Deconstructor of Fun 315. From Space Ape to Duolingo via Supercell with Simon Hade
Dec 15, 2025
Simon Hade, co-founder of Space Ape Games and later a key player at Duolingo, shares his journey through the gaming industry and beyond. He dives into the challenges of fundraising and the importance of cohesive teams at Playfish and Space Ape. Simon discusses the lean LiveOps philosophy that attracted Supercell and the complexities of music game licensing at NextBeat. He contrasts the intrinsic motivations behind learning apps versus games while revealing the relentless optimization culture at Duolingo. His insights highlight the emotional costs of being a founder and the importance of curiosity in staying driven.
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Lucky Launch Cohort
- Simon joined Playfish after Skype to learn mobile and games as an entry point into mobile product work.
- He benefited hugely from leaving Playfish as a group, hiring 12 people at launch and raising on team credibility.
Focus On Top 1% Players
- Target a narrow, high-value player segment rather than copying a mass-market competitor.
- Focus product and live-ops on that top 1% to maximize monetization efficiency.
Theme Killed A Great Game
- Rival Kingdoms was critically acclaimed with deep systems but failed to scale due to a niche, dark theme.
- Space Ape raised a Series C to chase marketing but hit a $25 CPI ceiling and couldn't scale.