Redemption Games

Redemption Games is an independent mobile game development studio based in Carlsbad, California. Founded in the summer of 2015 by Michael Witz and Dan Lin, the studio develops free-to-play games that combine casual puzzle mechanics, character art and ongoing content updates. Its work brings together artistic production, data-driven game design and live operations for mobile audiences.

Games and development

The studio launched its debut title, Sweet Escapes: Build a Bakery, in July 2019. The game combines collapse and match-three puzzles with bakery restoration and design, linking puzzle progression to the rebuilding of a bakery setting. It became the company's flagship release, generating more than $60 million in lifetime player spending according to the supplied research.

Redemption Games subsequently expanded into competitive puzzle play and action-oriented mobile games. Crushers! combines real-time multiplayer puzzle combat with strategy, while DeadAF: Survive & Rescue! explores zombie survival, action and resource management. Together, these releases reflect a portfolio extending beyond the studio's original casual puzzle and decoration format.

Its development capabilities span full-cycle mobile game design and development, 2D and 3D art, character animation, monetization architecture and live content management. The studio's free-to-play work includes in-game economies, advertising segmentation and systems for sustaining games after launch. Its research into emerging game technologies includes AI-assisted workflows and Web3 digital collectible mechanics.

Company history

AppLovin acquired Redemption Games in May 2020. In March 2023, Witz and Lin completed a management buyout that returned the company to independent ownership. The studio has continued developing and publishing games under its own identity following that transition, retaining its Carlsbad operational base while broadening its game portfolio.