X has introduced a jarring animated hand that reaches across the screen to highlight its paid promotion feature, primarily targeting verified users and X Premium subscribers. The move follows Elon Musk’s warning about ba…
#Funding & publishing
This week in Funding & publishing · updated Fri Oct 23 2026
The games industry is witnessing significant consolidation of creative talent and capital around established creators and emerging markets. Netflix's expansion into mobile gaming through partnerships with major studios like Capcom reflects platform holders' continued push into new distribution channels. Meanwhile, veteran developers are securing substantial funding to launch new ventures—Gardens Interactive raised $35 million for its debut title, while Thatgamecompany established a new publishing label emphasizing sustainable monetization over aggressive exploitation. Geographically, Turkey is emerging as a primary investment destination, attracting venture capital from global firms seeking exposure to the region's proven expertise in monetization and game design. Concurrently, regional governments like South Australia are increasing direct development support to nurture local studio ecosystems.
AI-written weekly briefing drawn from this topic's recent stories.
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X Deploys Annoying Animated Hand to Push Paid Promotions
Shueisha Forced Toei Animation to Continue Yu-Gi-Oh! Anime by Threatening Dragon Ball Rights
In the late 1990s, Toei Animation attempted to cancel the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime due to poor ratings, but Shueisha, publisher of Weekly Shonen Jump, threatened to revoke Toei’s licensing rights for Dragon Ball unless they conti…
New touchscreen mouse aims to replace multiple desk peripherals
Arctic Fox Technologies has launched the Super Mouse, a compact device featuring a 3.1-inch touchscreen beneath the hand that functions as a trackpad, keyboard alternative, and macro controller. The device, available via…
Investor Confidence in Video Games Has Crumbled Since the Pandemic Boom
After a surge in funding during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, investment in video games has sharply declined as economic conditions shifted and investors moved capital to other sectors. The collapse of easy fundin…
Aftermath Launches Limited-Time Subscription Sale to Support Independent Coverage
Aftermath is running a 25% discount on both its annual Reader and Member subscriptions to boost reader support during its Inside Baseball Week. The sale brings the Reader tier down to $52.50 annually and the Member tier …
Apple rolls out iOS 27.2 with expanded Siri AI, new Music branding, and app access controls
Apple has released iOS 27.2 and macOS Golden Gate 27.2, introducing enhanced Siri AI capabilities including memory recall and expanded data access. Users can now restrict which apps Siri can interact with, and Siri AI is…
Pokémon Unite to Close Down in March 2027 After Five Years
The Pokémon Company has announced the end-of-service for Pokémon Unite, confirming the game will shut down on March 23, 2027, across both mobile and Nintendo Switch platforms. The shutdown includes the immediate halt of …
Xbox Passes on Netflix's $500M Proposal for Game-Based Media Adaptations
Xbox has reportedly declined a $500 million offer from Netflix to develop television and film adaptations of its video game franchises. The decision comes amid strategic efforts to retain control over its intellectual pr…
Netflix's $500 million bid to adapt Xbox games for TV and film collapses over price disagreements
Netflix's proposed $500 million, seven-year licensing deal to adapt Xbox gaming intellectual property into film and television was rejected after Microsoft's games division demanded $800 million. The offer reportedly fel…
Clash Royale tabletop adaptation clears Kickstarter goal quickly, passes $100,000
Supercell and Maestro Media launched a Kickstarter for Clash Royale: The Grand Arena on October 20, 2026. The campaign raised $82,000 in its first hour, well above its $25,000 goal, and later exceeded $100,000. The two-t…
Innersloth co-founder cautions developers about harmful contract terms
An Innersloth co-founder warned developers about exploitative publishing deals. The caution focused on agreements that offer far too little for games that deserve better terms.
