Since its inception in 2023 Interactive purple owl is at the forefront of mobile card and board games. Game titles ranged from the experimental Duel Dash (an addictive strategy card game where strategy is necessary to outsmart your opponents in a fast-paced adventure) to Spades and Spades Classic.
Now two years old, we spoke to Cenk Akdag about the future of this expanding studio, which started as a solo venture but has grown into an intriguing new mobile gaming brand offering relaxing, enjoyable and long-lasting gaming experiences.
First of all, can you tell us a little about your personal experience in the games industry and how you founded your studio?
I've been working on mobile and web games since 2014. Before founding Purple Owl Interactive, I co-founded another gaming startup called Gamerhook, which gave me early exposure to both the creative and business side of the industry.
Over the years, I've published a wide range of games, both single-player and multiplayer, including classic card and board games, as well as more experimental creations such as Duel Dash, Roglide, and Pawslide. This combination helped me understand how to balance exposure with innovation.
I felt there was room for a studio that focused on simple, fair game design and long-term player satisfaction rather than aggressive monetization. This became the basis of Purple Owl Interactive, which I started as a solo developer. Since then, we've released several classic games that are holding up well and growing steadily.
App stores are filled with countless classic card and board games. How are your projects different from others?
We approach differentiation by focusing on the complete player journey, starting with user acquisition. Our advertising and store pages clearly reflect actual gameplay, so players know exactly what they're getting when they install. This early honesty sets the tone.
Within the game, our priority is comfort and clarity. We're designing a large, readable user interface, intuitive controls, and a calm visual style that allows players to relax and stay longer. For this reason, our metrics stand out: the average daily play time for most of our games is around 1 hour, and retention on day 30 reaches levels that many studios only strive for on day 7.
In short, we're listening to what classic game players really want: a clean, honest, no-pressure experience. By understanding and prioritizing these needs, we create games that feel familiar, trustworthy, and worth returning to.
How is Purple Owl Interactive positioning itself in the mobile industry and what are your long-term ambitions?
I position Purple Owl Interactive as a studio dedicated to creating casual, fair, and long-lasting classic games. I don't chase aggressive monetization tricks or short-term trends; The focus is on creating games that are fun to come back to every day.
My long-term goal is to continue to create high-quality games, attract more players and grow with them. I want to create a long-lasting brand where when people see our logo, they immediately feel confident in the quality of the experience they will receive. Purple Owl Interactive's goal over time is to become a trusted name in classic games, known for its comfort, clarity and consistency.
What are the biggest challenges you've faced as an indie studio and what advice would you give to aspiring developers?
One of the biggest challenges is doing everything yourself: from development to marketing to analytics. This requires patience and you must maintain the ability to adapt as you grow.
I think I have three recommendations worth sharing:
- Start simple and keep the structure flexible.
- You don't have to be like anyone else; Every studio's path is different.
- Always keep the door open to learning and never stop learning.
If you focus on this, you will give yourself the opportunity to grow in your own way.
Finally, what are your thoughts on artificial intelligence and how it has been used in the development of your games?
AI is not the whole solution, but it has become a very useful development aid. This improves workflow by detecting errors early and speeding up iterations, making the development cycle more efficient.
I'm also working on artificial intelligence systems that can understand player behavior and adapt the game to them. The idea is to create a familiar emotional experience that reminds players of what they felt when playing with friends or family in real life. If AI can replicate that sense of connection in a single-player environment, it could bring classic games closer to the warmth of real human play, without the pressure or toxicity that sometimes comes with multiplayer gaming.
Ever the hard-working company, Purple Own Interactive is constantly expanding its portfolio of games that you can find on App Store And Google Play.
