Scopely has signed a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake in the Istanbul based studio behind the hit mobile puzzle game Pixel Flow!, marking one of the most significant success stories to emerge from Türkiye’s gaming ecosystem in recent years. While financial terms were not officially disclosed, the multi year, performance based transaction is reported to value the company at more than $1 billion, positioning it as a new unicorn in the global mobile games market.
A breakout hit in hybrid casual gaming
Pixel Flow! was launched at the end of 2025 by founders Kübra Gündoğan, CEO, and Emre Çelik, CTO. The game entered the crowded puzzle category with a hybrid casual approach, combining accessible puzzle mechanics with a monetisation strategy that blends in app purchases and advertising. This balance has allowed the game to scale rapidly while maintaining strong engagement among a broad player base.
Within its first year on the market, Pixel Flow! surpassed 10 million players globally. Over the past 12 months, it has distinguished itself as the only casual game to consistently rank among the top 20 highest grossing mobile games in the United States on a monthly basis, an achievement that underlines both its commercial performance and its appeal in one of the world’s most competitive gaming markets.
Strategic fit for Scopely’s global portfolio
Scopely, one of the world’s largest mobile gaming companies, described the acquisition as a strategic partnership aligned with its long term focus on working with high performing studios around the world. Tim O’Brien, Chief Revenue Officer at Scopely, pointed to the Pixel Flow! team’s creative execution, fast iteration cycles, and early revenue traction as key factors behind the deal.
By acquiring a majority stake rather than a full buyout, Scopely aims to support the studio’s continued growth while allowing it to retain its creative direction. The partnership is expected to combine Scopely’s global scaling capabilities, data expertise, and operational infrastructure with the studio’s product vision and development agility.
Preserving creative independence
Kübra Gündoğan said that Pixel Flow! was built with the ambition to deliver a genuinely original experience in the puzzle genre, and that player feedback has played a central role in shaping the game’s evolution.
She noted that Scopely’s experience in scaling mobile titles globally would help accelerate growth while preserving the studio’s creative independence. The founding team has emphasised that maintaining control over game design and development culture was a priority in selecting a strategic partner.
Strengthening Türkiye’s role as a gaming hub
The studio’s approximately 20 person team will continue operating from Istanbul, reinforcing Türkiye’s growing reputation as a centre for game development in the EMEA region. The country has produced several high profile gaming successes in recent years, and the Pixel Flow! transaction adds further momentum to that trend.
Prior to the Scopely deal, the studio raised seed funding from investors including Arcadia Gaming Partners and e2vc. Akın Babayiğit, Managing Director of Arcadia Gaming Partners, described the acquisition as one of the most notable success stories in the Turkish gaming sector in recent memory.
A signal to the global market
Beyond representing a successful exit for early backers, the deal is widely seen as a signal of the Turkish gaming industry’s expanding presence on the global stage. As international publishers continue to look beyond traditional hubs for talent and innovation, Pixel Flow! stands as an example of how small, focused teams can build globally competitive titles from emerging markets.
