From Hyper-Casual to Web3: Lessons Learned in 9 Years of Game Development

Early Footsteps

Before diving into full-time game development, I had two internships that shaped my mindset. At NTM Soft, I worked on ERP solutions — my first taste of real-world software development and the full lifecycle of building products.

At ProRepublic, I helped build VWear, a virtual dressing room powered by Microsoft Kinect. It was my first exposure to computer vision and interactive experiences — years before AR try-ons became mainstream. That experience planted the idea that games and interactive tech could solve problems far beyond entertainment.

Grinding Through 22 Games (2017)

In May 2017, I landed my first professional job at RationalVerx. That year was a crash course in production: I shipped 22 games to the Play Store — everything from farm simulators to truck stunt driving games. Most were clones, built from plugins and ready-made assets, but a few gave me the chance to create my own systems.

That year taught me speed, discipline, and the realities of mobile publishing.

Learning Through Failure (2018)

In 2018, I co-founded MaxPak Studios. It was my first serious attempt at hyper-casual games. Back then, I was barely senior and thought like a “game designer” for the first time. We made 2–3 MVPs, but none were successful. Looking back, I was a complete newbie in the hyper-casual genre, but the failures taught me the most important thing: iteration matters more than ideas.

Hyper-Casual MVP

Building MaxPak Studios (2018–2020)

After the hyper-casual attempts, MaxPak grew into something bigger. With my co-founder, Shahroz Zafar, we started attracting clients who wanted custom solutions:

1. HTC Vive simulators for research projects.
2. Multiplayer FPS games with mobile VR + Xbox controller support.
3. Medical simulators to teach CTA scans.
4. AR prototypes inspired by Pokémon Go.

It was a thrilling period. I wasn’t just coding anymore — I was leading a team, managing developers and artists, and even handling HR. Those projects gave me hands-on experience across AR, VR, and interactive apps for PC and mobile.

Adapting Through Change (2020)

When COVID hit, I had to part ways with my co-founder. I returned to freelancing: a WW1 trench shooter, a Flappy Bird–inspired “Project Shining,” and several MVPs for clients.

Project Shining Gameplay

Each project added another layer to my skillset and reminded me that survival in this industry means constant adaptation.

The Leap into Multiplayer & Blockchain (2021–2025)

In 2021, I joined FiveRivers Technologies. Over the next 5 years, I worked on single-player RPGs, multiplayer WebGL games, and blockchain-powered turn-based RPGs and deck builders.

This was also when I had the chance to work under two leaders who shaped my professional growth:

1. Ali Husain (CEO, Navigate / NVG8), who encouraged me to push into the frontier of Web3 gaming.
2. Himayat Rasool Qadri (Game Director at FiveRivers), whose creative leadership guided our design choices on ambitious RPGs and multiplayer projects.

One of the hardest challenges came while building Ruffion Reborn in Godot. We’d developed multiplayer with C#, but Godot’s WebGL build didn’t support advanced C# libraries. A month before launch, everything broke. Instead of panicking, I proposed building a JavaScript wrapper to handle server events and communicate with C#. Within a week, we had multiplayer fully working again. That project taught me one of my core lessons: never fear change.

Web3 Reality Check

At first, Web3 felt like “just WebGL games on a new platform.” But I soon saw the real frontier: true ownership, decentralized economies, and borderless player ecosystems.

One of the biggest challenges was integrating Base Pay into Machinata Blitz. Around that time, Coinbase rebranded its wallet into the Base App, shifting its ecosystem strategy. APIs were unstable, documentation was limited, and things broke constantly. Still, through experimentation, hacks, and persistence, I got payments working before official fixes rolled out. That experience taught me: pioneer while the ground is shifting.

Machinata Blitz Gameplay

9 Years, 3 Lessons

1. Never fear change – I’ve moved between Unity, Godot, Phaser, and stacks from C# to NestJS. Flexibility is a superpower.
2. Iteration beats ideas – Hyper-casual MVP experience taught me that execution speed matters more than perfection.
3. Community is the future – From AR/VR to Web3, the games that thrive are the ones that bring players into the process.

The Road Ahead

Despite layoffs and headlines about a shrinking industry, I believe the future of game development is brighter than ever. With the rise of AI, developers like me finally have the tools to bring passion projects — the ones sitting on our hard drives for years — into the hands of players.

After 9 years, one thing is clear: the journey never really ends. From hyper-casual clones to Web3 economies, the only constant is change. And I’ve learned to embrace it.

If you’re exploring hyper-casual, AR/VR, or Web3 game development, I’d love to swap stories and ideas. Drop a comment or connect with me here.

Learn more about my work and projects: thealiraza.com