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Playstudios, Inc.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 11 May 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 2 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue fell 6.9% year over year: Net revenue was $58.4 million, down from $62.7 million a year earlier, a decline of 6.9%. Virtual currency revenue fell 11.0% while advertising revenue rose 10.9%. Source
  • Consolidated AEBITDA margin fell to 6.1%: Consolidated AEBITDA was $3.6 million, a 6.1% margin, against $12.5 million and a 19.9% margin a year earlier. This is a non-GAAP measure. Source
  • Tetris Block Party passed 135,000 DAU: The game launched in December 2025 and reached more than 135,000 DAU after four months in market. The prior release reported over 125,000 DAU in its first six weeks. Source
  • Win Zone live where currently permissible: The Win Zone is live in all currently permissible jurisdictions and is evolving into a broader operating platform. Management said the offering is early. Source
  • Renewal scope: studios and positions: Renewal includes closing 4 of 9 studios, eliminating 177 positions, consolidating products and teams, unifying technologies, reducing cost of sales, and lowering marketing spend. Source
  • User acquisition spend up $6.5 million: User acquisition expense rose $6.5 million year over year, attributed to growth initiatives, net of savings in the core business. Selling and marketing expense was $21.0 million against $13.2 million. Source
  • Direct-to-consumer revenue up 150%: Direct-to-consumer virtual currency revenue was $12.4 million, up 149.6%, and was 27.4% of virtual currency revenue compared with 9.8% a year earlier. Source
  • Privacy rules hurt user acquisition: Management said more restrictive platform data privacy policies have reduced targeting efficiency and pressured acquisition cost-to-lifetime value across publishers. Source
  • Cash of $103.7 million at quarter-end: Cash and cash equivalents were $103.7 million at March 31, 2026, down from $104.9 million at December 31, 2025. No treasury stock repurchases were made in the quarter, against $1.6 million a year earlier. Source

“Our first quarter results reflected continued pressure on our legacy portfolio, particularly within social casino, but they also reflected meaningful progress in repositioning PLAYSTUDIOS for the future.”

Andrew Pascal, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Renewal annualized savings Sourceonce fully implemented$33.0 million to $39.0 millionKept
Share repurchase authorization remaining Sourceas of March 31, 2026$40.0 millionKept

What changed from last quarter

  • New: The company intends to adopt a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan and repurchase shares. The prior release said it may consider repurchases after the trading window reopens. Source

Results and legacy pressure

  • Revenue fell 6.9% year over year: Net revenue was $58.4 million, down from $62.7 million a year earlier, a decline of 6.9%. Virtual currency revenue fell 11.0% while advertising revenue rose 10.9%. Source
  • Net loss widened to $10.7 million: Net loss was $10.7 million, a net loss margin of 18.3%, compared with a net loss of $2.9 million and a 4.6% margin a year earlier. Loss from operations was $13.3 million. Source
  • Consolidated AEBITDA margin fell to 6.1%: Consolidated AEBITDA was $3.6 million, a 6.1% margin, against $12.5 million and a 19.9% margin a year earlier. This is a non-GAAP measure. Source
  • Audience down, revenue per user up: Average DAU fell 20.4% to 2.1 million and Average MAU fell 17.5% to 9.4 million. ARPDAU rose 19.2% to $0.31. Management described legacy social casino revenue as under pressure. Source

Growth initiatives

  • Tetris Block Party passed 135,000 DAU: The game launched in December 2025 and reached more than 135,000 DAU after four months in market. The prior release reported over 125,000 DAU in its first six weeks. Source
  • Win Zone live where currently permissible: The Win Zone is live in all currently permissible jurisdictions and is evolving into a broader operating platform. Management said the offering is early. Source

“This is far from business as usual, and we believe the Company that is emerging is more focused, more resilient, and better positioned to execute.”

