Metacore appoints Jose Saarniniemi as general manager of Merge Mansion

• Saarniniemi officially assumed the role on June 15th, 2026.
• Merge Mansion has generated more than $800 million in lifetime revenue and over 65 million downloads.
• Metacore said the appointment supports its ambition to regain category leadership for Merge Mansion.

Metacore has appointed Jose Saarniniemi as general manager of Merge Mansion, effective June 15th 2026.

In his new role, Saarniniemi will take responsibility for Merge Mansion, which the company described as the game that pioneered the merge-2 category. 

The company also claimed the title has generated more than $800 million in lifetime revenue and surpassed 65m downloads worldwide.

Saarniniemi joined the studio from Small Giant Games, where he most recently served as CEO. He also oversaw the studio's integration with Zynga following its acquisition.

Leadership focus

"I'm really happy to be joining Metacore and start working with the talented team," said Saarniniemi. Metacoreans behind Merge Mansion have created something exceptional, and the game still has the strongest IP and brand in the genre.

"Competitors have grown and taken market share in recent years, but the foundations here are extraordinary. I'm convinced we can win back the leader position. I'm also hoping to support the Finnish game industry to return back to its growth track and work for the best of the ecosystem."

Metacore CEO Mika Tammenkoski commented: "Jose is a rare combination of business and people leader. He has a proven ability to scale games into category-defining businesses. 

“What stood out to us is how he does it: hands-on, product-focused, data-driven, and deeply committed to building a culture where people can do their best work. Merge Mansion created the merge-2 category, and Jose is exactly the leader to help us reclaim the top spot."