MEET TODAY’S GUEST
Dmitry Peletsky, Game Developer, Cross Stitch Party
Dmitry is part of a small, experienced game development team based in Ukraine.
Their title Cross Stitch Party took on one of the most crowded casual genres on the App Store and Google Play, paint-by-numbers, and earned its place with features players hadn't seen before.
After two years with a publishing partner, the team completed its first-ever app sale.
In short: Dmitry Peletsky, a game developer at a small Ukraine-based studio, and his team built Cross Stitch Party and sold it to Rounds.com, the AI platform for mobile assets, in the studio's first-ever app sale. After two years with a publishing partner, they chose the freedom to build new games over running one live title. The proceeds now fund new game concepts.
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THE CASE STUDY
"You Don't Need a Big Studio"
The bet a small team made against a genre full of established giants.
Paint-by-numbers is not an empty market. It's full of polished, well-funded games with years of head start. Most small teams would look elsewhere.
Dmitry's team went straight at it.
"We wanted to show that you don't need a large studio to compete with established games on the App Store and Google Play. A focused team with the right idea, strong execution, and a lot of passion can build something that stands alongside the best games in the genre."
— Dmitry Peletsky
Instead of copying the formula, they added features that gave players a real reason to switch. Then they did something many indie studios never try: they partnered with a publisher and spent two years learning how to build, improve and grow a live game together.
That partnership became the studio's first big success story, and it led to the studio's first sale.
The Fork Every Live-Game Studio Reaches
Keep running one hit, or go build the next one?
When the publishing partnership wrapped up, the team faced the choice every successful studio eventually meets.
A live game is a long-term commitment: new content, careful updates and a player base that has been with you for years. The longer players stay, the more carefully every change has to be made.
"Once people have been playing your game for years, you can't experiment as freely. You have to make changes carefully and listen closely to your players."
— Dmitry Peletsky
The team chose momentum: sell Cross Stitch Party and put every hour into new games.
"Selling the app allowed us to close that chapter and focus on the next stage of our studio's growth."
— Dmitry Peletsky
A First Deal That Taught Them the Whole Playbook
First-time, cross-border, from Ukraine, and solved step by step.
Every first app sale is a masterclass in dealmaking. Dmitry's team was learning everything at once: cross-border payments, legal agreements, building trust on both sides, and a secure handover of the game and all its assets. Being based in Ukraine, where international payment services come with extra requirements, added one more layer to figure out.
Every stage brought something new to work through: documents, payments, approvals. Each time, there was a solution.
"Every step was clearly explained and well coordinated. If one manager was unavailable, we could always contact another team member and get help. We also really appreciated their flexibility. They looked for different solutions, suggested alternatives, and were always open to finding a compromise."
— Dmitry Peletsky
The game moved through Rounds' own transfer dashboard, which made the handover simple and secure.
"The app transfer through their own dashboard was very professional and made the process much easier and more secure."
— Dmitry Peletsky
Rounds is an official partner of Escrow.com payment services.
The bonus nobody expects: the team now knows the full process inside out. In Dmitry's words, they expect any future transaction to take significantly less time.
What Freedom Buys a Game Studio
Turning one finished chapter into a budget for new ideas.
The proceeds are already at work. The studio is using them to develop and test new game concepts: more experiments, more prototypes, more shots at the next hit.
"With a new project, you have much more freedom. You can experiment, try new ideas, and bring almost anything you can imagine to life. For us, that freedom was one of the main reasons we decided to move on to new projects."
3 Rules for Game Studios Thinking About an Exit
▶ Pick Your Priority: Stability or the freedom to explore. Your honest answer tells you whether to keep operating or sell.
▶ Count Live Ops as a Real Cost: Supporting a live game is as demanding as building a new one. Put those hours into your decision.
▶ Choose a Buyer Who Adapts: On a first cross-border deal, a partner who stays reachable and finds alternatives is worth more than anything on paper.
FAQ
Who is Dmitry Peletsky?
Dmitry Peletsky is a game developer at a small Ukraine-based studio whose team built Cross Stitch Party and sold it to Rounds.com, the AI platform for mobile assets.
What is Cross Stitch Party?
Cross Stitch Party is a casual paint-by-numbers game for the App Store and Google Play. Dmitry Peletsky's team grew it for two years with a publishing partner before selling it to Rounds.com.
Why did Dmitry Peletsky's studio sell Cross Stitch Party?
The studio sold Cross Stitch Party to Rounds.com to close that chapter and put its time into new games, where it has more freedom to experiment.
How did a first-time seller in Ukraine complete the sale?
Dmitry Peletsky's team worked through payments, agreements and approvals step by step with Rounds.com, and Cross Stitch Party moved through Rounds' own transfer dashboard.
What advice does Dmitry Peletsky give game studios considering a sale?
Decide first whether you want stability or the freedom to explore, says Dmitry Peletsky, whose studio chose freedom when it sold Cross Stitch Party to Rounds.com.
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