Journal

From the studio

Illustration of a smartphone showing an AI chat with a sponsored puzzle game card and download button, linked to an analytics dashboard

Industry Trends · 2 min

ChatGPT Is Now a User Acquisition Channel — What Mobile Game Studios Should Know

AppsFlyer now measures installs from ChatGPT ads and from organic AI referrals, and OpenAI's self-serve Ads Manager opened in India on September 4. Here's what ChatGPT advertising actually offers mobile game studios — and where its measurement and audience limits still bite.

Illustration of a smartphone showing a verified shield and ID card, scanning an incoming app package, surrounded by verified and locked app icons

Industry Trends · 2 min

Android's Sideloading Crackdown Starts September 30 — What Game Studios Need to Do

From September 30, apps from unverified developers stop installing normally on certified Android devices in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. Here's what Google's developer verification actually requires — and why Play-first studios have less to fix than the headlines suggest.

Illustration of a golden EU stars shield with a checkmark and padlock, surrounded by mobile phones showing game controller icons, representing the EU Kids Act's age verification and game regulation requirements

Industry Trends · 2 min

The EU Kids Act Would Ban 'Addictive' Game Design — Here's What It Actually Requires

The European Commission adopted its EU Kids Act this week, banning 'addictive' reward mechanics and loot boxes for minors, and requiring certified age verification across every app store — here's what it means for studios running daily-engagement loops.

Illustration of a Google Play icon balanced on a scale against a British pound coin, symbolizing Google's £260 million UK Play Store settlement

Industry Trends · 2 min

Google £260 Million UK Settlement: Why the 30 Percent Play Store Cut Is Not Going Anywhere

A UK tribunal approved Google's £260 million settlement with Play Store developers this week — the largest collective antitrust payout in Britain's history. Google admitted no wrongdoing, and the 30% commission structure it was built to challenge stays exactly where it was.

Illustration of a young man playing a colorful puzzle game on his phone during his commute on an Indian train, with icons for ads, rupees, and growth floating nearby

Industry Trends · 2 min

India Is One of Mobile Gaming's Last Growth Markets — and It Runs on Ads, Not IAP

Sensor Tower's 2026 data shows only India and Pakistan growing mobile downloads among the world's top ten markets. India also leads the world in game downloads, yet ranks eighth in Asia by revenue. Here's what the download-revenue gap says about building ad-first, not IAP-first, for this market.

Illustration of a woman relaxing on a sofa playing a hybrid-casual block puzzle game on her phone, with glowing icons of merging casual game genres and a rising revenue chart behind her

Industry Trends · 3 min

The Casual Games Market Just Split in Two: Why Hybrid-Casual Is Pulling Ahead

Casual mobile revenue barely grew in 2025, but that headline hides a split: hybrid-casual games are up 20%+ two years running while traditional casual loses ground. Here's what the data says, and what it means for puzzle games like ours.

Illustration of young people on a lively Indian street at dusk playing puzzle and strategy games on glowing smartphones, with a rising chart of marigold lights behind them

Industry Trends · 3 min

India After the Real-Money Gaming Ban: Where the Next $2.4 Billion Goes

A year after India banned real-money gaming, a new report puts the country's mobile games market at $1.5 billion this year and $2.4 billion by 2029. Here is what the numbers say about where players are spending, and why we think it favours games made for India.

Smartphone on a wooden desk showing a merge puzzle game with glowing plants and lanterns, beside a coffee cup and notebook

Industry Trends · 2 min

Why Supercell Is Buying a Five-Year-Old Merge Game

Supercell is closing its acquisition of Metacore, the studio behind Merge Mansion, this month. The game is five years old, still pulls in about $8 million a month, and Supercell thinks its best days are ahead. Here is what that says about merge games and about how we think about our own.

Five smartphones on a desk showing colorful match-3, merge garden, and block puzzle mobile games

Industry Trends · 2 min

Puzzle Games Overtake RPGs: What the Record 2026 Match-3 and Merge Boom Means for Players

Puzzle games pulled in $4.9 billion in H1 2026, over 44% of all casual mobile spending, and match-3 and merge titles are exactly the genres Anahata builds in. Here is what the data means for our games and for players.