Nicosia, Cyprus. Strikerz CEO and co-founder Eugene Nashilov said the company wants UFL Mobile to become one of the world’s top three football games as the free-to-play title advances through a global soft launch and prepares for a wider rollout later this year.
He said the company sees UFL as a long-term project focused on accessibility, player feedback and offering a different experience in a football gaming market he described as having become predictable.
Growth ambition
Speaking to GamingonPhone, Nashilov said Strikerz does not view UFL as a short-term alternative to established football gaming leaders. He said the company’s ambition is for UFL to be recognised among the top three football games by audiences.
Nashilov said there is still significant work ahead to reach that position, but added that the company’s ultimate goal is to stand alongside industry leaders and compete at the highest level.
Origins of the project
Nashilov said the idea for UFL came from frustration with what he saw as a lack of creative progress in the football gaming market. He told GamingonPhone that competition in the sector had been stale for a long time and had largely become a licensing contest.
He said that led Strikerz to begin building its own football experience in 2016. At that stage, the company consisted only of Nashilov and current chief technology officer Max Chernega, before growing into a studio with more than 400 people.
Focus on accessibility
Nashilov said the project was also shaped by his personal connection to football. He said he had played semi-professionally when younger before two ACL injuries ended that path.
He said that background influenced Strikerz’s approach to UFL from the beginning. Rather than creating another premium football title, the company aimed to make the game more accessible and shift toward a free-to-play model at a time when paid football games were the standard.