GDEV Strengthens Strategic Partnership with Royal Ark as Zombie Miner Reaches TOP-1 Position in its Genre
GDEV Inc. (NASDAQ:GDEV) has increased its ownership stake in portfolio studio Royal Ark to 57% through a conversion option exercise. The partnership, which began in 2022, has proven successful with Royal Ark's game Idle Zombie Miner achieving significant milestones, including 17 million installs and reaching the #1 position in the Clicker/Idle genre.
The game generated approximately $23 million in revenue in H1 2025. Royal Ark's founder, Leonid Sirotin, maintains management control while benefiting from GDEV's strategic oversight and operational expertise. The new agreement supersedes all previous arrangements between the parties.
GDEV Inc. (NASDAQ:GDEV) ha aumentato la propria partecipazione nello studio di portfolio Royal Ark al 57% esercitando un'opzione di conversione. La collaborazione, avviata nel 2022, si è rivelata proficua: il titolo di Royal Ark, Idle Zombie Miner, ha raggiunto traguardi importanti, tra cui 17 milioni di installazioni e la prima posizione nel genere Clicker/Idle.
Il gioco ha generato circa 23 milioni di dollari di ricavi nella prima metà del 2025. Il fondatore di Royal Ark, Leonid Sirotin, mantiene il controllo gestionale e al contempo beneficia della supervisione strategica e dell'esperienza operativa di GDEV. Il nuovo accordo sostituisce tutte le intese precedenti tra le parti.
GDEV Inc. (NASDAQ:GDEV) ha aumentado su participación en el estudio de su cartera Royal Ark hasta el 57% mediante el ejercicio de una opción de conversión. La alianza, que comenzó en 2022, ha resultado exitosa: el juego de Royal Ark, Idle Zombie Miner, ha alcanzado hitos relevantes, incluyendo 17 millones de instalaciones y el puesto #1 en el género Clicker/Idle.
El juego generó aproximadamente 23 millones de dólares en ingresos en el primer semestre de 2025. El fundador de Royal Ark, Leonid Sirotin, conserva el control de la gestión y al mismo tiempo se beneficia de la supervisión estratégica y la experiencia operativa de GDEV. El nuevo acuerdo reemplaza todos los arreglos previos entre las partes.
GDEV Inc. (NASDAQ:GDEV)가 전환 옵션 행사로 포트폴리오 스튜디오 로열 아크(Royal Ark)의 지분을 57%로 늘렸습니다. 2022년에 시작된 이 파트너십은 성공을 거두었으며, 로열 아크의 게임 Idle Zombie Miner는 1,700만 설치를 기록하고 클릭커/방치형 장르에서 1위를 차지하는 등 중요한 성과를 이루었습니다.
해당 게임은 2025년 상반기에 약 2,300만 달러의 매출을 올렸습니다. 로열 아크의 창립자 레오니드 시로틴(Leonid Sirotin)은 경영권을 유지하면서 GDEV의 전략적 감독과 운영 노하우의 혜택을 받고 있습니다. 이번 신규 계약은 양측 간의 모든 이전 합의를 대체합니다.
GDEV Inc. (NASDAQ:GDEV) a augmenté sa participation dans le studio du portefeuille Royal Ark à 57% via l'exercice d'une option de conversion. Le partenariat, lancé en 2022, s'est avéré fructueux : le jeu de Royal Ark, Idle Zombie Miner, a atteint des jalons importants, notamment 17 millions d'installations et la première place du genre Clicker/Idle.
Le jeu a généré environ 23 millions de dollars de revenus au premier semestre 2025. Le fondateur de Royal Ark, Leonid Sirotin, conserve le contrôle de la gestion tout en bénéficiant de la supervision stratégique et de l'expertise opérationnelle de GDEV. Le nouvel accord remplace tous les accords antérieurs entre les parties.
GDEV Inc. (NASDAQ:GDEV) hat durch Ausübung einer Umwandlungsoption seinen Anteil am Portfolio-Studio Royal Ark auf 57% erhöht. Die Partnerschaft, die 2022 begonnen wurde, hat sich als erfolgreich erwiesen: Royal Arks Spiel Idle Zombie Miner erreichte bedeutende Meilensteine, darunter 17 Millionen Installationen und Platz 1 im Clicker/Idle-Genre.
Das Spiel erzielte in der ersten Hälfte des Jahres 2025 rund 23 Millionen US-Dollar Umsatz. Der Gründer von Royal Ark, Leonid Sirotin, behält die managementseitige Kontrolle und profitiert gleichzeitig von GDEVs strategischer Aufsicht und operativer Expertise. Die neue Vereinbarung ersetzt alle vorherigen Absprachen zwischen den Parteien.