Iraqi studio Istikan on self-funding games and finding players in China
Erbil-based Istikan Studio is a seven-person team operating as the game development arm of Iraqi telecom and digital solutions company Tornet, and it funds its work without outside investors. More than 75% of its Istikan…
How Major Publishers Adjusted Early Access Offers in 2026
In 2026, several major publishers changed their early-access offerings for big releases. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's digital standard edition allowed campaign access on October 16 ahead of its October 23 launch, wit…
Landfall discusses Peak sales milestone and broader publishing ambitions
In a GamesIndustry.biz podcast recorded at Game Republic New Horizons, Landfall CBO Rebecca Lautner discussed how Peak has surpassed 23 million sales while the studio wants to pursue other projects. She also covered the …
Football Manager, Dispatch, and Dr. Seuss lead this week's mobile releases
The weekly digest highlights several upcoming and recent mobile releases. Sega's FM27 Touch will launch on Apple Arcade on November 10, while AdHoc's Dispatch arrives on Android and iOS on December 9 after reaching 5 mil…
Nordisk Games Consolidates Publishing Operations Between Studio Subsidiaries
Nordisk Games has established a publishing agreement where its subsidiary Avalanche Studios Group will handle global publishing, marketing, and distribution for Supermassive Games titles. Both studios will maintain creat…
Netflix to Distribute Monster Hunter Rise on Mobile Platforms
Capcom's Monster Hunter Rise is heading to iOS and Android as a Netflix-exclusive game, with listings appearing on app stores in early October. The mobile adaptation features rebuilt touch controls, automatic item recove…
Journey and Sky Creators Secure $35M Series B, Bringing Total to $70M
Gardens Interactive, founded by the creative minds behind Journey and Sky: Children of the Light, has completed a $35 million Series B funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners. The funding brings the studio's tot…
Turkey Emerges as Major Gaming Investment Hub, Drawing Venture Capital Away From Struggling Markets
Turkey's games industry is defying broader market downturns, with studios securing substantial funding rounds including Grand Games' $70 million Series B and Loom Games' billion-dollar valuation following a Scopely acqui…
South Australia doubles game development funding initiative to support local studios
The South Australian Film Corporation has increased its Digital Games Fund to $1 million, marking the government's largest direct investment in game development to date. The funding is structured across three tiers suppo…
Thatgamecompany launches new publishing label focused on emotionally resonant games across all platforms
Thatgamecompany, creator of Sky: Children of the Light, established Thatgamepublisher as a new label to fund and publish third-party games that explore emotional depth through interactive design, with no platform or genr…
Impact46 discusses Saudi games investment strategy after Kammelna deal
Impact46 has now backed 16 gaming companies and looks for teams that can build sustainable businesses around their games. Senior fund manager Eric Husny spoke about the firm's $53 million-plus investment in Kammelna and …
Leus debuts cohort-buying tool to finance mobile user acquisition
Leus has introduced a Cohort Purchasing platform aimed at mobile game publishers that want to fund user acquisition before revenue comes in. The system uses historical cohort data and forecasting models to estimate perfo…
Alan Ritchson Joins Helldivers Film as Sony Moves Release to 2028
Sony has cast Alan Ritchson in its film adaptation of Helldivers. The movie's release date has been shifted from November 2027 to June 9, 2028. Justin Lin remains on board as director after Jason Momoa exited the project…
General Intuition lands $220m round at $6.2bn valuation for gameplay-trained AI
General Intuition has closed a $220 million funding round that values it at $6.2 billion, nearly triple its January valuation. The round was led by Valor Equity Partners, with Atreides, 776, Point72, Khosla Ventures and …
Kickstarter still offers game funding opportunities, but success demands preparation
According to Ico Partners research cited in the article, video game projects on Kickstarter raised $26 million in 2025, roughly matching 2024, with 443 successful campaigns and 11 projects exceeding $500,000. Industry ex…
YouTube expands Playables to 50+ countries, plans IAP tests
YouTube has quietly extended its Playables webgames to over 50 markets, including the EU and Nordics, up from just seven at launch. A Google partnerships manager confirmed the expansion and said the company aims to test …
Tencent leads $25M round for Istanbul studio Circle Games
Circle Games has secured $25 million in Series A funding led by Tencent, bringing total investment to $32.25 million. The studio will use the funds to expand its puzzle game Jelly Escape to new markets and grow Sort Expr…
Aftermath to Introduce Limited Advertising on Free Offerings
Aftermath announced it will begin displaying a small number of ads on its free website, following a model used by peer outlet 404 Media. Subscribers will see no ads, and the site plans to keep ad load minimal. The move a…
Epic Games Store gives away Astrea and Mechabellum for a limited time
Epic Games Store has made Astrea: Six-Side Oracles and Mechabellum free to claim until October 1. Astrea is a dice-based deck-building roguelike, while Mechabellum is a mech auto-battler. Players who claim the games keep…
GTA 6's Premium Collector's Edition Priced at $400, Comes With Macca the Gator Gear
Rockstar Games has unveiled the Grand Theft Auto VI Collector's Box, named The Goodtime State – Vice City Collection. The bundle includes exclusive merchandise inspired by the game's world, including items themed around …