Hot Five: New Apple Games app, SAG-AFTRA strikes ending, and Zynga founder forms Playful.AI
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To help get you primed and ready for another week in mobile gaming, we’ve curated the biggest stories you need to know from the last seven days.
1) Ex-Netflix VP Mike Verdu and Zynga founder Mark Pincus form AI games startup Playful.AI
Ex-Netflix Games VP Mike Verdu and Zynga founder Mark Pincus have formed a new AI startup called Playful.AI.
The pair will act as co-CEOs of the company, which aims to “reinvent game development and game experiences with AI”. They have also been joined by former Netflix GenAI for games director Richard Sun, now the startup’s chief technology officer.
2) The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin launching this year after Grand Cross surpasses $1bn
Netmarble’s upcoming mobile title The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin is expected to launch worldwide on mobile, PC and PS5 later this year.
It’s confirmed to be a standalone title in the franchise rather than a sequel to Netmarble’s 2019 game The Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross, which has generated $1.1bn across Google Play and the App Store, according to AppMagic estimates.
3) Angry Birds Bounce launches in July as series’ first game developed under Sega’s ownership
Angry Birds Bounce is launching as an Apple Arcade exclusive on July 3rd, 2025, as the series’ first mobile title developed under Sega’s ownership.
The Rovio game is expected to feature the largest roster in series history and is changing up the series’ staple slingshot gameplay with zig-zap movement.
4) New Apple Games app offers recommendations, challenges, and leaderboards
iPhone maker Apple unveiled a dedicated Apple Games app at WWDC25.
The app includes leaderboards, challenges, discovery for new games and other features, designed as a single destination for all of an iOS player’s games they’ve ever played on the App Store, provided those titles are still available.
5) SAG-AFTRA reaches tentative deal with games companies to end strike
SAG-AFTRA and major games companies reached a tentative agreement on a new Interactive Media Contract that could bring an end to the voice actors strike which began last July.
The tentative agreement has since been approved, with the contract now being submitted to the membership for ratification.
