Mistplay
Mistplay is a Montreal-based play-and-earn mobile gaming rewards platform serving over 10 million consumers and B2B clients including game publishers and brands through its LoyaltyPlay platform, Mistplay Audience Network, and HEX SDK.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersMontréal, Canada
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Mistplay does
Mistplay, founded in 2016 and headquartered in Montreal, Canada, operates a play-and-earn rewards platform that bridges consumer mobile gaming and B2B loyalty advertising. The company serves two distinct customer bases: a consumer base of over 10 million mobile gamers who earn gift cards (Amazon, Walmart, Visa, PayPal) by playing games through the Mistplay iOS/Android app, and a B2B base comprising mobile game publishers (e.g., Treeplla, Netmarble, Caveduck, Rovio, TapNation) and brands/retailers (Checkers & Rally's, GoMart, Lunchbox) across restaurants, convenience/fuel, finance, and shopping verticals.
The technology stack is anchored by AI and machine learning models trained on first-party gameplay data, powering personalized game recommendations, predictive IAP tROAS campaigns, and anomaly detection for fraud. The product portfolio has expanded from the consumer app into a multi-surface platform: the LoyaltyPlay B2B platform embeds rewarded gaming into partner apps; the HEX SDK adds play-and-earn monetization directly inside publisher games; and the Mistplay Audience Network (launched May 2026) provides unified rewarded advertising across North America, Europe, and Asia. Two 2026 acquisitions — Connected Rewards from Mobivity Holdings Corp. (completed March 2026, $5.3M) and MyChips SRL from MAF (May 2026) — extended the platform with real-world in-store loyalty linkage and global rewarded advertising inventory, respectively.
Mistplay monetizes through four revenue streams: rewarded advertising (advertisers pay for user acquisition campaigns), publisher user acquisition services priced against tROAS targets, LoyaltyPlay platform licensing to brands and retailers, and HEX SDK monetization royalties. The go-to-market combines product-led growth on the consumer side (free app downloads with viral/word-of-mouth loops evidenced by 945k+ ratings at 4.5 stars) with enterprise field sales for brand partnerships. The company is privately held, backed by Growthcurve Capital, with 251–500 employees, and was ranked #10 in Gaming overall in the AppsFlyer 2025 Performance Index.
Mistplay firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mistplay
- Legal name
- Mistplay Inc.
- Website
- https://mistplay.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Mistplay is a Montreal-based play-and-earn mobile gaming rewards platform serving over 10 million consumers and B2B clients including game publishers and brands through its LoyaltyPlay platform, Mistplay Audience Network, and HEX SDK.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mistplay industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mobile Gaming Rewards and Advertising
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community Communications & Voice/Chat Platforms (Discord-like, in-game comms) (MPAFAIAE)
Keywords
Where Mistplay is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Montréal
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Mistplay business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Rewarded Advertising: Mistplay earns revenue by connecting advertisers with engaged mobile gamers through its rewarded advertising model. Advertisers pay for user acquisition campaigns where users earn rewards for engaging with ads, installing apps, or completing in-game actions. The company takes a share of advertising spend generated through its platform.
- User Acquisition Services for Publishers: Mistplay charges game publishers for user acquisition services, delivering high-quality engaged users through its loyalty platform. Publishers pay for tROAS (target Return on Ad Spend) campaigns that acquire users likely to install, play, and spend in their games.
- LoyaltyPlay Platform Licensing: Mistplay generates revenue by licensing its LoyaltyPlay platform to brands and retailers (restaurants, convenience stores, fuel stations, fintech companies) to embed rewarded gaming into their loyalty programs, driving customer engagement and visit frequency.
- HEX SDK Monetization: Revenue generated from game publishers integrating the HEX SDK into their games, providing monetization and engagement tools that boost ARPDAU.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Mistplay product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mistplay operates a play-and-earn rewards platform for mobile gamers where consumers earn gift cards by playing games, while its B2B division (LoyaltyPlay, Audience Network, HEX SDK) enables game publishers and brands to drive user acquisition, engagement, loyalty, and real-world transactions through rewarded gaming mechanics integrated into partner apps and loyalty programs.
Product overview
Mistplay operates a unified portfolio of rewarded gaming products spanning both consumer and B2B offerings. The core consumer product is the Mistplay app, a play-and-earn rewards platform where over 10 million users earn gift cards by playing mobile games. The B2B side is anchored by LoyaltyPlay, a platform that embeds rewarded gaming into partner apps and loyalty programs, now enhanced by two strategic acquisitions: Connected Rewards (from Mobivity, March 2026) and MyChips (from MAF, May 2026), both integrated into the LoyaltyPlay ecosystem. Building on this, Mistplay launched the Mistplay Audience Network (May 2026) as a unified rewarded advertising network spanning North America, Europe, and Asia. The HEX SDK enables publishers to add play-and-earn monetization directly to their games. Playtime Events (March 2026) adds event-driven engagement mechanics. The portfolio connects digital gameplay to real-world brand experiences across restaurants, retail, finance, and convenience sectors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- LoyaltyPlay: B2B platform enabling brands and app publishers to embed rewarded gaming into their apps or loyalty programs to drive engagement, loyalty, and visit frequency.
- Mistplay Audience Network
- HEX
- Playtime Events
Products and services
- Mistplay Consumer App A play-and-earn rewards mobile app for iOS and Android where over 10 million users earn gift cards (Amazon, Walmart, Visa, PayPal, Google Play, Uber) by playing free mobile games. Targets individual mobile gamers seeking rewards for their gameplay time.
