Posted by Leticia Lago, Developer Marketing

As we bid farewell to 2023, we’re excited to unveil our last #WeArePlay blog post of the year. From Lisbon to Dubai, let’s meet the creators behind the game-changing apps supporting communities, bringing innovation and joy to people.

Discover more founder stories from across the globe in the #WeArePlay collection.

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Posted by Leticia Lago, Developer Marketing

Another month, another series of #WeArePlay stories from apps and games we all love. From a Salt Lake City-based music editing app to successful game studios from Indonesia, Uruguay and Türkiye – discover the inspiring founders behind them.

This time we’re starting in the US with Geraldo. Inspired by his mom’s studies in computer engineering, he decided to start his own tech company at just 16 years of age. But he was also a keen musician and merged both his passions in Moises, alongside childhood friend and co-founder Eddie. The app uses artificial intelligence to remove vocals and instruments from any song. Geraldo describes the process as like “getting a smoothie and removing only the banana” – complex, to say the least, but Moises makes it easy. He hopes “to democratize access to cutting edge audio tools for everyday musicians.”

Next up, we’re crossing the Pacific over to Indonesia where colleagues and game enthusiasts Diori and Agung decided to collaborate outside of the office on their own independent project. This culminated in the launch of their studio, Minimo, with their most successful game, Mini Racing Adventures, accumulating over 38 million downloads to date. The pair channeled Agung’s passion for cars and mechanics into this particular release, but next they’re shifting genres and working on a new shooter game.

Now we’re heading down to Uruguay where friends Pablo, Gonzalo and Alvaro had a dream of making games for a living and created Ironhide Game Studio in 2010, learning how to code for mobiles from scratch. As Pablo puts it: “Over the years we’ve realized that what we have is special, because we have the passion, but we also work really hard. This has allowed us to create something great.” Their popular title, Kingdom Rush: Tower Defence, is a strategy game set in a medieval settlement and chock-full of action-filled battles. Looking to the future, they’re hoping to branch into multiplayer games and expand their Kingdom Rush saga.

And finally we’re crossing over to Europe to meet Rina. While working in private equity and meeting an array of business heads, she was inspired to pursue an entrepreneurial path herself. Seeing how popular gaming was becoming, Rina delved into creating titles for a Turkish audience. She struck gold with her first studio becoming a tech unicorn, and soon followed it up with Spyke Games, launched alongside her brother Remi and friends Mithat, Barkin and Fuat. Their title Tile Busters combine social multiplayer fun and skill-based puzzle solving. Soon, they’re releasing a follow-up, Blitz Busters, keeping their goal of being “great content developers creating games that people crave more of.”

Discover more global #WeArePlay stories and share your favorites.

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Posted by Leticia Lago, Developer Marketing

At Google Play, we’re committed to helping app and game businesses of all sizes reach their full potential. That’s why we’re excited to announce we have opened submissions for the Indie Games Accelerator 2024.

If you’re an indie developer who is early in their journey – either close to launching a new game or have recently launched a title – this high-impact program is designed for you.

Selected game studios will be invited to take part in the 10-week accelerator program starting in March 2024. This is a highly-tailored program for small game developers from across 70+ eligible countries. It includes a series of online masterclasses, talks and gaming workshops, hosted by some of the best in the industry.

You’ll also get the chance to meet and connect with other passionate founders from around the world who are looking to take their games to the next level.

Learn how founder of Gambir Studio, Shafiq Hussein, and team grew their revenue by 20% with the advice from mentors at the Indie Games Accelerator.

All submissions must be completed by December 12, 2023 @ 1 pm CET and meet all eligibility requirements. Apply now to supercharge your growth on Google Play.

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Posted by Leticia Lago, Developer Marketing

We continue to be inspired by the amazing #WeArePlay stories of app and game creators on Google Play, from all corners of the Earth. This month, hear about a game changing financial app for women in Nigeria to an early learning platform that uses augmented reality.

First up, we’re in Nigeria where two former colleagues at an investment bank, Solape and Yomi, channeled their economic expertise into improving women’s accessibility to finance. HerVest is an app exclusively designed for farmers and small business owners, with saving and investment tips, financial education and credit options. Intent on improving gender equality in the financial sphere, the pair plan to reach a million women by the end of 2024 and “become the go-to financial platform for the financially underserved in Africa”.

Discover more global #WeArePlay stories and share your favorites.

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Posted by Leticia Lago, Developer Marketing

Another month, another reason to celebrate trailblazing creators behind some of the most innovative apps and games. From an equestrian training platform in Sweden to a chilled out fishing game in the Republic of Korea, let’s take a look at some of the exciting #WeArePlay stories of founders and their creations.

