Avia Video games talks charity, controversy, and 9th anniversary: “We predict we have now all the time been compliant to the regulation”

• Avia Video games has surpassed 60 million installs over 9 years.
• Vickie Chen talks values and empowerment on the women-led corporate.

Over 9 years within the {industry}, cellular video games maker Avia Video games has grown its portfolio to greater than 15 video games, 60 million downloads and 450m per month tournaments.

The ladies-led startup has since reworked into an international corporate identified for its skill-based video games like Solitaire Conflict, Bingo Conflict and Bingo Excursion, and has used its rising presence to advertise charity projects like Play for Paws.

Avia Video games has additionally reached 500,000 lovers on its Fb web page.

However this higher a part of a decade hasn’t been completely easy crusing, as the corporate has additionally been hit through controversy just like the accusation of the usage of bots, and a patent infringement lawsuit.

To speak about how the corporate has navigated ahead, persevered previous controversy, and engaged avid gamers for such a lot of years, we discuss with founder and CEO Vickie Chen, who talks including “extra selection” to Avia’s lineup.

She notes that, these days, 4 of its titles are “most sensible performers” and Solitaire Conflict is the flagship. Whilst she will’t divulge explicit financials, Chen does ascertain that Avia’s portfolio makes 9 figures in annual income.

“Attaining the ones achievements – like over 60m downloads – has been the end result of each product focal point and advertising and marketing. At the product facet, we’ve stayed dedicated to handing over honest, skill-based gameplay supported through robust reside ops and a matchmaking set of rules,” says Chen.

“On the identical time, we’ve began to actively construct Avia as an organization emblem, shifting past simply sport titles. This shift opened the door to a spread of collaborations that experience amplified our expansion, from influencer partnerships to cross-industry collaborations.”

She notes that Avia’s $60m in investment has additionally enabled the corporate to scale.

9 years of trade

Reflecting on 9 years, Chen suggests Avia Video games has demonstrated what number of other genres may also be become skill-based video games.

“We began with a solitaire sport, then had a bingo sport. In a while we had a bubble taking pictures sport. We additionally introduced and recreated a poo sport into this style,” she says.

“This presentations now not handiest how a long way we’ve come but additionally our function to carry a laugh, skill-based gaming reviews to avid gamers all over the place.”

And as Avia’s portfolio has scaled up, so too has its group. The corporate these days employs round 500 humans, and Chen celebrates that roughly 40% of them are females, “which may be very uncommon within the gaming {industry}”. A lot of the ones females have grown into management roles, and a people-focused corporate tradition emphasises the significance of inclusivity.

“9 years in the past after we first began, our primary function used to be simply to live on and produce a laugh skill-based video games to avid gamers. Now, our tradition has in point of fact grown up. It is about transparent values, hanging avid gamers first, shifting rapid and staying inventive, chasing expansion, taking duty, and taking a look after the long-term wellbeing of our groups.

“I believe as a result of we’re women-founded, we care about our avid gamers and we care about our staff so much.”

Extra widely, Chen notes the {industry} has been via “numerous transformations” since 2016. Regulatory adjustments in India are a few of the newest primary shifts, with this August having noticed a invoice introduced into regulation simply two days after its proposal. Abruptly, real-money video games were banned within the nation, a transfer that wiped billions off the marketplace.

Avia Video games is headquartered in america, now not India, however its video games do contain real-money festival and had been in the past to be had within the nation. So, we ask whether or not the ban has had any primary affect on operations – and whether or not Chen is concerned concerning the possibility of sweeping regulatory adjustments in different places.

“General, I am not involved,” she stocks.

“It is a pity that this entire class in India mainly disappeared – I heard the scoop a couple of weeks in the past when I used to be at Gamescom – however we’re very lucky that our focal point is on america marketplace and Ecu markets. In those areas, rules round iGaming, esports and skill-based video games are a lot clearer and it’s very solid.

“So in america and Europe, skill-based gaming is moderately other from iGaming. It is about honest festival and informal a laugh, and the avid gamers in point of fact like it as a result of it is extra rewarding. It meets the avid gamers’ wishes. So we’re very assured that there’s nonetheless larger doable for this class.”

On the identical time, Chen recognizes some restrictions do pose demanding situations, and confirms that international insurance policies are monitored intently in order that Avia can adapt its technique marketplace through marketplace.

“Transparency, duty and empowerment”

It’s unattainable to mirror on Avia Video games’ legacy with out confronting the talk of 2023, when fellow cellular video games platform Skillz accused Bingo Conflict of being rigged in opposition to avid gamers and a “copycat” of one among its personal video games.

Chen fought again on the time, arguing that Avia didn’t use bots in multiplayer video games involving genuine cash.

In 2024 a jury dominated that Bingo Conflict did infringe on a patent – awarding Skillz a $42.9m victory.

“It used to be very unlucky that we had that litigation. We predict we have now all the time been compliant to the regulation, to all of the rules,” Chen tells us now.

“I can’t communicate an excessive amount of about the main points of the litigation, however for us as an organization, we have now been maintaining on following our core rules like hanging avid gamers first, being leading edge, and making steady enhancements – on what we’re construction and giving again to society. So, I do not believe we’re suffering from the litigation.”

Chen provides that transparency, duty and empowerment are vital values to her. She believes in “embedding social obligations into our tradition”, and demonstrates how this manifests within the context of charity.

Avia Video games has an ongoing dedication to toughen animal welfare, for instance. There are two rescue cats within the place of job, which the workers love and obtain love from whilst at paintings. And, lately, the corporate held a month-long initiative known as Play for Paws with the no-kill animal safe haven Nevade SPCA.

The collaboration came about to rejoice Avia’s 9th anniversary and noticed 5 cents donated to the safe haven for each sport of Solitaire Conflict or Bingo Excursion performed. Between August and September, $222,100 used to be donated along with 14,470 kilos of pet food.

“Campaigns like this now not handiest draw engagement and natural sharing, but additionally create deeper emotional bonds with our avid gamers, proving that they worth leisure that carries objective,” Chen says.

“Our advertising and marketing group and our product group labored in combination to design this marketing campaign. It presentations how our venture has expanded from natural leisure worth to construction a emblem that avid gamers can agree with – one that mixes a laugh with significant objective.”

Chen additionally highlights quicker bills as a mirrored image of her values, noting how, in the beginning, it took roughly 3 days for a participant to obtain prize cash received in Avia’s video games, however now it may be as fast as a couple of hours.

In spite of everything, she explores “empowerment” as giving humans the consideration, agree with and freedom they want to take dangers and develop. Chen means that those emotions make groups “courageous” sufficient to take a look at new issues, to experiment, and to create one thing new.

“As a pacesetter, I see my position as growing an atmosphere the place each voice is heard, the place females have probabilities to steer, and the place each group member is aware of their contributions subject. That is how we construct resilience and creativity in combination.”