In this week’s News Navigator, Jakub breaks down the biggest global gaming stories from November 17th. Apple tries its own WeChat-style mini-app ecosystem. Unity and Epic shock the industry with a collaboration nobody saw coming. Roblox revamps age restrictions. Google Play crowns Pokémon TCG Pocket as Game of the Year after $1B+ in revenue. And Ubisoft’s trading halt hints at a looming plot twist.
What you’ll learn
• How Apple’s 15% MiniApps program works
• Why Unity & Epic are suddenly “friends”
• The new rules for US third-party payments
• Roblox’s age-based chat brackets and moderation strategy
• The insane scale of Pokémon TCG Pocket
• Why Ubisoft halted trading and delayed earnings
• Why the AI bubble isn’t slowing down (NVIDIA’s numbers)
Key takeaway
The industry is shifting toward open ecosystems, cross-engine collaboration, and safer platforms—while the biggest revenue wins still come from IP heavyweights and AI-driven infrastructure.
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This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let’s not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.
Panelists: Jakub Remiar, Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric
Podcast:
Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipg
Chapters
00:00 — Cold open: Welcome to News Navigator
00:15 — Apple MiniApps Program explained
02:00 — Why MiniApps work in China (but may struggle in the West)
03:10 — Unity & Epic partnership: what it really means
05:00 — D2C & payments: Stash x Galleon, Google ruling
06:10 — Roblox age-based chat brackets
07:00 — Google Play Awards: Pokémon TCG Pocket hits $1B+
08:00 — Vampire Survivors deckbuilder spin-off
08:40 — NVIDIA’s monstrous $57B AI quarter
09:10 — Dark Horse: Ubisoft trading halt mystery
10:00 — Wrap-up: Stay two and a half steps ahead
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Matej Lancaric
User Acquisition & Creatives Consultant
https://lancaric.me
Felix Braberg
Ad monetization consultant
https://www.felixbraberg.com
Jakub Remiar
Game design consultant
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar
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