mobilegamer.biz digest

mobilegamer.biz

What's going on in the mobile games business.

  1. 5d ago

    A lot of App Store news, NC’s $300m mobile push, Overwatch, Metacore, Yahoo Games and more

    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 unusually Apple-heavy episode: A run-through of the App Store team’s tips and tricks on getting featured. They also pushed the ‘try before you buy’ model for premium gamesA story on how Apple is earning less from its App Store after opening up to outside payments (and therefore losing its 30% cut). Plus of course a rant on the topic from Tim SweeneyA rattle through the App Store’s new leadership after Phil Schiller stepped away, Eddy Cue took over and there was a slight reshuffling under themInteresting stuff from NC, the Korean MMO giant formerly known as NCsoft, which has already spent $300m buying up mobile game studios and wants to buy moreA quick update on the soft launch for Overwatch Rush, a new Blizzard-made game, and a bit of context on its other mobile gamesMetacore will officially become part of Supercell by the end of the month, adding Merge Mansion to the Clash of Clans maker’s portfolioYahoo Games is quietly building a games business, starting with daily webgames, just like the NYT and LinkedInA quick story about a former COD: Black Ops designer who built and shipped an extraction shooter in seven weeks (without using AI)Thrilling news nuggets from our regular data, soft launch and new games digestsThe familiar background noise of the Hertfordshire suburbs: tweeting birds, cars driving by and your host getting surprisingly out of breath from a walk up a slight hill#62, 03/09/26.Supported by Xsolla.

  2. Aug 27

    Gamescom reaction, Clash Royale drama, Rovio's studio closure, Google's AI hypeman and more

    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 pretty loose summary of what’s big on Gamescom's show floor and in the opening night live showcase (it’s mostly games coming out of China, Korea and Japan rather than Europe or the US)A summary of Supercell’s talk at Gamescom Dev about its trials and tribulations in the last year with Clash RoyaleThe closure of Rovio Copenhagen and Sonic Blitz, and a little bit of behind the scenes intel on how that scoop happenedSome chat about the Google talk in which the tech giant said little-known studio Parallel is one to watch in terms of AI-first developersA very brief mention of a Gem Capital story we ran last week that no-one read Some very brisk but useful data, jobs and new game nuggetsBackground noises from Cologne including emergency services sirens, tourist and/or Gamescom attendee background chit-chat from the bridge over the magnificent Rhine, plus a noticeably quieter bit recorded near my hotel when I was really, really tired#61, 27/08/26. Supported by Xsolla.

  3. Aug 19

    Apple's EU App Store changes, Supercell, PUBG, MTG, Poinpy, Gamescom, July's top games, Netflix, more

    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: An attempt to explain Apple’s new EU App Store terms in a concise way, plus suitably entertaining commentary from BFFs Epic GamesSupercell’s Mo Co is getting rebooted for the second time and is underperforming, but the Finnish firm says killing it is unlikelyTencent and Krafton are launching PUBG Mobile Light, a new edition of the game seemingly designed for emerging markets with lower specs and memory demandsMTG’s newly rebranded Midcore division Playamp says it has integrated AI tools into practically all of its processes, with seemingly really solid resultsA chat with Downwell and Poinpy creator Ojiro Fumoto about working with Devolver and Netflix – plus getting a job at Nintendo before going solo againA word on Apple and Google each trying a little bit harder at Gamescom this yearA rattle through a packed set of July download and top grossing data from AppMagic, featuring various Arrows games, World Cup fever, Smash Fest, Pokémon Go, Honor of Kings, Roblox, Gossip Harbor, PUBG Mobile and LastWar’s dramatic dropA brief summary of those Netflix studio and job cutsData, soft launch and new games nuggets, including news on Supercell's Project RiseNo special guest at the end this week, but he sends his finest regards#60, 20/08/26. Supported by Xsolla.

  4. Aug 12

    Sega-Rovio news, Tripledot's Supersonic buy, mobile at Take-Two, Playtika shenanigans, Block Blast, AppLovin, MTG, SciPlay, more

    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 slightly kinder words about Rovio from parent company Sega after a brutal verdict in its last financialsTripledot’s $40m acquisition of Supersonic from Unity – the UK-based firm’s second big buy in recent times (plus a bit on Unity’s financials, which are really improving)Take-Two’s financial results show mobile shrinking slightly but still representing over half its bookings in the last quarter - some snippets on the publisher’s views on UA and direct to consumer in there tooA summary of Playtika’s unusual move to slash UA spend on its hit game Disney Solitaire by 70% – which may or may not have something to do with expensive SuperPlay earnoutsA bit on Block Blast coming to Apple Arcade - which we assume means Apple is paying a premium to Hungry Studio, it’s effectively the most popular puzzle game in the worldDespite absolutely massive revenue and profits, the markets didn’t like AppLovin’s latest financial results as it missed guidanceGoogle’s Play Store now accepts native Venmo payments, another way in which it is opening up a bitMTG now calls its midcore studios Playamp, meaning Plarium, InnoGames, Snowprint, Hutch, Ninja Kiwi and Future Play have a jazzy new umbrella brandSciPlay has cut 20 jobs in Israel, reflecting further struggles for social casinoLoads and loads of data nuggets including Sensor Tower’s webshop estimates, a spike for Pokémon Go, decline for Love and Deepspace and plenty moreSome quick jobs and new game newsThe return of a very special guest right at the end, and more ambient sounds from a sunset walk in Norfolk#59, 13/08/26. Supported by Xsolla.

