Supercell is closing in on full ownership of Metacore, the Helsinki-based studio behind hit merge game Merge Mansion.
Supercell and Metacore have signed a definitive acquisition agreement, with the deal expected to close at the end of September, Supercell and Metacore announced yesterday, Sept. 1, in a blog post on Metacore’s website. The companies did not disclose the financial terms of the deal.
The Supercell-Metacore acquisition deal follows a joint announcement the companies made earlier this spring outlining plans for Supercell to bring Merge Mansion into its live games portfolio. Once the transaction closes, Merge Mansion will join Supercell’s lineup and the Metacore team behind the game will move to Supercell. The companies stated in their announcement that planning for that transition is already underway.
Merge Mansion, which combines merge-and-collect mechanics with a mystery narrative, is credited with establishing merge gameplay as its own genre within mobile gaming. The title has maintained a loyal player base for years since launch, and the companies framed the deal as pairing that foundation with Supercell’s track record running live games at global scale.
Metacore CEO Mika Tammenkoski said in the blog post that the move opens a new phase for the game and the people who built it.
“Supercell’s expertise in operating and growing global live games over many years gives Merge Mansion the best possible foundation for long-term success,” he said.
Supercell President Sara Bach said in the blog post that the Finnish mobile giant sees long-term potential in Merge Mansion.
“We believe in what this game can become, and really look forward to welcoming the Merge Mansion team to Supercell and working together on the game’s next chapter,” she said.
Supercell, maker of Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, Brawl Stars and Hay Day, has grown in recent years partly through acquisitions and partnerships that bring established live games under its operating umbrella rather than building every title in-house. Metacore joining that portfolio extends Supercell’s push beyond its core stable of games into the merge genre, a category that has grown into one of mobile gaming’s more durable moneymakers.
For Metacore, the Supercell acquisition deal caps a process that began with the spring announcement and marks the studio’s shift from independent developer to part of a larger live-games operator. The company said its focus throughout the process, and after the deal closes, stays fixed on the people playing the game.
“Our players have always been and continue to be our top priority,” Tammenkoski said. “As the game finds its new home under Supercell, we’ll continue to relentlessly pursue what would entertain and surprise our players next.”
Neither company detailed what changes, if any, players should expect to Merge Mansion once the acquisition closes, and both said further updates on the transition will follow as the deal moves toward completion. The expected late-September close would mark the formal end of Metacore’s run as a standalone studio and the start of Merge Mansion’s next chapter as a Supercell-operated live game.