New Game Digest: Pictonico, MLB The Show, Rust, Just Dance, UnGodly, Slime Rancher, More
The weekly digest highlights a wave of new mobile releases, from Nintendo’s photo‑based minigame platform Pictonico to PlayStation’s MLB The Show Mobile and Tencent’s Rust Mobile, which has already amassed over 3.2 million pre‑registrations. Additional titles include Just Dance: Party debuting in China on July 2, Azra Games’ dark fantasy RPG UnGodly pre‑order, and Playdigious’s Slime Rancher arriving on iOS and Android with a limited‑time discount. Redly’s Project Oasis entered a pre‑alpha test, while World Club rebranded for the World Cup and Dawnfolk announced an August 3 mobile launch.
Block Blast Has Disappeared From Google’s Play Store
Block Blast, the Tetris‑style puzzle hit that logged 70 million daily active users and topped 2025 download charts, has been removed from Google’s Play Store while remaining available on iOS. The game’s developer, Hungry Studio, has not responded to inquiries, and...
Scopely’s Monopoly Go Earned Hasbro $41m in the Last Quarter
Hasbro reported $41 million in licensing revenue from Scopely's Monopoly Go for the quarter ending March 29 2026, a modest dip but still in line with expectations. CEO Chris Cocks called the title a "juggernaut" and likened its contribution to the equivalent of several...
Supercell Reboots Its Lowkey Monster Hunting Game Mo.co with Seasons and (Free) Gacha Pulls
Supercell is relaunching its monster‑hunting title Mo.co with a monthly season‑pass system and free gacha‑style Perk pulls that cannot be bought with real money. The game, which rolled out invite‑only in March 2025, has generated just under $4.7 million in in‑app...
Embracer Writes Down Its Mobile Arm by $190m as Easybrain Sale Causes Earnings Drop
Swedish games conglomerate Embracer recorded a $192.4 million impairment on its mobile division after selling Easybrain for $1.2 billion. Mobile net sales dropped 57% year‑on‑year to $244.9 million, with organic growth barely positive at 2% in Q1. Adjusted EBIT fell 79% to $31.1 million,...
Apple Nominates Inkle, Devolver, FuturLab, Toppluva and More in Annual Design Awards
Apple announced the nominees for its annual Apple Design Awards, with winners to be revealed ahead of WWDC starting June 8. The long list spans categories such as Delight and Fun, Inclusivity, Innovation, Interaction, Social Impact, and Visuals and Graphics. Notable...
Another Round of Layoffs at Playtika-Owned Wooga
Wooga, the Berlin studio behind June’s Journey, has completed a second round of layoffs, trimming roughly a dozen positions in design, art, QA and administration. The company declined to disclose exact numbers or reasons, but LinkedIn posts confirm the cuts....
Rovio Set for Restructure After Sega Acquisition Disappoints
Sega’s $775 million acquisition of Rovio has underperformed, with the Japanese firm reporting no economic value created. Rovio’s FY2026 sales fell to €181 million (≈$213 million) and are forecast to dip further to €158 million (≈$186 million) in FY2027. The companies are restructuring, scaling back...
Playtika Leaves Social Casino Behind to Focus on Casual Hits Like Disney Solitaire
Playtika announced that its transformation into a casual‑first mobile publisher is essentially complete, with casual games now accounting for 76% of its revenue mix. The company posted Q1 FY26 revenue of $744.7 million, a 5.5% year‑over‑year increase, and direct‑to‑consumer (DTC) revenue...
New Game Digest: New Soft Launches From Century, Take-Two and Ten Square Plus Digimon, Racing Master and More
The latest Mobile Gamer digest highlights several new soft launches and releases across mobile and console platforms. Century Games’ narrative title Just Desserts entered Android soft launch in Australia, Canada, the Philippines and the UK, while Ten Square’s PvP shooter...
Supercell to Fully Acquire Merge Mansion Maker Metacore Amid Restructure, with 160 Jobs at Risk
Supercell is set to fully acquire Metacore, the maker of Merge Mansion, after previously investing €180 million (about $196 million). Metacore announced a restructuring that will eliminate up to 160 positions, more than half its 280‑plus workforce, with additional cuts possible in...
Layoffs at Marvel Snap Maker Second Dinner, but Work on New Game Continues
Second Dinner, creator of Marvel Snap, laid off 16 employees but confirmed development continues on an unannounced mobile free‑to‑play game. Founder Ben Brode reassured the community that the March roadmap for Marvel Snap remains unchanged and the studio remains committed...
Jobs Digest: Big Moves at Jam City, Scopely, Niantic, Netflix, Activision, Supercell and More
The mobile gaming sector saw a wave of senior hires and departures this week. Jam City’s co‑founder Joshua Yguado exits after 16 years, with Kabam chief Chul‑min Sim assuming the CEO role while retaining his Kabam duties. Scopely bolstered its...
Scopely and Niantic on Getting that Seismic $3.5bn Megadeal over the Line
Scopely announced the closing of its $3.5 bn acquisition of Niantic at the IICON conference, highlighting a smooth integration despite technical complexity. Niantic has delivered double‑digit year‑over‑year growth across its game portfolio, with flagship titles like Pokémon Go and Pikmin Bloom...
Emulation Arrived on the App Store Two Years Ago – 60m Downloads Later, What’s Changed?
Two years after Apple opened the App Store to emulators, the niche has exploded, generating roughly 60 million downloads across iPhone and iPad. Delta leads with over 26 million installs, while PPSSPP, Manic Emu, RetroArch and Gamma each sit in the low‑single‑digit‑million range....