Lumen Games

What Lumen Games does

Lumen Games is a Brazil-based custom game development studio founded in 2004 by Tiago Melo and headquartered in Aracaju. The studio operates a B2B professional services model, building custom games, supporting mobile production pipelines, and providing live operations and roadmap execution for external clients. Since 2015, it has specialized in mobile game development using Unity 3D as the primary engine, with C# for game scripting and Smartfox Server for backend multiplayer infrastructure. Its work spans the full mobile game lifecycle from early prototyping and playtesting through soft launch and long-term live operations.

The studio's portfolio includes original IP titles such as Hemp Paradise, Merge Potions, Operation Abaporu, Zombies ate my Pizza, Traffic Slam Arena, and Rob the Rich — distributed globally through Google Play, the Apple App Store, and web platforms — alongside licensed IP and custom development projects including The Goldbergs: Back to the 80s (developed for Sony Pictures Television), H18 Mission/Plantom Challenge, The Fastest Cars in the West, and Stake Your Stash (developed for Candide and other clients). Revenue is generated through three streams: B2B custom game development contracts (professional services), licensed IP royalty arrangements, and freemium in-app monetization on original IP titles. Named enterprise clients include Sony Pictures Television, Candide, and the Brazilian government (via Inovapps).

The company is privately held, founder-owned, and operates without disclosed institutional funding or parent company relationships. The team size is stated as 11–50 employees with project teams of 5–7 people, consistent with a small, senior-practitioner studio model.

Name

Lumen Games

Legal name

Lumen Games

Website

https://lumen.games

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lumen Games is a Brazil-based custom mobile game development studio founded in 2004 that builds Unity-based games, supports live operations, and develops original IP for enterprise clients and global app stores.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Game Development Services

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Co-Development, Porting & Remaster Studios (MPAFAAAM)

Keywords

• Mobile game development
• Custom game studio
• Unity 3d development
• Live operations support
• Licensed ip games

Headquarters

HQ city

Aracaju

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Game Development Services: B2B custom game development services where Lumen Games acts as an external development team, building games for other companies. Revenue comes from development contracts for mobile and web games, including both client-side (Unity 3D) and backend development.
2. Licensed Game Development: Development of games based on licensed intellectual property, such as The Goldbergs: Back to the 80s for Sony Pictures Television, generating revenue through licensing agreements.
3. Original IP Development: Development and publishing of original game titles such as Merge Potions, Hemp Paradise, Operation Abaporu, and Zombies ate my Pizza. These free-to-play mobile games generate revenue through in-app monetization.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Lumen Games is a Brazil-based custom game development studio with 22 years of industry experience that builds custom games, supports mobile production, and helps live games evolve through better content, systems, updates, and roadmap execution. The studio offers full-cycle mobile game development services ranging from early prototypes and technical prototyping to production planning, soft launch execution, and long-term live operations, primarily using Unity 3D, C#, and Smartfox Server.

