John Wright

Building games businesses the hard way | CEO @ Turborilla | Advisor & Investor

London Area, United Kingdom

About

I’ve spent the last 15 years building, scaling and operating games businesses, and I still find it the most exciting industry in the world. I’m currently CEO of Turborilla, the Swedish studio behind the Mad Skills franchise, 250 million downloads and counting. I stepped into the role in May 2025 and the mission is simple: scale the business, expand the brand, and build something that lasts. Before Turborilla, I was VP of Mobile Games at Kwalee, where I helped scale the portfolio past a billion downloads and led a global team of around 180 people. Before that, I was part of the founding team and VP, Operations at Luna Labs, which was acquired by ironSource, and then Unity. Still my proudest moment in business. My background is in user acquisition, monetisation and growth strategy, but what I actually spend most of my time thinking about is the business of games, how studios survive, how they scale, and why so many don’t make it. Outside of Turborilla, I advise and invest in gaming companies at various stages, helping founders navigate the hard decisions that most people only learn the hard way. I write here about mobile gaming, UA, leadership and the industry more broadly. If any of that’s useful to you, follow along. Wrighty out.

Experience

  • Chief Executive Officer at Turborilla
    May 2025 - Present · 1 yr 2 mos

    I joined Turborilla in May 2025 as the studio’s first external CEO, tasked with leading the next phase of growth for one of mobile gaming’s most enduring franchises. The Mad Skills series has amassed over 250 million downloads worldwide, my job is to make sure that number keeps climbing. Day to day, that means scaling the business, expanding the Mad Skills brand into new markets and formats, and building the partnerships that will define Turborilla’s next chapter.

  • Venture Partner at Firstpoint VC
    Apr 2026 - Present · 3 mos

  • Angel investor and Advisor at Entity Games
    Jan 2026 - Present · 6 mos

  • Angel Investor at Solsten
    Dec 2025 - Present · 7 mos

  • Angel Investor and Advisor at 10six Games
    Dec 2025 - Present · 7 mos