Hitmarker
Hitmarker is a Newcastle-based SaaS job platform for the gaming and esports industry, connecting 347,000+ registered candidates with 8,000+ hiring companies via a tiered subscription ATS, multi-board job distribution, AI matching, and owned media channels, serving enterprise, mid-market, and indie employers globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersNewcastle, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Hitmarker does
Hitmarker is a privately held, Newcastle-based SaaS company operating the largest dedicated job platform for the gaming and esports industry. Founded in 2017 by Phil Huggan, the platform serves two sides of a vertical marketplace: gaming professionals seeking industry careers (347,000+ registered candidates) and gaming companies, esports organizations, and adjacent brands hiring for gaming-native roles (8,000+ registered companies). The core product is Hitmarker Pro, a tiered subscription platform (Lite, Standard, Plus) providing job posting, applicant tracking system (ATS) capabilities, AI candidate matching, CV parsing, automated workflows, and employer branding tools. Supporting products include Job Credits (Bronze/Silver/Gold a la carte postings), Elevate for sustained employer branding, and Social/Platform Boost add-ons that leverage Hitmarker's owned media reach (180k+ newsletter subscribers, 300k+ LinkedIn followers, 40k+ Twitter followers). Job postings are distributed across Hitmarker, Indeed, LinkedIn, and 25+ job boards through a single submission. Free ancillary products include the Gaming Ecosystem directory and a gaming news content property.
The company monetizes through a product-led growth motion for SMB and mid-market employers (7-day free trial, self-serve plan selection) overlaid with direct enterprise sales for larger gaming companies, esports organizations, and creators. Pricing is available in USD, GBP, and EUR with monthly and annual billing. The go-to-market is reinforced by community-led content marketing (gaming news, ecosystem mapping), event partnerships (most notably official media partnership for the Esports Awards 10th anniversary in Riyadh, August 2025), and integration partnerships with Indeed, LinkedIn, and payment infrastructure via Stripe. Enterprise customers include PlayStation, Microsoft, Nintendo, Mattel, and Logitech, alongside a long tail of mid-market studios and startups.
Hitmarker is owned through Ironmonger Properties, the investment vehicle of Duncan Ironmonger (former co-founder and CEO of SCUF Gaming), who serves as Executive Chairman. The company received approximately $882,637 across Crowdcube crowdfunding rounds in 2019-2020 led by Ironmonger Properties, followed by a strategic investment from the same investor in 2025 to fund the next phase of growth. The team is small (1-10 employees), the company is registered with the UK ICO as a data controller (registration ZA324237), and operations span the UK, North America, and — most recently — the Middle East through its Saudi-associated esports partnerships.
Hitmarker firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hitmarker
- Legal name
- Hitmarker LTD
- Website
- https://hitmarker.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Hitmarker is a Newcastle-based SaaS job platform for the gaming and esports industry, connecting 347,000+ registered candidates with 8,000+ hiring companies via a tiered subscription ATS, multi-board job distribution, AI matching, and owned media channels, serving enterprise, mid-market, and indie employers globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hitmarker industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Recruitment Platform
- NAICS
- Employment Placement Agencies (561311)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- App Monetization & Subscription Management Platforms (BPAMADAI)
Keywords
Where Hitmarker is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Newcastle
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Hitmarker business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Employer Subscription Plans: Tiered subscription model (Lite, Standard, Plus) providing employers with job posting credits, ATS access, AI matching, and employer branding tools. Monthly or annual billing with multi-month free benefits.
- Job Credits (A la Carte): One-time credit purchases for individual job posts. Credits never expire. Bronze (basic posting), Silver (with homepage feature and pinning), Gold (with social promotion to newsletter and LinkedIn/Twitter).
- Elevate Branding Package: Premium brand visibility service for companies to stay visible between hiring cycles with premium branding, verification, and ongoing platform visibility.
