Pixel P&L: Monopoly Go Becomes Fastest Mobile Game to Cross $5B in Revenue

When Parker Brothers created Monopoly during the Great Depression, they could never have imagined that 90 years later, a mobile version would generate more revenue in 24 months than America's biggest pop star and Hollywood's biggest phenomenon combined. The game that taught generations about capitalism has become the ultimate capitalist success story–we uncover all the details in our feature story today.

Also in today's email:

• Grand Theft Auto 6 gets delayed to May 2026, causing Take-Two's shares to fall.

• Epic Games launches developer webshops with zero revenue sharing on the first $1M following Apple legal victory.

• Valnet acquires Polygon and immediately cuts staff in digital media consolidation.

• Netflix's local production push in India generated $2 billion economic impact — details below. 

Let's get into it.

Monopoly Go Smashes Mobile Gaming Records With $5B in Revenue

Scopely's mobile adaptation of the classic board game Monopoly has generated $5 billion in gross bookings since its April 2023 launch, shattering industry records by reaching this milestone in just 24 months—40% faster than any previous mobile game.

The company reports that player spending on Monopoly Go now exceeds the combined revenue from Taylor Swift's Eras tour and last summer's Barbenheimer box office phenomenon, highlighting the mobile gaming industry's financial might.

According to Scopely games president Massimo Maeitti, this exceptional growth trajectory stems from multiple factors beyond product design and IP leverage, including sustained community engagement, marketing, and large-scale live operations.

The achievement follows significant investment, with Scopely reportedly allocating over $1 billion to marketing the title. According to the blog post, the development team has expanded to more than 500 staff worldwide as the game continues to foster social connections, having facilitated over 500 million in-game friendships.

The company plans to introduce new board designs and enhanced gameplay features as it enters its third year.

Take-Two Pushes 'Grand Theft Auto 6' Launch to 2026, Shares Fall

Take-Two Interactive announced Friday it will delay the release of its flagship Grand Theft Auto 6 title to May 26, 2026, abandoning plans for a fall 2025 launch. Shares fell 6.7% to $219.50 on the news, after dropping as much as 10.3% during the session.

The videogame publisher's decision moves the highly anticipated title into its fiscal 2027. CEO Strauss Zelnick said the company "supports fully Rockstar Games taking additional time to realize their creative vision" while maintaining commitment to "excellence" despite global anticipation for the game.

Despite the postponement, Take-Two reaffirmed its expectation for sequential increases in net bookings through fiscal 2027, with those periods projected to reach record levels.

Shares of competitor Electronic Arts Inc. rose 4.1% Friday, as investors recognized the delay creates a clearer holiday release schedule for EA's upcoming "Battlefield" title, removing a major competitive threat from the crucial year-end sales period.

Take-Two had reached an all-time high of $238 in Thursday's trading before the announcement. The company is scheduled to report quarterly results on May 15.

⚡Quick Bytes

Epic Games Launches Developer Webshops Following Apple Legal Victory

Epic Games announced a new webshop feature for developers on Thursday following its legal win against Apple Inc, allowing out-of-app purchases with zero revenue sharing on the first $1 million in annual earnings per app. The feature, launching June 2025, follows the recent U.S. district court injunction blocking Apple from collecting fees on external purchases. 

Valnet Acquires Polygon, Cuts Staff in Digital Media Consolidation

Valnet acquired gaming journalism site Polygon from Vox Media, immediately implementing substantial workforce reductions across the publication's editorial team. The Montreal-based digital publisher, which operates Screen Rant and Comic Book Resources, dismissed approximately 20 staffers including co-founder Chris Plante while retaining a small core team. Industry observers view the transaction as further evidence of tightening economics in specialized digital media, where advertising revenue continues migrating toward larger platforms despite strong audience engagement.

Netflix Investment Yields $2 Billion Economic Impact in India

Netflix's local production push in India generated over $2 billion in economic impact and created 20,000 jobs between 2021-2024, Co-CEO Ted Sarandos revealed at Mumbai's WAVES 2025 summit (via Moneycontrol). With 150 original Indian productions filmed across 90 cities since launching "Sacred Games" seven years ago, Sarandos sees India approaching a "Squid Game moment" in global appeal. Indian content garnered approximately 3 billion viewing hours worldwide last year, with Netflix reporting India as its second-largest market for subscriber growth.

Hero Esports Secures Major Sponsorships for Shanghai Gaming Tournament

Hero Esports has assembled a diverse sponsorship roster for its inaugural Asian Champions League, naming CS2 platform 5E Play as chief partner alongside strategic backers Esports World Cup and Shanghai-based Jinjiang International Holdings. The $2.04 million tournament attracted eleven additional sponsors including Popeyes, HONOR, Alipay, and gaming hardware brands Savage Impact and ZOWIE.

⚔️Side Quest

📺 Watch: A look at how Randolph Pokemon scaled itself into one of the largest Pokémon card businesses in the world.

🎮 Play: If you loved Baldur's Gate 3, you need to experience Divinity: Original Sin 2, the groundbreaking RPG that walked so BG3 could run, crafting the blueprint for reactive worlds, turn-based excellence, and player freedom that Larian would later perfect.

📚 Read: A refreshing manifesto against the MBA-ification of gaming discourse that reminds us why we play in the first place: for the feelings games evoke, not for their position on the Steam charts.

💡Did You Know

When NBA JAM dominated arcades in the early 1990s, one programmer inserted a bit of personal rivalry into the code. Mark Turmell, a devoted Detroit Pistons fan and lead developer, secretly programmed the game to undermine the Chicago Bulls. If you played as Chicago against Detroit in a close game, the Bulls' shooting percentages would mysteriously plummet in the final moments. Turmell later confirmed this Easter egg was his way of extending the fierce Bulls-Pistons rivalry from the court to the arcade. 

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