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The entirety is a video games platform.
I wrote about this in a e-newsletter closing 12 months, highlighting strikes and function from LinkedIn, Discord, The New York Instances, Telegram and WeChat Minigames.
The fashion hasn’t bogged down. Duolingo, which in business circles is widely known for its presence at video games meetings and hiring of business skill, is the most recent to make strikes within the area. It’s now not strictly offering video games as an addition to its finding out platform. Relatively, it’s making gamification a core a part of its providing throughout training in language, maths and track.
For the latter, it simply made its largest transfer but: the corporate has received the vast majority of the workforce at UK studio NextBeat, a spin-off from Area Ape Video games following its complete acquisition via Supercell.
Throughout the deal, Duolingo is organising its first reliable UK presence and cementing its credentials within the video games area. We spoke with the now former NextBeat CEO Simon Hade in regards to the deal right here.
Value noting, too, that overdue closing 12 months Duolingo appointed the previous head of the Halo franchise Bonnie Ross as an unbiased board member.
Song streaming platform Spotify expanded into video games closing month with the discharge of Glad Gilmore 2 Match, coinciding with the brand new Netflix film.
The reliable feedback from advertising bingo point out “greater than a recreation”, “true to the instant”, “one-size-fits-all executions”, “high-impact reviews” and “ingenious canvas”. Cool. In standard discuss: video games on Spotify in accordance with standard issues.
The sport is composed of 3 holes which takes about 15 seconds and felt unattainable to search out outdoor of an instantaneous hyperlink. However whats up, the intent is there to experiment.
Somewhere else, since our closing article Netflix has persisted to pivot its technique, intent on creating a cross of video games via its streaming platform. Co-CEO Gregory Peters claimed closing month the corporate goals to ramp up its gaming funding, but additionally prompt this will likely be in accordance with efficiency.
The New York Instances Video games app has persisted to develop in earnings, emerging to $35.7 million in H1 2025, up with regards to 39% year-over-year in step with AppMagic information.
LinkedIn has added a brand new recreation to its lineup in Zip, and simply this week, Mini Sudoku. Discord, in the meantime, continues to supply Actions, which used to be opened as much as all builders closing 12 months.
YouTube Playables now has greater than 200 video games, together with Trivialities Crack, Percent-Guy SuperFast, 8 Ball Pool, Basketball FRVR, Fruit Ninja, Ludo King, Indignant Birds Showdown, and lots of extra.
In China, WeChat Minigames is rising at a speedy price. The platform generated $2.3 billion within the first part of 2024. In H1 2025, gross sales surged to $3.2bn, up roughly 40% Y/Y.
I’ve spoken earlier than how large audiences for non-gaming platforms don’t all the time (and even ceaselessly) translate to special earnings alternatives for video games. However that hasn’t stopped firms seeking to reap probably large rewards. And in some instances, the struggle to your time, now not simply your cash, is solely as large a prize.
We’ll be highlighting this pattern and trends within the non-gaming area to undertake video games mechanics at Pocket Gamer Connects London on January nineteenth to twentieth, 2026. Keep tuned for extra bulletins!
