2016
The studio hatches
Three friends and a borrowed iPad ship "Ember Hop", a one-thumb arcade game, from a Surry Hills loft.
The Dragon Dispatch · Surry Hills Edition
Independent mobile games, forged in Sydney
VirtuDragonHub
A Surry Hills game studio building original Android and iOS titles — cozy puzzlers, tactical RPGs, and pick-up-and-play arcade runs. Free to download, crafted to keep.
- 11
- Games shipped
- 2.4M
- Players worldwide
- 4.7★
- Avg. store rating
Our Story
From a Reservoir Street loft to two million pockets
VirtuDragonHub started in 2016 above a coffee roaster on Reservoir Street. We still ship every game from the same block — a tight team that plays what it builds and reads every review.
We make premium-feeling free-to-play games without the dark patterns: no forced ads mid-run, no pay-to-win. Just tight mechanics, hand-tuned difficulty, and a dragon or two. Our studio hours are Monday to Friday, 9:30am–6:00pm AEST.
2018
First million downloads
"Lantern Keep", our cozy puzzle title, crosses one million installs across the App Store and Google Play.
2021
The RPG bet
We spend 14 months on "Dragonlite Tactics", our first turn-based RPG, and grow the team to twelve.
2024
Playtesting Lab opens
We open a small in-studio play lab on Reservoir Street, inviting Sydney players to break our builds early.
What We Do
A full studio, from first sketch to store feature
Whether it is our own titles or a partner project, these are the disciplines under one Surry Hills roof.
Flagship
Original Game Development
Concept-to-launch Android & iOS titles built in Unity. Typical build: 6–14 months. Partner projects from AUD $85,000.
Ports
Cross-Platform Ports
Bring an existing game to iOS, Android, or both with tuned controls and store-ready builds. From AUD $18,000, 4–8 weeks.
Live
LiveOps & Seasonal Events
Ongoing content drops, limited-time events, and balance patches to keep a live game healthy. Retainers from AUD $4,500/month.
Art
Game Art & Animation
Character design, pixel and vector art, and Spine animation for mobile. Style guides delivered in 2–3 weeks, from AUD $6,000.
Research
Playtesting Lab
Moderated sessions with real Sydney players in our Reservoir Street lab, plus a full findings report. From AUD $2,200 per round.
Publishing
Store Launch & ASO
App Store & Google Play setup, listing copy, screenshots, and rating optimisation. Launch package from AUD $3,400.
Now Playing
Games from our shelf
Swipe through a selection of titles we have shipped — all free to download on Android and iOS.
Dragonlite Tactics
Turn-based RPG · 4.8★ · 40+ hours of campaign
Lantern Keep
Cozy puzzle · 4.7★ · 300 hand-built levels
Ember Hop
One-thumb arcade · 4.6★ · endless high-score runs
Tide & Timber
Village builder · 4.7★ · offline-friendly play
The Makers
The people on Reservoir Street
A small, senior team — most of us have shipped games together for the better part of a decade.
Mara Ellison
Studio Director & Co-founder
Theo Nguyen
Lead Game Designer
Priya Raman
Art Director
Jonah Feldt
Lead Engineer
Player Reviews
What players are saying
Pulled from App Store and Google Play — real reviews from people who play our games.
"Dragonlite Tactics is the first mobile RPG I have actually finished. No energy timers, no nonsense — just a genuinely great campaign I could play on the train."
Aiden R.
Newtown, Sydney · 14 March 2025
"Lantern Keep got me and my mum both hooked. She is 68 and cleared 200 levels before I did. The difficulty curve is perfect."
Sophie L.
Fitzroy, Melbourne · 2 February 2025
"Ember Hop is my go-to five-minute game. Loads instantly, works offline on the ferry, and the leaderboards keep me coming back."
Marcus T.
Fremantle, Perth · 19 December 2024
"I did a playtest round at their Surry Hills lab and they actually shipped a change I suggested two months later. Feels like the team really listens."
Hana K.
Surry Hills, Sydney · 8 November 2024
Questions
Frequently asked
Grouped by topic. Still stuck? The contact form below reaches a real person on the team.
Playing our games
Yes — every VirtuDragonHub title is free to download on the App Store and Google Play. We fund development through optional cosmetic packs and a single one-time "remove ads" purchase. There is no pay-to-win and no forced mid-game ads.
Most of them do. Ember Hop, Lantern Keep, and Tide & Timber are fully playable offline, so they are great for flights and the ferry. Dragonlite Tactics needs a connection only for cloud saves and seasonal events.
We support iOS 15 and later, and Android 9.0 and later. We test on a rack of real devices in the studio, from budget phones to the latest flagships, so performance stays smooth across the range.
Working with us
We do. Alongside our own titles we take on a small number of partner projects each year, covering full development, ports, and LiveOps. Reach out through the contact form with a short brief and a rough budget and we will tell you honestly if we are a fit.
A polished arcade or puzzle title is usually 6–9 months from concept to launch, while a larger RPG runs 12–14 months. We work in monthly milestones with a playable build at every step, so you are never waiting in the dark.
Support & accounts
Almost always, yes. If you linked your game to a cloud save, signing in on the new device restores everything. If you played as a guest, email us the approximate date and your player ID and our support team will try to recover the save.
Purchases are handled by Apple and Google, so refunds go through the App Store or Google Play directly. If something in one of our games caused the issue, contact us and we will happily add a note to support your request.
Get In Touch
Talk to the studio
Bug reports, partnership briefs, playtest sign-ups, or just to say a game made your commute better — it all lands in the same inbox.
Phone
+61 2 9540 3758Studio
67 Reservoir Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010
Email
[email protected]Studio hours
Mon–Fri, 9:30am – 6:00pm AEST