mobilegamer.biz digest

The mobilegamer.biz podcast is a concise, banter-free digest of what’s driving the mobile games business.Every week, mobilegamer.biz founder and editor Neil Long goes on a walk and tells you what’s going on in under 20 minutes.In this episode:The closure of Fortis Games, which means over 400 staff are looking for workRovio’s Ruby Games hybridcasual studio in Türkiye is cutting 20 jobsGoogle’s Play Store slop and clones problem, as demonstrated by Fart TogetherReuters sources say PIF might swoop for UnityA very quick summary of the EU Digital Fairness Act and the fierce reaction to itMobile is down at Take-Two as Color Block Jam and some older games fade, with further decline forecastPlayStation closed soft launch game Ratchet & Clank: Ranger RumbleInteractive video startup Anorak has got $5m in fundingPlaytika is no longer up for sale. It posted flat revenue but profits growth in its last quarterAppLovin posted another round of monster revenue and profitsLego Digital Play acquired its second UK mobile firm: ForthStar, the firm set up by Playdemic’s foundersCrazyLabs’ Sled Surfers is doing well for Embracer, pushing net mobile revenue up 42%MTG posted pretty flat financialsMy Games’ management team has bought out its previous ownerAll your usual soft launch, new games and data nuggets#71, 12/11/26. Supported by Xsolla.

The mobilegamer.biz podcast is a concise, banter-free digest of what’s driving the mobile games business.Every week, mobilegamer.biz founder and editor Neil Long goes on a walk and tells you what’s going on in under 20 minutes.In this episode:The UK advertising regulator seems to have spotted the tip of a very large iceberg and banned some misleading mobile game adsApple called out ‘mobile gaming headwinds’ in its Q4 financials, also referencing the court-ordered changes to the US App StoreWhat’s going on at Tetris maker PlayStudios? Quite alot – four studio closures, 177 job cuts, the closure of Tetris Block Party and the threat of being delisted from the NasdaqNews of Genshin Impact maker Hoyoverse’s next game: Petit Planet, coming on December 4A bit on indie hit The Baby in Yellow, which came out of a game jam, was released on PC and became popular with streamers but has since got most downloads on Android and iOS - 400m installs in totalShaun Rutland and David Amor’s new studio has broken cover, and it’s doing ‘interactive generative video’. It’s got people in Europe and China and it’s called AnorakThis Skillz Vs Papaya stuff rumbles onAn extended look at Roblox’s financials, which always seem to be weirdly complexA bit of speculation around Ubisoft and Tencent’s Assassin’s Creed Jade, which appears to be MIAA rattle through our data, jobs and new games digests An unusually large amount of erotic/repulsive heavy breathing because I am holding the mic too close to my mouth#70, 5/11/26. Supported by Xsolla

The mobilegamer.biz podcast is a concise, banter-free digest of what’s driving the mobile games business.Every week, mobilegamer.biz founder and editor Neil Long goes on a walk and tells you what’s going on in under 20 minutes.In this episode:A look at those viral videos that claim to have reverse-engineered Block Blast, Subway Surfers and Candy Crush Saga to reveal their monetisation secretsA quick look at the games being optimised for Apple’s new iPhone Duo - its new foldable phone. It’s mostly indies with a smattering of midsized developers in there tooTencent wants to make its creature collector Roco Kingdom into a Pokémon-sized hit in the west - it’s already massive in China and is getting a worldwide launch next yearEA cofounder Bing Gordon has a few thoughts on why EA effectively missed mobile, what Zynga got right plus bonus thoughts on AI in gamedev and other bits and bobsTencent-owned Timi is closing Pokemon Unite after earning about $75m in lifetime valueStillfront has a new boss Marcus Jacobs, whose first job is to stop declining revenue and profits, as revealed in its Q3 financialsSupercell has been hit with a cyberattack which breached its internal video platform, so some staff and partners’ info may have been leaked, but no player data, it seemsFortnite has returned to the Australian App Store after a court ruling, and Apple is being forced to open up further down under in the next few months. Bonza!A quick rattle through our data and new game digestsTwo sections recorded in a Morrisons car park amid a light drizzle – can you guess which ones?#69, 29/10/26. Supported by Xsolla.

