Harpagia: a text-based idle RPG at about $13K a month ($155K in a year, Firebase shown), built by an ex-Meta manager with Cursor and ChatGPT
A text-based offline idle RPG for iOS and Android where players battle, level up, collect gear and trade, monetized with in-app purchases.
About $13,000 a month on average, $155K total revenue in the past yearper month, Firebase dashboard shown in a Starter Story interview, September 2026, as claimed
- Verification
- Screenshot Founder shared a dashboard screenshot (Stripe, RevenueCat, App Store). Not independently verified.
- App type
- Games
- Currency
- US dollars (USD)
- Got customers via
- Reddit, Word of mouth
- Prior audience
- None, started from zero Says he had no audience, no publisher and no marketing budget
- Source
- Ken Law (founder), Starter Story on YouTube, Sep 13, 2026
“At that point I hadn't written a single line of code in over four years and I wanted to see if I could build an app with AI assistance.”
Editor's note: Ken was an engineering manager at Meta and a software engineer at Amazon, so he is not a beginner, but he says he had not coded in over four years when he started with AI tools in early 2024. He first built a small card game (Big 2 Wild) in about six weeks to learn AI-assisted development, then applied it to Harpagia; he names Cursor as his code editor and ChatGPT for brainstorming and icon touch-ups, with React Native and Firebase. He launched the game while still working full time. The App Store lists Harpagia: Offline Idle RPG from Kayelle Apps LLC (released Nov 22, 2024), and it is also on Google Play. We found no TrustMRR listing.
How they got customers
Reddit: six months after launch he posted the game to an incremental-games community. The response was mostly critical, but the post put the game in front of thousands of players and revenue went from about $1,000 to $10,000 a month almost overnight. A Discord community and player feedback keep retention up; he has not spent on ads.
Steps to try
Ship a tiny first project to learn AI-assisted development end to end, including store approvals, before the real one.
From the sourceBuild for a niche you understand; he made the idle RPG he wanted to play.
From the sourceForce a launch date (his was six months) even if the bigger vision isn't done.
From the sourcePost the game where its players gather, such as Reddit's incremental-games community, and take the criticism as feedback.
From the sourceFocus on retention before monetization, then price in-app purchases in the 4.99 to 9.99 range where players convert.
From the sourceOne viral post is not a channel; set up a repeatable source of new players before the spike fades.
Our suggestion
"From the source" steps summarize the linked post. "Our suggestion" steps are general practice from us, not claims by the founder.
Source
We summarize and link. Figures are reproduced as stated and are unaudited unless marked Verified. Founder? Request a correction or removal.
Quick answers
How much does Harpagia make?
Harpagia reports About $13,000 a month on average, $155K total revenue in the past year (per month, Firebase dashboard shown in a Starter Story interview, September 2026, as claimed). Source: Ken Law (founder), Starter Story, Sep 13, 2026. Proof level: Screenshot. Founder shared a dashboard screenshot (Stripe, RevenueCat, App Store). Not independently verified.
What was Harpagia built with?
The source says it was built with Cursor and ChatGPT.
How did Harpagia get customers?
Main growth channels: Reddit and Word of mouth. Reddit: six months after launch he posted the game to an incremental-games community. The response was mostly critical, but the post put the game in front of thousands of players and revenue went from about $1,000 to $10,000 a month almost overnight. A Discord community and player feedback keep retention up; he has not spent on ads.