In this week's Roundup: Apple names its 2025 App Store Awards finalists, Burny Games steps into publishing, Playtika announces major layoffs amid restructuring, and Resident Evil: Survival Unit launches globally with strong early adoption.

Apple Inc. announces finalists for the 2025 App Store Awards

Apple has revealed 45 finalists across its 12 App Store Awards categories for 2025. These finalists span iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV and Apple Vision Pro platforms, and include titles such as BandLab, LADDER, Tiimo in the iPhone App category and Capybara Go!, Pokémon TCG Pocket and Thronefall in the iPhone Game category. Apple says the selection recognises apps and games that deliver “exceptional experiences that inspire users to accomplish more, re-imagine their daily workflows, and push creative boundaries." See the full list here.

Implications: This reveals how Apple is signalling which app experiences it values most — those that innovate, offer premium user-experience and resonate culturally. Developers who make the finalist list gain elevated visibility, which can drive downloads and partnerships. It also sets a directional benchmark for the mobile-gaming sector: high-quality UX and brand value may matter more than just scale or monetization.

Burny Games steps into publishing with its first partner title – Colorwood Associations

Burny Games, a Ukraine-based puzzle game studio, is expanding into publishing with its first external title, Colorwood Associations, developed in collaboration with Infinity Games. The move reflects a strategic shift toward supporting external projects while maintaining full-cycle in-house development. The company prioritises select, high-potential concepts over volume, aiming to grow its portfolio and influence within the regional games market. Colorwood Associations has reached over 500,000 downloads in its first month, driven by familiar mechanics refined through Burny’s visual and product expertise. Burny plans continued growth, additional hires, further localisation, and ongoing publishing activity into 2026.

Implications: Burny’s move into publishing suggests a shift from pure development to ecosystem leadership — signalling that high-potential, visually refined puzzle concepts are becoming its strategic focus, while positioning the studio as a selective regional publisher capable of shaping market trends and attracting external teams seeking product expertise.

Playtika Holding Corp. to cut roughly 20% of workforce amid mobile-gaming headwinds

Playtika plans to lay off up to 700-800 employees — around 20 % of its global workforce — in December 2025 despite generating about US $674.6 million in revenue and a net profit of US $39 million in the third quarter. The cuts mark the latest in a series of workforce reductions by the company since 2022 and reflect its need to restructure in response to shifting demographics, heavier competition, and the challenges of monetising older-audience mobile titles

Implications: For mobile-game publishers this underscores that even profitable operations face downward pressure if growth is weak or audience composition changes.

Resident Evil: Survival Unit launches globally, hits 1 million+ downloads in under three days

The new mobile real-time strategy game in the Resident Evil universe launched globally on 18 November 2025 and surpassed 1 million downloads in under three days. It also reached #1 on the App Store’s Top Free charts in more than 15 regions and achieved #2 overall among free apps in the U.S. The game is published by Aniplex and developed by JOYCITY in collaboration with Capcom, and represents a premium IP adapting to the mobile strategy genre.

Implications: The strong launch demonstrates that major console/PC franchises can still make high-impact entries in mobile, especially when they innovate around genre (here shifting into strategy) rather than simply recycle existing mechanics. It may encourage more IP owners to invest mobile-first or mobile-native adaptations, but long-term success will depend on retention, monetisation and live-ops execution rather than just the initial download spike.