The mobilegamer.biz podcast is a concise, banter-free digest of what’s driving the mobile games business.Every week, mobilegamer.biz founder and editor Neil Long goes on a walk and tells you what’s going on in under 20 minutes.In this episode:A rattle through that story about AI-made games and apps clogging up Apple’s app review process, slowing approvals down badly - Google’s Play Store review seems fine thoughEA is cutting 400 jobs as it gets absorbed into Saudi ownership - it’s not clear how this affected mobile but it’s all quite baffling and bleakMerge Mansion and Metacore are now officially part of SupercellHasbro has earned another $40m+ from Monopoly Go  An aggressively edited section about Netflix Games which at the time of recording suggested that about 60 games staff had been let go but we since learned might not be the caseWargaming’s cofounder has raised $10m to grow Mika Games, which looks like another UA finance-type firmMeaty round-ups from our data, jobs and new game digestsA surprising amount of background car noise#68, 22/10/26. Supported by Xsolla.

The mobilegamer.biz podcast is a concise, banter-free digest of what’s driving the mobile games business.Every week, mobilegamer.biz founder and editor Neil Long goes on a walk and tells you what’s going on in about 20 minutes.In this episode:Thoughts on the big Rovio interview from this week, which included news on new Angry Birds and Sonic games plus a swipe at Apple and GoogleA bit on Miniclip’s new ad network, which was built with the help of Tencent and EasybrainSupercell is officially closing Squad Busters in DecemberUbisoft looks set to close its Helsinki studio, Trials maker RedLynxNo Man’s Sky is coming to iOS and Monster Hunter Rise might be coming to Netflix gamesA look at the combined Paramount-Warner mobile game portfolio, now they’re merging to become SkydanceA load of new features for the Google Play storeUbisoft is closing Rainbow Six Mobile and Fingersoft is closing Lego Hill Climb AdventuresGoogle is in yet more legal trouble, and is facing a £1bn trial in the UK over its 30% IAP cutYour usual serving of data nuggets, including a load of investment news and stats from Sensor Tower, Aream and more#67, 15/10/26. Supported by Xsolla.

The mobilegamer.biz podcast is a concise, banter-free digest of what’s driving the mobile games business.Every week, mobilegamer.biz founder and editor Neil Long goes on a walk and tells you what’s going on in about 20 minutes.In this episode:Thoughts on Google Playground, which also seems to be powered by Unity’s Spark tech. It may well flop completely or destroy game development as we know it, we shall seeAppLovin’s lawyers are busy, with two lawsuits ongoing with Unity and San Diego County about data collection and adult content respectivelyScopely seems to be making a Genshin Impact contender with the Marvel IP, which is exciting. It’s apparently codenamed Project CometA bit on Thatgamepublisher, the makers of Journey and Sky who are seeking similarly indie-style mobile games to publishCrossy Road Rush is coming to Apple Arcade in November, alongside two other gamesA rattle through September’s top download and top grossing charts, plus some loose analysisQuick bits on the closure of Reigns studio Nerial, Special Effect’s One Special Day and some more EU regulation stuffYour usual nuggets from our jobs, data and new games digests.Some ruthless editing as I tried to get everything into a tight 20 minutes#66, 08/10/26. Supported by Xsolla.

The mobilegamer.biz podcast is a concise, banter-free digest of what’s driving the mobile games business.Every week, mobilegamer.biz founder and editor Neil Long goes on a walk and tells you what’s going on in under 20 minutes.In this episode:A brief history of Mario Kart Tour, which Nintendo killed this week after earning an estimated $270mKing and Mojang have spruced up Minecraft Blast and quietly put it back into soft launchZynga founder Mark Pincus has claimed that he had agreed to buy Supercell for $400m in 2012 – but the board blocked the dealSupercell has put its underperforming monster hunting game Mo co back into beta - meaning there will be relatively little brand new content added to the game until some “big changes” get made in the next update, coming later this yearKing averted those strikes at its Malmo and Stockholm offices right at the last minute by signing a deal with two Swedish unionsSome chat about Meta’s Horizon Create app, which suggests the tech giant sees Instagram and Facebook as potential games platformsYouTube Playables – a range of YouTube-native webgames, essentially – are now live in over 50 countries. IAP monetisation is coming soon too, apparently, though YouTube is being very quiet about it allGameloft is closing Minion Rush after a 13-year(!) runTencent and Capcom’s Monster Hunter mobile game is coming October 29, pre-orders are live nowTrophy Games bought Airlines Manager maker Playrion for what looks like a bargain $2.5mAI firm General Intuition, which trains its models on gameplay footage from sister firm Medal, got another monster funding round – $220mYour regular news nuggets from our soft launch, new games and data digestsA passing ambulance making a right old racket#65, 01/10/26. Supported by Xsolla.

