Dabadu Games

What Dabadu Games does

Dabadu Games is a Barcelona-based independent mobile game studio founded in 2012 (per the company's own history) that develops and publishes original mobile games for global audiences. The studio has shipped four commercially released titles — It's Full of Sparks (2018, via NoodleCake), Shell Shocked (2019, via Rogue), Giant Dancing Plushies (2020, Google Play Pass launch title), and Hello Kitty and Friends Happiness Parade (2022, Netflix Games exclusive under Sanrio IP license) — across iOS, Android, and curated subscription platforms. Its core product capability is original game design and production for the casual/mid-core mobile segment, with no disclosed proprietary engine, AI/ML systems, or backend platform infrastructure beyond standard app-store and publisher-channel delivery.

The studio operates a partnership-driven business model: it produces games and monetizes them through a combination of royalty splits with named Western publishers (Rogue, NoodleCake), curated subscription-channel visibility deals (Netflix Games, Google Play Pass), and IP-licensing arrangements with major rights holders (Sanrio). Direct-to-consumer revenue flows through standard mobile app-store mechanisms (paid downloads, in-app purchases, advertising), while B2B revenue flows from publisher advance/royalty structures. Customers are fragmented end users globally — the breakout title It's Full of Sparks reached 2M+ downloads in its first week and Top 6 free downloads in China — but the studio's commercial counterparties (publishers, platforms, IP licensors) are a small, concentrated set.

With 1-10 employees, Dabadu Games operates as a micro-studio, relying on a tight production cycle and partner-led distribution rather than in-house publishing infrastructure. The studio's portfolio-level brand was validated by its 2018 Big Indie Fest win, and it has sustained production output at roughly one title per year through 2022, though no further releases have been disclosed since.

Name

Dabadu Games

Legal name

Dabadu Games

Website

https://dabadugames.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dabadu Games is a Barcelona-based independent mobile game studio (1-10 employees) that develops original casual/mid-core titles for iOS, Android, Netflix Games, and Google Play Pass, partnering with publishers like Rogue and NoodleCake and IP holders such as Sanrio to reach global mobile audiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Game Development

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Mobile Game Publishing & App Game Stores (BPAMAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mobile Game Stores & Alternative App Stores (MPAFACAD)

Keywords

• Mobile game development
• Casual mobile games
• Rhythm games
• Licensed IP games
• Children's educational apps

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Game Development for Publishers: Dabadu develops games for publishing partners who handle distribution and monetization. Partners include Rogue (Shell Shocked, Giant Dancing Plushies, Hello Kitty Happiness Parade) and NoodleCake (It's Full of Sparks). Revenue flows through publisher arrangements rather than direct consumer purchases.
2. Free-to-Play Mobile Games: Games are released as free downloads on Apple App Store and Google Play with in-app purchase monetization. Major hits like 'It's Full of Sparks' achieved 2 million downloads in first week, suggesting significant user acquisition and monetization through in-app purchases.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Dabadu Games is an independent mobile game development studio that designs and develops original aesthetic mobile games and licensed-IP titles for platforms, publishers, and streaming services. The studio creates high-quality, family-friendly games for iOS and Android, with selected titles distributed exclusively through partners such as Netflix Gaming and Google Play Pass.

