Building Games That People Actually Want to Play

We started Systemthinkflow in 2019 because we kept seeing mobile games that felt hollow. Beautiful graphics, sure. But where was the heart? We're a small studio in Kaohsiung that focuses on creating games people remember weeks after playing them.

Based in Kaohsiung, Taiwan | Serving mobile platforms worldwide

How We Got Here

Back in early 2019, three of us were working at different companies in the gaming space. We'd meet up for coffee and complain about the same thing—projects that prioritized monetization over fun. One evening, after particularly frustrating work days, we made a decision over dumplings: let's just do this ourselves.

Starting a game studio in Taiwan wasn't the easiest path. The market here is competitive, and we didn't have VC backing or fancy offices. What we had was a shared apartment in Sanmin District, secondhand equipment, and a stubborn belief that mobile games could be better.

Our first game took 14 months. It made enough for us to keep going—not get rich, just keep going. That was enough.

Six years later, we're still in the same neighborhood (though we upgraded from the apartment). We've shipped eight games, made plenty of mistakes, and learned what works when you're building something people actually enjoy playing.

Our development workspace showing team collaboration on game mechanics

What Guides Our Work

Gameplay First

We prototype mechanics before we think about art. If something isn't fun in grayscale boxes, it won't be fun with polish. This sounds obvious but gets forgotten more often than you'd think.

Real Testing

Not just internal QA—we get games in front of people who don't work here. Friends, family, the lady who runs the convenience store downstairs. Their honest reactions shape what stays and what gets cut.

Technical Depth

Performance matters. Nobody cares how clever your code is if the game drains battery in 20 minutes. We spend time on optimization that players never see but definitely feel.

Small Team, Focused Approach

We're currently seven people. That's intentional. When teams get big, you spend more time in meetings than making things. Everyone here wears multiple hats, and we like it that way.

Liwen heads up our technical side. She came from AAA console development and brought that rigor to mobile. Before joining us, she spent three years at a studio that made games you've probably heard of. She took a pay cut to work here because she wanted to build things from scratch again.

The rest of the team spans design, art, and sound. Most have been with us since 2021. Low turnover isn't because we're easy to work for—game dev is always intense—it's because people believe in what we're building.

We ship when something is ready, not when a calendar says it should be
Everyone can veto a feature if they can explain why it hurts the game
We work hard during crunch, but crunch isn't our default mode
Side projects are encouraged if they make you better at what you do here

Six Years of Building

2019

The Beginning

Founded Systemthinkflow with three people and one clear idea: mobile games should respect player time. Spent the year building our first title while learning business registration, contract law, and how to file taxes properly.

2021

Finding Our Process

Released three games. Two did okay, one flopped completely. The failure taught us more than the successes. Started building reusable systems and tools that would speed up future projects without sacrificing quality.

2023

Technical Investment

Spent eight months rebuilding our core engine. No new games shipped that year. Clients weren't thrilled, but it was necessary. The improvements now save us weeks on every project and let us target more devices reliably.

2025

Where We Are Now

Currently working on two titles scheduled for late 2025 and early 2026. We're also consulting with a few external studios on technical problems we've already solved. Still learning, still figuring things out, still in Kaohsiung.

Early prototyping phase showing whiteboard sketches and mobile device testing

Team collaboration session reviewing game mechanics on multiple screens

Final testing phase with team members playing build on various mobile devices