- LoyaltyPlay A B2B platform enabling publishers and brands to embed rewarded gaming into their apps or loyalty programs to drive engagement, loyalty, and visit frequency. Includes solutions for app publishers, brands/retailers, restaurants, finance & fintech, shopping & cashback, and fuel & convenience stores.
- Mistplay Audience Network A unified rewarded advertising network built on the LoyaltyPlay platform, integrating Connected Rewards and MyChips assets. Enables game publishers to reach tens of millions of monthly active users across consumer service areas including finance, shopping, dining, convenience stores, and gas stations.
- HEX SDK A monetization and engagement SDK that game publishers integrate into their games to boost ARPDAU (average revenue per daily active user) and add play-and-earn mechanics.
- Playtime Events An engagement feature designed to increase playtime and return on ad spend in mobile games through event-driven milestones integrated with the rewards system.
- Connected Rewards A loyalty platform connecting digital gameplay with real-world brand incentives and in-store transactions, acquired from Mobivity Holdings Corp. and integrated into the LoyaltyPlay platform.
Quantifiable outcome
- 70% improvement in D30 retention for Treeplla's Cat Snack Bar in US market
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Mistplay
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Mistplay technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature7 records
Mistplay partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.
- Mobivity Holdings Corp.majorMistplay acquired Mobivity's Connected Rewards platform and related assets for $5.3 million in cash plus more than 6.3 million Class B common shares. The acquisition was completed in March 2026 and integrates Connected Rewards into Mistplay's LoyaltyPlay platform, enabling brands to link digital engagement with in-store transactions and loyalty programs.
- MAF (MyChips SRL)majorMistplay acquired MyChips SRL from MAF, a global rewarded advertising platform active across hundreds of apps in North America, APAC, and Europe. The acquisition strengthens Mistplay's position as a leader in rewarded advertising and expands its global partner network.
- LunchboxcoreLunchbox and Mistplay partnered to help restaurant brands reactivate lapsed loyalty members using the LoyaltyPlay platform, combining Mistplay's rewarded gaming with Lunchbox's restaurant technology solutions.
- Game Partners (Third-party Developers)coreMistplay promotes games from third-party developers (Game Partners) through its platform. Game Partners share gameplay data with Mistplay to enable reward tracking and user engagement measurement. Partners include Netmarble, Treeplla, Rovio, TapNation, and many other mobile game studios.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Mistplay competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Tapjoy: Direct rewarded-advertising platform for mobile apps and games. Closest competitor to Mistplay on both the consumer rewarded-play side and the B2B rewarded UA network side.
- ironSource (Unity): Major mobile ad-tech and monetization platform with rewarded video, mediation, and developer tools. Competes directly with Mistplay in rewarded UA and game-publisher monetization.
- AppLovin: Mobile ad network and publisher platform offering UA, mediation, and MAX monetization. Competes head-to-head with Mistplay for game-publisher tROAS budgets and rewarded demand.
- Liftoff: Performance mobile ad network focused on user acquisition and retargeting, including rewarded ad formats. Directly comparable on the rewarded UA side for app advertisers.
- Digital Turbine: Mobile media and ad-tech company offering app-install UA, on-device media, and rewarded ad formats. Overlaps with Mistplay in incentivized mobile install and engagement campaigns.
- Persona.ly: Programmatic UA and monetization platform with rewarded and playable ad formats. Targets similar mobile game publishers and competes for the same rewarded UA budgets as Mistplay.
- Aarki: Mobile ad network combining programmatic UA with rewarded and playable ad creative. Comparable on the demand-side platform layer serving app advertisers.
Broad incumbents
- Zynga: Large mobile game publisher that consumes rewarded UA inventory from networks like Mistplay. Comparable as a customer-ecosystem anchor and as a broad incumbent in mobile gaming engagement mechanics.
Emerging players
- Bunch: Mobile gaming social/discovery app combining gameplay with social features. Adjacent to Mistplay on the consumer social-gaming side, though focused on live multiplayer rather than rewarded play.
- LoyaltyLion: Loyalty platform for ecommerce brands. Competes with Mistplay's LoyaltyPlay on the B2B side for brand loyalty programs, but does not use rewarded gaming mechanics.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Mistplay social profiles
Digital presenceMistplay financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mistplay leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Mistplay subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Mistplay funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mistplay M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Mistplay
What does Mistplay do?
Mistplay operates a play-and-earn rewards platform for mobile gamers where consumers earn gift cards by playing games, while its B2B division (LoyaltyPlay, Audience Network, HEX SDK) enables game publishers and brands to drive user acquisition, engagement, loyalty, and real-world transactions through rewarded gaming mechanics integrated into partner apps and loyalty programs.
Is Mistplay a public or private company?
Mistplay is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Mistplay founded?
Mistplay was founded in 2016. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Mistplay based?
Mistplay is headquartered in Montréal, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Mistplay make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Rewarded Advertising is the primary driver. The others are user Acquisition Services for Publishers, loyaltyPlay Platform Licensing and HEX SDK Monetization.
Who are Mistplay's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Tapjoy, ironSource (Unity), AppLovin, Liftoff, Digital Turbine, Persona.ly and Aarki. Zynga is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Bunch and LoyaltyLion.
Does Mistplay have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mistplay.
What industry is Mistplay in?
Mistplay's product category is Mobile Gaming Rewards and Advertising. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAIAE, Community Communications & Voice/Chat Platforms (Discord-like, in-game comms).