In this week’s roundup: Candy Crush tests new distribution beyond app stores, mobile game profits face mounting pressure, and adtech firm Liftoff Mobile moves toward a public listing.

Candy Crush Crushable Launches Exclusively on Yahoo Games

Candy Crush creator King and Yahoo Games have launched Candy Crush Crushable, a new daily puzzle game designed around bite-sized play with a fresh challenge released each day. The title is available exclusively on Yahoo Games in the U.S., supporting the platform’s relaunch with a focus on quick, routine engagement.

Implications: This represents a strategic evolution of the Candy Crush IP toward habitual daily play and platform partnerships outside traditional app stores - signalling broader distribution experiments in mobile casual gaming.

Mobile Gaming’s “Easy Money” Era Comes to an End

Industry analysis reports that the mobile gaming sector is facing a structural shift as rising development and distribution costs, tighter platform requirements, and a decline in paying users erode profitability models that once felt almost automatic. This “hard reset” challenges developers to prioritise sustainable operations over rapid, low-barrier growth.

Implications: Expect consolidation and more selective investment in mobile titles as companies adjust business models to counter slower monetisation and higher costs.

Liftoff Mobile Sets IPO Terms Ahead of Nasdaq Listing

Liftoff Mobile, a Blackstone-backed provider of AI-powered advertising and monetisation software for mobile apps, has set terms for its proposed initial public offering, aiming to raise approximately $711 million by offering 25.4 million shares priced between $26 and $30 each. The company plans to list on the Nasdaq under the ticker “LFTO,” with its fully diluted market value implied at roughly $5.5 billion.

Implications: A successful IPO would mark a significant liquidity event in mobile adtech - and spotlight the ongoing value of performance-driven user acquisition and monetisation platforms in the broader mobile app ecosystem.