Building Worlds That Endure: How Top Games Inc. and Evony Keep Players Coming Back
It’s easy to call 2022 a milestone year for Top Games Inc., but numbers only tell part of the story. Sure, Evony: The King’s Return bagged the NYX Silver Award early that year, cracked the top charts on Google Play and Apple’s App Store, and finished strong with the Samsung Galaxy Store’s Best MMO Award. Those are impressive wins—undeniably.
But behind every line of code, every battle won, and every new feature that pulled players deeper into Evony’s sprawling world, there’s something more personal: a leadership philosophy that never settles.
The Vision Behind the Victory
At the center of it all is David Guo (Yaoqi Guo), co-founder and CEO of Top Games Inc.—a man who’s been in tech long before mobile gaming took over the world. With over 25 years of experience spanning software, network security, and game design, Guo has a knack for spotting shifts before they happen.
He often says, “When you see a problem, fix it fast.” It sounds simple, almost obvious. But in an industry that thrives on rapid change, that mindset is gold. Under his leadership, Top Games moved from social media flash games to mobile—right before that wave became a tsunami. That move helped turn Evony: The King’s Return, launched in 2016, into a global hit with over 200 million downloads and more than $355 million in revenue by 2023.
Guo’s approach is practical yet deeply human: make games that feel like part of players’ lives, not distractions from them.
The Strategist Beside Him
Alongside Guo is Benjamin Gifford, Vice President and strategist by instinct. Where Guo brings vision, Gifford brings structure—using data, OKRs, and clear objectives to drive growth. But he’s no corporate robot.
He tells his team: “Don’t get comfortable. Growth starts where safety ends.”
He proved that philosophy in 2017, when Evony’s Super Bowl commercial took center stage. Starring Aaron Eckhart, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Fan Bingbing, the ad wasn’t just a spectacle—it was a statement. It catapulted Evony into the U.S. App Store’s top 20 overnight and set the tone for how Top Games thinks about storytelling: bold, cinematic, and global.
Culture That Moves Fast
Inside Top Games, you won’t find layers of red tape. Guo and Gifford built a culture where people speak freely, act fast, and own their work. Ideas rise from the floor up, not top-down.
It’s an environment that prizes curiosity and resilience. “Data is our compass,” Guo says, “but people are the ship.” That balance of analytical rigor and creative freedom is what gives Top Games its edge in the mobile gaming world.
The Soul of Evony
What makes Evony: The King’s Return stand apart isn’t just its strategy—it’s its community. The Alliance system lets players build friendships, plan wars, and share victories. Thanks to real-time translation in 25 languages, those bonds cross continents.
As one player, Jasper Finch, put it:
“It’s this wild medieval world where everyone’s trying to grow stronger—and somehow, you’re all in it together.”
That sense of belonging is why Evony keeps players coming back years after launch.
A Vibrant Community Fueled by Innovative Events
Evony’s thriving global community has always been powered by its inventive, ever-evolving in-game events — each one designed to surprise, challenge, and bring players together.
Most recently, the St. Martin’s Day Event brought festive excitement to the battlefield. During the event, players could unlock five daily package tiers filled with valuable rewards such as Dragon Gemstones, Military Treatises, Military Tactics Material Optional Chests, Merit Jade, Glory Golden Twigs, Forge Master Certificates, Blood Crystals, Subordinate City Clue Chests, and Premium Gear Chests (Glory Medal). Those who reached the fifth tier even had a chance to obtain the new Epic Historic General Henry Ⅳ, alongside Lv7 Barbarian King’s Tokens and Lv7 Premium Gear Chests (Glory Medal) — a true prize for the most dedicated strategists.
Just before that, the Halloween event wrapped up with great success, followed by the rollout of the 5.10.3 Version Update, which expanded gameplay possibilities with two new features — Trade Carriage and Wisdom Dome — along with upgraded rewards and more refined balance adjustments.
- Trade Carriage introduces a new layer of alliance cooperation and strategy. Under your Alliance’s command, players can dispatch treasure-laden carriages to the Temple for generous rewards — but rival Alliances may attempt to intercept them. You can assign guards to defend your caravans or seize opportunities to plunder unguarded enemy convoys, adding tension and teamwork to every delivery.
- Wisdom Dome, now one of the most talked-about additions, lets players channel divine inspiration. By using Goddess Worship Tokens or Goddess Prayer Tokens, players can perform rituals to obtain half-books (Part Ⅰ or Part Ⅱ). Each book features randomly generated attributes based on its type and quality, with higher-quality tomes granting even greater power. Through worship and collaboration, players can collect, study, and dedicate books to gain mighty buffs — a perfect blend of luck, intellect, and devotion that resonates deeply with Evony’s strategic spirit.
Through these dynamic updates and imaginative events, Evony: The King’s Return continues to prove that its longevity is no coincidence — it’s built on constant innovation and a community that thrives on discovery and connection.
A Game That Evolves With Its Players
Evony keeps reinventing itself. The recent St. Martin’s Day event offered players everything from Dragon Gemstones to the new Epic Historic General Henry IV. Before that, the Halloween event introduced two new systems—Trade Carriage and Wisdom Dome—which quickly became community favorites.
In the Wisdom Dome, players can use tokens to worship the Goddess, collecting rare half-books that boost power. It’s a mix of strategy and mystery that keeps players invested long after the event ends.
And that’s the point—Evony doesn’t just add features. It adds stories. Every update feels like a living chapter in a world that never stops growing.
More Than One Game, One Direction
Top Games isn’t stopping at Evony. Its expanding portfolio includes Plague of Z, Mafia Origin, Alliance of Glory, King Legion, Infinity Clan, and Dream Journey Makeover—each carrying the same DNA: user-first design, creative ambition, and a commitment to fun.
Guo sums it up simply:
“A great game isn’t what the designer loves. It’s what the player can live in.”
And Gifford adds,
“Excellence isn’t a goal—it’s a habit.”
Together, they’ve built not just a company but a movement that keeps pushing what mobile gaming can be.
