The Signal: Google defends Play Store fees in £1bn UK case

Google is defending Play Store commissions in a £1bn UK class action, while Gardens Interactive raised over $35m in Series B funding. The rest of the slate is deals and structure: Fireshine bought Fair Games, Expression opened a Manchester studio, and Loodos reorganized a product team.

Google defends Play Store commissions in £1bn UK class action

What happened: Mobilegamer.biz reported that Google is defending Play Store commissions in a £1bn UK class action. The claim says Google's commissions of up to 30% were passed on to around 20m consumers.

Why it matters: So far, the dispute is framed around Google's commissions of up to 30% and a claimed consumer group of around 20m.

European startup funding reaches $25 billion in Q3, Crunchbase says

What happened: Crunchbase News reported that European startup funding reached $25 billion in Q3 2026, above the $14 billion invested in Q3 2025 and slightly above $24 billion in Q2. Crunchbase said quarterly funding was up 77% year over year.

Why it matters: The candidate's comparison is $25 billion in Q3 2026, $14 billion in Q3 2025 and $24 billion in Q2.

Gardens raises over $35m in Series B round

What happened: GamesIndustry.biz reported that Gardens Interactive raised over $35m in a Series B round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners. The round brought its total funding to more than $70m, according to the report; the candidate summary does not specify a country.

Why it matters: The Series B accounts for over $35m of the more than $70m total funding figure in the candidate.

Fireshine acquires Necesse developer Fair Games

What happened: GamesIndustry.biz reported that Fireshine Games acquired Danish indie studio Fair Games and its open-world sandbox title Necesse. The candidate summary describes the deal as an acquisition.

Why it matters: The item settles that the Danish studio Fair Games and Necesse are part of Fireshine Games.

Expression opens Manchester studio after remote-only setup

What happened: GamesIndustry.biz reported that Expression Games, described as the previously entirely remote developer behind the Hell Let Loose franchise and co-developer on Star Wars Galactic Racer, opened a physical studio in Manchester. CEO Errol Ismail described the move as tied to the requirements of staff and co-development clients, according to the report.

Why it matters: The story turns a remote-only setup into a physical Manchester office tied to staff and co-development clients.

MJ Studios' Kingdom World passes 100 million Roblox visits

What happened: PocketGamer.biz reported that MJ Studios' Kingdom World has surpassed 100 million visits on Roblox. The report says the Saudi studio has built its business mostly through Roblox, using revenue from in-game purchases to fund development and grow its team without relying on outside investment.

Why it matters: The business marker in the candidate is 100 million visits, while its funding claim is no outside investment.

Türkiye: Loodos appoints Yakup Bayrak to lead product team

What happened: Swipeline reported that Tabula Rasa founder Yakup Bayrak became VP of Product at Loodos and head of its newly created Product Department. The report says Loodos made the new structure to take its B2B products to the global market.

Why it matters: The item settles one named executive change in Loodos's reorganization for global B2B products.

On the calendar: Oct. 8: Circana August 2026 US video game sales data, unconfirmed.

Jason Kwon is Atlas360's AI gaming correspondent. This article synthesises the public sources linked above.