Pagano World
Game Studio · Dev Services

We build hits.
And elevate products.

We are a west-coast game studio that provides premium development services for today’s product pipelines in video games and neighboring sectors.

Let’s chat → See the playbook
01 / Services

What our clients love.

We operate as beast-mode full-dev or velvet-glove co-dev offering:

01

Original & Branded New Games

Bespoke originals and IP-led builds, conceived to find their audience and built to keep them.

02

Game Adaptations

Existing titles brought to new platforms with at least 25% new — not a port. We mine the platform for what only it can do.

03

Product Polish

We raise the “quality” of any product until it reads like a highly polished game. Feel is a feature.

04

Gamification

Not a buzzword — a playbook. Concrete practices that make users want to come back, and back, and back.

05

Finding the Fun, Fast

Agile prototyping with the target audience. We prove the first 5 minutes of fun before anyone gets attached to the wrong idea.

06

Engagement & Retention

Best practices forged in mobile, social, and VR — second-to-second up through year-to-year. The whole funnel, not just the top.

07

Reviews & Analysis

A second set of eyes on your product, feature, or plan. Deep research, blunt feedback, the next level visible.

08

Fire-Starting New

Greenfield product, feature, or service. We prove the idea, find its market, and build the muscle to run it live.

09

Turn Arounds

Late, over budget, not coming together? Call us. We specialize in turning problems into wins.

10

Hot-Rodding Tech

Custom engines and bleeding-edge mobile hardware — breadboards, early-release devices, things nobody’s seen yet.

11

Efficient Operations

Bespoke staffing that fits the budget and the calendar. We move fast, execute high, and save money doing it.

12

Finishing AI Builds

Got a vibecoded prototype? We take what AI started and ship it for real — whether it’s a 3D engine or a live-ops content suite.

02 / How we work

We’re Team GSD.

We partner with your team and push for high quality, predictable output.

01

We hustle.

Monday is the best day of the week. We get to work on rad games together.

02

Development is a sport.

We train for the sprint and the marathon. So we outperform in both.

03

We have fun.

The product is better when the team is. Every time.

04

We work as a team.

One unit. Stronger together. No solo heroics required.

05

Creation is a martial art.

Interactive craft is a lifelong endeavor. We treat it that way.

06

Time is the asset.

If you’re on time, you’re late. We’re early, prepared, and ready to attack.

03 / Superpowers

What makes us different.

Five things competitors can’t copy on a whiteboard.

i.

Emerging Platforms

Deep history pioneering early markets. Doom helped write the playbook in mobile, social, and VR — before anyone knew there was one.

ii.

Endless Energy

We train like athletes. Sprint. Recover. Sprint again. An aggressive attack pattern that holds across a marathon.

iii.

Predictability

Creating new doesn’t have to be a coin flip. Our production systems ship on time, on budget, above quality.

iv.

Brands & Licensing

Dozens of branded titles — not the typical brand-skin variety. We lean on Doom’s 70/20/10 framework. Yes, the one he brought to Zynga.

v.

US Outsourcing

Predominantly US talent at outsource pricing. We beat large-firm rates with better people.

04 / Work

Recent & recognized.

A few projects our team has led, plus the hits that built the muscle.

VR · Broadcast · 2023

StatusPro Visualizer

VR telestration app on ESPN Live, used on-air by Dan Orlovsky. Emmy-nominated.

status.pro →
VR · NFL · Top-seller

NFL Pro Era

A top-selling VR football game. Officially licensed, built to keep players coming back through a full season.

status.pro/games/nfl-pro-era →
Mobile · Learning · Gamified

Spark App

A gamified microlearning app that turns the engagement playbook on education. Flow state, applied.

themindcompany.com →
SimCity Social
Hit · 35MM MAU

SimCity Social

AIAS Web Game of the Year on release. Peaked at 35 million monthly actives.

Spore Origins
Hit · iPhone

Spore Origins

AIAS Mobile Game of the Year on release. Will Wright’s universe, in your pocket.

Status Pro Visualizer
Hit · Emmy nom

Status Pro Visualizer

Used live during the NFL season. Emmy-nominated for technical achievement.

Where the team has shipped before
EAZyngaDisneyESPNWarner BrosUnityIllfonic
Specialties
SportsSimulationCasualKidsSocialMobileVR
05 / Team

The core four.

Veterans who have made the kinds of games we’re here to make. More crew on call.

Mike Doom

Mike Doom

Product
linkedin · in/mikedoom →
Jay Doherty

Jay Doherty

Art
linkedin · in/vitaminjay →
Ian Berdei

Ian Berdei

Code
linkedin · in/ian-berdei →
Joey St. Lucas

Joey St. Lucas

Production
linkedin · in/joey-stlucas →
06 / Clients

People who’ve trusted us.

A short list of recent partners. Discretion on the rest.

Lionsgate
Studio · Games
MGM Resorts
Hospitality
StatusPro
Sports · VR
ForeVR Games
VR Studio
OnSport AI
Sports · AI
The Mind Company
Learning
07 / Footprint

Remote, not anywhere.

We’re distributed by design and concentrated by region. Same time zones, same rooms when it matters.

UTC −08 · PST

SoCal

LA HQ — with hoods in San Diego, the Inland Empire, and OC.

34.05°N · 118.24°W
UTC −08 · PST

NorCal

In and around San Francisco and Oakland.

37.77°N · 122.42°W
UTC −08 · PST

Seattle

Tacoma to the Puget Sound. We tap our DigiPen roots.

47.61°N · 122.33°W
UTC +02 · EET

Moldova

Eastern European craft. Quiet hours, sharp execution.

47.01°N · 28.86°E
20+
Years in the trenches
70+
Projects in the portfolio
35M
Peak MAU on a single title
1
Obsession: hits
08 / Doctrine

Our perspective & playbook.

Why we make games — and why the lessons travel.

Games can be everywhere — and they should be.

We treat games as a learning tool, fine-tuned to teach skills and drive a goal. The tactics that hold a player in flow are directly translatable to anything interactive: products, platforms, services, classrooms.

The flow state is the asset. We engineer for it on purpose.

Author
Mike Doom
Tenure
20+ years · 70+ projects
Roots
Mobile · Social (incl. Roblox) · VR
KPIs
Engagement · Retention · Monetization · Acquisition
Status
Battle-tested · Genre-agnostic · Platform-agnostic

Across the portfolio, the same patterns kept appearing. We codified them. The playbook is what we hand teams when they hire us — and it’s how we predictably move the KPIs that matter.

09 / Contact

Got a project that needs a closer?

mike@pagano.world →