- Social & Platform Boosts: Additional promotional add-ons including newsletter promotion (180k+ subscribers), LinkedIn posts (300k+ followers), Twitter posts (40k+ followers), homepage features, pinned jobs, and highlighted listings.
- Media Partnership Revenue: Partnership with Esports Awards provides media partnership opportunities and industry event visibility.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Lite: 3 active job posts with essential hiring tools |
| Subscription | Monthly | Standard: 10 active job posts with enhanced management features |
| Subscription | Monthly | Plus: Unlimited active job posts for high-volume hiring |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bronze Credits: Basic job posting with 28-day visibility |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Silver Credits: Bronze plus enhanced visibility features |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Gold Credits: Bronze and Silver plus full social promotion |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Hitmarker product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hitmarker operates a dedicated hiring platform built for the gaming and esports industry, combining a curated job board, an applicant tracking system (ATS), AI-powered candidate matching, and employer branding tools. Employers subscribe to tiered plans (Lite, Standard, Plus) or buy a la carte job credits to post jobs, manage hiring pipelines, and distribute listings across Hitmarker, Indeed, LinkedIn, and 25+ other job boards. The platform also maintains a Gaming Ecosystem directory of gaming companies, esports teams, and creators for industry navigation.
Product overview
Hitmarker operates as a unified gaming and esports hiring platform combining a job board, applicant tracking system, and employer branding tools into a single product. The core offering is Hitmarker Pro, a subscription-based hiring platform with Lite, Standard, and Plus tiers that provides job posting, candidate pipeline management, AI matching, and automation features. Supporting the subscription model are add-on products including Job Credits (Attract) for one-off hires, Elevate for sustained employer branding, Social Boost for amplified job distribution across Hitmarker's newsletter (180k+ subscribers), LinkedIn (300k+ followers), and Twitter (40k+ followers), and Platform Boost for enhanced on-platform visibility. The Gaming Ecosystem feature serves as a supplementary directory. Job postings are distributed across Hitmarker, Indeed, and LinkedIn through partnership integrations. The platform also offers free job discovery tools for candidates with AI-powered matching and curated job alerts.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Hitmarker Pro: The hiring platform built for the gaming industry with plans for Lite, Standard, and Plus tiers offering job posting, candidate management, and employer branding features.
Products and services
- Hitmarker Pro A subscription-based SaaS hiring platform for gaming companies, esports organizations, and brands to post jobs, manage candidate pipelines, automate workflows, and access AI matching and employer branding tools. Available in Lite (3 active posts), Standard (10 active posts), and Plus (unlimited) tiers with monthly or annual billing.
- Job Credits (Attract) A la carte credit purchasing system for one-off job posts on Hitmarker. Credits never expire and are available in Bronze (basic posting), Silver (with homepage feature and pinned/highlighted job blocks), and Gold (with newsletter and LinkedIn/Twitter social promotion) tiers.
- Elevate A premium employer branding subscription that maintains company visibility between hiring cycles through premium branding, verification status, and ongoing platform visibility for sustained employer brand presence.
- Job Board The candidate-facing job discovery platform that aggregates gaming and esports jobs from multiple sources, offering filtered searches, saved job alerts, and curated opportunities for job seekers. Free to use for candidates.
- Gaming Ecosystem A directory and interactive map of gaming companies, esports teams, and creators that allows users to navigate the interconnected gaming industry and discover career and business opportunities.
Quantifiable outcome
- 347,000+ registered candidates in database
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Hitmarker
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Hitmarker technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability1 record
Feature5 records
Hitmarker partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Esports AwardscoreHitmarker has been named an official media partner for the Esports Awards 10th anniversary ceremony scheduled for August 24, 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The partnership positions Hitmarker alongside Oakley and the Esports World Cup as key partners for the event.
- Esports World Cup FoundationminorExisting partnership between Esports Awards and Esports World Cup Foundation (funded by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund). Hitmarker's media partnership with Esports Awards associates them with this broader event ecosystem.
