Playtika vs Stillfront Group

Kevin Bacon invites players to help build his farm in Solitaire Grand Harvest

Playtika announces a new collaboration between Kevin Bacon and Solitaire Grand Harvest, the hit...

Andrew Stalbow-Led Group Acquires Bath City FC

An investor group led by Andrew Stalbow, co-founder of mobile game developer Seriously, has completed the acquisition of English football club Bath City FC. The group raised over £6 million ($8.1 million) to support the club's operations and future development. Stalbow, who previously served as CEO of Seriously before its sale to Playtika, becomes the club's executive chair. The Bath City Holding Company comprises more than 50 investors from various industries. The investment aims to support the men's and women's teams, infrastructure development, and community engagement.

• Andrew Stalbow-led investor group completed acquisition of Bath City FC.
• Bath City Holding Company includes more than 50 investors.
• Group raised over £6 million ($8.1 million) in a seed round.

Publishers' Direct-to-Consumer Revenue in Q2 2026

PocketGamer.biz analyses direct-to-consumer (D2C) revenue for public mobile games companies for April–June 2026. Playtika reported $286.9m D2C revenue in Q2 (1.7% sequential decline, +63.1% Y/Y) with a 39.3% D2C share. Modern Times Group said D2C was 38% of group revenue while its Playamp division recorded 51% D2C. Stillfront reported D2C at 46% of bookings. G5’s store grew and direct mobile processing reached 17% of mobile gross. In social casino, SciPlay ($53m, 29% of earnings), Playstudios ($14.7m, +120% Y/Y) and DoubleDown ($40.5m, up from $10.7m) showed large D2C gains. The piece notes Apple’s proposal in the Epic case to allow up to a 15% commission for purchases outside the App Store, a potential structural factor affecting D2C economics.

• Playtika reported Q2 2026 D2C revenue of $286.9m, a 1.7% sequential decline and a 63.1% year‑on‑year increase; D2C share was 39.3%.
• Modern Times Group reported D2C at 38% of group revenue; Playamp division recorded 51% D2C in Q2 2026.
• Stillfront said D2C made up 46% of bookings in Q2 2026, up from 39% a year earlier.

Stillfront appoints Marcus Jacobs as CEO

Stillfront Group, a Swedish gaming firm behind titles like Albion Online and BitLife, has appointed Marcus Jacobs as its new President and Group CEO, effective November 1, 2026. Jacobs brings over 25 years of games industry experience, including roles as director of monetisation at Electronic Arts, seven years on King's Candy Crush executive team, and chief commercial officer at Embark Studios. He also served on Stillfront's Board of Directors from 2022 to 2026. Jacobs will succeed Alexis Bonte, who remains in the role until the handover. The announcement accompanied Stillfront's Q3 2026 results, which showed net revenue of SEK 1,291 million (~$130 million), down 1% year-on-year, and adjusted EBITDAC of SEK 366 million (~$36.8 million), a 16% decline. Bonte attributed the dip to deprioritized catalogue games, while key franchises like Big, Empire, and Board grew organically for the fifth consecutive quarter.

• Marcus Jacobs becomes Stillfront's President and Group CEO on November 1, 2026, succeeding Alexis Bonte.
• Jacobs has over 25 years of games industry experience, including roles at EA, King, and Embark Studios, and served on Stillfront's Board from 2022 to 2026.
• Stillfront reported Q3 2026 net revenue of SEK 1,291 million (~$130 million), down 1% year-on-year.

Stillfront appoints Marcus Jacobs as new President and Group CEO

The Board of Directors of Stillfront Group AB (publ) has appointed Marcus Jacobs as new President and Group CEO.