Rich Apps

Pablo Fuentes, Founder

Manchester, NH

2025

A passion project for family that grew into a global game

For Pablo Fuentes, a passion for technology and a love for his family's favorite card game converged into a rewarding creative outlet. What began as a personal project to bring joy to his mother and grandmother has evolved into Rich Apps, an independent game developer with a global audience. Through his flagship game, SkipTouch, Pablo found a way to share a piece of his family's tradition with millions, all while building a sustainable business.

The genesis of a heartfelt game

Pablo's journey into app development started with a simple, heartfelt idea. Inspired by the physical card game rummy that his mother and grandmother cherished, he decided to create a digital version for them. In 1998, as a personal project, he built a PC game he called Skip 98. The positive feedback from his family and other players fueled his creative drive and he eventually ported it to a web app and, from 2012, developed a mobile app for both Android and iOS. This early success pushed him to continue improving the game, and his dedication soon transformed a family project into an app with a global audience.

The lessons learned from his app development work have even helped him grow in his corporate career as a technology leader. Pablo credits this side project with keeping his skills sharp and his passion alive.

"I've learned to do a little bit of everything," he says, from coding and design to marketing and monetization. He also gets help from his family, with his wife providing Russian translations for the Russian-speaking market in Europe and Central Asia and his daughters assisting with art and design.

Sustaining a creative passion

Rich Apps' core mission is to “create apps and experiences that enrich people's lives with pure fun," and Pablo knew that to reach a global audience and create a steady revenue stream, the app had to be free.

“In comparing the expected outcome from paid apps vs. subscriptions vs. ads, and looking at other apps out there on the market I concluded that a free app with ads had the best income potential,” he explains.

Google AdMob became a key partner in this journey, and Pablo chose it for “its simplicity, ease of integration, and ability to integrate third party ad providers.” He designed the ad experience to be as unobtrusive as possible, typically showing full-screen ads only after a game has concluded. He felt this placement was not too intrusive, allowing users to enjoy the game without interruption. This ad-supported approach has been fundamental to his ability to offer his games at no cost.

Pablo also actively uses a suite of other Google tools to manage and grow his business. He uses Firebase to track crashes and get demographic data, and notes that it has been especially valuable for insights into user interactions, such as the times of day that people play. He also leverages the main Android Play Store Analytics to track app performance over time.

“In comparing the expected outcome from paid apps vs. subscriptions vs. ads, and looking at other apps out there on the market I concluded that a free app with ads had the best income potential.”

A global community of players

SkipTouch has a diverse audience of casual game players worldwide, but the largest portion of its players are from the U.S., Canada, and Germany. The game's popularity stems from its simple, no-frills design that helps users improve and sharpen their skills. At times, the game’s AI opponent has even played too strategically and won so often that users wrote in with feedback and Pablo had to create an "easy" mode for the game.

The most memorable interactions with his audience have been through thoughtful emails and reviews. He recalls a particularly touching email from a retired grandmother who said the game "allowed her to find moments of pleasure in times of loneliness." Another user, a 61-year-old on disability, told him, "I'm very happy I can play my game again. This is what I do most of my day." These personal stories are a constant reminder of the positive impact of his work. “I love creating experiences that others can enjoy and brighten their day,” Pablo shares.

Pablo's future plans for Rich Apps include exploring new apps with the help of the latest AI tools. He also sees app development as a potential retirement activity, where he would have more time to build and develop new games.

This passion for technology, combined with a sustainable, ad-based model, has allowed Pablo and Rich Apps to thrive and build a loyal community of players who will appreciate the pure fun he provides for years to come.

About the Publisher

Pablo Fuentes is the founder of Rich-Apps.com, an independent mobile game developer based in Manchester, NH. With a background in computer science and a passion for coding, he launched Rich Apps with a mission to create engaging and enriching digital experiences. Pablo balances his love of casual game development with a full-time job as a VP of mobile applications, leading a global team of software engineers, while finding relaxation in learning and applying new technologies to enhance his games.