Ingrid is a big fan of horseback riding and has always loved the social aspect of the sport. But when she wanted to take her passion online, she was surprised to be unable to find sports platforms specifically tailored to equestrians. So, Ingrid and her co-founders, Totta and Erika, took matters into their own hands, pooling their collective experiences in marketing, programming and economics to create Ridely: a platform that aims to democratize the access to trainers and content about riding. Since then, they’ve partnered up with the US Equestrian Federation and are “constantly innovating and looking at ways to develop the app further and improve our members’ horse riding experience” – in fact, they’re currently working on creating expert programs, monthly riding challenges and adding a social feed to spark discussion and create community.

Now to the other side of the world, Indonesia. Johanes always had a wild imagination and a head brimming with ideas, which is why he originally aspired to be an author. However, when he found himself captivated by role playing games, he decided to channel his storytelling into the gaming genre instead. Collaborating with graphic artist Meiky, the pair brainstormed their anime-inspired fantasy adventure RPG Epic Conquest. Even without conscious marketing efforts, the game proved to be a big hit, spawning the follow-up Epic Conquest 2 – with more sequels currently in the works.

Next up, Young-Gon from the Republic of Korea. An old hand in the industry, Young-Gon has been involved in gaming for over two decades. However, it was in 2017 that he decided to launch his own studio, Nexelon, with the goal of reaching audiences abroad. In his popular title, Fishing Life, he “wanted to create a fishing game that was soothing, uncomplicated to play and that really showcased the underwater world”, depicting the calming nature of angling as a hobby with gently whooshing waves and scenes of tranquil lakes and mountains. And he’s continuing this theme of serenity with his upcoming release – an eco-sci fi game where players explore other planets for resources to restore a polluted Earth.

Last up, dream team Victoria, her husband Michail, and his brother Sergej from Lithuania. They had their sights set on making games since childhood. They were still at university when they released their very first title, swiftly using the revenue to form their own studio, Nordcurrent. In their popular game Cooking Fever, players are put to the test to rapidly prepare different dishes – inspired by cuisines from around the world. They recently added a pancake flipping restaurant option and also plan live culinary events around themed celebrations, such as Valentine’s Day.

Discover more of the amazing #WeArePlay stories around the world and share your favorites.

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Posted by Leticia Lago, Developer Marketing

This month, we’re sharing new #WeArePlay stories from inspiring founders creating apps which help people improve their quality of life. From a diabetes management tracker to an upskilling platform for women, hear the stories behind some groundbreaking apps on Google Play.

Firstly, meet Nikhil and Ayushi from Bengaluru, India. During the Covid-19 lockdowns, Nikhil watched as his mother picked up new hobbies and tried making different dishes in the kitchen. Seeing his mom researching new recipes and cooking resources, it struck him that there was a lack of educational platforms in India specifically targeted at women. This gave him and his wife, Ayushi, the idea to create Alippo: an upskilling app for women that provides classes and training materials. It also has resources to help women launch and manage their own businesses using their newly acquired expertise. In the future, they want to add more learning materials, business guides and even financing options.

Next up we have Ed, Ken and Erin from Taiwan. Ed comes from a family with a history of diabetes. But his grandma always stayed on top of her condition thanks to her habit of regularly noting down her blood sugar levels and sharing them with her doctor. Partnering with product manager Ken, whose mother also has diabetes, and former colleague Erin, he launched Health2Sync: a digital blood sugar tracker with a range of other features for tracking and managing diets, exercise and medication. Thanks to the app’s new AI-based food recognition feature, people can now track the contents and nutrients of their meals just by uploading a picture of their food.

Now, Lorenzo and César from Brazil. Growing up, they both had personal experiences with cancer having lost their mothers to the disease. When they met some time later, via a mutual friend, they discussed their experiences, both agreeing that the hospital visits were tiring for their moms, and often unnecessary when measures could be taken to provide care at home. This inspired them to partner up and create WeCancer, a cancer treatment support platform where patients can receive support and medical care from the comfort of their own home, with monitoring and advice from doctors. In Lorenzo’s own words, the app provides “qualified care outside of hospital walls to make life easier for patients”.

Last but not least, Laura, Erich and John from the US. When they were colleagues, it was sharing their experiences around chronic pain that bonded them and brought them together as friends. When John began to teach the others some alternative methods he’d learnt for managing his pain, all three began to see huge improvements in their various conditions. Elated by how much these techniques and practices had helped them, they wanted to share the practices with others, inspiring them to team up to create Curable. On the app, chronic pain sufferers can follow a guided recovery program with a range of science-backed methods, including cognitive behavioral therapy and soothing meditation.

Discover more #WeArePlay stories from across the globe and stay tuned for more.

