Gaming superstar swaps screens to fulfill obsession for fishing

Few fishing brands start with a foundation as unique as Kuore. Behind the fast-growing Finnish soft bait company is one of the co-founders of Supercell, the globally successful mobile games developer.

But for him, the story has never been about screens and strategy – it’s about water, boats and an obsession with how lures really move.

“I’ve been fishing since I was a kid, though for a long time it was just a casual hobby,” says Lassi Leppinen (above). “That all changed when I bought my first boat about 15 years ago. Fishing became a lifestyle.”

After stepping away from the gaming industry a decade ago, he turned his new passion into purpose – experimenting with soft bait prototypes and eventually devoting himself full-time to their design and development. “I’ve always been drawn to great products,” he says. “It just felt natural to apply that same obsessive thinking to what actually makes a bait perform in the water.”

Established in 2024, Kuore was born from years of personal experimentation and field testing. Its philosophy is simple but uncompromising – to create baits that genuinely perform and catch fish.

“Everything traces back to swimming action – that’s the foundation of every design decision we make,” says Leppinen. “Every product we release has gone through intense testing and proven itself as a real fish catcher. That’s where our slogan – Replace Luck – comes from. We want anglers to pick up a Kuore bait knowing it’s going to work, not hoping it might.”

Kuore focuses on perch, zander and pike fishing, and takes a hands-on approach to product development. Each design begins with in-house 3D modelling and mould printing before moving into real-world prototyping – often requiring dozens of versions before a lure earns its place in the range. “If a bait doesn’t perform, it never gets released,” Leppinen insists. “We’ve made more than 50 versions of a single bait before it felt right.”

Testing is carried out by the founder himself as well as a network of guides and competitive anglers across Europe, ensuring every lure that reaches retail shelves has already proved itself many times over. The company’s first year is focused on building a solid presence in select European markets rather than chasing rapid expansion. “We’re not trying to be everywhere at once,” Leppinen says. “If by the end of the year serious anglers across Europe trust our products, that’s success.”

Kuore’s long-term goal is clear: to become a brand that serious anglers genuinely trust – something earned through consistent quality and performance, not marketing noise. Kuore’s retail network is already taking shape, with stores stocking its lures in Finland, the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia and Slovakia. Growth continues steadily, with Germany a top priority due to its passionate predator-fishing community.

Leppinen says the brand is actively building relationships with two key groups:

• Pro-staff and content creators, who provide authentic awareness and valuable feedback guiding future designs;
• Retail partners, supported by robust marketing and high-quality assets to make Kuore straightforward and rewarding to work with.

“There’s always excitement around launching something new, but our focus is long-term,” he says. “We’re not optimising for a quick splash, we’re building something that lasts.”