron Astle talk through the latest games industry news on the 91st episode of the Week in Mobile Games Podcast. On the show we discuss: Sensor Tower's acquisition of rival AppMagic.Time and Business Insider's moves to follow the New York Times Games playbook with the launch of new games.Nintendo Switch 2 sales and the company's share price fall.Sega's brutal comments on the Rovio acquisition.Ebay's rejection of GameStop's surprise proposal to buy the company.The new Wordle TV show, which sounds oddly familiar...00:00 Introductions07:54 Gamescom LATAM takeaways11:33 Sensor Tower acquires AppMagic16:10 Nintendo's Financials and Switch 2 sales22:32 Ebay rejects GameStop's purchase offer26:25 Time and Business Insider Games29:06 Sega Financials and Rovio's Performance36:16 Wordle gets a TV show ** Let's Connect ** 👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/ 👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com 👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform 👉🏻 The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2025 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/the-top-50-mobile-game-makers-of-2025/ 👉🏻 Download the PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Developer Trends Survey Winter 2024/25 report - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf3tbjUxVkG17CuHHljMblfmUC3DZ6gNAzV8qiz8bAALUXSvQ/viewform 👉🏻 Join the AI Gamechangers newsletter - https://aigamechangers.substack.com

    42 min
  4. AI Games Need Soul, Not Slop

    May 19

    AI Games Need Soul, Not Slop

    In this PocketGamer.biz episode, hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Craig Chapple sit down with Ambrose Robinson, founder of Parable Studios and creator of Millennium Whisper, to talk about a very different future for AI in games. While much of the AI conversation is about scale, servers and bigger models, Ambrose is pushing in the other direction: smaller, smarter, actor-led and built to run on-device. As Ambrose puts it: If AI in games is going to create new experiences, it needs more than scraped data and generic outputs. It needs creative intent, ethical data capture and systems designed around the game itself. That is the thinking behind Millennium Whisper, the first on-device AI game released on Steam, a dating sim set in 1999 where characters generate emotional responses, remember interactions and share information across the game world. As Ambrose puts it, the problem with much of AI content today is that “there’s no one on the other end.” This episode explores what happens when there is. Peggy, Craig and Ambrose dig into: Why AI-generated “slop” is damaging the conversation around genuinely creative AI in gamesHow Parable Studios uses actor-led data capture instead of scraping generic online contentWhy smaller, game-specific models can be more powerful than massive general-purpose systems • What on-device AI changes for cost, scale, latency and creative ownershipHow Millennium Whisper proves AI can unlock new kinds of narrative gameplay, not just automate productionWhy indies may be the first to show what AI-native games can really become The big takeaway: AI should not replace creativity. It should open up game ideas that were too hard, too expensive or too strange to build before. If you care about where AI in games goes next, this is the conversation that cuts through the hype and gets to the heart of what actually matters. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction to Ambrose Robinson and Parable Studios 01:53 - How AI Can Help Indie Games Stand Out 03:05 - The Importance of Human Creativity in AI 06:18 - From Farm Life to AI Research 11:03 - The Parable Engine and On-Device Models 15:22 - Solving Scalability and Cost for Indies 18:27 - Using Actors for Data and D&D Style Improv 23:04 - Avoiding "AI Slop" through Specificity 28:01 - Case Study: Millennium Whisper 40:20 - Future Plans for Mobile and New Games Let's Connect 👉🏻 X - https://x.com/pgbiz 👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/pocketgamer-biz/?originalSubdomain=uk 👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

