What actually happens after the hit games, the acquisitions, and the “success”?
In this episode, Simon Hade, co-founder of Space Ape Games, walks through the uncomfortable middle of game company building: from Playfish → Space Ape → Supercell → NextBeat → Duolingo.
This isn’t a victory lap. It’s a post-mortem on genre mastery vs. exploration, lean LiveOps, why copying the Supercell playbook breaks most studios, and why Simon ultimately left games to help build Duolingo’s music and learning products.
00:00 Introduction and Setting the Scene
00:43 The Birth of Space Ape
03:26 Fundraising Challenges and Successes
07:48 Innovations and Strategic Moves
13:27 Lean LiveOps Philosophy
16:51 Supercell Acquisition and Cultural Shifts
18:50 Reflections and Lessons Learned
38:59 Spinning Outta Supercell
40:26 Exploring Duolingo Partnership
44:37 Relentless Optimization at Duolingo
49:13 Transitioning to Duolingo
55:42 The Price of Being a Founder
01:03:05 Reflections on Success and Future