There's just a little time left until the New Year, but that doesn't stop us from continuing to summarize the year with gaming industry experts. This time, we have Alexander Kirov, the Director of Development at "Pikabu," in the spotlight.
How did 2025 turn out for your gaming platform from a business perspective?
Alexander: 2025 was the first truly complete year of operation for "Pikabu Games," and it proved to be a very confident start for us. Currently, the platform is used by about 550,000 unique users per month, and we've surpassed our own expectations on key metrics.
The platform is steadily growing month over month and has already learned to generate revenue—primarily through in-game purchases. However, we're realistically looking toward the future: as the audience grows, so do costs, so advertising will become an additional, carefully integrated source of revenue. Our task is to find a balance between a sustainable economy and a comfortable user experience.
Tell us how the platform changed from a product standpoint over the year?
Alexander: 2025 was a year of experimentation and finding the optimal user experience for us. We've reworked the homepage several times, the game page format, and tested different approaches to ranking and the rating system. All changes were driven by one goal—to make game selection easier and the gaming experience more comfortable.
Towards the end of the year, we added gamification mechanics. For players, this is a new layer of engagement—competition, experience, leaderboards. For developers, it’s an additional channel to promote their projects. We are seeing positive feedback and plan to further develop gamification as a tool for retention and growth.
What key changes occurred on the platform in terms of its products/market trends/genres?
Alexander: One of the most noticeable trends is the growing interest in cooperative games, especially with full-fledged multiplayer. This is a common trend throughout the gaming industry, and the web is no exception.
However, the "classics" are not going anywhere: genres like merge and match-3 have been holding leading positions for several years now. These are understandable, accessible mechanics with high engagement, and interest in them remains stable.
How has the situation with developers changed over the reporting period? Have there been more or fewer of them, are they earning more, and are they releasing products on the platform more or less frequently?
Alexander: In 2025, we've seen increased developer interest in the platform. "Pikabu Games" has more active studios and indie teams regularly releasing new projects and updates.
Developers have started to better understand the platform's audience and its capabilities—this directly reflects on the quality and commercial potential of the games. For some teams, "Pikabu Games" has already become a stable source of income, rather than an experimental platform. Our goal is to continue lowering the entry threshold and helping developers earn more without complicating the product.
Has player behavior changed over 2025 in terms of spending, time spent in games, or possibly the user profile?
Alexander: By the end of the year, we noticed a shift in the audience towards men, even though the approaches to attracting users hadn't changed. At the same time, ARPPU decreased, but the average purchase remained about the same.
This suggests that players are still willing to spend money on games but do so less frequently. This is likely a reflection of the overall economic situation: users are becoming more cautious with entertainment spending.
What trends within the platform do you expect to strengthen or emerge in 2026?
Alexander: In 2026, we expect the trend for social and competitive mechanics to strengthen—cooperation, leaderboards, in-game events. Players want more than just playing; they want to interact with each other and feel progress.
From developers, we expect greater interest in the live approach: regular updates, events, and working on retention. The platform will increasingly support such scenarios.
What can be expected from the platform in 2026?
Alexander: Just like 2025, 2026 will be a year of establishment and conscious growth for "Pikabu Games." We will continue experimenting with formats, retention mechanics, and ways of interacting with players.
A separate focus is the economy for developers: we're looking for ways to increase their income without deteriorating user experience. Also, in 2026, we plan to make the first step towards our own SDK—currently at the research and technical preparation stage. We aim to offer a quality and mature solution rather than rushing out a raw product.