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The games industry moves quickly and while stories may come and go there are some that we just can’t let go of…
So, to give those particularly thorny topics a further going over we’ve created a weekly digest where the members of the PocketGamer.biz team share their thoughts and go that little bit deeper on some of the more interesting things that have happened in mobile gaming in the past week.
Craig Chapple
Head of Content
UK social media ban plans could affect gaming platform features
The big news this week: the UK Government plans to ban social media for under-16s. Practically, that will include platforms such as Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. Meanwhile, messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Signal are currently set to avoid the same fate.
For games, “high-risk” features including livestreaming and contact between children and strangers are also set to be restricted for under-16s on other online services – which includes games.
We’ve reached out to the industry for their thoughts on the ban – more on that next week.
Personally, I think it’s high time for a social media reckoning. It’s an industry that has been unable to self-regulate and big tech firms have had no interest in doing so.
Is this a heavy hammer? Yes. But as I’ve said before with regulation, it always will be. One of the problems with telling big tech to bow to certain rules is they always find the breaking points, the loopholes. Just see Apple’s fight against anti-steering and a lower revenue share. Bans have been creeping in around the world. There have been consultations. But there was no rush to make changes in the midst of this
What did they think was going to happen? The Wild West is officially over.
I’ve heard opinions both for and against the ban. Certainly the bans on TikTok and YouTube, which can also be platforms to educate and create, raise an eyebrow.
I think what gets forgotten is just how badly social media specifically has impacted children. Back in 2021 – yes, it’s taken this long – The Wall Street Journal reported on Instagram’s own internal research into how these apps impacted teenagers.
As the BBC highlighted, key takeaways, that weren’t disputed by Facebook, included the following:
And we had to wait for journalists to report it.
To be naive, I would hope the government could use the ban to force changes from social media firms from a position of strength. The onus is on these tech companies to do something to appease politicians and regulators – no more skipping around doing the bare minimum and kicking the can of change down the road.
Perhaps a system similar to Roblox’s new tiered accounts for under-16 users could be a solution.
I suspect, though, none of that will happen. But these companies have no one to blame but themselves.
GTA VI launch may affect spending on some mobile game genres
This week we had a story that followed on from a recent FirstLook survey exploring GTA VI. The research showed that a massive 94% of those surveyed intend to buy the game and almost a third of players are expected to reduce their spending on other games.
It’s not at all surprising, given the impact GTA VI is already having. You only have to look at the release schedule for upcoming games in late 2026.
Many games appear to be avoiding November entirely, creating an incredibly crowded September packed with major game releases.
From the follow-up we had with FirstLook CEO Eden Chen, his suggestion was that, while casual giants such as Monopoly Go! And Royal Match will likely be unaffected, mid-core strategy, role-playing, and shooter mobile games could see a decline in engagement due to audience overlap.
Big new games release all the time, and it doesn’t seem to have much impact on mobile, but as we’ve already established, GTA is its own beast, so the idea that some mobile games could also see players spend less time playing and paying is an interesting one.
The wider takeaway for me is simply the scale of anticipation surrounding GTA VI. Lots of major releases generate incredible anticipation, but very few can influence release schedules, player spending habits, and wider industry strategy before they’re even out.
Be it console, PC, or mobile, everyone seems to be mindful of the upcoming release, and that alone says so much about how significant a moment GTA VI is expected to be for the games industry.
Pokémon Champions launches on mobile today
Pokémon Champions has finally made it to mobile, opening the game up to that many more players while also offering new ways to play for Switch owners. On day one, it was the most-downloaded game on the App Store in 13 countries and it couldn’t have come at a better time – launching on the same day as the first new Pokémon have been added.
The Pokémon Company timed this mobile expansion to coincide with the start of Champions’ third season, resetting everyone’s ranking so players can compete fairly. They can also experiment with a roster of over 200 Pokémon species, adding something new for Switch players even if they stick to Nintendo hardware.
For me, the Mega Evolutions added are the most appealing. Champions marks the first time a number of them can be used in classic turn-based battles after debuting in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, where gameplay took a different direction.
So, I’ve been busy experimenting with Mega Eelektross and Mega Staraptor, testing how they perform with their abilities, stats and moves applied to the traditional formula. I’m determined to make Eelektross work, but it’s Staraptor pulling more weight thus far.
