Mertcan Dogrucan – September 23, 2025

Introduction

Not every publishing deal is a perfect fit — and that’s okay.

Choosing the right partner to bring your game to life isn’t just about budget or promises.

It’s about alignment. Shared goals. Real commitment.

The best collaborations move fast, stay flexible, and stay focused on making games players genuinely love it. After working with hundreds of studios, here’s what we’ve learned: great games come from passionate partnerships.

Let’s break down what we look for at TapNation — in both the games we back and the studios we build with.

What We Look For in a Studio

A good game is just the start. A strong studio partnership makes everything possible.

Here’s what we value:

• First of all, passion — We’re not looking for studios who just want to build a business or follow a trend. We want passionate developers — game designers, artists, PMs — who love what they’re doing and know what they’re aiming for.
• Clear goals & vision — You need to define your vision. Know what you want to make and what your game is about.
• Instant communication. We work fast. We need studios who are active, communicative, and collaborative — starting from day one.
• A strong core team. Doesn’t have to be big — even a solo dev can work — but experience matters. You need enough skill and time on the team to actually build and grow a game.
• Reliability and focus. If you’re spread across too many projects or working with multiple publishers, it slows things down. When there’s a good product, the focus has to be there.
• Data-driven mindset. Creativity is important, but you also need to think in terms of data. You have to build, test, learn — and improve based on results.

What We Look For in a Game

We’re not just chasing trends — we’re building hits with long-term potential. Here’s what matters:

• A strong GDD or idea. We look at how well thought-out the idea is — not just the fun part, but: What’s the USP? What’s the audience? What games inspired it? What’s the monetization strategy?
• Core gameplay first. It doesn’t need to be polished — but simple to understand and fun to play.
• Retention & monetization potential — Can it keep players coming back? Can it scale profitably?
• Data-driven design — Games we can test, iterate, and scale based on real player behavior
• Growth depth — A game that can evolve: LiveOps, content updates, and new features over time.
• Genre benchmarks are flexible. Some games won’t hit typical KPIs D1 retention — and that’s okay. It depends on the genre and the feel of the game.

We don’t judge purely on Day 1 retention or CPI — gender and audience also matter. Some puzzle games may test higher on CPI, while others win with depth and long-term value. What matters most is feel , fun, and strong potential to grow.

What Slows Things Down

We’ve seen these patterns hold back otherwise good ideas:

• Pitching games without gameplay or clear direction
• Building to chase trends without thinking about player value
• Long dev cycles with no playable builds
• Resistance to change after tests — especially when the data speaks clearly

TapNation’s Fit Checklist

Are we the right match? You are if:

• You’re building a game with long-term potential
• Your team is passionate and goal-driven
• You test early, iterate fast
• You’re open to feedback — creative and data-based
• You stay focused (not juggling too many projects)
• You communicate clearly and deliver reliably
• You’re in it to grow — updates, content, LiveOps
• You mix creativity with a data-driven mindset

If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear about your project.

Final Thought

We don’t publish every game — and we’re not the right fit for every team. But when the mindset is right, the results speak for themselves.

If our vision aligns with yours and you’re ready to build something big and successful, reach out here . Let’s bring your game to life — and scale it together.

Our Success Stories

Thief Puzzle
Wordling
Hero Making Tycoon 
Guess Their Answer

Resources

[1] – https://www.tap-nation.io/blog/how-to-chose-the-right-partner/
[2] – https://www.tap-nation.io/blog/from-mobile-game-ideation-to-publishing-the-tapnation-blueprint/ 
[3] – https://www.tap-nation.io/blog/why-publish-your-game-with-tapnation-your-data-driven-mobile-game-publisher/