Luis, in your post in LinkedIn, you mentioned that Turkiye is one of the hottest countries for game development. What do you think makes the Turkish gaming ecosystem so unique and successful?
What’s happening in Turkiye is truly remarkable—and a big reason why the region has become such a magnet for investors and global studios. There’s this raw entrepreneurial energy that reminds me of the early mobile days in Finland and Sweden.
Add to that a culture of speed, agility, ambition, and fierce competitiveness, and you get an ecosystem that’s constantly pushing itself to go the extra mile.
What really stands out to me is how closely Turkish developers and marketers track trends—not just within gaming, but in pop culture and beyond. There’s a level of market awareness that’s very impressive.
I also find it fascinating that many of the top graduates from Turkish engineering and business schools now see gaming as a top career path. I wish we had more of that in Spain, where grads still tend to head into the Big Four or more traditional sectors like banking or civil engineering.
You said that Rovio has learned a lot from Ruby Game Studio. Can you share specific insights or lessons that have influenced Rovio’s approach to game development and marketing?
Since we brought Ruby into the Rovio family in 2021, I’ve been consistently impressed with their speed—both in prototyping and in creative production. Their ability to analyse the market and quickly generate high-performing creatives is something we deeply admire.
At Rovio, we’re always looking to learn and evolve. Ruby’s mindset has been a great complement to our strengths, and we’re working to spread that entrepreneurial, fast-moving culture more widely across the company. The more we can learn from each other in both directions, the stronger we become.
You highlighted speed, agility, and grit as key strengths of Turkish game makers. How do these qualities compare to other regions you’ve worked with, and what impact do they have on game development and live ops?
In terms of speed and agility, probably the closest comparison we have outside of Turkiye is our small multitalented ex-Vodoo team in Montreal called Studio 6. The hypercasual background is a big factor in creating teams that are able to watch the market, prototype fast, and kill projects fast, until they find a gem. This is especially important in the “0 to 1” phase of game development.
When it comes to live ops, Barcelona remains the gold standard in the West—home to some of the most experienced talent when it comes to running high-performing live operations and launching compelling events. Turkiye has standout examples too—Peak and Dream Games are world-class—but overall, I still see Barcelona as the key hub for live ops expertise.
That said, what’s holding Barcelona—and Spain more broadly—back from being as hot a market as Turkiye for VCs is our business culture. In Spain, the mindset tends to be less entrepreneurial and competitive.
People are generally more focused on mastering their craft within established global companies rather than breaking out to raise capital and launch their own ventures. Bigger companies like Rovio benefit from this because we can hire some great passionate talent.
Lastly, in terms of Live Ops, we need to be looking at China as right now they are really succeeding and have had some amazing break out successes in the Western market in the last years. Gossip Harbor, Archero 2, Last War and Whiteout Survival are a few I have enjoyed recently.
You mentioned that Turkish developers are great at understanding trends. What strategies or methods have you observed them using to stay ahead of industry trends?
This, to me, is part of the secret sauce of Turkiye’s success. Yes, they play tons of games and dissect them, like top developers across the world—but what really sets them apart is their eye for what’s happening beyond games. They’re tuned into social media, pop culture, and the broader zeitgeist in a way that gives them an edge.
I think this mindset comes from their strong roots in hyper-casual, which taught a generation of Turkish developers how to move fast, test fast, and pull inspiration from everywhere. Hyper-casual may not get the respect it deserves, but its influence is massive—and we can all learn something from that playbook.
Since acquiring Ruby Game Studio in 2021, how has Rovio contributed to the growth of the Turkish gaming scene? Do you see more collaborations or expansions in Turkiye in the future?
We’re incredibly proud to have Ruby as part of our studio network, and we remain very bullish on Turkiye’s potential. While we don’t have formal expansion plans right now, some of our leaders—including myself, our CEO, and our VP of Strategy—stay closely connected with folks in the Turkish ecosystem. We’re often having conversations, exchanging ideas, and learning from one another.
We’re also starting to collaborate more with external developers, leveraging the amazing IPs we have through Rovio and SEGA. So if anyone in Turkiye wants to pitch something using our brands—we’re all ears.
While Turkiye has many strengths, what are some of the challenges game developers there face? How can international companies like Rovio help address these challenges?
One area where Turkish studios can still grow is live ops. That’s where a company like Rovio—with our depth of experience—can really support the ecosystem. We’re working to better integrate Ruby into Rovio and create more opportunities for knowledge-sharing across our teams globally.
Beyond that, Turkiye continues to face economic challenges, especially with inflation and rising competition for top talent. That’s made training new talent from universities even more critical.
Language can also be a bottleneck—English fluency still varies quite a bit, which can make global collaboration tougher. We saw the same in Spain a decade ago, but it’s improved a lot with the growth of international studios in Barcelona and beyond. I expect we’ll see a similar shift in Turkiye soon.
What do you enjoy most about working with Turkish game developers and marketers? Are there any specific qualities or experiences that stand out to you?
I work very closely with our marketing team in Izmir, and honestly, it’s a joy. They embody everything I admire about Turkish game makers—they’re fast, resourceful, creative, optimistic, and action-oriented. They bring energy and fresh thinking to everything they do.
Turkiye is well known for its success in hyper-casual games. Do you see Turkish studios expanding into other genres, and what opportunities exist for them in mid-core or AAA development?
They already are. Puzzle is now the dominant genre coming out of Turkiye, with companies like Peak, Dream Games, and Gram Games leading the way. And you can see how their alumni are spreading out to build the next wave of successful startups.
I think it’s only natural that Turkish developers will start moving into mid-core over time. There’s so much ambition there, and a willingness to take risks. AAA is a tougher leap—it requires a whole different infrastructure—but who knows? I’d love to see it happen.
Based on your experience, what advice would you give to Turkish developers and marketers who want to take their studios to the next level on a global scale?
My biggest advice is: Get out there! I’d love to see more Turkish developers and marketers attending global conferences—not just to learn, but to share the incredible insights and stories they have.
I know language can be a barrier, but that’s something that improves over time and with confidence. We host RovioCon each year during Slush, and I really hope to see more faces from Turkiye at our next edition in November.
Future of the Turkish Gaming Industry
Turkiye has everything it needs to produce the next generation of mobile gaming unicorns: funding, talent, ambition, grit, and an incredible work ethic. As they continue learning from peers in the Nordics, Spain, France, the UK, and North America, any remaining gaps will close fast. Therefore I would not be surprised to see the next big gaming unicorns come out of Turkiye, and take even a bigger share of the Puzzle genres.
And one last note to everyone in the West—from Turkiye to North America: don’t sleep on China. The success Chinese developers have found in Western markets over the past few years is impressive, and I am sure there’s more to come.
