Mike M.

About Mike M.

I am a studio leader and product visionary who builds games that scale — creatively and commercially.With an engineering foundation and a designer’s instinct, I’ve led teams from prototype to top-grossing success across mobile and PC. My career spans indie founding, venture-backed leadership, and production — consistently at the intersection of systems design, monetization, and player retention.Prior to founding Koin Games, I was a Founder of Rewardify where I created and then led User Acquisition of Match to Win a sweepstakes Match-3 title that reached Top 10 in the Casino category on Apple with reviews at 4.5 — proving repeat success in highly competitive, performance-driven markets.I went on to found Hidden Pixel, where we created Pool Payday, a real-money head-to-head eSports title that won the Skillz Indie Dev Challenge and became a Top 20 Sports game on Apple, earning reviews at a 4.6 average. The game combined competitive integrity, scalable backend architecture, and strong unit economics — a rare blend of design and engineering discipline.Prior to founding companies, I served as General Manager of Glu Seattle, overseeing production and operations for major live titles including:Deer Hunter 2014 — #1 Top Free,#5 Top Grossing on AppleDeer Hunter 2016Dino HunterAs well as Amazing Battle Creatures, SniperX, and Defenders & Dragons.Earlier in my career at Gas Powered Games, I contributed as Lead or Systems Designer on:Dungeon Siege IISupreme Commander I and IISpace SiegeDemigodAcross PC, F2P mobile, real-money competition, and sweepstakes platforms, my through-line is clear: Build durable systems. Empower teams. Ship games players love — and return to.I specialize in:Studio leadership & scaling teamsProduct vision & roadmap strategySystems design & economy tuningUser Acquisition, live ops & monetization optimizationCompetitive & real-money game designShipping at scale

Experience

1. Head of Studio & Founder

   Koin Games

   Sep 2022 — Present · Redmond, WA, US

   Creating a game where people collect cards, play for years and remember forever.

Education

• University of Oregon

  BS, Mathematics and Computer Science

  1995 — 1999

Skills

• Entrepreneurship
• Organizational Development
• Social Games
• Leadership
• Monetization
• Management
• Game Development
• Game Design
• Casual Games
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Coaching & Mentoring
• Hiring
• Mobile Games
• Strategy
• Production
• Agile Project Management
• Product Management
• Start-Ups
• Creative Direction
• Video Games
• Mmo
• Online Gaming
• Profit & Loss Management