Product overview

Lumen Games is a Brazil-based custom game development studio with 22 years of industry experience that builds custom games, supports mobile production, and helps live games evolve through better content, systems, updates, and roadmap execution. The studio's portfolio includes both original IP games (Hemp Paradise, Merge Potions, Operation Abaporu, Traffic Slam Arena, Zombies ate my Pizza, Rob the Rich) and licensed/contract development games (The Goldbergs: Back to the 80s, H18 Mission and Plantom Challenge, The Fastest Cars in the West, Stake Your Stash). They specialize in Unity 3D development and offer services from early prototypes through live operations, with expertise in game design, production, product management, and creative direction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hemp Paradise A free city-building weed-growing simulator game where players raise a hemp resort, farm marijuana strains, create products, and build dope buildings on a tropical island paradise. Free-to-play mobile game with in-app monetization.
• The Goldbergs: Back to the 80s A mobile tap-to-play game based on the TV show where players help Goldberg characters climb the Cool List by collecting Cool Points, upgrading hangouts, and completing popularity challenges in 1980s Jenkintown. Developed under license from Sony Pictures Television with in-app purchases.
• Merge Potions A magical puzzle merge game where players slide and connect identical potions to merge them into improved versions, with power-ups to swap, replace, destroy, or shuffle potions across 15 different potion types.
• Operation Abaporu A free mobile investigation game where players take on the role of a clumsy investigator searching for the valuable Brazilian Abaporu painting, talking to witnesses, collecting clues, breaking codes, and analyzing security camera images.
• Traffic Slam Arena A web-based car crash and destruction game where players drive vehicles in an arena and smash opponents using nitro boost and handbrake maneuvers to cause maximum destruction.
• Zombies ate my Pizza A zombie outbreak mobile game where players must defeat zombies while still delivering pizzas, including combat, treasure chests, character upgrades, and world-saving missions.
• H18 Mission and Plantom Challenge Two RC helicopter racing games developed for Candide toy advertisement campaign, featuring gameplay in playful and haunted house environments with online ranking.
• Stake Your Stash A custom quiz game for up to 4 players with betting mechanics, multiple categories, localization support, and scalable multiplayer environment developed with Unity 3D and Smartfox Server.
• The Fastest Cars in the West A web-based RC car racing game set in a Western desert theme developed for Candide, featuring online ranking and custom contests as part of an advertisement campaign. Developed in Unity 3D.
• Rob the Rich A mobile game with top-down perspective gameplay featuring screenshot-based visual evidence from the portfolio.
• Custom Game Development Services Full-cycle custom game development services for client companies, spanning product strategy, prototyping, playtesting, Unity production, soft launch execution, live operations, and long-term roadmap planning. Sells external game development team capacity rather than a packaged product.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully developed and shipped multiple mobile games across various genres including action, puzzle, quiz, simulation, and adventure
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Sony Pictures TelevisioncoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2020Licensed IP partnership for The Goldbergs: Back to the 80s mobile game. Lumen Games developed the game based on the TV show intellectual property owned by Sony Pictures Television, featuring characters from the series with in-app purchases and gameplay mechanics.
• Inovapps - Brazilian GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Brazilian government initiative through Inovapps. Lumen Games developed Operation Abaporu, a free mobile investigation game featuring Brazilian culture and art. The game involves finding the famous Abaporu painting and includes cultural elements of Brazil.
• CandidecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011One of the biggest Brazilian toy manufacturers. Lumen Games developed custom advertising campaign games for Candide including The Fastest Cars in the West (2011) and H18 Mission/Plantom Challenge games featuring Candide's radio-controlled helicopter toy products. Games included online rankings and contest features as part of ad campaigns.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Keywords Studios: Largest publicly listed provider of game development services including co-development, QA, localization, and art. Comparable to Lumen Games on the co-development and live-ops support side, but operates at significantly greater scale across many service lines.
• Voodoo: Global leader in hypercasual mobile games with a heavy emphasis on user acquisition and live operations. Comparable to Lumen Games as a publisher of casual mobile originals, but Voodoo operates at a vastly larger scale with proprietary UA infrastructure.

Direct peers

• Streamline Studios: Game co-development and porting studio with operations in Latin America and Europe. Comparable to Lumen Games on co-development services and similar cost-base profile, focused on outsourced production for publishers and IP holders.
• Lemon Sky Studios: Game art and co-development outsourcing studio working with major publishers on character, environment, and full production support. Comparable to Lumen Games on the B2B services model and Unity-based delivery, with a stronger art-services emphasis.
• Amber: Brazil-based game development services and co-development studio offering full-cycle production, art, and live operations support for publishers. Direct comparability to Lumen Games: same Brazil cost-base, same B2B co-development model, same Unity-centric mobile stack.
• Tilting Point: Mobile game publisher and co-developer that partners with studios on live operations, UA, and product evolution. Comparable to Lumen Games in the live-ops support and mobile publishing services layer.
• Virtuos: Large global co-development, porting, and art outsourcing studio serving AAA and mobile publishers. Direct comparability to Lumen Games: both operate a contract-development model around Unity/Unreal production, though Virtuos is materially larger and more geographically diversified.

Regional players

• GameHouse: Netherlands-rooted casual mobile game developer and publisher with a portfolio of puzzle and casual titles. Comparable to Lumen Games in the casual mobile genre and live-operated originals space, with stronger European distribution reach.

Emerging players

• Kwalee: UK-based hypercasual and casual mobile game developer and publisher. Comparable to Lumen Games in the casual mobile games category, including puzzle/merge subgenres similar to Merge Potions.
• Supersonic Studios: Hypercasual mobile game publisher backed by Unity. Comparable to Lumen Games in the casual mobile publishing/IP space (e.g., Hemp Paradise, Merge Potions), though Supersonic is far larger and built around paid UA at scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lumentechgames

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Lumen Games