mobilegamer.biz digest
- Folgen
- 72
- Erscheint
- wöchentlich
- Letzte Folge
- 11. Nov. 2026
Über den Podcast
What's going on in the mobile games business.
Mitwirkende
Folgen 72
Fortis closes, Rovio cuts, Google Play Store woes, PIF x Unity(?), EU proposals slammed, 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 …
Shownotes
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 work
- Rovio’s Ruby Games hybridcasual studio in Türkiye is cutting 20 jobs
- Google’s Play Store slop and clones problem, as demonstrated by Fart Together
- Reuters sources say PIF might swoop for Unity
- A very quick summary of the EU Digital Fairness Act and the fierce reaction to it
- Mobile is down at Take-Two as Color Block Jam and some older games fade, with further decline forecast
- PlayStation closed soft launch game Ratchet & Clank: Ranger Rumble
- Interactive video startup Anorak has got $5m in funding
- Playtika is no longer up for sale. It posted flat revenue but profits growth in its last quarter
- AppLovin posted another round of monster revenue and profits
- Lego Digital Play acquired its second UK mobile firm: ForthStar, the firm set up by Playdemic’s founders
- CrazyLabs’ Sled Surfers is doing well for Embracer, pushing net mobile revenue up 42%
- MTG posted pretty flat financials
- My Games’ management team has bought out its previous owner
- All your usual soft launch, new games and data nuggets
#71, 12/11/26. Supported by Xsolla.
Misleading ads, Apple’s 'gaming headwinds', PlayStudios shenanigans, Roblox results, 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 …
Shownotes
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 ads
- Apple called out ‘mobile gaming headwinds’ in its Q4 financials, also referencing the court-ordered changes to the US App Store
- What’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 Nasdaq
- News of Genshin Impact maker Hoyoverse’s next game: Petit Planet, coming on December 4
- A 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 total
- Shaun 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 Anorak
- This Skillz Vs Papaya stuff rumbles on
- An extended look at Roblox’s financials, which always seem to be weirdly complex
- A bit of speculation around Ubisoft and Tencent’s Assassin’s Creed Jade, which appears to be MIA
- A 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
Those ‘decompiling’ videos, iPhone Duo games, Bing Gordon talks EA, Zynga and AI plus plenty 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 …
Shownotes
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 secrets
- A 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 too
- Tencent 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 year
- EA 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 bobs
- Tencent-owned Timi is closing Pokemon Unite after earning about $75m in lifetime value
- Stillfront has a new boss Marcus Jacobs, whose first job is to stop declining revenue and profits, as revealed in its Q3 financials
- Supercell 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 seems
- Fortnite 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 digests
- Two sections recorded in a Morrisons car park amid a light drizzle – can you guess which ones?
#69, 29/10/26. Supported by Xsolla.
Apple app review woes, EA job cuts, Supercell, Monopoly Go 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 …
Shownotes
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 though
- EA 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 bleak
- Merge Mansion and Metacore are now officially part of Supercell
- Hasbro 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 case
- Wargaming’s cofounder has raised $10m to grow Mika Games, which looks like another UA finance-type firm
- Meaty round-ups from our data, jobs and new game digests
- A surprising amount of background car noise
#68, 22/10/26. Supported by Xsolla.
What's going on at Rovio, Miniclip's new ad network, Squad Busters' last rites, RedLynx closes, 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 …
Shownotes
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 Google
- A bit on Miniclip’s new ad network, which was built with the help of Tencent and Easybrain
- Supercell is officially closing Squad Busters in December
- Ubisoft looks set to close its Helsinki studio, Trials maker RedLynx
- No Man’s Sky is coming to iOS and Monster Hunter Rise might be coming to Netflix games
- A look at the combined Paramount-Warner mobile game portfolio, now they’re merging to become Skydance
- A load of new features for the Google Play store
- Ubisoft is closing Rainbow Six Mobile and Fingersoft is closing Lego Hill Climb Adventures
- Google is in yet more legal trouble, and is facing a £1bn trial in the UK over its 30% IAP cut
- Your 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.
