PocketGamer Biz

What PocketGamer Biz does

PocketGamer Biz, operated by UK-registered Steel Media Ltd (England company number 04352070, headquartered at Northgate House, Bath), is a B2B media and events business serving the global mobile games industry. Founded in 2005, the company publishes a daily news website at pocketgamer.biz covering news, features, opinion, industry voices, jobs, and analysis for game developers, publishers, investors, and service providers. Its media portfolio also includes the Week in Mobile Games weekly podcast distributed across nine major podcast platforms, the Mobile Games Awards, an industry jobs board, an industry directory, and downloadable region/rankings reports co-produced with partners such as Xsolla.

The commercial centre of gravity is the Pocket Gamer Connects international conference series, which runs across major cities including Barcelona, Shanghai, Helsinki, London, Bangkok, Malmö, and the Canary Islands. Flagship events such as PGC Barcelona convene over 1,000 professionals from 500+ companies across 17 tracks, and the series has facilitated over $1.5 billion in deals originated or concluded across its history. PocketGamer Biz monetises through three primary streams: (1) advertising and sponsorships on its digital properties, (2) tiered event ticket sales (Super Early Bird from approximately €98 up to full standard pricing around €388, with additional networking add-ons), and (3) sponsored industry and region reports distributed as lead-generation assets. Strategic partnerships with ChinaJoy (PGC Shanghai) and Xsolla (Diamond Sponsor and content partner) anchor both geographic and commercial reach.

Underlying the business is a lean 11-50-employee operation running a web-based editorial CMS and digital publishing platform, supplemented by event production infrastructure and the MeetToMatch-powered 1:1 meeting tool that runs across its conferences. The company is privately held with no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and no recorded acquisitions, positioning it as an independent, profitable, self-funded niche media and events franchise.

Name

PocketGamer Biz

Legal name

Steel Media Ltd

Website

https://pocketgamer.biz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PocketGamer Biz, operated by UK-based Steel Media Ltd, is a B2B media and events platform serving the global mobile games industry through daily news, the Week in Mobile Games podcast, industry reports, and the international Pocket Gamer Connects conference series spanning Barcelona, Shanghai, Helsinki, Bangkok, and other cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Advertising and sponsorships: PocketGamer Biz generates advertising revenue from brands targeting the mobile games industry audience, including display ads, sponsored content, and branded sections on its website and newsletters.
2. Event tickets and conference attendance: The company operates the Pocket Gamer Connects conference series, generating revenue from ticket sales. Events like PGC Barcelona feature various ticket tiers including Super Early Bird, Early Bird, and standard pricing, with discounts for early registration.
3. Sponsored industry reports and publications: PocketGamer Biz produces and distributes region reports and industry analyses, some published in partnership with companies like Xsolla, generating revenue through sponsored content and report distribution.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

PocketGamer.biz, operated by Steel Media Ltd, is a B2B media platform covering the mobile games industry through daily news, analysis, podcasts, and the Pocket Gamer Connects international conference series held in multiple global cities. The platform monetizes its audience of over 1,000 industry professionals per event through advertising, sponsorships, event ticket sales, and sponsored industry reports, with a documented track record of facilitating over $1.5 billion in deals at its events.

