Cobra Mobile Shuts Down After 20 Years in the Industry

Image: iBomber

Cobra Mobile, the Dundee-based game developer known for early iPhone hit iBomber, has officially closed its doors after two decades in business.

According to a report by The Courier (via Mobilegamer.biz), all 8 employees have been made redundant as part of the shutdown.

Founded in 2005, Cobra Mobile was one of the first UK studios to find success in the mobile gaming market. Its breakout title iBomber launched in 2010 and quickly gained popularity on the iPhone. The company went on to release several sequels in the iBomber series, as well as other titles like Storm in a Teacup, Let’s Go Rocket, and Red’s Kingdom.

It also developed sports-themed games under the Cobi brand and most recently worked on Towers of Everland for Apple Arcade.

Cobra’s reach extended beyond mobile platforms, with games also launching on Steam and the Nintendo Switch.

Despite receiving industry recognition — including BAFTA nominations and a European Games Award — the studio could not survive the pressures it faced in recent times.

In an interview with The Courier, founder and director Mark Ettle shared that several external setbacks led to the decision. “We’ve had clients go bankrupt on us during projects, leaving us hugely in debt,” he said. He also noted the emotional toll from the unexpected passing of the company’s chairman, Peter Mackintosh. “It has been a really sad combination of events,” Ettle added.

He further explained that the ongoing downturn in the games industry made it increasingly difficult for the team to move forward with their planned roadmap. “We had one thing on top of another — a cascading waterfall of bad outcomes,” he said. “But it has been a fun ride too for the last 20 years.”

Steven Wright from Dains Accountants has been appointed as the interim liquidator. Support is being provided to the affected employees as part of the redundancy process.

Cobra Mobile’s closure comes shortly after fellow Dundee developer Outplay also laid off 21 staff, underlining the ongoing challenges facing mobile game studios in the region.