Product overview

Dabadu Games is a Barcelona-based mobile game development studio that creates original games and collaborates with IP holders (Sanrio, Netflix) and publishing partners (Rogue, NoodleCake). The portfolio includes Hello Kitty and Friends Happiness Parade (rhythm parade game), Giant Dancing Plushies (rhythm game), Shell Shocked (card battle strategy game), and It's Full of Sparks (platform game), plus legacy titles Garden Lab and Dismonster for children. The company specializes in soft, funny, happy experiences with artistic quality targeting mobile platforms and subscription gaming services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hello Kitty and Friends Happiness Parade A rhythm-based mobile parade game featuring Hello Kitty and friends dancing through a fantasy world to bring happiness to inhabitants while avoiding Kuromi's mechanical traps. Released exclusively on the Netflix mobile gaming platform.
• Giant Dancing Plushies A light rhythm mobile game where players help giant Kaiju music-lover plushies conquer the planet through dancing. Features unlockable characters with upgradeable abilities, missions, and the ability to play with in-game or personal music sources.
• Shell Shocked A strategy card battle board game set in space where players choose pilots, optimize decks, complete levels, collect cards, join leagues, and battle friends in card-based combat.
• It's Full of Sparks A frantic platform mobile game where players guide unique firecrackers through chromatic controls and time-pressure challenges. Features metaphorical storytelling about the passing of time and meaning of life through firecracker characters.
• Garden Lab An educational mobile app for children where they learn about gardening through planting, watering, growing flowers, and experimenting with color mixing and shapes.
• Dismonster A shadow exploration game for children that helps them understand where shadows come from while destroying monsters they see in them.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2 million downloads in first week for It's Full of Sparks
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• NetflixcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2022Netflix gaming platform partnered with Dabadu Games and Rogue Co. for Hello Kitty and Friends Happiness Parade, exclusively launched on Netflix in 2022. This represents Dabadu's entry into streaming platform publishing.
• Google Play PassflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2020Google Play Pass selected Giant Dancing Plushies to inaugurate their subscription gaming service. This represents a flagship partnership that provided significant visibility for the game.
• RoguecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019Rogue Co. is a publishing partner for Dabadu Games. Partnered to publish Shell Shocked (2019) and Giant Dancing Plushies (2020). Both games received enthusiastic reception from public and critics, featured as Game of the Day in AppStore and selected by Apple Editors Team.
• NoodleCakecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2018NoodleCake is a publishing partner for It's Full of Sparks, released in 2018. The game achieved 2 million organic downloads in the first week, Game of the Day on AppStore globally, and continues to appear in best games lists.
• SanriocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSanrio IP (Hello Kitty and Friends) incorporated into Hello Kitty and Friends Happiness Parade developed with Rogue Co. for Netflix platform during 2021-2022.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Thunder Lotus Games: Indie studio behind Jotun and Spiritfarer with a strong identity around artistic quality and original concepts. Comparable in team size, independent funding posture, and aesthetic-first premium positioning.
• Rogue Co. Dabadu's publishing partner on multiple recent titles (Shell Shocked, Giant Dancing Plushies, Hello Kitty) — comparable boutique mobile publisher working at the same scale and with overlapping IP-holder relationships.
• Snowman: Canadian boutique studio behind Alto's Adventure/Odyssey — a leading example of an indie mobile studio building a brand around soft, optimistic, family-friendly aesthetics. Near-perfect peer on creative positioning and target audience.
• Hipster Whale: Australian indie mobile studio behind Crossy Road — analogous small-team model that produced a global mobile hit, useful comparator for what scaled indie success looks like from a similar starting point.
• Playdead: Small Danish studio behind Limbo and Inside — widely cited as a benchmark for artistic, premium mobile/console indie games. Same small-team, high-craft, editorial-driven model as Dabadu.
• Simogo: Swedish two-person studio behind Year Walk, Device 6, and Sayonara Wild Hearts — boutique, artistically distinct mobile/console games with strong editorial curation. Directly comparable in size, creative identity, and target audience overlap.
• NoodleCake: Publisher of It's Full of Sparks (2018), one of Dabadu's biggest commercial successes. Indie mobile publisher with similar portfolio profile and a direct track record of shepherding small-studio hits.
• ustwo games: Boutique studio behind Monument Valley, known for highly artistic mobile games that win editorial recognition. Closest analogue to Dabadu's aesthetic-quality positioning and small-team premium mobile model.

Regional players

• The Game Kitchen: Spanish indie studio behind Blasphemous — directly comparable in geography (Spanish indie ecosystem, Barcelona-adjacent talent pool) and boutique-studio economics, though active in a darker aesthetic category.

Broad incumbents

• Annapurna Interactive: Established publisher of artistically distinctive indie games across mobile and console. Comparable at the portfolio/positioning level (curated, quality-led) rather than at the studio-economics level, but a relevant benchmark for IP/licensing deal flow.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dabadugames
• Facebookfacebook.com/dabadugames
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dabadu-games
• Instagraminstagram.com/dabadugames

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Dabadu Games