Making Hex FRVR: A Conversation With the Developer Behind Browser's Best Hex Puzzle

Hex FRVR launched in 2015 and is still one of the most-played browser puzzle games with a current player base Mads Purup estimates at three million weekly active players across web and native. The game has no energy system, no interstitial advertising during play, and no account requirement. Bramwell spoke with Purup by video in February 2025.

On the decision not to use energy systems:

"We looked at the data from games that used them and the data from games that didn't. The ones with energy systems had higher day-one monetisation and lower thirty-day retention. We made a bet on thirty-day retention because we believe that the compounding value of a player who comes back for a year is much higher than the player who pays to skip an energy timer and then leaves. The bet has been validated by the data we've seen over ten years."

On designing for multiple device types:

"The game had to be good with one finger. If it was good with one finger it would be good with a mouse. If it worked at 375px it would work at 1280px. We designed from the constraint outward. Most of our competitors designed for desktop and then tried to port to mobile. The port never works as well."

On the future of browser games:

"WebGPU is what I'm watching. It moves the performance ceiling significantly and opens up visual complexity we couldn't do in WebGL. The browser game that surprises everyone in 2026 or 2027 will probably be built on WebGPU. We're prototyping."

Full transcript available on request. This interview has been edited for length.