DECA Games

What DECA Games does

DECA Games (legally Deca Live Operations GmbH) is an indie game publisher founded in 2016 in Berlin by Ken Go, the former executive producer for Kingdoms of Camelot at Kabam. The company specializes exclusively in live operations for free-to-play games, acquiring titles whose original developers can no longer support them and reinvigorating them through community engagement, regular content updates, bug fixes, balance changes, and live events. Its portfolio spans over 20 live games across browser, mobile, and PC platforms, including Realm of the Mad God, Knights & Dragons, DragonVale, Dead Trigger 2, Celtic Heroes, Shadowgun Legends, Almost a Hero, and The Walking Dead: No Man's Land. Under the hood, DECA runs a multi-platform identity and payments layer built on integrations with Facebook Login, Google Play Games, Apple Sign In, Steam (OpenID), Amazon Games, Epic Games, and regional providers (VK Play, Samsung, Xiaomi), with payments processed through Xsolla/Suraway and Appcharge, hosted on AWS and Google Cloud.

The company monetizes on a free-to-play basis, generating revenue from in-app purchases of virtual currency (gems, gold, coins), webshop transactions offering web-exclusive deals and loyalty programs, and premium content unlocks. Distribution channels include Apple App Store, Google Play, Steam, web browsers, and game-specific webshops. DECA operates two legal entities—Deca Live Operations GmbH in Berlin and Deca Games EOOD in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria—and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Embracer Group, with financials consolidated within the parent's reported results. Customer acquisition is community-led, relying on Reddit engagement, YouTuber partnerships, beta tester programs, and in-game messaging rather than paid marketing; this approach is credited with doubling Daily Active Users on Realm of the Mad God within one year of takeover without any marketing spend.

Name

DECA Games

Legal name

Deca Live Operations GmbH

Website

https://decagames.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

DECA Games is an indie publisher and wholly-owned Embracer Group subsidiary that acquires aging free-to-play games and reinvigorates them through live operations, serving millions of players across mobile, browser, and PC platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Gaming / Free-to-Play Games

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Player Support & Community Operations (Customer Support, Moderation, CRM) (MPAFAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Porting, Remastering & Platform Adaptation Services (PC/Console/Mobile/VR) (MPAFAKAN)

Keywords

• Live operations services
• Free-to-play games
• Game publishing
• Indie game publisher
• Games-as-a-service

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Free-to-Play In-App Purchases: DECA operates games on a free-to-play model with virtual currency purchases, premium features, and in-game item transactions. Players spend on virtual goods, cosmetics, and gameplay advantages.
2. Virtual Currency (Gems/Premium Currency): Games include fictional credits ('gems', 'gold', 'coins') that players purchase with real money. Virtual currency is non-refundable and has no cash value outside the game ecosystem.
3. Webshop Purchases: DECA operates webshops for games (e.g., Knights & Dragons, Dead Trigger 2) offering web-exclusive deals, gems bundles, and loyalty programs accessed in-game or through web portals.
4. In-App Purchases (Mobile Games): Additional game versions and content available for purchase within mobile games, processed through platform operators (Apple App Store, Google Play) or payment service providers (Xsolla/Suraway).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

DECA Games is an indie publisher that acquires free-to-play games whose original developers can no longer support them and runs long-term live operations on those titles. The company manages a portfolio of 20+ live games across browser, mobile, and PC platforms, generating revenue through in-app purchases of virtual currency and premium content. Its core service is game revivification — combining regular content updates, community engagement, live events, bug fixes, and balance changes to extend game lifespans by years.

Product overview

DECA Games is an indie game publisher completely focused on live operations and games-as-a-service. The company specializes in taking over and reinvigorating games that are aging or when original developers can no longer support them. DECA operates a portfolio of over 20 live games spanning multiple platforms (browser, mobile, PC) and genres including action MMORPGs (Realm of the Mad God), action RPGs (Knights & Dragons, Gods & Glory), idle games (Almost a Hero), survival shooters (Unkilled, Dead Trigger series), fantasy RPGs (Celtic Heroes, Castle Age), and strategy games (Dragons of Atlantis, Elves vs. Dwarves). The company's core value proposition is providing long-term support, regular content updates, community engagement, and live events for acquired games. DECA Live Operations GmbH, headquartered in Berlin, Germany, is part of the Embracer Group.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Realm of the Mad God: The first ever free to play Bullet Hell MMO. Team up with dozens of players and battle through the Realm of the Mad God.
• Knights & Dragons
• Zombie Catchers
• DragonVale
• Almost a Hero
• Gods & Glory
• Robbery Bob
• Castle Age HD
• Celtic Heroes
• Unkilled
• Dead Trigger
• Shadowgun Legends
• The Walking Dead: No Man's Land

