272. From Prototypes to Hits: Inside Rollic’s Playbook with CEO Burak Vardal
“The way we survive is built on being creative every day” We sit down with Burak Vardal, CEO and co-founder of Rollic, to explore how the company skyrocketed in just a couple of years from a Turkish startup to one of the most successful mobile game publishers in the world.Burak shares insights on: The early days of Rollic and its quick acquisition by Zynga for $168M How they consistently launch hit mobile games The shift from hyper-casual to hybrid-casual and how it changed their business model Why being a gamer-first company is key to their success What makes Turkey a global hub for mobile game development The future of Rollic under Take-Two InteractiveDownload the FREE Hybrid Casual Playbook: metahybridcasualplaybook.splashthat.com/🎙️ Join the Deconstructor of Fun Slack Community:www.deconstructoroffun.com/slack00:00 Introduction and Background of Rollic06:41 Türkiye as a Hub for Game Development13:18 Business Model and Future Vision25:54 Competition and Talent in the Turkish Gaming Industry29:45 Creativity in Gaming: The Key to Success31:54 The Importance of Ideation in Mobile Gaming33:52 The Role of Testing in Game Development36:32 Transitioning from Startup to Industry Leader46:46 Advice for Aspiring Game Developers52:47 Final Thoughts and Future Prospects