Monument Valley Creator Ustwo Games Pivots to ‘PC First’ Strategy

For the better part of a decade, Ustwo Games has been the gold standard for mobile experiences. However, speaking to Mobilegamer.biz CEO Maria Sayans revealed that the studio’s "mobile-first" identity had actually become a limitation. Sayans explained that when the industry perceives a studio as strictly mobile-focused, it places an artificial limit on what they can achieve on PC and console. This perception reportedly often forced the team into making difficult compromises in both game design and marketing strategies just to fit the mobile mold. The new philosophy is about flipping the script. Instead of building for phones and porting up, Ustwo will now treat the PC as its "base" platform. According to Sayans, the PC allows for more ambition and depth, free from the technical constraints inherent to mobile devices. 

More importantly, it fosters a direct, authentic connection with the community, something that is notoriously difficult to achieve on crowded, algorithm-driven mobile storefronts. While they aren't abandoning consoles or mobile entirely, these platforms will now serve as secondary avenues to expand "reach" rather than serving as the foundation of the business.

The Netflix Fallout

A major driver behind this strategic shift was a recent, chaotic experience with subscription exclusivity. In December 2024, Ustwo launched Monument Valley 3 as a high-profile exclusive on Netflix Games. Despite a massive marketing push and high expectations, the relationship soured quickly. Just six months later, around June 2025, Netflix removed the game from its service. Sayans admitted the removal came as a "total surprise" to the team, speculating that it was likely due to a shift in Netflix’s internal content strategy.

The incident served as a wake-up call regarding the unpredictability of relying on third-party partners. The sudden removal forced the studio to scramble, rapidly redesigning the game’s ending and post-launch content to suit premium app stores and console storefronts. Sayans noted that while partners like Apple Arcade and Netflix offered stability in the past, they don't provide a solid base for a long-term business because the developer remains one step removed from their own audience. This new strategy is explicitly designed to "wean" the studio off that dependency.

Looking Ahead to 2026

Ustwo cemented its legacy in 2014 with Monument Valley, a puzzle phenomenon that won an Apple Design Award and sold over two million copies. Over the years, they continued to find success through partnerships, releasing Assemble with Care on Apple Arcade and Desta: The Memories Between via Netflix. They have tested the PC waters before—bringing Assemble with Care to Windows in 2019 and launching Alba: A Wildlife Adventure simultaneously on PC and mobile, but this current move represents the most significant operational change in their history.

Looking ahead to the rest of 2026, the studio is already putting this "PC first" philosophy into practice. Ustwo currently has three distinct teams working on new projects at various stages of development. While specific details on these games remain under wraps. The studio plans for multiplatform releases in the coming year, ensuring that while the PC is the core for community building, their unique brand of storytelling will still reach fans across all devices.