Supercell completes acquisition of Metacore, announced Oct 19
Key takeaways
- Acquisition completed and announced on LinkedIn on October 19
- Metacore cut 159 staff and closed offices in Germany and Sweden
- Jose Saarniniemi became Merge Mansion GM in June
- Merge Mansion has earned about $490M since 2020 (AppMagic)
Supercell has completed its acquisition of Metacore, the studio behind Merge Mansion, the companies announced on LinkedIn on October 19. Metacore said its game team has officially started as “Supercellians,” and Supercell posted that the Merge Mansion team “has moved in.” The deal’s financial terms were not disclosed; sources had expected the acquisition to close at the end of September.
Metacore’s post and Supercell’s message both say Merge Mansion will join Supercell’s game portfolio and that the existing team will continue development, with the stated aim of returning the title to its “chart‑topping spot.” Jose Saarniniemi, former Small Giant Games CEO, joined as Merge Mansion general manager in June. AppMagic estimates Merge Mansion has earned about $490 million since its 2020 launch.
The companies’ histories intersect: Supercell was a long‑term investor and partner to Metacore, and in January 2023 Metacore acquired Supercell’s failed soft‑launch title Everdale before killing it in September 2024. Metacore reduced staff during the year, cutting 159 roles at its Helsinki HQ and closing offices in Germany and Sweden. In May, Supercell announced plans to buy the rest of Metacore, and CEO Ilkka Paananen said he believes the game’s “best days are still ahead.”
Why it matters
Takeaway: with the Merge Mansion team now inside Supercell, a new general manager in place, and roughly $490M in lifetime revenue on the record, Supercell has the concrete pieces to try to push the game back up the charts while keeping the existing team intact.
Original source
MobileGamer.biz
