App development in 2026: Vickie Chen of AviaGames weighs in

Now more than ever, consumers have demanded tech companies be more involved and transparent in social and philanthropic causes, using their resources to give back to those that need it the most.

App development in 2026

As the CEO of Avia, a leading developer on the forefront of skill - based mobile games, my 2026 prediction is that more app developers and publishers will integrate meaningful ways for users to support social causes directly through the apps and games they already love. In 2026, I predict that both companies and users will work together to instill change and make a measurable impact. 

As philanthropy is central to our work at Avia, we have been testing a new approach to charity that lets us to team up with our players and allow our games to be vehicles for change. Players don't need to do anything extra, just continue playing the game they enjoy. 

Our initiative centered on our game Solitaire Clash, which is available for free on the App Store and Samsung Galaxy Store. Garnering more than 60M downloads and 450M monthly tournaments, Solitaire Clash compels players to delve into the world of solitaire to strategically play their cards to earn real money or exciting in-game items. With multiplayer tournaments, mini-games such as Scratchers and Dice Cruise, events and more, Solitaire Clash takes players on a skill-based solitaire experience.

In the Fall of 2025, we kicked off our philanthropic initiative via our Play for Paws campaign in partnership with the no-kill shelter, the Nevada SPCA. This campaign gave animal lovers in our player community the ability to give back to real sheltered animals in light of widespread shelter overcrowding and food insecurity. We implemented an in-game event with missions for players to earn “Dry Food” and feed a virtual version of a Nevada SPCA animal. For every feeding action, Avia donated to the NSPCA, rewarding players for their in-game successes. In the three weeks that the in-game event was live, Avia and our players raised $222K for the Nevada SPCA and donated over 20K pounds of food to the shelter as well. 

Building on the success of Play for Paws and strong community engagement, we expanded our charity efforts for the holiday season. In December we debuted our Wonderland Wishes campaign in partnership with the non-profit Foster Love and content creator, producer, and foster advocate, Leo González. The campaign gave players another chance to give back to a cause - children in foster care and their families. Players competed in-game tasks to earn “Wish Stars” through various in-game events. Players donate by collecting 100 Wish Stars, which then turns into donations for Foster Love, helping further its mission throughout this holiday season.

We aim to continue prioritizing charity-driven initiatives in the new year, building on the momentum and positive impact our community has already created. With our campaigns like Play for Paws and Wonderland Wishes proving that players genuinely value opportunities to support meaningful causes through gameplay, we hope to see a growing appetite for purposeful gaming across the industry and see other developers following suit. Integrating social goods directly onto gaming platforms allows users to feel that their everyday activity contributes to something larger than themselves, which we hope is a positive trend moving forward.