Google Playground, AppLovin’s court battles, Scopely’s next game and plenty 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 …
Shownotes
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 see
- AppLovin’s lawyers are busy, with two lawsuits ongoing with Unity and San Diego County about data collection and adult content respectively
- Scopely seems to be making a Genshin Impact contender with the Marvel IP, which is exciting. It’s apparently codenamed Project Comet
- A bit on Thatgamepublisher, the makers of Journey and Sky who are seeking similarly indie-style mobile games to publish
- Crossy Road Rush is coming to Apple Arcade in November, alongside two other games
- A rattle through September’s top download and top grossing charts, plus some loose analysis
- Quick bits on the closure of Reigns studio Nerial, Special Effect’s One Special Day and some more EU regulation stuff
- Your 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.
Mario Kart Tour, Minecraft Blast, Zynga + Supercell deal blocked, games on Instagram(...?), 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 …
Shownotes
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 $270m
- King and Mojang have spruced up Minecraft Blast and quietly put it back into soft launch
- Zynga founder Mark Pincus has claimed that he had agreed to buy Supercell for $400m in 2012 – but the board blocked the deal
- Supercell 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 year
- King averted those strikes at its Malmo and Stockholm offices right at the last minute by signing a deal with two Swedish unions
- Some chat about Meta’s Horizon Create app, which suggests the tech giant sees Instagram and Facebook as potential games platforms
- YouTube 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 all
- Gameloft is closing Minion Rush after a 13-year(!) run
- Tencent and Capcom’s Monster Hunter mobile game is coming October 29, pre-orders are live now
- Trophy Games bought Airlines Manager maker Playrion for what looks like a bargain $2.5m
- AI firm General Intuition, which trains its models on gameplay footage from sister firm Medal, got another monster funding round – $220m
- Your regular news nuggets from our soft launch, new games and data digests
- A passing ambulance making a right old racket
#65, 01/10/26. Supported by Xsolla.
Oakever Games shenanigans, King and the Xbox cuts, Hipster Whale, One State, Monopoly Go, 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 …
Shownotes
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 week
- Hipster Whale could be reviving or reimagining a load of Atari classics after it was acquired by the firm earlier this year
- With 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 business
- A double dose of collab news: Kpop Demon Hunters and Ghostbusters are coming to Monopoly Go, and Brawl Stars and Duolingo are doing a fun crossover
- Doki 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 themes
- New 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 Europe
- All your regular news nuggets from our jobs, data and new games columns
- Surprisingly 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.
That EA-Scopely supergroup, Reform's mobile game, King strikes, Mattel, Roblox, Mizuguchi, 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 …
Shownotes
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 more
- More right-wing weirdos are making games: this time it’s the UK’s Reform party with their ‘stop the boats’ game
- A bit on the potential strikes at King’s Stockholm and Malmo offices later this month
- A rattle through a popular story about Mattel’s mobile gaming ambitions
- New Roblox tech will allow creators to export their games as native mobile, PC or console titles, but details are vague
- A 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 circumstances
- A summary of our chat with Tetsuya Mizuguchi, who brought Lumines to mobile and could bring more of his games to iOS and Android
- Yet more Apple news, this time it’s a load of EU trade bodies and pressure groups complaining about the new EU App Store terms
- News nuggets from our regular data digest, new games and soft launch updates
- Limited 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.
iPhone Duo games, Lego builds mobile arm, App Store news, August’s top performers, 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 …
Shownotes
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 Duo
- News 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 Store
- Job cuts at Star Stable, but we’re still not sure exactly how many
- Trailmix has a new CEO
- A rattle through the top downloads and top grossing games from August, according to AppMagic
- A quick, begrudging look at those appalling MAGA games that take inspiration from Snake, Flappy Bird and Tetris
- News nuggets from our data, jobs and new game digests
#63, 10/09/26. Supported by Xsolla.
