What LION STUDIOS does

Lion Studios is a mobile game publishing company that helps independent developers of all sizes publish, market, and scale their games worldwide. The company operates as the publishing arm within AppLovin's gaming portfolio, following AppLovin's 2021 acquisition of Tripledot Studios (Lion Studios' parent entity). Lion Studios operates a partner intake platform (the Lion Portal) with a KPI Bounty performance-linked payment program, through which developers submit games for publishing consideration. Since its founding in 2018, Lion Studios has published 67 mobile games spanning puzzle, merge, simulation, and casual genres, distributed globally through Apple App Store, Google Play, Amazon Appstore, and the Crazy Games web platform.

The core technology surface is a publishing platform built around developer submission workflows, app store distribution, and integration with AppLovin's advertising and monetization infrastructure. Notable product features include the KPI Bounty program (paying developers based on game performance metrics), multi-language press portals (English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean), and integration with first-party app store in-app purchase systems plus third-party analytics (Google Analytics) and identity (Facebook Connect). The company is headquartered in Palo Alto, California, with additional offices in Berlin and Shanghai, and operates through legal entities Lion Studios, LLC and affiliate Hippotap, LLC.

Lion Studios generates revenue through a transaction-fee / revenue-share model on published games, monetizing via both in-app purchases and advertising (likely powered through AppLovin's ad stack). Its primary customer segment is mobile game developers — particularly indie studios seeking publishing and marketing support — with end-users being the global consumer base on iOS and Android devices. The only named developer customer in the input is 1Button (Mr Bullet). The company has no disclosed independent funding rounds, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of AppLovin.

Name

LION STUDIOS

Legal name

Lion Studios, LLC

Website

https://lionstudios.cc

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lion Studios is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AppLovin that publishes and markets mobile games for independent developers worldwide. Founded in 2018, it has published 67 titles across puzzle, merge, and casual genres with multiple chart-topping releases.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Game Publishing

NAICS

Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912)

SIC

Retail-Computer & Computer Software Stores (5734), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Publisher-Owned Direct-to-Consumer Stores (MPAFACAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

PC & Console Game Distribution Platforms (BPAMAKAA)

Keywords

• Mobile game publishing
• Indie game publishing
• User acquisition services
• App store marketing
• Mobile game distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Palo Alto

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Game Publishing Revenue Share: Lion Studios publishes mobile games developed by third-party studios, generating revenue through game publishing. The company helps developers monetize their games and grow their businesses through publishing and marketing support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Lion Studios is a mobile game publisher that partners with indie and mid-sized game developers to launch, market, and monetize their games across major app stores. The company operates a partner portal (Lion Portal) for developer submissions and a KPI Bounty Program that pays performance-based bonuses, charging developers through a transaction-fee revenue share rather than upfront fees. It is integrated with AppLovin's advertising technology stack and has published 67 games, with 25+ reaching #1 on app store charts.

Product overview

Lion Studios is a mobile game publishing company owned by AppLovin that helps game developers of all sizes publish and market their games. The company operates through its core publishing platform, which includes a partner submission portal (Lion Portal) for game developers to submit mobile games for publishing consideration, and a KPI Bounty payment program that rewards developers based on game performance metrics. Lion Studios publishes a portfolio of over 25+ mobile games across various genres including puzzle (sorting, matching, logic), simulation, and casual games, distributed through Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Amazon Appstore, and Crazy Games web platform. The company has offices in San Francisco, Berlin, and Shanghai, and since its founding in 2018 has published 67 games with 25+ reaching #1 on charts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lion Studios Game Publishing Platform End-to-end mobile game publishing service for game developers: includes marketing, user acquisition, monetization optimization, and global app store distribution, charged via a transaction-fee revenue share (no upfront fees). Backed by AppLovin's advertising technology.
• Lion Partner Portal

Quantifiable outcome

• 67 games published since 2018
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AppLovincoreOthers · 1 July 2018Lion Studios is a subsidiary of AppLovin, a mobile advertising and app monetization company. AppLovin's advertising technology and infrastructure supports Lion Studios' game publishing and marketing operations. Lion Studios is branded as 'Lion Studios by AppLovin'.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Voodoo: One of the largest mobile game publishers globally, specializing in hyper-casual and casual games. Direct competitor to Lion Studios in the publisher-led, mobile-first publishing model, competing for the same third-party developers and chart positions.
• CrazyLabs: Mobile game publisher (formerly TabTale) focused on hyper-casual and casual games. Competes directly with Lion Studios for developer partnerships and global App Store/Google Play chart share, with a similar KPI-based publishing model.
• Homa Games: Mobile game publisher and no-code game creation platform headquartered in Paris. Direct competitor in hyper-casual mobile publishing with similar developer acquisition and UA arbitrage approach.
• SayGames: Belarus-based mobile game publisher with a large hyper-casual portfolio. Competes with Lion Studios for chart positions and developer talent, with similar publishing partnership and marketing focus.
• Supersonic (by Unity): Mobile game publishing arm of Unity Technologies focused on hyper-casual games. Direct competitor to Lion Studios, leveraging Unity's ad mediation and engine integrations to attract developers.
• Good Job Games: Mobile game developer and publisher with a portfolio of casual and hyper-casual titles. Competes with Lion Studios for both App Store chart positions and developer partnerships, with a similar genre focus.

Broad incumbents

• Tripledot Studios: Mobile game developer and publisher that acquired Lion Studios in 2021 (now under AppLovin). Operates a broader casual and merge game portfolio alongside Lion Studios' hyper-casual focus, sharing corporate parent and infrastructure.
• Playrix: Major mobile game developer/publisher behind hits like Homescapes and Township. While larger and more IP-focused, it overlaps with Lion Studios in casual mobile publishing and competes for the same pool of players in the casual genre.
• Zynga: Major mobile game publisher (owned by Take-Two Interactive) with a broad casual and social casino portfolio. Broader and more diversified than Lion Studios but operates in the same mobile game publishing space.

Others

• AppLovin (parent): Lion Studios' parent company and the broader mobile advertising and app monetization platform. While not a peer in publishing per se, AppLovin provides the ad tech infrastructure and competing first-party publishing operations that shape Lion Studios' competitive landscape.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lionstudioscc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCLuH7GubX2xAldP0JX2cGSw
• Facebookfacebook.com/lionstudios.cc
• Instagraminstagram.com/lionstudioscc
• TikToktiktok.com/@lionstudioscc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lionstudioscc

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LION STUDIOS