Direct-to-consumer banks $17 billion and Google rolls out fee changes | 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 95th episode of the Week in Mobile Games Podcast.

On the show we discuss:

• Appcharge's new report that claims direct-to-consumer platforms are banking $17 billion.
• Google's rollout of new Play store fees, including a 20% platform tax not tied to Google Pay.
• HoYoverse’s new game Honkai: Nexus Anima.
• Why Scopely launched the Monopoly Go Chat app.
• The Traitors WhatsApp game.
• Layoffs at Kabam and the impending Microsoft cuts.

00:00 Introduction and Heatwave Experiences02:25 Pokémon Champions04:52 Patching old games with StarCraft 209:28 Direct-to-Consumer hits $17bn13:33 Honkai Nexus Anima

17:19 The Traitors Anywhere

20:36 Google Play fee changes

24:25 Monopoly Go Chat

28:20 Layoffs at Kabam

31:14 Outro

** 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/👉🏻 Join the AI Gamechangers newsletter - https://aigamechangers.substack.com