Cyprus LIVE #7 We Relocated our Studio from Ukraine to Cyprus and This Happened... | Game Industry Library

We're joined today by our next guest who I'm very jealous about his button situation. I wish I could be in that situation right now.
So I'm Leo and I'm a CEO and a founder of a mystery tech company. We are like more than 10 years in the market in mobile gaming. We started from a farming game, you know, this general
and right now we do not only farming game but also idol game, core casual and publishing, co- publishing, so different stuff.
How long have you been in Cypress?
Oh, in Cypress, I've been like more than three years.
Okay. How's it changed in those three years?
First of all, it was hard because I'm from Ukraine.
Mhm.
And for me, it was hard to move here. it's bigger cost of living here. So when uh we moved with a part of a team, part of executive team. So this move at the beginning ra the costs but after

a year or two it gave much more opportunities than being in Ukraine. We got a lot of contracts. We made a lot of new games. So it's like high cost but high opportunities. that right now is already pays off.
So when we think about like your firm, has your firm grown in the time it's been here?
Yes. So at the first year the company fell down. It didn't grow because we had high costs and the co you know like in 2022 the co finished and as soon as the co finished like the user acquisition fell down revenue fell down and we were like like we sucked but the second year we got more opportunities more contracts more companies we worked on and we recovered even in a higher scale. Has it been easier to hire people as time has gone on? Has the labor pool

expanded? Uh,
you know, it's always depends. For me, it was mainly not about hiring people, but about the products and about the expertise we have and the expertise we can get. That brings a lot of value even if they cost a lot.
When we think about the future of Cypress as it continues to grow, what do you think are the key ingredients there to keep it growing? I don't know any other place in Europe that has such a huge community in gamedev and I don't think that there is any other country that has such concentrated amount of developers uh marketers all of the stuff that involved in gaming
and I think that it should if not expand but like make a quant Quantum lip I believe it's like a small silicon valley
but in Europe

and it works like that because people like exchange experience they exchange ideas and they are like on top of the wave they not like below of the wave they like on the top of the wave they are like just on time.
So I've only been here a week I'm moving officially next month.
Yep. And I found the ethnic makeup to be fascinating here. You've got local cyprits, Ukrainians, uh you have Russians, you at least have one American, tiny Swede.
Yep.
Are you seeing any crossover between those ethnicities? Are you seeing some firms hiring all or has most people been sticking to their local language right now? I think that people here are like more cosmopolite. You know, this is the only place where for instance like people like who understand Russian like Ukrainians, Bill Russian, Russian,
they can keep all together.
They can make the deals like as one community and they see the world the

same way. All of us, we all know English and it's not a problem to communicate with English speakers. So I don't think that we stick to our communities but I believe we stick to the community of IT guys and this is like the main stuff.
So no matter whether you speak Russian, Ukrainian or English, but if you're in gaming, you're in one community. M
being here is a very huge advantage if you're sele because you talk with other companies, you talk with other people, you not only share expertise, you make contracts and so on. This community pays off a lot and it's very friendly community. It's a friendly community that helps each other. They don't like uh say like it's only NDA. M
they are able to share what is a little bit secret because it's secret for

secret you know
I wish I could tell it's way like how you grow
and you share the secret they share the secret and you grow both because others who don't share the secret all over the world they like stuck
and you help each other to grow.
That was amazing by the way [ __ ] amazing segment. It was a great op

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Summary

The relocation of game development studios to Cyprus serves as a strategic pivot for companies seeking to scale operations within a highly concentrated, collaborative ecosystem. For firms transitioning from Eastern Europe, the initial phase of relocation is characterized by significant financial strain, driven by a higher cost of living and operational overhead. However, this investment yields long-term dividends through increased access to international contracts, expanded partnership opportunities, and a more robust product pipeline. While the first year of such a transition may involve revenue volatility and operational contraction, the subsequent period often facilitates recovery and growth that exceeds previous performance levels.

The primary competitive advantage of the Cypriot gaming sector lies in its unique professional density and cultural synergy. The region functions as a localized hub for developers, marketers, and industry executives, fostering an environment where knowledge exchange is prioritized over rigid competitive silos. This collaborative culture transcends linguistic and national boundaries, as professionals from diverse backgrounds—including Ukrainian, Russian, and other international cohorts—unite under a shared identity as IT and gaming specialists. The prevalence of English as a common professional language further facilitates this integration, allowing for a fluid exchange of expertise and business intelligence.

Ultimately, the region is evolving into a specialized European technology cluster, often compared to a nascent Silicon Valley. The willingness of industry participants to share strategic insights and operational secrets creates a mutual growth mechanism that distinguishes the local market from more insular global counterparts. By prioritizing community-driven networking and high-level expertise over traditional corporate secrecy, firms operating in Cyprus are better positioned to remain at the forefront of mobile gaming trends, including farming, idle, and core-casual genres.