Hyperbond Studio, the game startup behind language-learning dating sim Call Me Sensei, said Supercell supported it with a Discovery Ticket after the team joined Supercell’s AI Innovation Lab, which helped it start its pre-seed round.

Founder Shawn Tan said the studio spent nine weeks in the program, which provided computing resources, workspace, tools, and mentorship.

During that time, Hyperbond reworked the game by refocusing its target audience, simplifying the onboarding process, and refining how conversations with players’ Senseis develop into longer-term relationships.

Tan said Call Me Sensei’s open beta launched on iOS and Android late last month.

Average daily playtime nearly tripled after the lab, from 14.1 minutes to almost 40 minutes.

He added that an early paid acquisition test reached more than 450,000 people. The game’s top character-led ad had a 2.7% click-through rate.

Supercell also backs studios and game technology through its investments arm.

🔗 Source: Shawn Tan