Metacore
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Documents about Metacore
‘Tis the Season: Holiday Live-Ops in 2026
The landscape of live-ops in 2026 reflects a fundamental shift away from reliance on the traditional calendar toward a strategy centered on proprietary, game-specific milestones.
- Games now generate higher revenue and engagement from their own 'manufactured' calendar events than from traditional holidays; for example, Fortnite's Chapter 7 launch event saw a 300% increase in monthly peak players compared to the prior month.
- Christmas week in mobile gaming primarily drives new user acquisition rather than increased spending, with a 1.41x lift in downloads compared to a modest 1.05x lift in revenue.
- Black Friday consistently delivers a 1.19x revenue lift across mobile titles globally, functioning as a reliable commercial event because it leverages existing consumer shopping habits rather than thematic in-game content.
Trump’s MAGA Games, NC’s $300m Spree, App Store, Metacore, Yahoo Games, Overwatch, More
This industry update provides a comprehensive overview of significant developments within the global mobile gaming sector as of early September 2026.
- Supercell is finalizing its acquisition of Metacore, the developer of Merge Mansion, following a period of significant restructuring that included approximately 160 job cuts and the closure of Metacore’s Swedish and German offices.
- Korean gaming company NC has invested $300 million across four studios and is actively seeking further acquisitions of established developers generating between $50 million and $100 million in revenue.
- Apple faces a £2 billion legal claim from UK app developers alleging that the company applied stricter App Tracking Transparency (ATT) rules to third-party developers than to its own advertising business, which has grown to $7.4 billion since the policy's implementation.
Weekly Industry Brief: Summer Game Fest and Market Updates
This weekly industry brief provides a comprehensive overview of the mobile gaming landscape as of June 12, 2026, highlighting significant shifts in corporate strategy, market trends, and viral success stories.
- A viral football drafting game, '38-0-0', developed overnight by an amateur using Claude AI, has become the number one iOS game in the UK, surpassing Fortnite.
- Supercell has ceased development on one of its US-based game projects, and staff departures suggest the other US-based project is also inactive.
- Supercell is in the process of fully acquiring Metacore, the maker of 'Merge Mansion', as part of a restructure that will result in 159 job cuts in Finland and the closure of Metacore's German and Swedish offices.
Supercell Conducts Layoffs in North American Division
Supercell has initiated workforce reductions within its North American division, marking a period of contraction for the Finnish mobile gaming giant.
- Supercell has conducted layoffs within its North American division, including the departure of a branch co-founder, following the cancellation of a game project.
- Metacore, which Supercell is in the process of acquiring, has undergone a major restructuring that includes closing its offices in Germany and Sweden.
- As part of its restructuring, Metacore has laid off 159 employees in Finland, representing the majority of its workforce.
Mobilegamer.biz Weekly Newsletter: April 2026
The May 2026 edition of the mobilegamer.biz newsletter provides a comprehensive overview of significant corporate developments, market performance, and industry trends within the global mobile gaming sector.
- Supercell is set to fully acquire Metacore, the maker of Merge Mansion, as part of a restructuring that puts 160 jobs at risk and will integrate Merge Mansion into Supercell’s live portfolio after Metacore failed to launch new sustainable games.
- Second Dinner, the studio behind Marvel Snap, has implemented layoffs affecting 16 staff, though work on their second game is continuing.
- Unity reported a 17% year-on-year revenue increase, with CEO Bromberg noting that 90% of game developers are already using AI in their workflows.
How Metacore Scaled Merge Mansion With a Stellar Live Event Strategy
Metacore has successfully scaled the mobile merge-2 game Merge Mansion by implementing an aggressive and innovative live event strategy.
- Metacore significantly scaled its LiveOps strategy for Merge Mansion, nearly doubling the total number of live events between March 2025 and April 2024.
- The introduction of the 'Merge it Up!' event, a mini battle pass, resulted in a 138% spike in daily revenue on its final active day.
- Metacore successfully transitioned the 'Supercharge' event—which doubles production speed and allows for higher-level item creation—from a limited-time offering into a permanent game feature.