  5. Aug 5

    EA sells to Saudi, GTA games on mobile plus Palworld Online, Roblox, Apple, Claude, data, soft launch and new game news

    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: That huge EA/Saudi deal and what it might mean for EA’s mobile business, plus some very large payouts for the execs now the transaction is completeA run through a very popular story about the money GTA has made on mobile to date plus the new GTA-like contenders looking to ride the GTA 6 hype trainA nugget on Palworld Online, which is not a port but an MMO made by Free Fire maker Garena that’s coming later this yearThe markets did not like Roblox’s latest financials at all, but there was a new avatar system for Android devices and a bit of hype for Build, a generative AI tool that helps players build new experiences more quicklyApple is, naturally, fighting the UK markets regulator to stop a proposed opening up of its store to allow UK players to get to webshops and alt payments providers more easilyTennis Tycoon is the latest game to be made by an amateur coder in Claude - a trend that’s here to stay, especially after those hit 38-0 gamesData nuggets from Sensor Tower on H1 2026, plus Hay Day’s comeback, Pokémon Go’s surging July revenue, some big Krafton numbers and moreA very brisk run through the latest soft launch and new games updatesThe wonderful ambient sounds of a man walking along a Norfolk beach at sunset, plus a very, very special guest right at the end#58, 06/08/26. Supported by Xsolla.

  6. Jul 30

    2026's top games so far, Raid's new rival, plus nuggets from Google, Ubisoft, Stillfront, Devolver, Scopely and more

    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 close look at those fascinating top 10 downloads and top 10 grossing games of 2026 so far lists, based on AppMagic estimatesA ramble though a popular story about Godforge, a new rival to Raid: Shadow Legends, from new studio FatelessYet more Google news, this time a $1bn fine from the EU for anticompetitive practices, including making it difficult for developers to steer players outside of its Play Store ecosystem Invincible: Guarding the Globe game has nearly doubled Ubisoft's mobile revenue, though things have gone very quiet with those Rainbow Six and Division mobile gamesStillfront is still looking for a CEO and a strategic review is ongoing, but its Q2 financials were decentDevolver rereleased Ojiro Fumoto’s indie banger Poinpy for free, with no IAPs or ads but a tip system if you want to give the dev moneyLooney Tunes have taken over from The Simpsons in the latest season of Monopoly GoData nuggets from Skillz Vs Papaya, casual games in H1, Capcom, Candy Crush, Ludus, Circana, Embrace and NeonA very brisk run through the last soft launch and new games updatesThe lush ambient sounds of a man walking around a beautiful wood next to a golf course#57, 30/07/26. Supported by Xsolla.

  7. Jul 22

    Tencent, Playtika and SuperPlay shenanigans, further Google Play changes, Monopoly Go, MTG, DCKO, more

    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: Playtika’s slightly odd potential sale of SuperPlay to TencentMore Google Play shenanigans: it’s now easier to run and operate a third party store, largely thanks to Epic GamesMonopoly Go continues to earn big bucks for HasbroMTG’s financials reveal Raid’s dominance, but also growth for PlaySimple and D2CMighty Doom maker Alpha Dog is back after being closed by MicrosoftThere’s a new reality show based on Fallout Shelter coming(!)Unity 7 is coming in early 2027Former Kabam devs Drop Fake are doing another fighting game but in the DC universeScopely closes Looney Tunes World of MayhemA load of stuff about Learnings/Oakever Games in data digest plus some Tencent, Disney Emoji Blitz and Netflix Playground and investment-related numbersSome extremely brisk new game and soft launch updatesA ‘school’s out for summer’ feeling in the air as my children are unleashed for the holidays and running a website gets 2x harder#56, 23/07/26. Supported by Xsolla.

  8. Jul 15

    King dodges Xbox cuts, Destiny Rising, Google's store fees, Ustwo slams platforms, June’s top games, more

    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: More sources suggest King has so far dodged having to make layoffs in the big Xbox resetNow that Destiny 2 is no longer being supported with new content, what’s going on with Destiny Rising? It might be in a “death spiral”, it seemsA rattle through Google’s explanation of its suite of new store fee policies, which are still pretty complex and might not be all that meaningful for most developersUstwo Games on platforms not doing enough to fix discovery and moving away from making Apple Arcade and NetflixJune’s top grossing games and top downloads, according to AppMagicA quick tour of the regulars from this week: data, jobs and new games A sudden police siren in the middle of a bit about King dodging those xbox layoffs, plus traffic noises and chatter from Brighton’s delightful seafront#55, 16/07/26. Supported by Xsolla.

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About

What's going on in the mobile games business.

Information

  • Creator
    mobilegamer.biz
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    62
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 mobilegamer.biz digest
  • Show Website
    mobilegamer.biz digest

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