Andrew Pascal, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Costs, Reinvention and Renewal

  • Reinvention savings funded reinvestment: Savings from the earlier Reinvention program enabled over $11 million of year-over-year increased investment in user acquisition and new product development. Source
  • Renewal scope: studios and positions: Renewal includes closing 4 of 9 studios, eliminating 177 positions, consolidating products and teams, unifying technologies, reducing cost of sales, and lowering marketing spend. Source
  • Restructuring costs rose to $4.7 million: Restructuring and related costs were $4.7 million, against $1.3 million a year earlier. The company said these costs cover internal reorganization, including severance. Source
  • User acquisition spend up $6.5 million: User acquisition expense rose $6.5 million year over year, attributed to growth initiatives, net of savings in the core business. Selling and marketing expense was $21.0 million against $13.2 million. Source

Direct-to-consumer and playAWARDS

  • Direct-to-consumer revenue up 150%: Direct-to-consumer virtual currency revenue was $12.4 million, up 149.6%, and was 27.4% of virtual currency revenue compared with 9.8% a year earlier. Source
  • Third-party platform revenue down 28.4%: Third-party platform virtual currency revenue fell 28.4% to $32.8 million from $45.9 million. Management linked the direct channel to improved platform economics. Source
  • PlayAWARDS purchases down 39.8%: Purchases were 169,000 units, down from 281,000, and available rewards fell 10.9% to 327,000. Retail value of purchases was $14.8 million in the supplemental table. Source

“Our core portfolio continues to generate positive contribution margins and cash flow, as we focus on efficiency, margin, and reinvestment.”

Andrew Pascal, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Market and user acquisition

  • Privacy rules hurt user acquisition: Management said more restrictive platform data privacy policies have reduced targeting efficiency and pressured acquisition cost-to-lifetime value across publishers. Source
  • Card and puzzle share of revenue rose: Card and puzzle titles are about 75% of audience and about 29% of revenue, up from about 20% of revenue in the prior release. Management called the consumer market challenging and less predictable. Source

AI enablement

  • AI built into Renewal: As part of Renewal, the company is continuing to invest in AI infrastructure and adoption. Management believes broader use of AI tools can improve productivity, quality, growth, and margins over time. Source
  • Early adopter of AI: The company said it has been an early and active adopter of AI across its development and operating processes. No quantified AI results were given in the release. Source

Capital, cash and repurchases

  • Cash of $103.7 million at quarter-end: Cash and cash equivalents were $103.7 million at March 31, 2026, down from $104.9 million at December 31, 2025. No treasury stock repurchases were made in the quarter, against $1.6 million a year earlier. Source
  • Shares seen implying negative enterprise value: Management said that at recent trading prices its shares imply a negative enterprise value, and it cited this as a reason for the planned repurchases. Source
  • Operating and investing cash flows: Operating cash flow was $3.7 million against $3.3 million a year earlier. Net cash used in investing activities was $4.1 million, including $4.0 million of internal-use software additions. Source

Guidance and reporting

  • No formal financial guidance given: Given the evolving legacy portfolio and early-stage newer initiatives, the company is not providing formal financial guidance, the same position as the prior release. Source
  • Continued engagement with investors and analysts: Management said it remains committed to transparency and intends to keep engaging with investors and analysts about the company's progress and priorities. Source

Coming up, as management said on 11 May 2026

  • POP! Slots sweepstakes beta launch: The beta launch of the POP! Slots sweepstakes integration is targeted for late Q2 2026, followed by a feature roadmap over the rest of the year. Source

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Legacy social casino revenue remained under pressure amid broader category softness and challenges facing scaled publishers. Source
  • External: Management said publishers face a more difficult user acquisition environment, which affects acquisition economics across the mobile gaming ecosystem. Source
  • Regulatory: The Win Zone is available only in jurisdictions where it is currently permissible, which limits where the offering can operate. Source
  • Demand: Management said it is too early to forecast the pace or magnitude of growth for the newer initiatives. Source
  • Operational: Management noted that the performance metrics rely partly on third-party platform data that may have technical limitations or methodology changes. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Management said the company continues to benefit from the earlier Reinvention cost-savings program while advancing Renewal. Source
  • Not stated: Management said it expects to keep investing in Tetris Block Party as resources are reallocated from restructuring efforts. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.