The mobilegamer.biz podcast is a concise, banter-free digest of what’s driving the mobile games business.Every week, mobilegamer.biz founder and editor Neil Long goes on a walk and tells you what’s going on in under 20 minutes.In this episode:Vita Mahjong, Amaze Go and Meowdoku maker Oakever Games has already lost one copyright infringement case against Block Blast maker Hungry Studio, and is now fighting another. And sources suggest that's the tip of the iceberg…King seems to have again dodged taking too much damage from Xbox’s latest cuts and restructuring – but is still facing strike action later this weekHipster Whale could be reviving or reimagining a load of Atari classics after it was acquired by the firm earlier this yearWith GTA 6 looming large we spoke to ChillBase, the maker of GTA-like One State, about how it’s doing and how Rockstar’s blockbuster might affect its businessA double dose of collab news: Kpop Demon Hunters and Ghostbusters are coming to Monopoly Go, and Brawl Stars and Duolingo are doing a fun crossoverDoki Doki Literature Club is returning to Android as an Epic Games Store exclusive after Google removed it from the Play Store due to its depiction of sensitive themesNew EU proposals intended to protect children playing online games, enforce the use of age assurance tools and ban addictive design features have been met with both support and skepticism from trade body Video Games EuropeAll your regular news nuggets from our jobs, data and new games columnsSurprisingly competent pronunciation work when referencing the founders of Oakever Games and ChillBase, which I'm actually quite pleased with#64, 17/09/26. Supported by Xsolla.

The mobilegamer.biz podcast is a concise, banter-free digest of what’s driving the mobile games business.Every week, mobilegamer.biz founder and editor Neil Long goes on a walk and tells you what’s going on in under 20 minutes.In this episode:Some thoughts and speculation on that potential Saudi-owned gaming supergroup including EA, Scopely, Moonton and moreMore right-wing weirdos are making games: this time it’s the UK’s Reform party with their ‘stop the boats’ gameA bit on the potential strikes at King’s Stockholm and Malmo offices later this monthA rattle through a popular story about Mattel’s mobile gaming ambitionsNew Roblox tech will allow creators to export their games as native mobile, PC or console titles, but details are vagueA word on that commission calculator I knocked up with Claude, which will give you an idea of how much Apple, Google or a typical web store will take from you, depending on your circumstancesA summary of our chat with Tetsuya Mizuguchi, who brought Lumines to mobile and could bring more of his games to iOS and AndroidYet more Apple news, this time it’s a load of EU trade bodies and pressure groups complaining about the new EU App Store termsNews nuggets from our regular data digest, new games and soft launch updatesLimited ambient sounds this time but an exciting police car siren midway through, and the potentially very wrong pronunciation of ‘Sulake’#64, 17/09/26. Supported by Xsolla.

The mobilegamer.biz podcast is a concise, banter-free digest of what’s driving the mobile games business.Every week, mobilegamer.biz founder and editor Neil Long goes on a walk and tells you what’s going on in under 20 minutes.In another Apple-heavy episode:A brisk look at the games being shown off on Apple’s new foldable, iPhone DuoNews from Lego’s lowkey mobile gaming arm, which has swooped in for Chrome Valley Customs maker Offroad Games New App Store boss Eddy Cue and new Apple CEO John Ternus reportedly want to make even more money from the App StoreJob cuts at Star Stable, but we’re still not sure exactly how manyTrailmix has a new CEOA rattle through the top downloads and top grossing games from August, according to AppMagicA quick, begrudging look at those appalling MAGA games that take inspiration from Snake, Flappy Bird and TetrisNews nuggets from our data, jobs and new game digests#63, 10/09/26. Supported by Xsolla.