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 …
Shownotes
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 games
- A 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 Sweeney
- A rattle through the App Store’s new leadership after Phil Schiller stepped away, Eddy Cue took over and there was a slight reshuffling under them
- Interesting 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 more
- A quick update on the soft launch for Overwatch Rush, a new Blizzard-made game, and a bit of context on its other mobile games
- Metacore will officially become part of Supercell by the end of the month, adding Merge Mansion to the Clash of Clans maker’s portfolio
- Yahoo Games is quietly building a games business, starting with daily webgames, just like the NYT and LinkedIn
- A 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 digests
- The 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.
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 …
Shownotes
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 Royale
- The closure of Rovio Copenhagen and Sonic Blitz, and a little bit of behind the scenes intel on how that scoop happened
- Some chat about the Google talk in which the tech giant said little-known studio Parallel is one to watch in terms of AI-first developers
- A 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 nuggets
- Background 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.
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 …
Shownotes
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 Games
- Supercell’s Mo Co is getting rebooted for the second time and is underperforming, but the Finnish firm says killing it is unlikely
- Tencent and Krafton are launching PUBG Mobile Light, a new edition of the game seemingly designed for emerging markets with lower specs and memory demands
- MTG’s newly rebranded Midcore division Playamp says it has integrated AI tools into practically all of its processes, with seemingly really solid results
- A chat with Downwell and Poinpy creator Ojiro Fumoto about working with Devolver and Netflix – plus getting a job at Nintendo before going solo again
- A word on Apple and Google each trying a little bit harder at Gamescom this year
- A 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 drop
- A brief summary of those Netflix studio and job cuts
- Data, soft launch and new games nuggets, including news on Supercell's Project Rise
- No special guest at the end this week, but he sends his finest regards
#60, 20/08/26. Supported by Xsolla.
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 …
Shownotes
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 financials
- Tripledot’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 too
- A 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 earnouts
- A 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 world
- Despite absolutely massive revenue and profits, the markets didn’t like AppLovin’s latest financial results as it missed guidance
- Google’s Play Store now accepts native Venmo payments, another way in which it is opening up a bit
- MTG now calls its midcore studios Playamp, meaning Plarium, InnoGames, Snowprint, Hutch, Ninja Kiwi and Future Play have a jazzy new umbrella brand
- SciPlay has cut 20 jobs in Israel, reflecting further struggles for social casino
- Loads and loads of data nuggets including Sensor Tower’s webshop estimates, a spike for Pokémon Go, decline for Love and Deepspace and plenty more
- Some quick jobs and new game news
- The 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.
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 …
Shownotes
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 complete
- A 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 train
- A nugget on Palworld Online, which is not a port but an MMO made by Free Fire maker Garena that’s coming later this year
- The 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 quickly
- Apple 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 easily
- Tennis 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 games
- Data nuggets from Sensor Tower on H1 2026, plus Hay Day’s comeback, Pokémon Go’s surging July revenue, some big Krafton numbers and more
- A very brisk run through the latest soft launch and new games updates
- The 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.
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 …
Shownotes
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 estimates
- A ramble though a popular story about Godforge, a new rival to Raid: Shadow Legends, from new studio Fateless
- Yet 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 games
- Stillfront is still looking for a CEO and a strategic review is ongoing, but its Q2 financials were decent
- Devolver 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 money
- Looney Tunes have taken over from The Simpsons in the latest season of Monopoly Go
- Data nuggets from Skillz Vs Papaya, casual games in H1, Capcom, Candy Crush, Ludus, Circana, Embrace and Neon
- A very brisk run through the last soft launch and new games updates
- The lush ambient sounds of a man walking around a beautiful wood next to a golf course
#57, 30/07/26. Supported by Xsolla.
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 …
Shownotes
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 Tencent
- More Google Play shenanigans: it’s now easier to run and operate a third party store, largely thanks to Epic Games
- Monopoly Go continues to earn big bucks for Hasbro
- MTG’s financials reveal Raid’s dominance, but also growth for PlaySimple and D2C
- Mighty Doom maker Alpha Dog is back after being closed by Microsoft
- There’s a new reality show based on Fallout Shelter coming(!)