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Posted by Leticia Lago, Developer Marketing

#WeArePlay is on a virtual world tour: starting first with the U.S. last summer by spotlighting the stories of app and game founders from every state, then visiting India sharing stories from across the country, and more recently visiting Europe by sharing stories from countries across the region.

Today, we’re continuing our tour with one more stop: Japan. From a snowboarding app made by a paralympian, to a game inspired by the enchanting landmarks of Gifu. Discover the people growing apps and games businesses on Google Play.

We’re starting with stories from Chubu, Chugoku & Shikoku and Kinki, with more following throughout the year. Let’s explore some of the stories from across these 3 regions.

Takao Hayashi, founder of Ateam Entertainment

First, Takao Hayashi from Nagoya, Aichi. When Takao’s father sadly passed away when he was only 9 years old, he decided to double down on his hobby of coding and help his family become financially secure. He eventually launched Ateam, and after releasing various apps and games in Japan, his company began to focus on expansion into new markets. Their efforts are paying off, as real-time battle RPG Unison League has become a global hit. The Japanese art in the game has become so popular that some fans have even adopted the style of their favorite characters into their fashion. Next, Takao wants to release new games and reach players in more parts of the world, including India and Latin America.

Keiji Okamoto, founder of yukiyama

Next, Keiji Okamoto from Kobe, Hyogo. Keiji worked hard to pursue his passion for snowboarding all the way to a professional level. However, an accident on the slopes left him with a spinal injury and the news that he might never snowboard again. With his future plans uncertain and hoping to contribute to the sport despite no longer being able to snowboard, Keiji founded yukiyama: a platform where snowsports enthusiasts can access ski resort maps and track their distances down the slopes. Today the app is used all over Japan. The team plans to make it accessible to tourists too by localizing it to other languages. As the app grows, so does Keiji’s sports career, who now competes in the Paralympics.

Hitomi Wada, founder of blazeworks

Now, Hitomi Wada from Kakamigahara, Gifu. Hitomi has been a fan of fantasy role-playing games since a friend first introduced her to them as a child. Years later she got inspired to create her own game, Gifu Quest, while exploring the enchanting sights and landmarks of the Gifu prefecture. Players must save all 42 municipalities from ruin and can even play a role in the game’s creation – with some of their photos of Gifu featuring in the game, and many sharing their travels to the places that appear in the game under the hashtag #realgifuquest. Next, Hitomi wants to create new games and eventually feature the whole of Japan.

Masaomi Kurokawa, Managing Director of KEMCO

And last but not least, Masaomi Kurokawa from Kure, Hiroshima. Masaomi’s love of computers and gaming began back in middle school, when his dad bought him his first computer to program. Later, during the mid-2000s, he decided he wanted to revive classic retro games from his childhood. His RPG title Dragon Lapis has a characteristic old-school aesthetic – with dragons, legends and battles, and is hugely popular with fans of the RPG-genre. His nostalgic games have a loyal fanbase both in Japan and overseas. Masaomi has more games in the works and, in the future, wants to take on new challenges like moving into the app space.

Discover more #WeArePlay stories from Japan, and stories from across the globe.

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Posted by Leticia Lago, Developer Marketing

In our latest #WeArePlay stories, meet app and game founders from around the world bringing creative new ideas to their industries. From a mountaineering app that is helping to save lives, to game studios incorporating playful cultural nods and inclusive designs in their titles.

In our latest film, meet Yosihiko from Japan who founded YAMAP – an app for mountain climbers. After the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, he was inspired to bring people closer to nature and save lives. Despite having no programming experience, he and his team created a platform which enables mountaineers to safely check their location and share their climb activity logs, even when there’s no phone signal. The app has become very popular with climbers, who have also formed a YAMAP community. Yoshihiko also recently partnered with the local government to aid mountain rescues.

Next, Valeria and Álvaro from Spain – founders of Platonic Games. Born in Uruguay, Valeria moved to Spain as a child. Her parents loved video games so she grew up playing them with her family. After studying computer science and traveling the world with her PR job, she transitioned into game development and launched her own studio, Platonic Games, with friend and co-founder Álvaro. Noticing that games for girls were often limited to a handful of genres, the pair decided to design something new for a female audience. Happy Hop is an addictive racing game featuring kawaii-inspired “Miimo” characters.

And now, Olivier from Cameroon – founder of Kiroo Games. Growing up around his father’s video store and a huge collection of science magazines, Olivier was exposed to technology from an early age. So it’s no surprise that he studied computer science and soon began creating PC games. Following a successful crowdfunding campaign, he was able to release the African fantasy RPG, Aurion. Partly inspired by Japanese manga, the game is an allegory for geopolitical themes, with players following the King and Queen of Zama as they fight corruption in Aurion. Next, he hopes to transform Aurion into a global African-fantasy gaming brand.

