My Big Idea: mobile games developer Nordcurrent

Hi Victoria! What's your elevator pitch?

Nordcurrent is a Vilnius-born mobile game developer and publisher creating games that reach hundreds of millions of players worldwide. We’re an independent company that has been in the industry for more than twenty years, best known for hits like Cooking Fever, Airplane Chefs, and Pocket Styler. What makes us unique is that we build games for everyone - experiences that are simple to play, beautifully crafted, and emotionally engaging. In short, we make games played by millions every day.

What does the market need?

The mobile gaming market is incredibly competitive, but at the same time, it’s craving authenticity. Players don’t just want another game - they want connection, emotion, and community. Many companies chase trends, while we focus on long-term experiences that feel personal. For example, we’ve built strong creator communities where players can design outfits, film videos, or share their stories - and that emotional involvement is what modern entertainment really needs.

Where is the business today?

Today Nordcurrent has over 300 people across studios in Vilnius, Warsaw, Dnipro, and Gothenburg. Our games have been downloaded more than 800 million times, and millions of people play them daily. We’re profitable, fully independent, and continue to invest in new projects and in our people. Alongside our mobile hits, we’ve also built a division called Nordcurrent Labs, which focuses on console and PC games. The team has already released several successful titles, such as Ericksholm and Chains of Freedom, and there are plenty of new surprises in the pipeline for both PC and mobile audiences. We may come from a small country, but our reach is truly global.

What made you think there was money in this?

When we started, it wasn’t about spotting a gold rush - it was about curiosity. We loved making games and believed that gaming could be for everyone, not just a niche audience. Then mobile came along and changed everything - suddenly, your phone became a console in your pocket. That shift opened up an entirely new audience, especially women, who had been overlooked by the industry for years. Cooking Fever was built on that intuition - simple, joyful gameplay with real emotional connection and it became a global success. That experience proved that the best business decisions often come from passion and empathy, not just spreadsheets.

What’s your biggest strength?

Our biggest strength is consistency and flexibility. For more than twenty years we’ve stayed independent, creative, and profitable in an industry that changes almost every month. That’s only possible when you’re able to adapt fast without losing your identity. We’ve built teams that can pivot when the market shifts but still keep their creative spark. At Nordcurrent, we rely on data to understand our players, but we trust our instincts to surprise them. That balance -between logic and imagination, structure and freedom - is what keeps us relevant and resilient year after year.

What is the secret to making the business work?

There’s no single secret - but if I had to name one, it’s patience. Games take years to build and even longer to grow, so you need to think in decades, not quarters. At the same time, the industry moves incredibly fast, so it’s about combining long-term vision with short-term adaptability. For me, culture is the foundation. You need teams that feel trusted enough to experiment, make mistakes, and try again. Some ideas fail, others become Cooking Fever or Airplane Chefs. The real art is turning every failure into learning - that’s how innovation survives over time.

How do you market the company?

We don’t see marketing as selling - it’s storytelling. Our players are at the centre of everything we do, and often, they’re the ones who tell our story better than we ever could. We build communities where people create, share, and play together, and much of our best content now comes from them - from short videos to live streams to in-game moments. That authenticity can’t be manufactured; it grows when players truly care.

At the same time, we’re very disciplined in how we approach user acquisition. Behind every creative campaign, there’s a lot of data, testing, and measurement. We look closely at player behaviour, regional trends, and content performance to make sure every investment delivers real value. It’s a mix of art and precision - creativity attracts players, but data keeps them coming back.

What funding do you have? Is it enough?

We’re fully independent and self-funded, and we have been from the beginning. That’s quite rare in gaming, especially at our scale. It means we grow based on our own success, not investor expectations or external pressure. For us, “enough” is about freedom - the freedom to be patient with ideas, to experiment, and to invest in people and products that need time to mature. We don’t chase hype cycles. We focus on building sustainable value and great experiences for players. So yes, it’s enough -because the model works, and we believe deeply in long-term thinking.

Tell us about the business model

Our games are free to download and play, and we generate revenue through in-app purchases and ads. But the model only works if players genuinely enjoy the experience. We’ve built it on fairness - you can play and progress without spending money, and those who choose to invest help us create more content for everyone.

Because we operate globally, we analyse player behaviour across different regions and continuously adjust our approach. It’s a very dynamic system - new content, balancing, seasonal events - all of that keeps players engaged long-term. Over time, this steady relationship with our audience has become the real engine behind our business. The model isn’t about quick wins; it’s about trust, retention, and longevity.

What were you doing before?

Right after university, I decided to dive straight into gaming. My husband and his brother had been passionate about games since childhood - they were the creative and technical force. I came from a background in economics, so I naturally focused on the business and organisational side. It was an all-or-nothing kind of moment - we had no big safety net, just a lot of drive and belief that we could make it work. That mix of creativity and business thinking became the foundation of Nordcurrent and is still what keeps us strong today.

Are there any technologies you’ve found useful?

Technology is the backbone of everything we do. We build and maintain many of our own internal tools - from analytics systems to live-ops platforms - that help us manage hundreds of millions of players across different games. Our infrastructure runs on cloud solutions and scalable server systems that allow us to operate globally and respond instantly when player traffic spikes.

On the development side, we use our own proprietary engines for most projects, and for some games, we work with Unity when it fits the vision and scale. That flexibility gives us control over performance, quality, and innovation.

AI is starting to help with efficiency on the marketing and user-acquisition side -analysing creative performance, optimising campaigns, and speeding up content production - but it’s not replacing people. Our teams remain at the heart of everything. Technology is there to support creativity, not redefine it.

What is the future vision?

Our vision is to keep creating games that bring joy to people everywhere and to grow as a global creative company with roots in the Baltics. We’re continuing to expand both mobile and PC gaming, and our teams at Nordcurrent Labs are working on some very exciting new titles that explore deeper stories, new genres, and richer worlds.

At the same time, we want to strengthen the connection between our players and our games - through communities, social features, and creator-driven content. We see a future where players are not just the audience, but also co-creators who shape how games evolve.

Ultimately, we want Nordcurrent to stay independent, curious, and human - a place where creativity thrives, technology empowers, and great ideas can come from anywhere.