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 Interactive

Download the FREE Hybrid Casual Playbook:

metahybridcasualplaybook.splashthat.com/

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00:00 Introduction and Background of Rollic

06:41 Türkiye as a Hub for Game Development

13:18 Business Model and Future Vision

25:54 Competition and Talent in the Turkish Gaming Industry

29:45 Creativity in Gaming: The Key to Success

31:54 The Importance of Ideation in Mobile Gaming

33:52 The Role of Testing in Game Development

36:32 Transitioning from Startup to Industry Leader

46:46 Advice for Aspiring Game Developers

52:47 Final Thoughts and Future Prospects