Scopely
Scopely, Inc. is an American interactive entertainment company and mobile-first video game developer and publisher.[2] The company is headquartered in Culver City, California, with offices across the US, EMEA and Asia.[3]
Company type
2011 in Los Angeles, California, U.S.
- Walter Driver
- Ankur Bulsara
- Eytan Elbaz
- Eric Futoran
15+ (2024)
- Monopoly Go!
- The Walking Dead: Road to Survival
- Star Trek Fleet Command
- Yahtzee With Buddies
- WWE Champions
- Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem
- Marvel Strike Force
- Scrabble GO
- Bingo Bash
- Tiki Solitaire TriPeaks
- Kingdom Maker
- Stumble Guys
2,000[1] (2022)
Savvy Games Group (2023-present)
- DIGIT Game Studios
- PierPlay
- Genjoy
- GSN Games
- Omnidrone
Scopely has both internal game development studios as well as partners with external development studios to create free-to-play games.[4][5] Scopely also partners with intellectual property holders to create video games based on popular entertainment brands.[6]
Savvy Games Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), acquired the company in July 2023 for $4.9 billion.[7]
History[edit]
Scopely was founded in 2011 by Walter Driver, Ankur Bulsara, Eric Futoran and Eytan Elbaz.[8][9] Previously, Elbaz co-founded Applied Semantics, which was acquired by Google in 2003, and Bulsara was a software developer at MySpace.[9] In 2014, former Disney Interactive and Electronic Arts executive Javier Ferreira joined Scopely.[10] Former Disney Interactive executive Tim O'Brien joined in 2014 as chief revenue officer.[11]
In August 2015, Scopely ranked #9 on Inc.'s List of the 5000 Fastest-Growing Companies in America, and #1 in the US.[12]
In October 2017, the company announced it was opening an office in Barcelona.[13]
In May 2019, the company acquired Dublin-based DIGIT game studios, its collaborator on the mobile 4x strategy game Star Trek Fleet Command.[14]
In June 2019, the company shared it had surpassed $1 billion in lifetime revenues.[15]
In January 2020, the company purchased FoxNext Games Los Angeles and its RPG game MARVEL Strike Force, along with Cold Iron Studios, from The Walt Disney Company for an undisclosed amount.[16] Scopely later sold Cold Iron Studios to Daybreak Game Company.[17]
In April 2020, Scopely also acquired PierPlay game studio, its collaborator on the mobile word game Scrabble GO.[18]
In October 2021, Scopely acquired Game Show Network's online gaming division (GSN Games) from Sony in a $1 billion cash and stock deal. Sony Pictures took a minority stake in the company as a result.[19][20]
Savvy Games Group announced its intent to acquire Scopely, Inc for $4.9 billion on April 5, 2023.[21][22] The acquisition was completed on July 13, 2023.[7] In June 2023, Scopely acquired Tag Games.[23]
Following the end of its publishing partnership with Kingdom Maker developer Global Worldwide, 15 jobs were cut on February 14, 2024.[24]
Funding[edit]
In 2013, Scopely raised a seed round of $8.5 million,[26] led by Anthem Venture Partners, with participation from The Chernin Group, Greycroft Venture Partners, and New Enterprise Associates.[54] In 2014, Scopely raised a $35 million Series A funding round, led by Evolution Media.[32][55] In 2016, Scopely raised $55 million in Series B funding.[42] In 2017, the company announced $60 million in Series C funding, led by Revolution Growth,[9] and then raised an additional $100 million from Greenspring Associates in 2018.[46]
In 2019, the company announced $200 million in Series D financing, valuing the company at $1.7 billion.[56] In March 2020, the company announced another $200 million in Series D financing, valuing the company at $1.9 billion.[57]
In October 2020, Scopely announced $340 million in Series E financing, valuing the company at $3.3 billion.[58]
As of October 2021, Scopely was valued at $5.4 billion.[59]