Lastly, Yiwei from Malaysia – founder of Kurechii. He started his career as a web designer, but as a keen gamer himself he soon transitioned into game development and launched his own studio Kurechii. As he watched busy commuters in Tokyo playing on their phone while carrying their briefcases, he got the idea to create a game that could be played single-handedly, but still feature adventurous role playing. In Postknight, players follow a knight as he makes dangerous journeys across the kingdom of Kurestal to deliver parcels. After releasing the popular sequel Postknight 2 with brand new characters, the team are now working to enhance both games, as well as brainstorm ideas for new titles.

Check out their stories now at g.co/play/weareplay and keep an eye out for more stories coming soon.

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Posted by Leticia Lago, Developer Marketing

Last summer #WeArePlay went on a virtual tour of the U.S. to spotlight the stories of app and game founders from every state, and earlier this year we visited India sharing stories from across the country. Today, we’re continuing our tour across the world with our next stop: Europe. From an app increasing independence for the elderly to a game for children with neurodevelopmental disorders, meet the founders of 126 apps and games companies building growing businesses on Google Play.

Let’s take a quick road trip across the region, with stories of founders that were inspired to create their company to help others around them.

Geert, cofounder of Cubigo

Increasing independence for elderly people

First up is Geert from Belgium, who is the founder of Cubigo. When Geert’s grandmother moved into a nursing home, managing her care felt overwhelming so he used his experience from working in tech to create his app. It’s aimed at elderly people – they can use it to book taxis, days out, order food, schedule appointments and message friends. Family and nursing staff can also stay updated with their plans and activities, so they can provide better assistance. His aim is to give elderly people independence, and Geert hopes Cubigo will become a global player in senior care. Read more stories from Belgium.

Zafer and Sercan, co-founders of Otsimo

Games designed for children with neurodevelopmental disorders

Next up are friends and co-founders Zafer and Sercan from Turkey, who co-founded gaming company Otsimo. As a teen, Zafer got inspiration to create mobile tools for kids with learning difficulties by seeing his autistic brother enjoy playing on his phone. Fast forward to his college years, Zafer and his course mate Sercan made a series of apps aimed at children with delayed speech and developmental disorders. The first, created alongside special needs experts, was Otsimo | Special Education which can be tailored to the individual’s requirements. Their apps use voice recognition and machine learning to help children improve their speech, cognitive and social skills, with rewards and stickers to keep it fun. The Otsimo team have just launched a fully customizable Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) app for non-verbal people of all ages. Read more stories from Turkey.

Maxence and Oxana, co-founders of Appsent

Making home management and cleaning easier for everyone

Last but not least, we have Maxence and Oxana from France, co-founders of Appsent. Maxence and Oxana struggled to keep their house clean when they were both working from home. Sweepy is their solution – it’s a smart home cleaning schedule that assigns household tasks on particular days and for particular people. The couple are really proud that their app has been downloaded by lots of people with autism and ADHD, who tell them that it helps them to manage their homes. They are now developing a points and rewards feature, to try to encourage children to get involved in the housework too. Read more stories from France.

Discover more #WeArePlay stories from Europe, and stories from across the globe.

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Posted by Leticia Lago, Developer Marketing

In our latest #WeArePlay film, we’re spotlighting Tessa and Saasha – best friends turned co-founders of Olio. They’ve been on a mission to help people reduce waste by encouraging communities to share, sell or give-away what they no longer need – from leftover food to household items. The app now helps millions take one big step closer to living in a zero waste world.

Growing up on a farm, Tessa quickly learned how much hard work goes into producing food. Meanwhile, Saasha spent her childhood helping her family make ends meet through scavenging items that others threw away. When they eventually met in college, they bonded over their passion to help to save the environment through recycling and reducing waste.

But it wasn’t until Tessa was one day moving countries when the idea for Olio came – she couldn’t pack leftover food in air-freight, and couldn’t easily find anyone to take it. Feeling like this was a missed opportunity, she told Saasha about the idea for a food-sharing app. Saasha instantly knew she wanted to help make this app a reality, and so Olio was born. Tessa believes that “if no one else is taking action then we have to take action”.

Originally developed to encourage people to give away their surplus food, over time Olio has evolved so that people can give away any items that could have a second life. It’s now used in 62 countries, and Olio also partners with supermarkets and restaurants with the help of Food Waste Heroes – volunteers who collect and redistribute surplus food – saving an estimated 1 million meals per week. Looking to the future, Saasha says their ambition is “to create a world in which sharing becomes the new normal”.

You can read more inspiring stories, including those featuring LGTBQ+ apps celebrating Pride Month, at g.co/play/weareplay.

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