- Unity 7 is coming in early 2027
- Former Kabam devs Drop Fake are doing another fighting game but in the DC universe
- Scopely closes Looney Tunes World of Mayhem
- A load of stuff about Learnings/Oakever Games in data digest plus some Tencent, Disney Emoji Blitz and Netflix Playground and investment-related numbers
- Some extremely brisk new game and soft launch updates
- A ‘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.
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 …
Shownotes
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 reset
- Now 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 seems
- A 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 developers
- Ustwo Games on platforms not doing enough to fix discovery and moving away from making Apple Arcade and Netflix
- June’s top grossing games and top downloads, according to AppMagic
- A 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.
King and the Xbox cuts, Meta's 'TikTok for games', alot of Scopely news, game closures, MTG, 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 …
Shownotes
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:
- Those huge Xbox cuts and some loose talk about King's new place in the hierarchy at Microsoft
- Meta’s new ‘TikTok for games’ app, Pocket, has sneakily soft launched
- Three big chunks of Scopely-related news: a new Japan studio, a rebrand of the teams formerly at Niantic and alot of Pokémon Go data as it celebrates 10 years
- Some game closures: Mario Kart Tour, Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis and Rumble Arcade
- MTG gets an ex-Supercell exec to run marketing at 'Europe's biggest collection of midcore studios'
- A load more data, soft launch and new games nuggets
- A slightly wearier tone than usual as I walk-and-talk during a frankly ridiculous heatwave
#54, 09/07/26. Supported by Xsolla.
eFootball vs EA FC, Apple Arcade stats, Stillfront, Queen, third party app stores, payments, 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 …
Shownotes
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:
- We look at Konami’s quietly very successful mobile game eFootball, which is actually making about three times the IAP of its closest competitor EA FC. But all that money is coming from Japan, currently
- Apple Arcade’s top performers by player reviews, a rare bit of data on Apple’s game subscription service from our friends at GameDiscoverCo. Some analysis in there, too
- Stillfront is looking for a new CEO after Alexis Bonte stepped down, having overseen what looks like a big restructure
- A quick confirmation that our Queen story was indeed correct – its founder offered a comment to Swedish finance publication Breakit, but never responded to our requests
- Are developers actually making money on third party app stores? Yes and no, depending on who you ask, and we happened to ask AltStore and Skich
- UK regulators could open up Apple and Google’s app store payment systems this year, if its proposals are approved
- A rattle through regulars including our data, jobs and new games round-ups
- Ambient going-on-a-walk noises including gravel underfoot, light traffic and some yelling schoolchildren
#53, 02/07/26. Supported by Xsolla.
Google Play store fees, Kingshot's World Cup ads, AppsFlyer's $1bn raise, Kabam layoffs, Ex-King execs kill Queen, 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 …
Shownotes
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:
- Google (re)confirms that it’ll be dropping store fees by around 5% for most folks using the Play Store. Though there are caveats and complications, of course
- A cheeky look at Kingshot’s new set of World Cup ads, featuring ex-England and Brazil players
- AppsFlyer attracts a whopping $1bn investment from heavy hitters Google, Meta, Unity and Moloco, possibly to stop AppLovin conquering the world
- Kabam lays off staff in its LA office but refuses to clarify how many or why, causing more confusion
- Ex-King execs kill Queen, a start-up that has attracted as much as $50m in VC funding and has been been making casual puzzle games in stealth mode since 2022(ish)
- A quick bit on Hoyoverse’s next game, Honkai: Nexus Anima, which appears to be Genshin Impact meets Pokémon: a pretty good idea, actually
- Another quick fun one on No.10: Full Confidence, the political satire game that got a boost in the run-up to Keir Starmer’s resignation on Monday
- Mag Interactive says AI tools could help it test four times more new game ideas per year – it also delivered some solid Q3 results
- In data digest we’ve got World Cup and DTC stats, May’s ad charts, Rush Royale hit $500m, UEFN payouts and plenty more
- A dash through the latest soft launch update, including Zynga’s take on Coin Master / Monopoly Go, a Rollic UFC game, Sega’s reworking of Sonic Blitz and some usual suspects
- In new games we’ve got Pokémon Champions, a new Kingdom Rush game, a new Barbie game and the closure of blockchain game Pudgy Party
- A rattle through some of the big companies making moves in the latest jobs digest
- PLUS: an overall drowsiness in my voice and demeanour thanks to the insane heatwave gripping the UK this week
#52, 25/06/26. Supported by Xsolla.