Gaming meets Business at the Hamburg Games Conference 2024
The Hamburg Games Conference 2024, held on March 5 and 6, served as a strategic nexus for international games companies, start-ups, and industry stakeholders.
- The Hamburg Games Conference 2024, held March 5–6, prioritized addressing industry-wide challenges including global layoffs, IP licensing, and the integration of AI in game development.
- Industry leaders from Remedy Entertainment, Metacore, Thunderful Group, The Sandbox, and Animoca Brands participated in discussions focused on practical business strategies and legal frameworks for emerging technologies.
- The conference introduced 'Opportunity Tickets' to provide free access and networking resources to professionals affected by recent industry layoffs, aiming to stabilize the talent ecosystem.
Two & a Half Gamers Session #12: Metacore, Niantic, and Industry Conference Guide
This podcast episode provides a candid, informal analysis of current events and strategic trends within the mobile gaming industry as of April 2022.
- Metacore incurred a $65 million loss despite a $20 million investment in television advertising, highlighting the challenges of scaling user acquisition through traditional media.
- The Ronin Network bridge exploit resulted in a $600 million loss for Axie Infinity, with investigations linking the heist to North Korean actors.
- CD Projekt Red reported $207 million in revenue for the 2021 fiscal year, reflecting the financial performance of major industry players during that period.
Merge Mansion & the Future of Merge
The mobile merge subgenre has undergone a significant transformation, shifting from a market dominated by traditional, complex titles like Merge Dragons to a more diverse landscape defined by casual, narrative-driven experiences.
- Merge Mansion has pioneered a new 'casual merge' subgenre by combining simplified merge-2 mechanics with puzzle-and-decorate narrative progression, effectively distancing itself from the more complex, resource-heavy gameplay of traditional titles like Merge Dragons and Evermerge.
- The merge market is shifting away from the complex, high-hoarding mechanics popularized by Zynga toward more accessible, casual experiences that appeal to both traditional merge players and the broader puzzle-and-decorate audience.
- Merge Mansion’s success is driven by a core loop that limits item hoarding through a fixed grid size and ties all merge actions directly to narrative-driven renovation tasks, reducing the time and energy demands typical of the genre.
Games Lift 2022: These Are the Five Teams
The Games Lift Incubator, a program managed by Gamecity Hamburg, announced the five teams selected for its 2022 cohort.
- The 2022 Games Lift Incubator, managed by Gamecity Hamburg, selected five teams—ACAS, Team Marty, Elin Meinecke, Team Metacore, and Team Godcomplex—from a pool of 21 applicants.
- Each selected team receives 15,000 euros in funding, access to Hamburg co-working spaces, and a three-month intensive workshop program covering business and development topics.
- The program provides 12 months of long-term support following the initial three-month phase, including individual coaching and access to a specialized PR agency.
Display 2022: Games Master Showcase
The Display 2022 event served as a showcase for the Games Master program at HAW Hamburg, highlighting the creative output and technical proficiency of students after three semesters of development.
- The HAW Hamburg Games Master program serves as a primary pipeline for the German games industry, with many student teams transitioning directly into professional studio founders and award-winning developers.
- The Display 2022 event showcased six diverse student projects, including commercial-ready titles like the co-op shooter Metacore and serious games focused on social issues such as harassment and terminal care.
- Several student teams from the 2022 showcase successfully transitioned into the Games Lift Incubator 2022, demonstrating the program's effectiveness in bridging the gap between academic training and the professional market.
Games Lift: Team Metacore Is Up for a Challenge
The Games Lift incubator program, managed by Gamecity Hamburg, serves as a developmental platform for emerging game studios, providing financial support, mentorship, and professional guidance.
- The Games Lift incubator, managed by Gamecity Hamburg, provides early-stage studios with financial support, mentorship, and training in marketing, PR, and pitching to improve commercial viability.
- The student-led team behind the cooperative first-person shooter Metacore used the program to transition from academic prototypes to a refined, market-ready product.
- Metacore’s development strategy focused on identifying core gameplay mechanics, eliminating extraneous features, and defining a unique value proposition centered on player synergy.