Product overview

PocketGamer.biz is a mobile games industry media platform offering news, analysis, opinion, podcasts, videos, and events. The core products include the PocketGamer.biz news website, the Week in Mobile Games weekly podcast, and the international Pocket Gamer Connects conference series held across multiple global cities. Supporting products include industry reports and rankings (Top 50 Mobile Game Makers, regional Top 30 lists), the Mobile Games Awards, an industry jobs board, and an industry directory. The platform serves game developers, publishers, investors, and industry professionals seeking news, networking, and business development opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PocketGamer.biz News Website B2B news website offering news, discussion, analysis, opinion, industry voices, features, events coverage, a jobs board, industry directory, podcasts, and videos for the mobile gaming sector.
• Week in Mobile Games Podcast Weekly podcast series providing mobile games industry news, analysis, and commentary, covering game releases, company acquisitions, regulatory changes, industry trends, market developments, and guest interviews with industry professionals.
• Pocket Gamer Connects Conference Series International conference series for the games industry, hosting events across multiple cities including Barcelona, Shanghai, Helsinki, London, Bangkok, Malmö, and the Canary Islands. Features networking, deal-making, investor connections, publisher meetings, and educational tracks covering mobile, PC, console, AI, and HTML5 gaming.
• Industry Reports and Region Guides Research publications providing data and analysis on regional games markets, including Top 50 Mobile Game Makers, Top 30 US Mobile Game Makers, Top 30 Iberia Game Makers, and country/region-specific reports covering Spain, Portugal, UK, Nordics, China, Southeast Asia, and MENA.
• Mobile Games Awards Awards ceremony recognizing excellence in mobile gaming, held annually during industry events such as Gamescom. Categories include Best Publisher and other industry accolades.
• Industry Jobs Board Job listing and career platform for the games industry, featuring job news, industry mover and shaker updates, leadership changes, layoffs coverage, and hiring announcements.
• Industry Directory Directory of games industry companies, service providers, and professionals organized for networking and business discovery purposes.
• Video Content Video interviews, event highlights, session recordings, and industry analysis content available on YouTube and the website.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and flagship.

• ChinaJoymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 June 2026Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai has partnered with ChinaJoy, the world's largest games expo, for its 2026 edition. The partnership aims to leverage ChinaJoy's position as the leading games expo to enhance the reach and impact of PGC Shanghai in the Chinese market.
• MeetToMatchcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 15 June 2026Pocket Gamer Connects events utilise the MeetToMatch meeting platform, allowing registered attendees to schedule and conduct 1:1 business meetings with industry professionals, investors, publishers, and developers ahead of and during events.
• XsollaflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPocketGamer.biz partnered with Xsolla (a video games commerce company) to produce and publish the Iberia Region Report covering the games industries of Spain and Portugal. Xsolla is a Diamond Sponsor for PGC Barcelona 2026. The partnership includes co-branded research content, thought leadership reports, and event sponsorship.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• GamesIndustry.biz: Long-running B2B trade publication covering the global video games industry, with daily news, features, and jobs — directly comparable to PocketGamer.biz as a B2B games-industry editorial outlet serving developers, publishers, and investors.
• Game Developer (Informa): Informa's flagship B2B games publication (formerly Gamasutra) serving game developers and publishers with news, technical articles, and the Game Developer Conference — directly comparable to PocketGamer.biz in editorial focus and event adjacency.
• GamesBeat (VentureBeat): VentureBeat's dedicated B2B games-industry vertical covering mobile, PC, console, and AI gaming with interviews, analysis, and events — closely mirrors PocketGamer.biz's B2B news and analysis offering for the games ecosystem.
• Game Developers Conference (GDC): Industry's flagship annual game developer conference organized by Informa, combining educational tracks, networking, and deal-making — directly comparable to Pocket Gamer Connects as a B2B games-industry event format and revenue stream.
• ChinaJoy: World's largest games expo, focused heavily on mobile gaming and Chinese-market publishers; both a direct Pocket Gamer Connects partner and competing event platform for mobile gaming B2B audiences.
• Nordic Game Conference: Established European games industry conference focused on the Nordic region; directly competes with PGC Nordics 2026 for the same Nordic developers, publishers, and investors across a similar conference format.
• devcom: B2B developer conference co-located with Gamescom offering networking, matchmaking, and educational programming — directly comparable to Pocket Gamer Connects as a deal-making-focused games industry event.

Others

• Newzoo: Global games market research and analytics provider publishing syndicated B2B games-industry reports and consumer insights; complementary to PocketGamer.biz's research products and shares the same developer/publisher audience.
• Sensor Tower: Mobile app and games intelligence platform with extensive B2B content and reports on mobile gaming performance; adjacent to PocketGamer.biz as a data-and-content provider serving overlapping mobile games industry buyers.
• AppMagic: Mobile games market intelligence and analytics platform publishing B2B insights and industry data; comparable to PocketGamer.biz's sponsored region reports and serves an overlapping mobile-publisher audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pgbiz
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/PocketGamerbiz
• Facebookfacebook.com/PGbiz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/groups

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PocketGamer Biz