Amateur devs score hits with 38-0, WWDC reactions, May’s top games, Orna, 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 …
Shownotes
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:
- We run through two stories about football drafting games 38-0 and 38-0-0, each made by amateur developers using AI tools to jump on a trend and quickly land a hit
- Some indie app developer reactions from WWDC, where Apple promised free use of its AI models and compute until your app gets 2m installs, though it’s unclear what happens after that
- We’ve got a breakdown of May’s top grossing and most downloaded games, according to Appmagic
- A quick one about Orna, a location-based game that arrived shortly after Pokémon Go and has outlasted the likes of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and Minecraft Earth
- Jobs, data and new games nuggets featuring Pixel Flow, Wuthering Waves, Neverness to Everness, Pokémon Go Fest attendance and more
- Ambient noise from kids and dog walkers in the beautiful and historic Verulamium Park, next to St Albans Cathedral
#51, 18/06/26. Supported by Xsolla.
Why Summer Game Fest is a mobile-free zone, Supercell kills US projects, yet more Xbox chat, EA's mobile misstep, data, 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 …
Shownotes
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 bit of a ramble from Summer Game Fest in LA, which had barely any mobile games in it. And actually that makes a lot of sense
- News from Supercell US, which has closed one game project and seems to have wound down another
- New Xbox chief strategy officer Matthew Ball says that mobile is the biggest and most valuable part of the games business – but his first priority is the console business (the part with the least growth potential, he admits)
- EA’s Laura Miele on why fans were unhappy about Command & Conquer Rivals when it launched in 2018
- Metacore confirmed 159 jobs are going in Helsinki, and it’ll be closing its offices in Germany and Sweden
- Loads of data nuggets
- Ambient background sounds from both Grand Hope Park in downtown LA and our usual stomping ground in Hertfordshire, UK
#50, 11/06/26. Supported by Xsolla.
Supercell, King and Sybo slam EU plan, Atari buys Hipster Whale, Zynga's Mark Pincus on copycats, 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 …
Shownotes
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:
- Ilkka Paananen, Todd Green and Mathias Gredal Nørvig have criticised incoming EU proposals that they believe could make free to play games “unplayable in Europe”
- Atari bought Hipster Whale, its latest retro-adjacent acquisition
- Zynga founder Mark Pincus’ thoughts on the art of copying and mobile game design
- The Simpsons takes over Monopoly Go
- Multi-award-winning indie game Consume Me is now on iOS
- Apple has reveals its Design Award winners ahead of WWDC
- Mattel launched its debut firstparty game, Master of the Universe - Skeleton: Until Next Time
- A bit on the brief disappearance of Block Blast from the Play Store last week
- News nuggets from our jobs, new games and data digests
- Why I decided to run a 'best mobilegamer.biz stories you probably haven't read' listicle last Thursday
- Ambient sounds of birdsong, passing dogwalkers and slightly squelchier footsteps thanks to a post-heatwave downpour
#49, 04/06/26. Supported by Xsolla.
Take-Two, Ubisoft, Monopoly Go and SciPlay news plus data and soft launch nuggets
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 …
Shownotes
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:
- We rattle through Take-Two’s financials, which as ever show mobile earning roughly half the company’s cash with earnings from Zynga, Peak, Nordeus, Rollic and others up year-on-year
- We also pick through Ubisoft’s earnings which the company itself described as a “low point” – mobile is also down and those Rainbow Six and Division launches have been weak
- Hasbro is banking about $40m per quarter from Scopely thanks to Monopoly Go – easy money, and perhaps the best bit of licensing business ever(?)
