Mino Games
Mino Games is a privately-held mobile and PC game developer that builds character-driven collectible franchises (Cat Game, Dog Game, Dimensionals) serving 45M+ casual gamers across 150 countries via a freemium in-app purchase model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersMontréal, Canada
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Mino Games does
Mino Games is a privately-held mobile and PC game developer founded in 2011 and headquartered in Montreal, Canada, operating as a fully remote team of 80+ employees. The company builds character-driven collectible games around an internal library of 3,000+ unique characters, with active titles including Cat Game and Dog Game (the 'Collector Franchise' mobile titles), Dimensionals (an RPG-style PC game on Steam launched in 2024), and the legacy MinoMonsters franchise. Players collect characters, join clubs, participate in multiplayer events, and engage with weekly content releases across iOS, Android, Steam, and historically Facebook Messenger (via a partnership with Playco for Cat Life).
The company operates a freemium go-to-market model, distributing free-to-download games through major app stores and monetizing via in-app purchases of virtual currency, items, and cosmetics. It has accumulated 60M+ worldwide downloads and 45M+ players across 150 countries. Distribution is product-led, supplemented by app store optimization, owned social channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), and paid user acquisition — the latter supported by a $30M UA funding facility from Tilting Point secured during Cat Game's 2019 launch.
Mino Games is venture-backed with approximately $23M in equity funding across rounds led by Y Combinator (founding batch, 2011), Andreessen Horowitz ($2M seed in 2012), SYBO ($2M Series A in 2016), and a $15M Series B in February 2023 led by Standard Crypto with participation from A16Z and others. The legal entity is MinoMonsters, Inc., incorporated in California, and the leadership team comprises co-founder and CEO Sasha MacKinnon alongside CTO Darren Pegg, CPO Shane Sareli, CCO Danny Chou, and VP-level engineering and strategy leads. The company has expanded from a mobile-only monster RPG origin into a multi-platform character-IP studio, with stated intent to explore new platforms and crypto-enabled game experiences.
Mino Games firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mino Games
- Legal name
- MinoMonsters, Inc.
- Website
- https://minogames.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Mino Games is a privately-held mobile and PC game developer that builds character-driven collectible franchises (Cat Game, Dog Game, Dimensionals) serving 45M+ casual gamers across 150 countries via a freemium in-app purchase model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mino Games industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mobile Gaming
- NAICS
- Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing (33993)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Casual/Hypercasual Game Studios (MPAFAAAG)
Keywords
Where Mino Games is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Montréal
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Mino Games business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- In-App Purchases: Free-to-play model with virtual currency and goods purchases within games. Players can buy virtual items, cosmetics, and advantages.
- Game Downloads and Engagement Revenue: Cat Game generated over $2mm in revenue in its first month. MinoMonsters 2 generated over $2mm in its first month of launch.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free-to-play with in-app purchases |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Mino Games product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mino Games is a character-driven gaming company that develops and operates free-to-play mobile and PC games centered on collectible character franchises. Its portfolio includes Cat Game and Dog Game (mobile pet-collectible titles), Dimensionals (an RPG-style PC game on Steam), and the legacy MinoMonsters franchise. The company monetizes through in-app purchases of virtual goods and currency, supported by regular content updates, events, and social/community features.
Product overview
Mino Games is a character-driven gaming company offering a portfolio of mobile and PC games centered around collectible franchises with beautiful characters and strong communities. The company operates five games including Cat Game and Dog Game (mobile collectible pet games in the 'Collector Franchise'), Dimensionals (RPG-style PC game), MinoMonsters and MinoMonsters 2 (legacy monster RPGs), and Cat Life (Facebook messenger social game). With over 3000 characters across its hit franchises loved by 45 million players in 150 countries, the company has expanded from its original monster RPG roots to become a major player in the mobile collectible game space, while recently branching into PC gaming with Dimensionals.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- MinoMonsters: Original monster RPG franchise that includes MinoMonsters (shut down 2016) and MinoMonsters 2. One of the earliest monster RPGs on the iPhone with over 10mm downloads in first year.
