RIDDLE 12 — Indie Game Studio from Los Angeles

RIDDLE 12 is a family-run indie game studio based in Los Angeles, founded by Cyril Zima (Kirill Petrov) and Maria Rogotskaya.

We create unique mobile games inspired by cinema, focus, and the quiet art of balance.

Every game we make is built with love — and every line of code has a story behind it.

Cyril Zima

Developer · Game Designer

Maria Rogotskaya

Producer · Art Director

From Archery to Code: Our Philosophy

We are professional archery coaches and independent mobile game developers. And we know one simple truth: a perfect shot is not magic — it’s debugging.

When we teach, we observe hundreds of details — stance, joint angles, breathing, eye movement. Sometimes adjusting a single knee makes the arrow fly straight to the target. It’s the most complex debugging process imaginable — done without a single line of code.

We carried that philosophy into game development: balance, precision, and attention to feeling — giving the player that same moment of perfect alignment, that satisfying hit.

From the Big Screen to the App Store

Our story began in 2011 at a TV channel in a snowy country far away, where Kirill was a journalist and Maria a producer. We got married, left television, and started our own production company — shooting commercials and short films that toured international festivals and eventually brought us to Los Angeles.

When the 2020 pandemic froze the film industry, we turned our passion for archery into one of LA’s most popular schools. Later we discovered the world of coding and game design, and found that creating games can be just as meditative and inspiring as drawing a bowstring.

Today and Beyond

Today RIDDLE 12 is a young but ambitious indie studio in Los Angeles, where every project begins with curiosity, precision, and the joy of creation. Our first mobile game is complete — and many more are on the way.

We build indie games that evoke real emotion, reward focus, and draw players into worlds that feel alive.