Spark & Spiral Software

Benjamin Miller, Founder

Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

Ben Miller, the founder of Spark and Spiral Software

2026

Spark & Spiral Software is turning a programmer's side project into a global logic puzzle sensation

Founded in 2024 by Benjamin Miller, Spark & Spiral Software started as a personal project to solve the founder's frustration with mobile word games. Today, the studio is best known for its hit logic puzzle game Crowns, and building a suite of games that stay completely free to play thanks to ads.

The spark of an idea

If you’ve ever commuted on the Toronto transit system, you know the value of a good mobile game to pass the time. For Benjamin Miller, a backend software engineer working full-time in fintech, a good game was surprisingly hard to find.

"I was playing these games... but I didn't like any of the apps," Ben recalls. "So, I decided to make apps for myself".

Seeking a creative outlet away from the highly regulated world of finance, Ben decided to build the exact kind of logic-based experiences he wanted to play. In June 2024, from his home in Kitchener, Ontario, he created his first word-unscrambling app.

Just for fun, he integrated a simple banner ad, thinking nobody would click it. "I made like 10 cents a month and I was like, 'This is crazy,'" Ben jokes, “but it was motivating enough to keep improving it in my spare time.”

The real breakthrough came shortly after when he released a logic game called Crowns. It quickly went semi-viral on the App Store, bringing in a massive wave of organic users and completely transforming his side project.

An ad model that clicks

From the beginning, Ben was personally averse to spending money within apps. "I never wanted to force my players to spend money especially on a game because I feel like there's a lot of predatory practices," he explains. He chose an ad-supported model to ensure his games remained free, reasonable, and unobtrusive to users.

He selected Google AdMob because the setup was quick, and he loved the near real-time analytics. In fact, early on, ad impressions were the only way he knew people were actually playing his game.

Once Crowns started gaining traction, Ben leaned into his software engineering background. "Something I've learned from my work is to test everything," he says.

Using Google Firebase, he experimented with different ad types and the timing of interstitial ads between levels. That simple test doubled his revenue overnight without hurting player retention.

And the results have been life-changing. Running his business solely on free-tier backend services and no upfront marketing costs, Ben's app revenue is nearly pure profit. He consistently generates well over $10,000 a month in ad revenue.

He credits much of his rapid success to his "best employee"—artificial intelligence. Using tools like Google Gemini, Ben generates approximately 95% of the code for his apps, allowing him to launch and scale rapidly as a solo developer.

“It really felt like such a cool opportunity to be able to build and run a successful business completely virtually while being able to spend time with my two young kids. It's something I wouldn't have traded for the world. And with the innovations happening in AI, there’s never been a better time to do it than now.”

A community built on logic

Today, Spark & Spiral Software boasts over 115,000 downloads on iOS and over 30,000 on Android for Crowns alone, with around 30,000 monthly active users across their growing catalog of puzzle games.

But for Ben, the most rewarding part isn't just the numbers—it's the players. An active Discord server has sprung up around his games. Players initially join to report bugs or get help with a tricky puzzle, but they end up staying to share daily scores and life updates.

"Watching friendships form and flourish over a shared love of logic puzzles was such a heartwarming experience," he notes, “I love making people happy with my games. It brings tears to my eyes when I read about people having great experiences.”

Looking ahead, Ben is exploring Google Ads for user acquisition to grow beyond his organic reach, and he plans to monetize his new website, logicpuzzles.ca, with Google AdSense. His ultimate childhood dream is to eventually port his games to the Nintendo Switch.

In the meantime, Ben continues to balance his full-time remote job with his thriving business—all without having to leave his home. The financial success of Spark & Spiral Software has opened up entirely new possibilities for his family, bringing them closer to the goal of his wife retiring from her job to stay home full-time with their two young children.

"It really felt like such a cool opportunity to be able to build and run a successful business completely virtually while being able to spend time with my two young kids," Ben reflects. "It's something I wouldn't have traded for the world. And with the innovations happening in AI, there’s never been a better time to do it than now.”

About the Publisher

Benjamin Miller is a software engineer and the founder of Spark & Spiral Software, a mobile game developer creating satisfying, "fluff-free" logic puzzles. From early trials while commuting on the Toronto transit system to managing an active Discord community, Benjamin’s goal is to provide enjoyable, logically satisfying experiences for players of all skill levels.