- SciPlay has made staff cuts as its social casino portfolio declines, though D2C is rising and there’s a startling stat about the average monthly spend of a paying player
- There’s also your regular data nuggets featuring Neverness to Everness, Tencent Games’ astonishing quarterly earnings, the top grossing games in the US and the most-advertised mobile games
- We’ve also updated our soft launch list to include another new Metacore beta, and there are three new Century Games titles incoming, according to Appmagic
- Ambient audio highlights include some delightful birdsong from the woods, gravel underfoot and a couple of sections recorded on a path near a Costa during a record-breaking heatwave
#48, 28/05/26. Supported by Xsolla.
Supercell reboots Mo.co, Fortnite is back on iOS, Nintendo's next mobile game, Embracer, Wooga, more
A concise inside view of the mobile game business.This week:Is it the last roll of the dice for Supercell’s monster hunting game Mo.co…? It was rebooted after struggling to get much traction, and is earning way …
Shownotes
A concise inside view of the mobile game business.
This week:
- Is it the last roll of the dice for Supercell’s monster hunting game Mo.co…? It was rebooted after struggling to get much traction, and is earning way less than Squad Busters did before that was killed
- Fortnite is back on the iOS App Store worldwide (minus Australia), and so of course Epic took a couple of swings at Apple as part of the announcement
- Nintendo has a new mobile game coming out, which looks a bit like WarioWare, but based on your photos
- A brisk look at what’s going on with Embracer’s mobile arm – essentially CrazyLabs, A Thinking Ape and Deca – which seems to be struggling and might be next to be sold off
- Quick thoughts on those Wooga layoffs and how not to announce job cuts
- A rattle through Apple’s Design Awards nominees, which include Inkle, FuturLab, Devolver and the minds behind Arknights: Endfield
- Rapidfire jobs, data and new games news
- A very noisy passing motorbike right at the end of the podcast that really put me off my stride
#47, 21/05/26. Supported by Xsolla.
•
Hang on, what's going on here? Every week mobilegamer.biz founder and editor Neil Long goes on a walk and explains what's happening in the mobile game business in under 20 minutes. That's it.
Sega-Rovio woes, Playtika goes casual, Unity's turnaround, pitching investors, data nuggets, more
A concise inside view of the mobile game business.This week:– A look at the grim Rovio news from Sega’s latest financial report, including a clarification over their translation of restructure/rebuild …
Shownotes
A concise inside view of the mobile game business.
This week:
– A look at the grim Rovio news from Sega’s latest financial report, including a clarification over their translation of restructure/rebuild
– Playtika’s transition into a casual game maker is complete, according to its latest earnings report, and social casino is yesterday’s news at the Israeli firm apparently
– Unity also put out its financials, and that new Vector adtech seems to be going well, but the firm has not yet sold off Supersonic just yet. It's bullish on its UnityAI tech, too
– Some thoughts on what investors want from pitches in the current climate, based on the chatter and panels at last week’s Madeira Games Summit
– A rattle through some data nuggets (we skipped soft launch and new game news this week to keep it at a tight 20 minutes)
– Background noises including some very light foot-on-gravel sounds, a group of chattering schoolkids passing by and one particularly noisy car
#46, 14/05/26. Supported by Xsolla.
•
Hang on, what's going on here? Every week mobilegamer.biz founder and editor Neil Long goes on a walk and explains what's happening in the mobile game business in under 20 minutes. That's it.
Supercell buys Metacore amid brutal layoffs, Second Dinner cuts, inside Scopely x Niantic, April’s top games, data, jobs, more
A concise inside view of the mobile game business.This week:– Metacore is to cut up to 160 staff and refocus purely on Merge Mansion as it becomes part of Supercell, which has bought it out and will absorb it …
Shownotes
A concise inside view of the mobile game business.
