Game Director

The Gaming Dispatch: skill-gaming lawsuit, Epic in Japan, leadership transitions, Subway Surfers Movie & Vietnam's scale. By Josh Vowles 1 May 2026 Introducing a new weekly feature, The Gaming Dispatch! Every week I will compile some of my favourite stories from the week as well as the weekly top trending games via AppMagic! This week I looked at Skillz win over Papaya Games with a $420 million settlement, Epic's launch on iPhones in Japan and Chul-min Sim joins Jam City as CEO (alongside his current role, CEO of Kabam). As well as SYBO's plans for the big screen (or small screen at home if picked up by streaming) and in partnership with Gamesforum, GameGeek unveiled the stats and figures behind Vietnam's success. Landmark ruling hands Skillz $420M win over Papaya Gaming. Skillz has secured a $420 million jury verdict against rival Papaya Gaming in a high-profile false advertising case centred on skill-based mobile games. The court found that Papaya misled players by promoting fair, player-versus-player competition while allegedly using bots in certain matches. The ruling is the largest of its kind under US false advertising law and could reshape trust and transparency expectations across the skill-based gaming space. Papaya Gaming can still challenge and appeal the verdict and final damages are still pending so the story is not over yet. Epic expands iPhone ambitions in Japan as alternative app store presence grows globally. Epic Games has launched its Epic Games Store on iPhone in Japan, marking a significant step in further opening Apple's traditionally closed ecosystem. The move follows new regulation aimed at increasing competition on mobile platforms, potentially allowing third-party app stores on iOS. Players in Japan can now play Fortnite and Rocket League on their iPhones marking a needed win for Epic following its recent layoffs of 1,000+ employees. Leadership transition at Jam City marks end of a 16-year founding era. Jam City co-founder Joshua Yguado has stepped down as CEO after 16 years, closing a major chapter for one of mobile gaming's most established companies. During his tenure, the business reached over one billion players and generated more than $4 billion in revenue. Kabam CEO Chul-min Sim will now lead Jam City alongside his existing role, signalling a new phase focused on operational discipline and long-term growth. Yguado will remain on the board, supporting the transition as the company looks ahead to its next slate of titles. Subway Surfers adaptation still under consideration as Sybo explores expansion beyond games. As reported by MobileGamer.biz, the rumoured Subway Surfers movie remains in development limbo, with Sybo continuing to assess the best format for bringing the IP to wider audiences. While no firm production plans have been confirmed, the studio is actively exploring opportunities beyond mobile, following the trend in successful screen adaptations of hit gaming IP. See Angry Birds 1 & 2 (with 3 announced), The Super Mario Bro's Movie & The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, The Sonic the Hedgehog movie's 1, 2 & 3 and A Minecraft Movie. In the meantime, Subway Surfers continues to expand in-game, with the release of Subway Surfers City in February of this year. New report reveals the true scale and future potential of Vietnam's mobile games sector. A newly released report from GameGeek highlights Vietnam's rapid evolution into a serious global force in mobile gaming. The data points to massive scale, with billions of downloads and a growing number of studios shifting toward higher-quality, IAP-driven titles. Hybrid-monetised and puzzle games continue to dominate, while rising investment and M&A activity signal increasing international confidence. With a young ecosystem and global-first mindset, Vietnam is entering a key growth phase similar to other breakout markets. The weekly pulse powered by AppMagic. The green line shows the games performance in the Top Charts over the chosen period, with the left side indicating its starting position in the rankings and the right side indicating its current position. This week's trending chart is heavily driven by casual and simulation-led titles, reinforcing the continued dominance of simple, scalable games in the discovery phase. NTE: Neverness to Everness stands out as the clear frontrunner, maintaining strong upward momentum, while titles like Supermarket Game and Satisfying Coloring underline the ongoing appeal of low-friction, highly repeatable experiences. What's particularly notable is the blend of new entrants and resurging legacy titles such as My Talking Angela and Solar Smash, suggesting that success in today's market is as much about effective user acquisition and reactivation as it is about new releases. Overall, the data points to a market where visibility can be rapidly won, but is equally dependent on sustained momentum to hold position. My 2026 Events Calendar: * Mobile Executive Summit, Ho Chi Minh City, May 12th * Gamesforum Hamburg, June 9 & 10 * Gamesforum & Appsforum London, September 7 & 8 * Gamesforum Vancouver, October 22nd * Gamesforum & Appsforum San Francisco, October 26 & 27 * Gamesforum Vienam, Hanoi, November 25 Got any suggestions, stories or topics worth covering? Drop me a DM!

Making A list and checking it twice: its end of year games litigation roundup. It's hard to believe that 2025 is ending, yet here Tyzlaw is amidst another round of the Happy Holidays. And what better way to celebrate the season and ring in a new year than with another holly-jolly litigation roundup! What, that doesn't fill you with holiday joy? Well too bad, you clicked the link and gave Tyzlaw the view, so you may as well finish what you started and take something of value from this. Consider it its gift to you! While Tyzlaw cannot cover every case filed or decision handed down over the last six months, and while certain cases covered in its roundup may not be directly games-related, Tyzlaw believe that everything presented here may touch on the industry in some way or another. Indeed, as the universe of games, social media, new technologies, and all the related laws and regulations continue to intersect and overlap, traditional lines will continue to blur and even seemingly unrelated decisions may provide a glimpse into the future for games. In the latter half of this year, the California Attorney General announced two major settlements for alleged violations of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). First, in October, the AG announced a $530,000 settlement with television and streaming service Sling TV. The AG alleged that Sling TV made it difficult for consumers to opt out of the selling or sharing of their personal information and failed to protect children's privacy on their streaming platforms. Specifically, the AG alleged that Sling TV's complex and misleading opt-out process, its failure to provide an in-app opt-out mechanism, and its improper handling of children's data all resulted in violations of the CCPA. In addition to the monetary fine, Sling TV is required to take several actions to bring their practices in line with the CCPA, such as providing an opt-out mechanism within the Sling TV application, allow parents to designate profiles as "kid's profiles" that do not sell or share personal information or targeted advertising by default, and provide parents with clear disclosures and tools to protect their children's privacy. The following month, the AG announced a $1.4 million settlement with mobile game developer Jam City. The AG alleged that Jam City failed to provide its users with opportunities to opt-out of the sale or sharing of their personal information, and that it additionally failed to implement sufficient privacy protections for minors. While Jam City did implement an age gate on certain games, the AG claimed that this was not consistently applied based on the users' age information.