Discover the Former Football Star Behind Brazil's Largest Gaming Studio

Matheus Vivian's career path has been anything but conventional. A professional footballer for 18 years, he played in Brazil, Germany, and France before hanging up his boots. This sudden stop led him to explore new avenues, including consulting for football clubs and hosting his own radio show in France. However, his true passion lay in establishing a game studio, which he co-founded with Guilherme Gonçalves. Their goal was to merge sports and gaming, driven by their passion for both. By licensing prominent football clubs like Paris Saint Germain and players such as Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, they developed a casual, free-to-play game that marked the inception of Hermit Crab, with Vivian at the helm. The studio's initial success came with the Paris Saint Germain game, which garnered over six million organic users across different platforms. This achievement demonstrated the power of licensed games and casual gaming, prompting Hermit Crab to expand its portfolio. Today, the studio employs over 100 people and is dedicated to creating sports titles that showcase Brazilian culture. Hermit Crab develops games for various platforms, including Roblox, Fortnite, and mobile devices, with titles such as Sports Land that go beyond football. According to Vivian, conveying Brazilian culture is essential, and the studio believes it can deliver more than just game mechanics. By focusing on the metaverse, Hermit Crab aims to connect with fans and export Brazilian culture to the world. Each game is built specifically for its respective platform, taking into account the unique characteristics of each. To achieve this, the studio has established dedicated teams for different platforms, including mobile, Fortnite, and Roblox. While many studios focus on releasing titles independently on consoles or PC, Hermit Crab has chosen to concentrate on metaverse platforms. Vivian believes this strategy allows the studio to build an audience and touch different demographics. When asked about the challenges of bringing games to these platforms, Vivian emphasizes the importance of understanding the platform and its community. He notes that while licenses are crucial, the game's mechanics and overall quality are equally important. For Hermit Crab's European club-linked titles, Brazil has consistently been one of the top countries in terms of downloads. As a result, the studio has begun licensing Brazilian brands, becoming the official game studio for the Brazilian Olympic Committee and working on football titles linked to Brazilian clubs. The studio's goal is to focus on the Brazilian market, learn from its experiences, and eventually export its model to the US, Europe, and Asia. With a strong company culture and vision, Hermit Crab has grown rapidly, and Vivian attributes this success to the studio's focus on its core values. As the studio continues to evolve, its long-term vision is to become the go-to reference for sports games with IPs, making Hermit Crab the first choice for sports brands looking to enter the gaming industry.