Products and services

• Realm of the Mad God The first ever free-to-play Bullet Hell MMO. Action RPG where players team up to battle through the Realm of the Mad God, Oryx, featuring retro 8-bit style graphics, over 15 classes, and hundreds of items to discover.
• Knights & Dragons Action PVP game where players build teams of heroes and recruit online players to battle monsters, featuring fast-paced combat, loot collection, and weapon/armor crafting. Includes in-game webshop for gems bundles and a loyalty program.
• Zombie Catchers Casual action adventure game set in a futuristic world riddled by a zombie invasion, where intergalactic businessmen A.J. and Bud hunt zombies to build a business empire selling Zombie juice.
• DragonVale Dragon collecting park simulator game where players breed, hatch, and raise over 500 different mythical dragons in a fantasy park; described as the most popular dragon collecting game in the world.
• Almost a Hero Idle RPG featuring deeply unique and flawed individuals chosen for greatness; players combine heroes to beat endless waves of enemies across multiple modes.
• Gods & Glory RPG Action MMO Strategy game where players dive into battle with heroes, conquer lands for resources, build a capital, and harness the power of the gods.
• Robbery Bob Action stealth adventure game following burglar Bob, who is forced into a few final jobs before being allowed to leave the criminal life.
• Robbery Bob 2 Action stealth adventure sequel in which luckless burglar Bob returns to sneak around security guards and evade cunning traps for loot.
• Castle Age HD Fantasy RPG where players band together with allies, collect weapons and magic, and lead an army of Knights, Elves, Wizards, and Dragons to defeat the demon Mephistopheles.
• Elves vs. Dwarves Strategy game where players form Alliances as Elves or Dwarves to build empires and dominate the realm.
• Dragons of Atlantis Strategy game where players raise and train a legendary army of dragons and build epic kingdoms to battle against millions of online players in the ancient realm of Atlantis.
• Heroes of Camelot RPG Multiplayer Battle Card Game where players assemble, evolve, and enhance hundreds of powerful heroes across ten Arthurian lands to battle for survival.
• Kingdoms of Camelot: Battle Strategy game in which players answer Arthur's call to save the Kingdom from savage Picts invading Northern Britain.
• Underworld Empire Social Crime MMO where players choose allegiances to criminal empires — CARTEL, SYNDICATE, MAFIA, or STREET GANGS.
• Call me a Legend RPG simulation game where players get rich, gain power, and survive zombie threats.
• Call me a Gangsta Action game where players execute heists, build underground empires, and become notorious criminals in a corrupt city.
• Celtic Heroes 3D MMORPG set in a world of magic, warfare, and adventure in which players fight monsters, dragons, and bosses in a true open-world fantasy MMO.
• Unkilled Zombie-themed FPS game with intense PvP action in which players team up with friends to fight the undead apocalypse.
• Samurai II: Vengeance RPG following Daisuke's quest for revenge across war-scorched countryside, from seafaring villages to the legendary Isle of the Dead.
• Dead Trigger 1 Zombie-themed FPS shooter featuring extreme zombie slaying action and non-stop gameplay.
• Dead Trigger 2 Zombie FPS game in which players rise up and fight for survival in a heart-stopping first-person shooter adventure; available with in-game webshop for weapons and bundles.
• Shadowgun Legends Sci-fi shooter in which players fight an alien invasion as legendary Shadowgun warriors, featuring an epic story campaign, competitive PvP, and co-op modes.
• The Walking Dead: No Man's Land Turn-based tactical RPG based on AMC's The Walking Dead TV show where players collect characters, gather resources, and defend bases in a post-apocalyptic world.
• DECA Live Operations Services Expert live operations services for free-to-play games, including community management, content updates, bug fixes, balancing changes, live events, and long-term game revitalization. DECA takes over aging games when original developers can no longer support them, migrating them onto DECA infrastructure and operating them as games-as-a-service on browser, mobile, and PC.