- IndeedcoreIntegration partner for job distribution. Hitmarker extends job postings to Indeed alongside LinkedIn and 25+ other job boards through single submission.
- LinkedIncoreIntegration partner for job distribution. Hitmarker extends job postings to LinkedIn alongside Indeed and 25+ other job boards through single submission.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Hitmarker competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Greenhouse: Enterprise ATS and hiring platform used by many gaming and tech companies (e.g., Twitch-adjacent employers); competes with Hitmarker's ATS capabilities and employer customer wallet.
- LinkedIn Talent Solutions: LinkedIn's recruitment product, owned by Microsoft, is the dominant horizontal professional network and jobs platform — a primary competitor for gaming employers and the key distribution partner whose terms Hitmarker depends on.
- CareerBuilder: Established horizontal job board and HR solutions provider; competes for employer recruitment spend across industries including gaming-adjacent roles such as tech, marketing, and sales.
- ZipRecruiter: Public US-listed AI-driven jobs marketplace that increasingly serves SMB and mid-market employers with subscription + pay-per-job models — comparable product/pricing structure to Hitmarker Pro at much larger scale.
- Lever: Talent acquisition suite (ATS + CRM) widely adopted by gaming and tech employers; competes for the same HR-tech budget on the same employer customer base Hitmarker targets.
- Indeed: Global horizontal job aggregator owned by Recruit Holdings; competes with Hitmarker for employer spend and is simultaneously a syndication partner — a broad incumbent with massive scale advantages.
Direct peers
- WorkInEntertainment: Vertical job board serving the broader entertainment industry including gaming, esports, and media — directly comparable to Hitmarker in mission (industry-specific hiring marketplace) and target customers (studios and candidates seeking entertainment careers).
- GamesIndustry.biz: Leading gaming industry trade publication (Gamer Network / ReedPop) with a dedicated jobs board covering AAA studios, indie developers, and esports teams — operates in the same gaming recruitment vertical as Hitmarker.
- GamesJobsDirect: Dedicated UK- and Europe-focused job board for the video games industry, listing roles across development, art, QA, and management — closely mirrors Hitmarker's vertical specialization and SMB/studio customer base.
Emerging players
- Wellfound: Formerly AngelList Talent — startup- and tech-focused hiring platform that overlaps with Hitmarker on early-stage gaming studios and tech-adjacent candidates, with a focus on equity and remote roles.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hitmarker social profiles
Digital presenceHitmarker financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hitmarker leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Hitmarker funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hitmarker M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hitmarker
What does Hitmarker do?
Hitmarker operates a dedicated hiring platform built for the gaming and esports industry, combining a curated job board, an applicant tracking system (ATS), AI-powered candidate matching, and employer branding tools. Employers subscribe to tiered plans (Lite, Standard, Plus) or buy a la carte job credits to post jobs, manage hiring pipelines, and distribute listings across Hitmarker, Indeed, LinkedIn, and 25+ other job boards. The platform also maintains a Gaming Ecosystem directory of gaming companies, esports teams, and creators for industry navigation.
Is Hitmarker a public or private company?
Hitmarker is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Hitmarker founded?
Hitmarker was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Hitmarker based?
Hitmarker is headquartered in Newcastle, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Hitmarker make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Employer Subscription Plans are the primary driver. The others are job Credits (A la Carte), elevate Branding Package, social & Platform Boosts and media Partnership Revenue.
Who are Hitmarker's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Greenhouse, LinkedIn Talent Solutions, CareerBuilder, ZipRecruiter, Lever and Indeed. Direct peers are WorkInEntertainment, GamesIndustry.biz and GamesJobsDirect. Wellfound is listed as an emerging player.
Does Hitmarker have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hitmarker.
What industry is Hitmarker in?
Hitmarker's product category is Online Recruitment Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMADAI, App Monetization & Subscription Management Platforms. Its NAICS code is 561311 and its SIC code is 7361.