This week:
– Metacore is to cut up to 160 staff and refocus purely on Merge Mansion as it becomes part of Supercell, which has bought it out and will absorb it fully, like it did with Space Ape
– News of 16 staff cut at Marvel Snap maker Second Dinner, though we're told the second game is not affected
– An overview of a fascinating fireside chat between Scopely and Niantic that chronicled how that $3.5bn megadeal happened
– April's top grossing games and biggest downloads, according to Appmagic, including a surprise appearance from Minecraft
– All your usual data, jobs and new game nuggets
– A new whooshing sound between sections, annoying and unfixable audio issues in the Supercell part and the very distant sound of the Atlantic ocean
#45, 07/05/26. Supported by Xsolla.
•
Hang on, what's going on here? Every week mobilegamer.biz founder and editor Neil Long goes on a walk and explains what's happening in the mobile game business in under 20 minutes. That's it.
Xbox's weird 'North Star', Sybo and Subway Surfers, App Store emulators, Peridot's death, soft launches, data, more
A concise inside view of the mobile game business.This week:– A look at what the various statements coming out of Xbox in the last week mean for its vast mobile business, which was barely mentioned at all …
Shownotes
A concise inside view of the mobile game business.
This week:
– A look at what the various statements coming out of Xbox in the last week mean for its vast mobile business, which was barely mentioned at all despite the platform's new 'North Star' being daily active players
– Highlights from a chat with Sybo boss Mathias in which I asked about that long-rumoured Subway Surfers movie, how those two new Subway Surfers games are doing and how being part of Miniclip (and therefore Tencent) has changed the studio
– A quick look at the world of emulation on the App Store – 60m downloads and counting! – in which one developer notes that Apple's backend is dated and not up to standard given the chunk it takes out of all IAPs
– A quick one on the closure of Peridot, Niantic Spatial's virtual pet / AR game which struggled since launch and was not bought by Scopely when it acquired the other Niantic games
– All your usual soft launch, data and new game nuggets
– Slightly fewer ambient sounds than usual, though there is gravel underfoot and a bit with some drilling
#44, 30/04/26. Supported by Xsolla.
•
Hang on, what's going on here? Every week mobilegamer.biz founder and editor Neil Long goes on a walk and explains what's happening in the mobile game business in under 20 minutes. That's it.
Apple's undercooked games efforts, Google's big AI claims, Ilkka's BAFTA speech plus data, jobs, new games and more
A concise inside view of the mobile game business.This week:– Probably too many thoughts on Apple's role in, and contribution to, the games business during the 15 years Tim Cook has been in charge– An …
Shownotes
A concise inside view of the mobile game business.
This week:
– Probably too many thoughts on Apple's role in, and contribution to, the games business during the 15 years Tim Cook has been in charge
– An overview of our GDC chat with Google Cloud games boss Jack Buser, in which he claimed that practically all major game studios are using AI in game development but they appear to be hiding it from players
– A rattle through Ilkka Paananen's BAFTA Fellowship speech (and a quick side note about Shuhei Yoshida's gaming habits)
– A bit about the great indie auteur Philipp Stollenmayer and a nod to the game comedian James Acaster is narrating, Perchang World
– All your usual data, jobs and new game nuggets
– Plus! Ambient sounds and birdsong from a really lovely wood near my house, and at least two confused dog walkers passing by
#43, 23/04/26. Supported by Xsolla.
•
Hang on, what's going on here? Every week mobilegamer.biz founder and editor Neil Long goes on a walk and explains what's happening in the mobile game business in under 20 minutes. That's it.
Hier stehen die neuesten 40 von 72 Folgen. Ältere Folgen findest du im Feed des Podcasts.
Ähnliche Podcasts
Mehr Freizeit-Podcasts
Ist das dein Podcast?
Bestätige es mit einem Eintrag in deinem Feed: Du bekommst hier einen Code, trägst ihn als podcast:txt in den Kanal deines Feeds ein, und wir prüfen ihn. Danach steht dein Podcast als „verifiziert“ bei SoundNode.