M&A, Investments and Exec Appointments
Korean games developer and publisher NCSoft is set to acquire a 70% stake in Berlin-based developer JustPlay, in a deal worth $204.8 m.
Negotiations between ByteDance and Savvy Games Group (discussed in last month’s newsletter) have reached a conclusion, with the sale of Moonton, the developer of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. Savvy Games Group has agreed to pay $6bn, according to Bloomberg.
Nexon has appointed Patrick Söderlund to the newly created role of Executive Chairman. Söderlund is the founder of Embark Studios and the former EVP WW Studios for EA.
Nodwin Gaming has appointed Arnd Benninghoff to its board of directors. Benninghoff leads MTG’s portfolio of games investments.
Indian games company Nazara has agreed to acquire a 50% controlling stake in social gaming platform Bluetile Games (formerly known as Playvalve) and its rewarded engagement arm BestPlay Systems for $100.3m.
Sebastian Nußbaum has joined 16 Tons Entertainment as Chief Creative Officer, following sixteen years a Wooga, and most recently as Vice President Creative.
Saudi-owned EGDC acquires a fresh 5.03% stake in Capcom, equivalent to 26,788,500 shares.
Having already served for six years at SciPlay, most recently as Senior Director of Growth, Amos Adler has been promoted to Vice President of Growth.
Jenna Seiden, previously executive advisor at ARVORE Immersive Experiences, has joined the games division at the LEGO Group as VP, Head of Business Development, LEGO GAME.
Also under the LEGO umbrella, Nic Walker, previously COO at Space Ape Games, has joined LEGO Digital Play as Director of Technical Operations.
Make-A-Wish International has appointed Markus Wilding to its Infinite Wishes Advisory Committee. Wilding has had a career spanning roles at 2k Games, Private Division, Activision and Take2 Interactive, as well as being an angel investor.
Antihero Studios, founded in 2024 by veterans of King and Supercell, has raised $4.5m in a seed funding round co-led by a16z, Speedrun and Laton Ventures.
Barcelona-based mobile studio Cheer Games has raised $4.5m in a pre-seed funding round led by Makers Fund with participation from Play Ventures and a strategic group of angel investors.
Istanbul-based Vento Games has raised $4m in a seed funding round co-led by Makers Fund and Arcadia Gaming Partners to expand its portfolio of family-friendly mobile puzzle titles.
Former Director of Marketing at Rovio, Jelena Brajovic, has been hired as VP of Marketing at Small Giant Games.
Having already served as Chief Business Officer at Roblox studio Gamefam, Ricardo Briceno has been promoted to CEO.
Industry News
Starting next year, Roblox will implement charges for creators who feature brand integrations within their experiences.
Unity has revealed plans to shut down its ironSource Ads Network and sell its Supersonic publishing business as the company sharpens focus on higher growth segments.
Epic Games has announced, as a result of engagement falling for its flagship game Fortnite, that it has laid off more than 1000 employees and is retiring three modes from the game. Ballistic and Festival Battle Stage will go offline on April 16th , while Rocket Racing will remain live until October 2026.
Playstudios has announced a new round of restructuring as part of the second stage of its reinvention plan, closing four of its nine studios and eliminating 177 positions as it looks to cut costs and refocus the business around growth areas including sweepstakes and casual puzzle.
Scopely celebrates 15 years with more than $15bn in lifetime revenue, and over 150bn hours of playtime across its portfolio.
Appcharge has surpassed $1bn in annualised transaction volume in direct-to-consumer payments. This signals a move away from traditional app store billing systems by publishers, who are trying to reduce the 30% commission.
Farm Heroes Saga, developed by King’s London Studio, has officially passed $2bn in lifetime revenue since its launch in 2014.
Century Games’ Kingshot has celebrated its first anniversary with over $800m in gross player spending since its release in February 2025, with a monthly peak of $102.2m in January 2026, a rise of more than 1,600% since its first full month.
A new Mainstream Consumer Channel report by AppLovin shows that 70% of mobile gamers play games every day, and 77% of mobile gamers spend $100 or more per month on online purchases.
Hiring Trends
For an industry of its size, mobile gaming has relatively underdeveloped boards compared to other areas of technology.
The sector is still young’, the mobile boom is only ~15 years old – and many of its most successful operators are still deeply involved in running businesses rather than stepping into portfolio or board roles.
As competition intensifies, that is starting to look like a gap.
Bringing in experienced board members with specific skillsets – whether founders who have scaled games companies, product and game design leaders, growth specialists, or seasoned operators – can provide a meaningful edge.
There is no shortage of that talent across the EMEA ecosystem. The question is whether companies are making use of it.
Our mobile games growing companies report gives a useful overview of the fastest growing early-stage mobile games companies in Europe.
No Latency
No Latency provides long form analysis of the systems and strategies underpinning the games and broader technology ecosystem;
See also
Mobile Games Intelligence: February 2026
Executive Search for Games Companies
Interview with Miniclip President and Founder Rob Small
About Neon River
Neon River is a boutique executive search firm that helps technology and digital companies hire exceptional leadership talent. We work across VC-backed scaleups, PE-owned businesses, and global tech companies, bringing deep sector expertise, high-touch service, and a track record of delivering outstanding candidates quickly and effectively.