Yakut Game Developers: Earning a Million Doing What They Love

This is the story of two twin brothers, Alexei and Afanasy Ushnitski, from Yakutia, who despite the harsh cold weather in the region, managed to keep their passion alive for creating unique games in their company, MyTop.

By putting in effort, creativity, and talent, the brothers were able to realize their dream of developing computer games. They released a game that quickly gained popularity worldwide, earning them around $11,000 per day. And this fantastic figure is just the dividends received from iPhone owners. The sale of the game 'Secret' on Google Play and the App Store brings in significantly more money.

The Beginning of the Journey

It may be hard to believe, but the Ushnitski brothers were born and raised in a village located thousands of miles away from the nearest major city of Yakutsk. The start of their successful career can be traced back to the introduction of their first console, Dendy, in the village. Enduring temperatures as low as -60 degrees in northeastern Siberia, the brothers spent their entire winter playing their favorite console from the age of 8.

Three years later, the Ushnitski family relocated to Yakutsk. Adapting was challenging, with new acquaintances, bustling streets, a disconnect from nature, everything around Alexei and Afanasy was novel. The family was in need of money, so the boys took up the simplest job – selling newspapers. In one of the newsstands, they came across the magazine "Gaming Country." After a quick read, the young, enterprising, and ambitious brothers had a realization: "Someone actually creates these games!" exclaimed Alexei. The magazine portrayed the glamorous and carefree life of a game developer who, judging by the mansion, pool, and several sports cars, was not short of money.

First Development Experience

In those days, there were no programming schools, and the information they could gather was from a few books on Basic and Pascal. They even sent a letter to the office of the most famous computer game publisher at the time, "Buka." In a plain text document, the brothers outlined their ideas for creating a completely unique game that had no parallels in the world.

Simultaneously, their education in game development continued. Unfortunately, the library couldn't provide them with relevant and comprehensive information, so while selling newspapers, the brothers used the earnings to buy a few megabytes of internet data from a local provider.

Time passed, but there was no response from the company "Buka," and following advice from family, the brothers had to find jobs within their capabilities. Since childhood, the Ushnitski brothers stuttered and couldn't compete on equal terms for the professions they liked. By the second year, the brothers began earning for their own education. Their interests shifted towards computers and system administration, and by 2000, the brothers were making a decent income from PC repairs and software installations.

By a stroke of luck, after Alexei was dismissed from a company that administered PCs for "stealing" internet data, he joined a local diamond mining company. There, he applied his expertise in creating the company's information system. It was there that he met Peter, the company owner, who, in a conversation with Alexei, proposed forming a team and pursuing their passion together.

As a result, the Ushnitski brothers secured their first investment totaling one and a half million dollars. The first attempt didn't go smoothly as they released a game that didn't attract buyers. Realizing that the market had evolved since their Dendy days and become saturated, Peter decided to discontinue further investment in the project and offered the Ushnitski brothers to continue working with the company "Apple Diamond."

A Fresh Attempt and a New Opportunity

In 2005, the brothers firmly decided: now or never. Borrowing money from their father for a new computer, they divided responsibilities as follows:

• In the morning, while Afanasy slept, Alexei wrote code and worked on the software part;
• At midday, they synchronized their rhythms, quickly discussed details, and Alexei went to sleep;
• Meanwhile, Afanasy developed the design and tested the application.

Following this routine, they released a casual game with numerous puzzles. Once again leveraging family ties, they borrowed 15,000 rubles from a relative to purchase a domain name. Still doubtful? Does domain trading bring real profits?

The website showcased details of a large company with a team of designers, developers, and IT specialists, but in reality, the brothers handled all tasks between themselves.

Developing their game, they managed to earn their first $10,000 in a year. However, the money quickly ran out, and the brothers were saved from bankruptcy by a government contract for IT services. Within a year, the Ushnitski brothers released their first bestseller, Strange Cases, which brought them their first staggering success, earning Alexei and Afanasy their first $1,000,000.

A New Chapter

With an unlimited budget, free time, and belief in their abilities, the Ushnitski brothers firmly decided to create something bigger. They embarked on developing games for mobile devices. The new goal led to the creation of MyTop. The game "The Secret Society" in the hidden object genre was completed by 2015.

Through sales, the Ushnitski brothers earned $10,000,000, and the game continues to enjoy popularity.

New Ideas

Alongside game development, Alexei and Afanasy continued their education, and many leading developers worldwide consider them top-notch specialists. Currently, they are actively developing mobile device installation directions. Plans include releasing a new version of The Secret Society and creating a series of hidden object genre games.

It may come as a shock to many, but Alexei and Afanasy Ushnitski, who have become stars in the global gaming industry, still reside in Yakutsk and have no intention of leaving. As the twins joke – conquering the world should start from the edges, plus the fishing here is great. By the way, seafood enthusiasts may find it interesting how to earn from culinary pursuits.

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