Although independent game developers enjoy greater creative freedom and autonomy, can iterate quickly based on feedback, and have a higher chance of delivering unique gaming experiences that attract loyal players, in reality they face serious challenges. For example, the indie gaming space is highly competitive; without strong marketing, a unique selling point, or effective community building, a project is unlikely to succeed. Typically, indie teams must rely on creativity and cost-conscious strategies, such as rapid prototyping and fast iteration based on player feedback. If internal departments are poorly managed or execution and coordination are weak, the team may struggle to update features in line with player preferences, leading to delayed development, bugs, and feature creep. Rather than enhancing player experience and game uniqueness, these issues can result in a new game launching with more problems than benefits. Today, our focus is on Top Games Inc., exploring what this independent game studio has achieved in 2025 — how it has kept the classic strategy game Evony: The King’s Return “more fascinating” for over nine years, built an impressive base of loyal players and strong annual revenue, refined its gameplay through continuous updates, and introduced a new “Squad-based” management approach in 2025.
Top Games’ Location: Cheyenne, Wyoming
Founded in 2015, Top Games’ U.S. office is located in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The company has produced multiple high-quality titles across different genres, enjoyed by players in over 150 countries and supported in more than 25 languages. In 2025, the company ventured into RPG games with the release of Run! Goddess, a casual game combining elements of parkour, action, shooting, strategy, character development, and card collection.
Top Games Inc.’s co-founder and CEO, David Guo, has consistently emphasized high-quality game development as the team’s core value and goal, while striving for global expansion and reaching more target audiences. Evony: The King’s Return, launched in 2016, quickly captured global mobile market share with its aggressive growth strategy, repeatedly ranking in the top 20 on both Google Play and the Apple App Store. By 2022, it had propelled this independent studio into the spotlight: according to Data.ai, Evony: The King’s Return ranked 5th in the list of Top Ten US-Headquartered Mid-Core Games. Last year, the game’s revenue reached $299.7 million—a remarkable achievement in the indie development space.
Evony’s Innovation in 2025
Beyond hosting major annual all-star events, the Evony team continued to introduce new gameplay, such as historic cities. For example, in October, the game added the historic city Alexandria in version 5.10.0, optimizing several features:
- Dwarf’s Lucky Apple Event Optimization: improved interface display, “Wish x10” and “Wish x100” buttons to reduce repetitive actions.
- Event Reward Collection Optimization: smoother reward claim animations for Garuda Trial, World Boss, and Civilization Card events.
- Login Rewards Improvement: the rewards screen now automatically scrolls to the latest progress chest.
In January 2025, the Civilization Card feature was introduced and received positive player feedback. Players can access it through the Art Hall once their Keep reaches level 25. Card packs contain Civilization Cards, each with a unique series, name, fixed rarity, and upgradeable quality. Rarities range from Common to Epic, and borders indicate upgradeable materials from Silver to Diamond. Personally, I also enjoy this feature.
Top Games Inc.’s Management Upgrades in 2025
Previously, the company had a flat organizational structure. In early 2025, CEO David Guo reorganized the team into “squads.” He implemented a commander-and-buddy system to streamline daily work, improve communication, and speed up task completion. David emphasized that each member should maximize their potential within the squad. This approach fosters autonomy, rapid response, and alignment between individual, squad, and company goals. It also provides resources for personal and small-team growth.
“Squads can make decisions autonomously, reducing bureaucracy and cross-department communication costs, while interfacing directly with senior commanders. For individuals, this is a rare opportunity to take clear responsibility, use data-driven decisions, and understand defined roles. Strong squads make a strong company. Through high standards and high performance, we aim to cultivate a corporate culture capable of rapid innovation and extraordinary quality in a highly competitive market,” David Guo explained.
As noted earlier, independent developers face both advantages and challenges. In the fiercely competitive mobile game market, Top Games Inc. continues to optimize internal operations, focusing on people, encouraging creativity and initiative, and promoting talent development and inspiration. Their success reflects a highly collaborative and responsive team built over years of experience. Looking ahead, the studio is expected to create more innovative cross-genre games. As David puts it:
“A good game is not just a hobby or entertainment, but a way of life.”
