Iraqi studio Istikan targets Chinese players after unexpected success with Istikan Chai
"Honestly, China found us, not the other way around.."
Iraqi game developer Istikan Studio says more than 75% of Istikan Chai's Steam sales come from China, despite launching without paid marketing, a publisher or a presence on major Chinese social platforms.
Speaking to PocketGamer.biz, studio manager Danar Kayfi said the tea shop simulation features a Middle Eastern bazaar, where players take orders, prepare drinks and upgrade their business.
The studio says it launched with Simplified Chinese support, but did not expect to attract such a large Chinese audience.
"Honestly, China found us, not the other way around," said Kayfi. "We shipped Istikan Chai with Simplified Chinese from day one, but we had no publisher, no paid marketing and no presence on Bilibili or WeChat."
From surprise to strategy
Based in Erbil, in Iraq's Kurdistan Region, Istikan Studio believes the game's familiar shop-management mechanics, cosy hand-drawn art and Middle Eastern setting helped it connect with players in China.
The studio now plans to take a more deliberate approach with its next cooking game, Tikka & Kebab. The game puts players in charge of a charcoal grill house in a Kurdish bazaar, with a demo planned for December 2026 and a full release targeted for Q1 2027.
Unlike Istikan Chai, Tikka & Kebab will feature professional Simplified Chinese localisation from day one. The studio hopes this will help it reach Chinese players from launch, rather than discovering its audience by chance.
Istikan Studio is the game development arm of Iraqi telecom and digital solutions company Tornet. Its seven-person team develops games in-house, with projects spanning cooking simulations, strategy games and murder mysteries.
