Leamington Spa, 22 April 2024 - Kwalee, a leading global game publisher and developer, is thrilled to announce its first foray into the Casual mobile games market as the new publisher of 'Text Express: Word Adventure', a unique blend of crossword puzzles and storytelling.​​

This partnership will see the publisher back Story Giant Games, an indie games studio celebrated for merging casual gameplay with moving narratives. It is a confident first step for Kwalee in the Casual mobile games market, broadening its portfolio and upholding its mission of making the most fun games for the world’s players.

Kwalee brings over 12 years of publishing experience - including expertise in crafting successful puzzle mechanics. It has spotted the potential of Text Express as a potential global hit and will use its sophisticated user acquisition methodology to scale it worldwide.

'Text Express: Word Adventure' is a journey into a world where words unlock friendships and destinies. Featuring Tilly, a courageous and intelligent young woman, players accompany her on a quest aboard her trusty old train, exploring great destinations, unravelling mysteries, and crafting their narratives through the power of words.

The game has already garnered critical acclaim, securing the Best Mobile Puzzle Game award at the Pocket Gamer Awards 2022 and receiving a nomination for Game of the Year at the Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2023. Apple has also recognised its appeal, featuring it as the Game of the Day in March 2024 and on three previous occasions. Kwalee has joined to accelerate this momentum and will use its heavyweight publisher expertise to ensure it’s full steam ahead for Text Express.

John Wright, VP of Mobile Publishing at Kwalee, expressed his enthusiasm, stating: 

“Our partnership with Story Giant Games to bring 'Text Express: Word Adventure' into the spotlight is a pivotal moment for us. As Kwalee's first step into Casual mobile publishing, 'Text Express' represents our commitment to promote exceptional games and be the developer’s champion - backing the best talent and helping them achieve big success in tough markets.

“Drawing on the lessons we’ve learnt launching over 100 games, we're bullish about the potential of ‘Text Express’ - it’s an incredibly fun and heartwarming game that players will love. They just need to see it - through marketing at scale - which is why we’ve stepped aboard as a publisher to bring user acquisition, monetisation and game design support, all informed by advanced data science.”

Tj’ièn Twijnstra, Game Director at Story Giant Games, looking forward to the collaboration, stating:

“Partnering with Kwalee is a huge opportunity for us at Story Giant Games to bring Tilly’s heartwarming journey to players all around the globe! We've crafted 'Text Express' into something truly unique in the mobile gaming space, and it's a game we lovingly call ‘not your average word game!’ It’s a true gem that deserves to be seen by everyone!

As a small and dedicated team of game development veterans, we’re extremely excited to collaborate with one of the best in the business and look forward to their advanced know-how and are confident our collaboration ensures 'Text Express' will be the most fun game for the world's players. Not only do we believe this partnership will increase the game’s visibility, but it also enables us to expand Tilly’s adventure and make the game better than ever for our new and existing fans! All aboard!"

Game Features:

• Relaxing Gameplay - lets players dive into a stress-free word search adventure with no time limits or penalties.
• Unique Word Puzzles - thousands of crossword levels and daily challenges await each player, with the opportunity to expand their English vocabulary.
• Magical World - the player focuses on repairing and decorating Tilly's train to explore stunning locations and collect memorable souvenirs.
• Immersive Stories - from mysteries to romances, every chapter unveils a new facet of Tilly's journey, inviting players to shape the narrative.

'Text Express: Word Adventure' is available for free on the App Store and Google Play, featuring optional in-app purchases to enhance the adventure.

This news comes off the back of Kwalee's investment in French Hyper-Casual 8SEC.

About Kwalee

Kwalee is a global games publisher and developer with more than 1 billion downloads on mobile platforms, with games such as Draw it, Teacher Simulator and Airport Security. The studio also publishes a growing catalogue of PC and console titles, including games such as Wildmender, ROBOBEAT, The Precinct, The Spirit of the Samurai, Hordes of Hunger, Voidwrought and Space Chef.

Founded by games industry icon and Codemasters co-founder David Darling CBE, who is joined by a team of global games experts with studios in the UK, India, Portugal and China, Kwalee is on the lookout for high-quality games to publish on all platforms and encourages developers to get in touch.

Outside of its games, Kwalee is also highly active in the industry, as an ambassador of not-for-profit organisation Women in Games and a regular supporter of charities like Safe In Our World, GamesAid and SpecialEffect.

About Story Giant Games

Story Giant Games is a game studio that stands for great emotional storytelling in games. They pride themselves in creating characters players want to spend time with and worlds they want to live in. Story Giant Games is formed by people who worked on the successful time management series Delicious, Heart’s Medicine and Criminal Minds.