Meet Igor and Dmitry Bukhman, the masterminds behind some of the world’s most popular mobile games, who have amassed a staggering £12.5billion fortune, eclipsing the wealth of internationally renowned figures in the gaming industry.
The brothers, who grew up in poverty in post-Soviet Russia, topped The Sunday Times Gaming Rich List in 2024, thanks to the phenomenal success of Playrix, the mobile games business they founded using an old PC gifted by their grandfather.
The Bukhman brothers have surpassed big names such as PewDiePie, a streamer with over 30billion views, the creators of Candy Crush and Grand Theft Auto, and metaverse pioneers.
According to the list, the top 30 gaming moguls generated £17.1billion in 2023, with the sibling duo accounting for more than 70% of this amount.
Hailing from Vologda, 300 miles northeast of Moscow, the brothers began developing their own games and screensavers using the Pentium 100-powered PC gifted by their grandfather, laying the foundation for what is now Playrix.
Although you may not be familiar with the company’s name, you may have played one of their games, such as Fishdom, Gardenscapes, or Township – well-known free-to-download mobile games designed for short moments of play, and offering in-app payments or “microtransactions” to accelerate progress.
The Bukhmans’ four most successful games have generated revenues of almost $12.5billion, according to Statista. Igor, 42, now owns two adjoining properties in Kensington, a testament to the brothers’ remarkable rags-to-riches story.
The Sunday Times Gaming Rich List of 2024 features a host of tycoons with fascinating tales, including Riccardo Zacconi, who sold his car and moved in with a friend in London to create Candy Crush Saga, amassing a fortune of £410million.
Mel Morris, who left school at 16 and worked as a flooring salesman before striking gold with an online dating service and Candy Crush Saga, is worth £312 million. After selling his production company, he invested much of his wealth into Derby County Football Club, though with limited success.
Debbie Bestwick, one of the few women on the list, made her £130million fortune by taking a summer job at a video game shop in Nottingham during her A-levels. She eventually left her studies to run the store and later founded Team17.
Paul Wedgwood, who was expelled from his South London school at age 15 but landed an IT job at a City bank and found time to develop hit gaming developer Splash Damage, is worth £100 million.
Representing the next generation of gamers is Gen-Z idol KSI (singer, entrepreneur, boxer), who started as a streamer playing Fifa for his followers and has now amassed over £50 million.