    47 min
  5. The Martial Arts Mindset That Won 2 Million Players

    May 5

    The Martial Arts Mindset That Won 2 Million Players

    Recorded live on-site at GDC, host Peggy Anne Salz sits down with Justin Graysmark, founder of Eplay Studios, to unpack the unlikely path from teaching English in Poland to building a portfolio of 25 competitive games and driving 2 million installs on the Skillz platform. Justin didn’t come into games through the usual route. He started with a love of competitive trivia, a serious winning streak on the leaderboard and the conviction that real rewards could make skill-based games even more compelling. In 2016, that spark became Eplay Studios. What followed was not overnight success. It was persistence, testing, missed shots, hard lessons and a lot of getting back up. As Justin puts it, game development has plenty in common with martial arts: you get your butt kicked, you learn, you try again. That mindset helped him move from early misses to games players actually wanted to play. In this episode, Peggy and Justin get into: How Justin turned a competitive trivia habit into a full-time indie studioWhy fairness, balance and trust are make-or-break in real-money competitive gamesWhat 25 games and 2 million installs taught him about working backward from the playerHow Skillz helped Eplay focus on gameplay while handling matchmaking, payments and competitive infrastructureWhy the Skillz and Beamable combination gives small studios more tools to build, test and iterate fasterWhy Justin started sharing his journey on YouTube to show other developers that success is possible The big takeaway: competitive games are not won by one great idea. They are built through persistence, player feedback and the willingness to keep testing what flies and what fails. If you are building your first game, your tenth or your next shot at something bigger, Justin’s story is a reminder not to give up too early. In his words: “When you stick with it long enough, that’s where the magic happens.” Chapters 00:00 – Martial Arts Discipline 00:38 – An Unconventional Path 02:54 – Starting Eplay Studios 04:17 – Milestone: 2 Million Installs 05:27 – The Importance of Fairness 06:31 – Infrastructure for Small Studios 08:02 – The Skillz/Beamable Bundle 09:21 – Documenting the Journey 11:07 – Future of Competitive VR 12:45 – Advice: Don't Stop Early Let's Connect 👉🏻 X - https://x.com/pgbiz 👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/pocketgamer-biz/?originalSubdomain=uk 👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

    13 min

  6. Apr 26

    Tim Cook's Apple legacy | Week in Mobile Games podcast

    PocketGamer.biz head of content Craig Chapple, deputy editor Paige Cook and news editor Aaron Astle talk through the latest games industry news on the 90th episode of the Week in Mobile Games Podcast. On this week’s show we discuss: Apple CEO Tim Cook's decision to step down and what his legacy will be.The removal of Almedia's FreeCash app and what it means for rewarded UA.The Super Mario Galaxy Movie's $755m box office.How the Pokémon anime looks to be leveraging the mobile games for the new series.The importance of government support for games.Xbox's decision to cut the cost of Game Pass and remove day-one Call of duty releases from subscriptions.00:00 - Introduction and Personal Updates08:18 - Tim Cook's Tenure and Apple's Future14:08 - Government Incentives18:36 - Super Mario Movie Success23:42 - The Freecash Controversy29:08 - Xbox Game Pass: Pricing Changes36:57 - Pokemon Anime ** Let's Connect ** 👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/ 👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com 👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform 👉🏻 The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2025 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/the-top-50-mobile-game-makers-of-2025/ 👉🏻 Download the PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Developer Trends Survey Winter 2024/25 report - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf3tbjUxVkG17CuHHljMblfmUC3DZ6gNAzV8qiz8bAALUXSvQ/viewform 👉🏻 Join the AI Gamechangers newsletter - https://aigamechangers.substack.com