- Increased ownership stake to 57% in successful gaming studio Royal Ark
- Idle Zombie Miner achieved #1 position in its genre with 17 million installs
- Strong revenue generation of $23 million in H1 2025 from Zombie Miner
- Maintained entrepreneurial autonomy while leveraging GDEV's strategic resources
- Previous game Dawn of Zombies showed limited growth potential
Insights
GDEV's increased stake in Royal Ark to 57% strengthens partnership behind top-performing Zombie Miner game generating significant revenue.
GDEV's strategic move to increase ownership in Royal Ark to 57% represents a significant evolution in their partnership model. This transaction validates GDEV's studio empowerment approach that maintains creative autonomy while providing strategic oversight. The success of Idle Zombie Miner demonstrates the effectiveness of this collaboration - achieving the top position in the Clicker/Idle genre with over 17 million installs in just 18 months since soft launch.
The game's performance is particularly noteworthy, generating approximately
What makes this partnership interesting is the balance between corporate oversight and creative independence. By keeping management control with founder Leonid Sirotin while GDEV provides strategic guidance, the companies have created a framework that preserves Royal Ark's entrepreneurial culture while leveraging GDEV's resources and operational expertise.
The increased ownership stake indicates GDEV's confidence in Royal Ark's long-term value proposition and suggests the company sees significant future potential in the studio's intellectual property. For the gaming industry, this demonstrates a successful model of strategic investment that can help smaller studios scale while maintaining their creative identity - something increasingly important in the competitive mobile gaming landscape.
LIMASSOL, Cyprus, Sept. 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GDEV Inc. (Nasdaq: GDEV), an international gaming and entertainment company (“GDEV” or the “Company”), today announced that it has increased its total ownership in its portfolio studio, Royal Ark, to
At the time of GDEV’s initial investment back in January 2022, the Royal Ark key title Dawn of Zombies exhibited stellar profitability but limited growth potential. The GDEV and Royal Ark teams made a joint decision to create a new product, unlocking the studio’s full potential and turning that vision into reality through Royal Ark‘s execution. This partnership culminated in the launch of Idle Zombie Miner, which was soft launched in early 2024 and, within just eighteen months, accumulated over 17 mln installs and reached TOP-1 position among games of its genre (Clicker/Idle), according to AppMagic. Preliminary unaudited results indicate that Zombie Miner generated approximately US
Management of the studio remains firmly in the hands of its founder, Leonid Sirotin, who continues to oversee day-to-day management, product direction and team development. GDEV exercises strategic oversight at the portfolio level, allocating resources and sharing best practices. This model is designed to preserve Royal Ark’s entrepreneurial culture while ensuring that its projects benefit from GDEV’s scale and operational know-how.
“Royal Ark’s evolution reflects the strength of a partnership rooted in mutual respect, where a proven, visionary team is empowered with long-term strategic partners,” said Andrey Fadeev, Founder and CEO of GDEV. “We believed in the team’s vision from the outset, and today’s increased ownership signals our confidence in their ability to build enduring franchises.”
“I'm incredibly proud of my team and grateful to our partners - together, we made the success of Zombie Miner possible. I’d like to give special thanks to Royal Ark’s Game Director Andrey Garbuzov and Lead Producer Evgeny Serpokrylov, as well as to Andrey Fadeev, CEO of GDEV, and Anton Reinhold, CEO of Nexters. And of course, a heartfelt thank you to our players - everything we do at Royal Ark is for you, and we’ll keep working hard to deliver even more,” said Leonid Sirotin, Founder and CEO of Royal Ark.
About GDEV Inc.
GDEV is a gaming and entertainment holding company, focused on development and growth of its franchise portfolio across various genres and platforms. With a diverse range of subsidiaries including Nexters, Cubic Games, Royal Ark, Game Gears, Light Hour Games among others, GDEV strives to create games that will inspire and engage millions of players for years to come. Its franchises, such as Hero Wars, Island Hoppers, Pixel Gun 3D, Zombie Miner and others have accumulated over 550 million installs and
About Royal Ark
Royal Ark is a young international gaming company founded by Leonid Sirotin - a game industry veteran with over 20 years of experience and a strong track record of successful projects. Leonid assembled a team of seasoned professionals and built Royal Ark from the ground up. It is part of GDEV. A studio creating and launching the mobile games people have always dreamed of playing. Royal Ark operates independently and on its own terms - with care for players, perfectionism, and relentless attention to detail. Millions of players around the world reaffirm that this approach is the right one.
Contacts:
Investor Relations
Roman Safiyulin | Chief Corporate Development Officer
investor@gdev.inc
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FAQ
What is GDEV's new ownership percentage in Royal Ark after the conversion option exercise?
How much revenue did Idle Zombie Miner generate for GDEV in the first half of 2025?
How many installs has GDEV's Idle Zombie Miner achieved since its soft launch?
Who maintains management control of Royal Ark after GDEV's increased ownership?
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