Matheus Valadares
Matheus Valadares (also known as Zeach, M28, and Matheus28; born c. 1996) is a Brazilian software developer and biologist best known as the creator of Agar.io, a massively multiplayer online game released in April 2015. Agar.io is widely credited as the first major ".io game" and the progenitor of an entire genre of simple multiplayer browser games. Valadares went on to create several other .io games, including Diep.io, Florr.io, and Digdig.io.
Unlike his most prominent imitator, Steven Z. Howse (creator of slither.io), Valadares sold his breakout game to a publisher, continued developing new titles, and maintained a modest online presence — though he remains a relatively obscure figure given the cultural impact of his work.
Early life
Little is known about Valadares' early life. He is Brazilian and has been described in press accounts as a student and a biologist.[1][2] He was approximately 19 years old when he created Agar.io in April 2015, placing his birth year around 1996.[3]
His full name appears to be Matheus Valadares Gomes, as recorded on Wikidata and his Facebook profile (matheusvaladaresgomes).[4]
Online identity
Valadares has used several online pseudonyms:
- Zeach — his Reddit username (/u/Zeach), used during the initial development and promotion of Agar.io on 4chan and Reddit[3]
- M28 and Matheus28 — used on GitHub (github.com/Matheus28) and in community references[4][5]
- matheusvaladaresgomes — Facebook[4]
Unlike Steven Z. Howse, who operates pseudonymously and has never been publicly identified beyond press interviews, Valadares has maintained visible developer accounts and engaged directly with player communities on Reddit and GitHub, though he remains personally private.
Career
Early projects
Before Agar.io, Valadares created several browser-based games, including:
- FlappMMO — a multiplayer version of Flappy Bird[1]
- Voar.io — a flying game, described as a precursor to Agar.io[2]
- Cursors.io — a collaborative cursor-based browser game[1][5]
- Bubble Tanks — later acquired by Addicting Games[6]
Agar.io (2015)
Valadares wrote Agar.io in JavaScript and C++. He shared a raw IP address for playtesting on the 4chan video game board /v/ on 28 April 2015. The game did not yet have a name; the domain name "agar.io" was suggested by an anonymous 4chan user, referencing agar, the substance used to culture bacteria in petri dishes.[3]
The game was originally intended to be more complex, incorporating biological processes like photosynthesis and mitochondria, but Valadares ultimately stripped it down to simple mechanics.[1] In-game advertisements covered server costs. Valadares never marketed the game beyond his single 4chan post.[3]
The game went viral through YouTube and Twitch content creators. Within weeks it had five million daily players.[3]
Miniclip acquisition
After meeting Valadares in Lisbon, Swiss game publisher Miniclip began working with him at the end of April 2015 — essentially within days of the game's release. Miniclip executive producer Jamie Cason stated that their entire staff were playing it within a week.[3] Miniclip released mobile ports on 8 July 2015, which became the #1 app on the App Store in the United States, the United Kingdom, and 32 other countries.[3]
Valadares subsequently sold Agar.io to Miniclip and continued working on it for a period before moving on to new projects.[2][1] The sale price has not been publicly disclosed. Miniclip remains the current developer and publisher of both the web and mobile versions.[3]
Cultural impact
Agar.io was Google's most searched video game in 2015 and was listed as the fifth top game on YouTube's list of top games that year.[3] It was featured in Season 4, Episode 9 of the television series House of Cards, where the character Frank Underwood is shown playing it and compares its mechanic of eating smaller cells to a presidential campaign.[3]
During the lead-up to the June 2015 Turkish general election, Agar.io became an unexpected political battleground, with players using names related to Turkish political parties and cooperating against rival factions. An article in the journal Games and Culture argued this political use was a key factor in the game's success.[3]
Content moderation controversy
In an effort to make the game more commercially viable, Miniclip removed Swastika and ISIS player skins from the game. This was described as distancing the game from its original 4chan audience. Notably, Valadares himself had previously refused to remove the Nazi skin when users requested it on Reddit.[3]
Diep.io (2016)
In July 2016, Valadares released Diep.io, a multiplayer tank shooter .io game. Miniclip published the mobile version. The game was praised for its upgrade system, which provided more depth and replay value than other .io games.[6] In 2021, Addicting Games acquired Diep.io for an undisclosed amount. In 2024, it was acquired by 3AM Experiences.[6]
Later projects
Valadares continued developing .io games independently:
- Florr.io — a flower-themed .io game where players collect petals[5]
- Digdig.io — a digging-themed multiplayer game[5]
- Planetar.io — a space-themed game[5]
He has been occasionally sighted playing his own games with developer-only visual effects, such as distorted flower shapes in Florr.io.[5]
Comparison with Steven Z. Howse
Valadares and Howse are the two most significant figures in the .io game genre, and their trajectories offer a striking contrast:
| Matheus Valadares (Agar.io) | Steven Z. Howse (slither.io) | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | April 2015 | March 2016 |
| Age at launch | ~19 | ~32 |
| Sold game? | Yes (to Miniclip) | No (declined multiple offers) |
| Continued developing? | Yes (Diep.io, Florr.io, Digdig.io, etc.) | No (minimal updates for ~9 years) |
| Online presence | Moderate (Reddit, GitHub, active under pseudonyms) | Effectively none (2 interviews in 2016, then silence) |
| Open about identity? | Relatively (known pseudonyms, press interviews) | Extremely private (no photo ever published) |
| Revenue model | Sold to publisher for lump sum + continued work | Retained ownership, ad revenue (~$100K/day at peak) |
| Community engagement | Direct (responded on Reddit during early development) | None (community forced to reverse-engineer the game) |
Howse has explicitly cited Agar.io as his direct inspiration for creating slither.io.[7] Slither.io eclipsed Agar.io in popularity by mid-2016, becoming Google's most searched game of 2016.[3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "A Browser Game Called Agar.io Got Googled More In 2015 Than 'Fallout 4'", Vice, December 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Zeach", Agar.io Wiki
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 "Agar.io", Wikipedia
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Matheus Valadares", Wikidata
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 "Matheus Valadares", Florr.io Wiki
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Diep.io", Wikipedia
- ↑ "Interview: The future of Slither.io", Pocket Gamer, May 16, 2016
External links
- Official Agar.io website
- Vice interview with Valadares (2015)
- /u/Zeach on Reddit
- Matheus28 on GitHub
- Matheus Valadares on Wikidata
- Matheus Valadares on Crunchbase
- Agar.io on Wikipedia
- Diep.io on Wikipedia
See also
- Agar.io on Wikipedia
- Steven Howse — creator of slither.io, which Valadares' work directly inspired
- .io game on Wikipedia
- Miniclip on Wikipedia