Quantifiable outcome

• Doubled DAU on Realm of the Mad God within one year without marketing spend
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration20 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Meta Platforms (Facebook)coreTechnology or IntegrationFacebook Login integration allows players to create or link accounts using their Facebook credentials. Meta shares player name, date of birth, gender, email, and friend connections who also play the game.
• GooglecoreTechnology or IntegrationGoogle Play Games Services integration for account creation and linking. Google shares gamer ID, profile image, and activity data. Google Analytics used for website tracking.
• ApplecoreTechnology or IntegrationSign in with Apple feature allows players to create or link accounts using Apple ID. Apple shares name and email (or generates a unique forwarding address for privacy).
• Valve (Steam)coreTechnology or IntegrationSteam Login via OpenID allows players to create or link accounts using Steam credentials. Valve shares unique Steam ID and public profile information.
• Amazon GamescoreTechnology or IntegrationAmazon Games Login allows players to create or link accounts using Amazon credentials. Amazon may share Amazon Games ID, linked email, and account identifier.
• Epic GamescoreTechnology or IntegrationSign in with Epic Games allows players to create or link accounts. Epic shares Epic Account ID, display name, and email for identity verification and account linking.
• Suraway (Xsolla)coreTechnology or IntegrationPayment service provider used for in-app purchases and transaction processing. Handles payment data including name, user ID, email, IP address, and payment amounts for processing and tax purposes.
• Embracer GroupflagshipOthersDECA Games (Deca Live Operations GmbH) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Embracer Group. Embracer is a global gaming company with multiple studios across PC/console and mobile gaming.
• CloudflarecoreTechnology or IntegrationContent delivery network used to accelerate display of content and websites, shorten loading times, and ensure reliable/stable display during high traffic. Processes IP address, browser configuration, and traffic data.
• Amazon Web ServicescoreTechnology or IntegrationCloud infrastructure provider for hosting games and services. AWS listed as one of DECA's main service providers for data processing.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kabam: Free-to-play mobile and social game developer/publisher (Marvel Contest of Champions, formerly Kingdoms of Camelot). DECA's founder Ken Go was an executive producer at Kabam, and Kabam sold DECA the Realm of the Mad God rights — directly comparable operating model and heritage.
• Jam City: Mobile and social game developer/publisher (Cookie Jam, Disney Mirrorverse). Operates F2P live games across mobile with long-term content updates, paralleling DECA's live ops focus.
• Scopely: Mobile-first F2P publisher (Monopoly GO, Stumble Guys) that has aggressively acquired studios and game catalogs. Comparable to DECA's M&A-led growth model and live ops monetization approach.
• Playrix: Top-grossing mobile F2P casual game publisher (Homescapes, Gardenscapes). Similar to DECA in operating live F2P titles at scale with deep live ops capabilities.
• Zynga: Major free-to-play mobile and browser game publisher with a portfolio of social/casual games. Most directly comparable to DECA as a publisher of F2P titles reliant on IAP and live operations at scale.
• Playstudios: Mobile game developer and publisher of free-to-play casual and social games with a long-tail live ops approach. Comparable in the F2P publishing + long-term engagement model.

Emerging players

• Miniclip: Swiss-based mobile and browser game publisher (8 Ball Pool, Agar.io) that operates a long-tail F2P portfolio. Comparable in maintaining and operating legacy F2P titles across platforms.
• Stillfront Group: Swedish gaming group that acquires and operates live free-to-play mobile and browser games. Closest listed peer to DECA's 'acquire and revive long-tail F2P' playbook, with very similar M&A-led growth strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Electronic Arts (EA Mobile/King): Major gaming incumbent with a large F2P mobile portfolio via King (Candy Crush) and EA Mobile. A potential seller of long-tail titles to DECA-style acquirers and a comparable large-scale live ops operator.
• Activision Blizzard: Diversified gaming incumbent with major F2P mobile titles (Diablo Immortal, Call of Duty Mobile). Overlaps with DECA in the live ops and F2P mobile space at a much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/knightsanddragonsgame
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/deca-games

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A4 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DECA Games