To help you keep on top of a busy news cycle and the latest hot topics in mobile gaming, each week we round up the five most-read stories on PocketGamer.biz.

This was the news cycle for the week starting May 24th, 2021. Read on and digest...

5. From book club to YouTube: The rise of Star Stable Online

Horse-based MMOG Star Stable Online started out as a freebie for a book club, but over the following 15 years has become a highly successful game and cross-platform IP.

CEO Johan Sjöberg speaks to us about the company's recent growth. 

4. Double Loop raises $8 million for its first game for unconsidered gamers

Making mobile games for gamers who don't consider themselves gamers, US startup Double Loop has raised $8 million. 

Its debut product will be "an innovative hybrid puzzle game with a deep social world’".

3. New social gaming platform Noice raises $5 million from Supercell, Unity and Remedy founders

What is Noice? Actually, we're not really sure. CEO Jussi Laakkonen tells us it's a new social platform that combines games, user-generated content and deep engagement.

Obviously, some pretty successful people think the idea is a solid one as the Finnish startup has just raised $5 million to build out its vision. 

2. Miniclip continues its own mini-rollup, acquiring Supersonic Software

It used to be that Tencent made all the acquisitions, but now the companies acquired by Tencent are also getting in on the act. 

UK publisher Miniclip (majority acquired by Tencent in 2015) has purchased Supersonic Software, which is its fifth merger and acquisition deal to date. 

1. Halfbrick Studios soft-launches Jetpack Joyride 2: Bullet Rush

Launched way back in 2011, Jetpack Joyride is finally getting a sequel - and people seem very excited. 

After all, this was our most-read story of the week!