Looking for a technical co-founder to build mobile games together

Hello.

You’re not just exploring a few game ideas—you’re trying to establish a fast, repeatable way to identify scalable hits. That usually comes down to how quickly you can validate the core loop against real user behavior, without over-investing too early. The balance between speed and meaningful signal is often where things get difficult.

I’ve worked on a hybrid casual project where early metrics looked fine, but retention dropped sharply after D1. We eventually found that the onboarding experience didn’t match the expectation set by ads. By restructuring the first-minute gameplay around a clearer reward loop—and aligning it with acquisition creatives—we saw more stable retention, even with slightly lower CTR. That shift made further iteration much more predictable.

In practice, I tend to approach this kind of work in small, testable slices. Instead of building out full features, I focus on isolating parts of the loop—reward timing, failure friction, progression pacing—and validating them quickly. Unity is well-suited for this, especially when basic analytics are wired in from the start so decisions aren’t based on intuition alone.

One small idea: designing a few rough ad concepts in parallel with the core loop often surfaces gaps earlier than expected. It’s not always obvious, but it helps connect gameplay with marketability from the beginning.

I’m comfortable working across gameplay, backend integration, and lightweight tooling for tracking early metrics. In a previous project involving a live in-game economy, we had to continuously rebalance based on player behavior, which required a similar mindset of rapid iteration and data-informed decisions.

For pacing, short cycles—around 3 to 5 days per iteration—tend to work well in my experience. It keeps things moving while still allowing enough time to evaluate properly.

I usually share progress in small, frequent updates rather than waiting for something fully complete. It keeps alignment tight and reduces unnecessary rework.

Budget-wise, I’m flexible at this stage and prefer to align once the first milestone is clearly defined.

I’m curious—when you evaluate early prototypes, do you prioritize retention metrics first, or initial acquisition performance?
Also, do you already have a preferred setup for analytics and testing, or is that still open?

It feels like an environment where thoughtful execution really matters. I’d be glad to explore how we can shape something that scales.

Mobile game builds are more than Unity — IAP, App Store compliance, leaderboards, social layer all need to be right from day one. We're HiQByte, a senior mobile engineering team. Rather than a 50/50 equity search with an unknown co-founder, a scoped contract gives you speed and full ownership. We've shipped production mobile apps. Want to see how that looks?
hiqbyte@gmailcom

Great share! Building in public creates real accountability. What's been the most surprising response from the community so far?

Sounds like a fun idea, especially if you’re focusing on quick iterations and testing game concepts fast. You might get more traction if you mention what kind of games you’re aiming for (hyper-casual, puzzle, etc.) and what stage you’re currently at (idea, prototype, or already built something).

I would be glad to explore the opportunity to work with you. We can connect via email at [email protected]
Additionally, could you please share your LinkedIn profile?
I look forward to discussing this further.

"Transitioning from 10+ SaaS ventures into hybrid-casual gaming is a bold move—your 'test aggressively' mindset is exactly what that market requires. Prototyping fast is the only way to find those scalable hits.
Since you're in the 'fast prototype' phase, you should enter your best concept into this competition-- “Prize pool just opened at $0. Your odds are genuinely the best they'll ever be.
$19 entry. Winner gets a real trip to Tokyo — flights and hotel booked by us.
Round 01 closes at 100 entries. tokyolore.com”

Hello, Berkay

This sounds aligned with the kind of work I enjoy. I have 9+ years of experience with Unity and full-stack development, including building and managing game servers (Node.js) and developing supporting web infrastructure.

I’m comfortable working across the full product - from core gameplay and prototyping to backend systems - and I’m used to fast iteration and execution-focused environments.

Would be great to learn more about your current concepts and how you’re approaching testing and scaling. Happy to start part-time and explore fit.

I sent you cold email
Best,
Lucy Lee

This is interesting, finding the right technical cofounder is always tough, especially when it comes to matching vision and mindset. I’m actually working on something around helping people find collaborators based on how they think and what they want to build, so this really resonates. Happy to chat if it sounds relevant