    41 min
  7. Agency, Ambition And The Future Of UK Games

    Apr 21

    Agency, Ambition And The Future Of UK Games

    Recorded following Pocket Gamer Connects London, hosts Peggy Anne Salz and Craig Chapple sit down with Nick Poole, CEO of Ukie, for a candid conversation about risk, ambition and what it will take to make the UK the best place to build and scale a games business. Nick brings a rare perspective to the role. Before leading the UK’s trade body for games, he worked across libraries, museums and chaired Wikimedia UK. His throughline has always been culture, creativity and how institutions shape innovation. Now he’s applying that lens to games. In this episode, we unpack: Why the UK risks becoming an “incubator economy” if it cannot retain IP and talentWhat’s broken in the funding ladder from prototype to scale-upWhy tax relief is about competitiveness, not handoutsHow risk appetite across the industry has shifted post-2020Why studios must build companies, not just gamesWhat the Games Growth Package, expanded UK Games Fund and new skills initiatives actually mean in practice Nick is clear: the industry cannot afford to talk itself down. The UK remains one of the most creative and export-driven games markets in the world. But ambition and coordinated action are essential. We also explore the future of play, the role of generative AI in production pipelines and why automation should unlock creativity, not replace it. If you are a founder, investor or studio leader navigating 2025–26, this episode is about one thing: Reclaiming agency. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Pocket Gamer Connects London Highlights 01:14 Guest Intro: Nick Poole's Career Path from Museums to Games 03:57 Understanding Ukie: The Sword and Shield of the UK Games Industry 05:40 Why Historical Government Support for UK Games Has Lacked 07:41 How Studios Can Lobby Effectively: The "Made in the UK" Campaign 11:51 Fixing the "Broken Rungs" in the Game Funding Ladder 14:55 Building the New: Adapting Business Models for 2026 and Beyond 16:14 Tax Reliefs and Fiscal Stimulus: Moving from VGTR to VGEC 22:04 Industrial Strategy: Skills, Trade Missions, and the UK Games Fund 36:58 The Future of AI in Games: Productivity, Curation, and Discovery Let's Connect 👉🏻 X - https://x.com/pgbiz 👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/pocketgamer-biz/?originalSubdomain=uk 👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz Check out more world-class speakers sharing their insights and expertise at one of our events. You can find details of our next event here - https://www.pgconnects.com/next-event

    48 min

  8. Apr 13

    Ilkka's BAFTA Fellowship, record D2C revenue & the Super Mario Galaxy Movie | Week in Mobile Games Podcast

    PocketGamer.biz head of content Craig Chapple, deputy editor Paige Cook and news editor Aaron Astle talk through the latest games industry news on the 89th episode of the Week in Mobile Games Podcast. On this week’s show we discuss: - Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen's BAFTA Fellowship award. - Is BAFTA taking mobile gaming seriously? - Direct-to-consumer revenue hits record highs in Q4 - Playtika up for sale. - The Super Mario Galaxy Movie's blockbuster Box Office numbers. - Game of Thrones Dragonfire gears up for launch. - The Division Resurgence's opening salvo. - What a power shift from West to East means for the games industry. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Pokemon Champions 05:47 BAFTA Games Awards and Recognition for Mobile Games 12:40 The Division Resurgence's Opening Salvo 17:47 Super Mario Galaxy Movie Success 22:17 Record D2C revenue 25:59 The West to East shift 29:44 Game of Thrones Dragonfire 33:20 Playtika up for sale 36:08 Wrap-Up ** Let's Connect ** 👉🏻 Twitter - https://twitter.com/pgbiz 👉🏻 LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pocketgamer-biz/ 👉🏻 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PGbiz 👉🏻 Website - https://www.pocketgamer.biz 👉🏻 Pocket Gamer Connects - https://www.pgconnects.com 👉🏻Pocket Gamer Connects Speaker Submission form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoS5n-vdHu6aU-2d_rR7x1FAgewG51y3nlU1aB8RdetiKaGw/viewform 👉🏻 The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers 2025 - https://www.pocketgamer.biz/the-top-50-mobile-game-makers-of-2025/ 👉🏻 Download the PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Developer Trends Survey Winter 2024/25 report - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf3tbjUxVkG17CuHHljMblfmUC3DZ6gNAzV8qiz8bAALUXSvQ/viewform 👉🏻 Join the AI Gamechangers newsletter - https://aigamechangers.substack.com

    36 min
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About

Welcome to your regular glimpse into the business of mobile games. Featuring interviews with games industry experts! Your hosts are the insiders at PocketGamer.biz, the top B2B site for the mobile games industry. It covers the people, technology and deals that drive this multi-billion dollar sector. In our ongoing podcast, you’ll hear the editorial team and their guests dive into the topics and themes at the forefront of the industry. You’ll get unique insight and exclusive Q and As, taking you behind the scenes on the international mobile games scene.

Information

  • Creator
    PGbiz Podcast
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    243
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © PGbiz Podcast
  • Show Website
    PocketGamer.biz Podcast

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