Released at the end of 2025, the hybrid-casual puzzle game Pixel Flow! surpassed 10 million players in a short period of time. Over the past 12 months, it stood out as the only casual game to rank among the top 20 highest-grossing mobile games in the United States on a monthly basis.
From Türkiye to Global Success: A Unicorn Story
Led by founders Kübra Gündoğan (CEO) and Emre Çelik (CTO), the studio has gained significant momentum in the mobile market within just one year, thanks to its innovative puzzle mechanics and hybrid monetization model. The game’s design and strategic depth appeal to a broad player base through a combination of in-app purchases and ad-based revenue.
Although the financial details of the agreement were not disclosed, it was stated that the deal includes a multi-year, performance-based structure and values the company at over $1 billion.
This development officially elevates the studio to unicorn status.
Strong Backing from Scopely
Tim O’Brien, Chief Revenue Officer at Scopely, highlighted the Pixel Flow! team’s creativity, rapid iteration culture, and early commercial success, noting that the investment aligns with the company’s strategy of partnering with strong teams around the world.
“‘Pixel Flow!’ is only a few months into its journey, yet it’s already reached millions of players and climbed the top-grossing charts at remarkable speed. The combination of creativity, willingness to iterate, and immediate traction in the mobile game space is extremely rare and impressive, and we believe this team has a bright future ahead.
We are constantly exploring opportunities that could bring more world-class teams and game franchises into our operating system, and this investment signals our ongoing commitment to being a leading partner in the space. We look forward to welcoming the ‘Pixel Flow!’ team into the Scopely ecosystem and supporting their exciting roadmap ahead.”
Tim O’Brien, Chief Revenue Officer at Scopely
Studio CEO Kübra Gündoğan emphasized that Pixel Flow! was born out of a vision to create a fully innovative and original experience.
“Our focus as a team has always been on developing games that deliver innovative and distinctive experiences, and as a result of this mindset—‘Pixel Flow!’ was born.
To us, the game represents an entirely new form of entertainment for players, and the positive reception has been extremely rewarding.
In our conversations with Scopely, their confidence in our hybrid-casual game-making was incredibly affirming. Scopely shares our passion for games and brings deep experience in developing and scaling products, all while caring about players.
Their unique ecosystem will allow us to maintain our creative autonomy while also learning from each other and continuing to build games that can become a meaningful part of players’ lives for the long term.
We are proud to be one of few gaming companies in Türkiye to achieve such an impressive outcome with this deal—a milestone that reflects not only our team’s dedication, but also the strength and global potential of the Turkish gaming ecosystem.
We’re excited about what we can accomplish with Scopely; this partnership marks the beginning of a new chapter for everything we aspire to create.”
Studio CEO Kübra Gündoğan
A New Era for Türkiye’s Gaming Industry
The approximately 20-person team will continue to operate the studio from Istanbul. The agreement further strengthens Türkiye’s position as one of the most dynamic game development hubs in the EMEA region.
At the beginning of 2026, the studio completed a seed investment round with the participation of Arcadia Gaming Partners and e2vc. Akın Babayiğit, Managing Director at Arcadia Gaming Partners, described the deal as one of the most remarkable success stories in the Turkish gaming sector in recent years.
“The rapid rise of ‘Pixel Flow!’ stands out as one of the most compelling success stories to emerge from the Turkish games industry in recent years.
The team created a new casual mechanic in a category that often advances through iteration rather than innovation, and it’s incredibly exciting to see how players have embraced the experience. Scopely’s partnership is a powerful signal of their exceptional talent and potential.
Scopely has a proven ability to grow games into enduring global franchises, and this investment provides a great platform for the team to continue to build and grow while preserving the creativity that made the game stand out from the start. It’s been a privilege to have a front row seat to Kübra and Emre’s rapid growth and see their team become the latest Turkish startup to reach unicorn-level status.
We’re extremely confident about their future growth potential as part of the Scopely ecosystem.”
Arcadia Gaming Partners Managing Director Akin Babayigit
This partnership is being viewed not only as a successful exit, but also as a strong indicator of the level the Turkish gaming industry has reached on a global scale.
