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Because the 12 months involves a detailed, we have been looking again on the high video games and traits of the 12 months, reflecting on a 12 months of change within the business.
As a part of our 2025 retrospective, we requested our Cell Experts – a group of video games business consultants – a number of questions concerning the 12 months passed by.
Right here we ask:
What’s your New Yr’s decision and what decision would you implement on the business?
You may learn half one right here.
Be taught concerning the newest business traits and what’s in retailer for the 12 months forward within the video games business at Pocket Gamer Connects London on January nineteenth and twentieth. Not on the town? Try our different international occasions right here.
My private New Yr’s decision is that by 2026 I need to have invested in an AI + video games firm that may realistically attain a $1 billion valuation pushed by earnings, not by hype.
Individuals maintain saying the video games business is the “testing floor” for AI, and we’re actually seeing that in our deal move. We’ve checked out plenty of AI tasks sitting on the intersections of video games, instruments, UGC, and new content material codecs.
I’m intentionally protecting an open thoughts, listening rigorously, making an attempt to grasp these new enterprise fashions, and fascinated with the place AI can create actual, defensible worth.
If I may set one decision for the business, it might be: by 2026, let’s have fewer bubbles and extra excellent, worthwhile AI-in-games case research.
As massive fashions proceed to iterate, I hope the business shifts from chasing buzzwords to constructing concrete merchandise and firms that may scale sustainably and show that AI in video games is not only a story, however a enterprise.
Gil Tov-Ly
Chief Advertising Officer
at Appcharge
My decision is to journey much less for work and spend extra time with my spouse and youngsters. Hopefully this will likely be potential as we proceed to develop the staff and share the load.
The business decision I’d implement is to cease doomsaying and appearing like we’re in a everlasting apocalypse. The market is rising once more (hey D2C!), new fashions are working, and gamers nonetheless love this medium.
Diana Korkina
Chief Enterprise Growth Officer
at High App Video games
I’d like to see the video games business put gamers first and be extra clear, particularly round monetisation and consumer acquisition. To my thoughts, if we deal with listening to gamers and constructing for long-term engagement, everybody wins – builders, publishers, and the gamers themselves.
Dmitry Kachmar
Founder
at Playgama
Attempt new issues. And sure – generally “new” is simply the well-forgotten previous (hey, HTML5).
Severely: in the event you’re in cell video games and nonetheless underestimating cross-platform gaming, 2026 is the 12 months to catch up. There’s plenty of development sitting there in plain sight. And in addition don’t get snug. Momentum is a entice in the event you cease pushing. That’s the one I’m taking personally, too.
Günay Azer
Co-founder
at Gamelight
Personally, my decision is to remain extra centered on long-term considering as a substitute of short-term wins: fewer distractions, clearer priorities.
For the business, I’d push for sustainable development: prioritising participant expertise, clear monetisation and worthwhile consumer acquisition that truly rewards high quality over amount.
Christian Lövstedt
Basic Supervisor
at Midjiwan
2026 is the tenth anniversary of The Battle of Polytopia, and we’re at the moment fascinated with how we have a good time that. So my New Yr’s decision for the sport is to make this celebration, no matter we determine to do, the very best it may be for our group.
As for the video games business itself, I hope to see opinions on cell video games open up and alter for the higher. If it does, that ought to hopefully enable for extra creatively motivated, smaller groups to seek out success.
Mainstream cell gaming has turn into very caught in its methods. The identical titles which have dominated the charts for the previous five-to-10 years. Stay ops will undoubtedly proceed to border how most cell video games are designed and delivered.
With development throughout the cell sector, there’s now elevated area for sustainable niches that ought to be capable to ship attention-grabbing video games whereas rejecting aggressive, intrusive monetisation strategies. That’s actually thrilling and I hope they discover success.
Kelly Vero
CEO and CTO
at NAK3D
Mine: Extra, extra, extra! How do you prefer it?
For the business: Cease worshipping your senior management groups (and their dreadful administration consultants) and put money into your communities as a substitute. They’re those protecting you alive. Senior administration will likely be effective: they at all times are.
Vladimir Markov
CEO
at High App Video games
My New Yr’s decision is to maintain making enjoyable, addictive video games, and, in fact, proceed growing Ludus. I need gamers to expertise that “only one extra spherical” second with out feeling compelled.
For the business, my decision is easy: cease chasing income first and begin specializing in the moments that really make gamers completely satisfied. When the expertise is true, success naturally comes.
