ISTANBUL, Sept. 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Türkiye has spent much of the past decade building a global reputation as one of the world’s most dynamic mobile gaming ecosystems. Now, a new generation of independent developers is beginning to make its mark on PC.

The latest example is BOMBANANA!, a three-player co-op party game developed by Türkiye-based Lefto Studio and published by TARK Games, which surpassed one million copies sold within its first ten days on Steam.

BOMBANANA!’s launch followed an already strong pre-release trajectory. Prior to launch, the title had surpassed one million Steam wishlists and attracted more than six million demo players worldwide.

The game is the first title released by TARK Games, Türkiye’s first VC-backed (led by Ludus Ventures) independent PC and console publisher founded in Istanbul in 2025 with an international publishing mandate.

From mobile powerhouse to emerging PC ecosystem

Türkiye is already well established within the global games industry.

Over the past decade, the country has produced some of mobile gaming’s most notable companies and exits, creating a deep pool of developers, entrepreneurs, and game-making talent.

More recently, that momentum has begun to expand beyond mobile.

Titles including Supermarket Simulator and Liar’s Bar have demonstrated that independent developers from Türkiye can also reach large global audiences on PC. BOMBANANA! now joins that group, reinforcing what TARK Games believes is the beginning of a broader structural shift.

Ilker Ergen, Co-Founder of TARK Games, said:

“Türkiye is widely recognized for what it has achieved in mobile games, and rightly so. But the talent, entrepreneurial culture and game development expertise built over the past decade are not limited to mobile. We are now starting to see more of that capability translate into PC and console.”

“Supermarket Simulator, Liar’s Bar and now BOMBANANA! are early signals of something much bigger. There are a large number of small, highly capable teams here with the potential to build games for global audiences. We believe Türkiye can become a meaningful source of independent PC and console games over the coming years.”

A 25-year-old indie developer behind a global breakout

BOMBANANA! was developed by Lefto Studio, which was founded by 25-year-old Ufuk Girit.

The game is built around a simple communication-driven premise. Three players take on the roles of monkeys who are blind, deaf, and mute, with each player holding only part of the information required to defuse a bomb.

The result is a co-op experience built around communication, misunderstanding, and the unpredictable moments that emerge between friends.

Ufuk Girit, Founder of Lefto Studio, said:

“From the beginning, we wanted to build something simple to understand but capable of creating completely different moments every time people played together. The fun in BOMBANANA! comes from the players themselves — from how they communicate, misunderstand each other and solve problems together.”

“The response during the demo period was far beyond what we initially imagined. Millions of players tried the game, shared it with their friends and gave us feedback that helped shape the final experience. Seeing that translate into the launch we have had has been incredibly rewarding for a small independent team.”

A global publisher built around independent studios

BOMBANANA! is the first release from TARK Games, founded in 2025 by Ilker Ergen and Ibrahim Yildirim.

While headquartered in Istanbul, TARK Games was built from the outset as an international publisher rather than a publisher focused exclusively on Turkish studios. The company currently has 10 games in its publishing pipeline, with approximately half being developed by teams outside Türkiye.

Its portfolio reflects a broader strategy: to identify distinctive independent teams wherever they are based and provide the financing, publishing infrastructure and international reach required to compete in the global PC and console market.

TARK Games works with developers across areas including development financing, production, player research, marketing, creator relations and global platform management.

A central part of its model is that TARK Games does not take equity in the development studios it publishes.

Ibrahim Yildirim, Co-Founder of TARK Games, said:

“When we founded TARK Games, one principle was very clear: we wanted to participate in the success of the game, not own part of the developer’s company.”

“For independent developers, ownership and creative freedom are incredibly important. We want the studio and its future to remain in the hands of its founders. Our role is to bring financing, production expertise, marketing, data and platform relationships around the team so that a strong game has the best possible chance of reaching a global audience.”

“Our roots are in Türkiye, but our publishing strategy has always been international. Today, roughly half of the games in our pipeline come from studios outside Türkiye. We want TARK Games to be a home for ambitious independent developers regardless of where they are based.”

For Girit, that approach was one of the reasons Lefto Studio chose to work with TARK Games.

“As an independent developer, maintaining creative control and ownership of the studio mattered a lot to me. We were looking for a publisher that could expand what we were capable of doing without changing what made the team independent in the first place.”

“TARK Games gave us support in areas like global marketing, platform relationships and launch strategy while allowing us to stay focused on building the game.”

Turning individual breakouts into a repeatable model

TARK Games sees BOMBANANA! as an early validation of its publishing model rather than an isolated success.

Among its newly announced projects is Monster Cuisine, developed by another Turkish developer Team Machiavelli.

For TARK Games, Türkiye’s emerging PC scene represents an important part of a much wider opportunity: a new generation of small independent studios around the world that can build commercially significant games but often lack the resources and publishing infrastructure required to scale them globally.

Ilker Ergen said:

“Our ambition is not to publish one breakout game, or to build a publisher around a single market. We want to create a repeatable model for helping exceptional independent teams reach global audiences.”

“Türkiye is particularly exciting because we are seeing a new wave of PC and console talent emerge from an ecosystem that has already proven itself in mobile. But we see the same opportunity in many markets. Half of our current pipeline already comes from outside Türkiye, and that international mix is fundamental to what we are building.”

“There are talented developers everywhere. What is often missing is the infrastructure around them: early financing, production support, market intelligence, publishing experience and access to global audiences. That is the gap we are trying to close.”

BOMBANANA! is expanding beyond PC

Following its Steam launch, BOMBANANA! is also being prepared for console platforms, with BOMBANANA! launching on mobile devices in October.

The expansion is expected to bring the game to an even broader global audience following its initial PC success.

A press kit with key art, screenshots, trailer, and logos is available at https://uberstrategist.link/TARK-Games-Press-Kit.

About BOMBANANA!

BOMBANANA! is a three-player online co-op party game developed by Lefto Studio and published by TARK Games.

Players take on the roles of three monkeys who are blind, deaf, and mute, with each player possessing different pieces of information needed to defuse bombs before time runs out.

The game launched on Steam on September 2, 2026, and is currently being prepared for mobile and console platforms.

About Lefto Studio

Lefto Studio is an independent game development studio based in Türkiye and founded by 25-year-old developer Ufuk Girit.

The studio focuses on creating social, highly replayable games designed for global audiences.

About TARK Games

Founded in Istanbul in 2025 by Ilker Ergen and Ibrahim Yildirim, TARK Games is Türkiye’s first VC-backed (Ludus Ventures) independent global publisher focused on PC and console games.

The company currently has 10 titles in its publishing pipeline, with approximately half developed by studios outside Türkiye.

TARK Games works with independent developers across development financing, production, player research, marketing, creator relations and global platform strategy.

The company operates a developer-first publishing model and does not take equity in the studios it publishes, allowing founders to retain ownership of their companies and creative independence.

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