- Cat Game
- Dog Game
- Dimensionals
Products and services
- Dimensionals RPG-style PC game available on Steam; Mino Games' first PC title, expanding the company's character-driven franchises beyond mobile. Targeted at PC and RPG gamers globally.
- Cat Game Free-to-play mobile collectible game where players team up with friends to collect thousands of cute cats, with social clubs, events, and regular new content. Targeted at casual mobile gamers and cat enthusiasts globally on iOS and Android.
- Dog Game Free-to-play mobile collectible game featuring thousands of cute dogs to collect and play with weekly; latest installment in the Collector Franchise alongside Cat Game. Targeted at casual mobile gamers and dog enthusiasts on iOS and Android.
- Cat Life Facebook Messenger version of Cat Game developed in partnership with Playco, offering a fresh take on social gaming through the Messenger platform.
Quantifiable outcome
- 45M+ players in 150 countries
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Mino Games
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Mino Games technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Mino Games partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- PlaycominorPartnered with Playco to launch Cat Life - a Facebook Messenger version of Cat Game with a fresh new take on social gaming.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Mino Games competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Zynga: One of the largest casual and social mobile game publishers (now part of Take-Two), with a portfolio of character-driven and casual games. Directly comparable to Mino Games' freemium, character-collection mobile model, though at much greater scale.
- King: Mobile casual gaming giant behind Candy Crush (owned by Activision Blizzard). Comparable in mobile casual free-to-play mechanics and heavy UA spend, but focused on match-3 rather than collection/character games.
- Rovio Entertainment: Mobile game company known for the Angry Birds franchise, with deep character IP and global mobile distribution. Comparable in character-IP-driven mobile model, though now owned by Sega.
- Niantic: Mobile AR game developer behind Pokémon GO and similar character-driven titles with social/community mechanics. Comparable as a character-IP-based mobile game studio with global community engagement.
Direct peers
- Scopely: Mobile game studio and publisher known for character-driven, social-first titles like Stumble Guys and Marvel Strike Force. Closely comparable to Mino Games in model: free-to-play mobile, strong social/community features, and character IP focus.
- Playrix: Casual mobile game developer behind Homescapes and Gardenscapes, with a focus on character-driven narratives and live operations. Comparable in genre, monetization (IAP-driven casual), and heavy reliance on UA.
- Supercell: Mobile game studio known for Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, and Brawl Stars. Comparable as a character-driven mobile game studio with strong community/social features, though Supercell operates at far greater scale.
- Outfit7: Developer of the Talking Tom franchise, a character-driven mobile game series with global reach. Highly comparable to Mino Games' 'cute character' mobile-first approach and global 100+ country distribution.
- Wildlife Studios: Brazil-based mobile game developer with a portfolio of casual and mid-core games including Tennis Clash. Comparable as a venture-backed private mobile game studio targeting global audiences via freemium.
- Storm8: Mobile game studio focused on casual and social casino-style games, now part of PlayStudios. Comparable in mobile-first casual free-to-play model with character/collection-driven titles.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Mino Games social profiles
Digital presenceMino Games financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mino Games leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Mino Games subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Mino Games funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds11 records
Investors21 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mino Games M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Mino Games
What does Mino Games do?
Mino Games is a character-driven gaming company that develops and operates free-to-play mobile and PC games centered on collectible character franchises. Its portfolio includes Cat Game and Dog Game (mobile pet-collectible titles), Dimensionals (an RPG-style PC game on Steam), and the legacy MinoMonsters franchise. The company monetizes through in-app purchases of virtual goods and currency, supported by regular content updates, events, and social/community features.
Is Mino Games a public or private company?
Mino Games is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Mino Games founded?
Mino Games was founded in 2011. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Mino Games based?
Mino Games is headquartered in Montréal, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Mino Games make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. In-App Purchases are the primary driver. The others are game Downloads and Engagement Revenue.
Who are Mino Games's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Zynga, King, Rovio Entertainment and Niantic. Direct peers are Scopely, Playrix, Supercell, Outfit7, Wildlife Studios and Storm8.
Does Mino Games have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mino Games.
What industry is Mino Games in?
Mino Games's product category is Mobile Gaming. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAG, Casual/Hypercasual Game Studios. Its NAICS code is 33993 and its SIC code is 7900.