Hypercasual mobile games publisher SayGames has exceeded two billion downloads across its library.

The milestone was hit at the end of 2020, with the company citing games such as Johnny Trigger and Sand Balls as a driving force. We enjoyed the former so much that we named it as our Game of the Week at launch.

Last year, SayGames launched 20 games, of which 15 managed to secure a spot in the top 10 on both Google Play and the App Store in the US.

Moreover, of the two billion lifetime installs, one billion were generated in 2020 alone.

SayHero

On top of having hit an impressive milestone, the company has launched a new $10 million developer growth programme dubbed SayHero.

The aim of the initiative is simple, to aid indie developers in shipping a game. To be part of the first batch of developers need to send in their application by March 31st, the form can be found here.

Those who take part will be given access to the SayHero portal for their games' initial market tests. However, SayGames will select 10 developers to be given "hero" status, which rewards them with a budget of up to $200,000.

For the long run

"Every 6th game we test with our teams gets launched globally," said SayGames head of developer relations Anton Volnykh.

"With this hit rate, we are committed to expanding our set of tools and initiatives to help more developers around the world unlock their true potential."

SayGames CEO, Yegor Vaikhanski Added: "We get involved very early in the process with all the games we launch and developers we work with, mainly from a product's perspective leading to a very efficient marketing.

"We build long term relationships with all developers and avoid one‑hit wonders. SayHero is created for more developers to thrive with us."