Zeptolab

What Zeptolab does

ZeptoLab is a privately held mobile gaming company founded in 2010 and headquartered in London, with creative operations in Barcelona. The company develops and publishes freemium mobile games including the Cut the Rope franchise (featuring the iconic Om Nom character, 990 million+ players cumulatively), Bullet Echo (a multiplayer tactical stealth shooter with 10 million+ downloads and 120,000 monthly active users), C.A.T.S.: Crash Arena Turbo Stars, Overcrowded: Tycoon, Evo Pop, and the recently launched My Om Nom (October 2025). Its core technology centers on a proprietary physics-based gameplay engine powering puzzle and action mechanics, with the Om Nom IP extended across games, the Om Nom Stories animation series, books, podcasts, and merchandise.

The company monetizes through multiple streams: in-app purchases of virtual currency and items, in-game advertising via 14+ ad network partners (including AdMob, UnityAds, AppLovin, and ironSource), DLC sales (e.g., $5 and $15 Panda cosmetic packs for Bullet Echo events), subscription memberships in select titles, and IP licensing to third parties (such as the Nomstalgia collaboration with ZiMAD). Distribution spans Apple App Store, Google Play, Apple Arcade, and Netflix (Cut the Rope Daily exclusive). The company serves a global audience of over 2 billion cumulative players, with primary segments including mobile gamers, children and families, and dedicated Om Nom Universe fans (17 million+ social media followers). Marketing is product-led, leveraging organic social media, a Creator Program with revenue-share via the Nexus platform, and cause-driven in-game events.

ZeptoLab operates with a multinational remote team of 101-250 employees and has received multiple industry awards, including Google Play's 2017 Game of the Year for C.A.T.S. and 2020 Best Competitive for Bullet Echo. The company is currently undergoing a leadership transition with the departure of long-tenured CEO Max Petrov, and in January 2025 divested two game titles to Nazara Technologies while continuing to invest in flagship IP expansion through new launches and partnerships.

Name

Zeptolab

Legal name

ZeptoLab UK Limited

Website

https://zeptolab.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ZeptoLab is a privately held mobile game developer and publisher known for the Cut the Rope franchise and Om Nom IP, serving over 2 billion players worldwide with physics-based puzzles, multiplayer shooters, and tycoon games distributed across app stores, Apple Arcade, and Netflix.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Games

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Mobile Game Publishing & App Game Stores (BPAMAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fraud, Risk, Chargebacks & Compliance (KYC/AML, tax/VAT) (MPAFAJAD)

Keywords

• Mobile game development
• Casual puzzle games
• Freemium mobile games
• Physics-based gameplay
• Game IP licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. In-App Purchases: Virtual currency and virtual items purchased within games for upgrades, cosmetics, and gameplay advantages. Digital items are licensed, not sold, and have no monetary value outside the service.
2. In-Game Advertising: Contextual and personalized advertisements served within free-to-play games. Ad partners include Chartboost, Facebook, ironSource, InMobi, AdColony, AdMob, UnityAds, Vungle, Mobvista, AppLovin, TapJoy, Pangle, and MyTarget.
3. DLC Sales: Downloadable content sales including themed cosmetic packs (e.g., Panda cosmetics at $5 and $15 for Bullet Echo event)
4. Subscription Memberships: Subscription-based memberships in some games providing daily rewards and exclusive benefits, processed through platform stores (Apple App Store, Google Play)
5. IP Licensing: Licensing of Om Nom character and Cut the Rope IP to third parties for use in their products (e.g., Magic Jigsaw Puzzles collaboration with ZiMAD)

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

ZeptoLab is a mobile game developer and publisher that designs, builds, and operates its own portfolio of casual and mid-core mobile games, including the Cut the Rope franchise, Bullet Echo, C.A.T.S., Overcrowded: Tycoon, Evo Pop, Om Nom: Run, Downhill Smash, and King of Thieves. The company monetizes these titles through in-app purchases, in-game advertising, DLC packs, and select subscription memberships, while also licensing the Om Nom IP and producing the Om Nom Stories animation series and related media.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Om Nom: The company's flagship mascot character and IP brand featured across games, animation (Om Nom Stories), books, podcasts, and merchandise.

Products and services

• Cut the Rope franchise Physics-based mobile puzzle game franchise featuring the Om Nom character, with multiple boxes and 425 levels of innovative rope-cutting and candy-feeding mechanics, distributed across mobile platforms and reaching 990 million players worldwide.
• Bullet Echo Multiplayer tactical top-down shooter mobile game with unique limited-vision stealth mechanics where players hear steps and shots, supporting team-based gameplay and in-game events for 10 million+ downloads and 120,000 MAU.
• C.A.T.S.: Crash Arena Turbo Stars Real-time competitive mobile game where players build battle machines from parts and compete in arena combat, recognized with Game of the Year 2017 and Most Popular 2017 from Google Play.
• Overcrowded: Tycoon Theme park management tycoon mobile game where players build attractions, manage visitor flow and react to visitor emotions across simulation levels.
• Evo Pop Strategy brawl mobile game where players control colorful Evos that grow and multiply, with larger Evos eating smaller rivals across three-way battles using physics-based spells and upgrades.
• Cut the Rope Daily Daily puzzle edition of the Cut the Rope franchise available exclusively to Netflix members, offering daily global puzzle challenges.
• My Om Nom New mobile game in the Om Nom franchise featuring the Om Nom character, launched in October 2025.
• Om Nom IP Licensing Program Licensing program that grants third parties rights to use the Om Nom character and Cut the Rope IP within their products in exchange for licensing royalties.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2 billion players have played ZeptoLab games
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration24 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and major.

• ZiMADminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 October 2025ZeptoLab partnered with ZiMAD to introduce Om Nom from Cut the Rope into the mobile game Magic Jigsaw Puzzles in a limited-time event called Nomstalgia running until the end of 2025. This IP-based collaboration aims to evoke nostalgia, enhance user engagement, and provide growth and visibility opportunities for both companies through strategic IP partnerships.
• PlanetPlayminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 March 2025ZeptoLab partnered with not-for-profit PlanetPlay to launch the Wildlife Festival in-game event in Bullet Echo from March 3-6, 2025, to celebrate World Wildlife Day. Players participate in themed challenges to unlock exclusive Panda cosmetics and purchase DLC at $5 and $15, with a portion of profits funding Gold Standard certified environmental projects including reforestation, clean energy, and water conservation. The event leverages Bullet Echo's 10 million+ downloads and 120,000 monthly active users for conservation messaging aligned with PlanetPlay's Make Green Moves campaign.
• NazaramajorOthers · 20 January 2025Nazara acquired two games from developer ZeptoLab, representing a significant business transaction where Nazara acquired ownership of selected game titles from the ZeptoLab portfolio.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• King (Activision Blizzard King): King is the publisher of Candy Crush and one of the largest mobile casual puzzle studios in the world. Like ZeptoLab, King focuses on polished, accessible puzzle/casual mobile games with strong character IP and IAP monetization, making it the most directly comparable direct peer.
• Playrix: Playrix develops mobile puzzle and casual games such as Homescapes and Gardenscapes. It is a direct competitor in the casual mobile puzzle category, similarly emphasizing narrative-driven puzzle loops and freemium IAP monetization — closely aligned with ZeptoLab's Cut the Rope franchise.
• Rovio Entertainment: Rovio is the creator of the Angry Birds franchise and was acquired by SEGA in 2023. Rovio is the closest analog to ZeptoLab in that it built a mobile-first studio around a single iconic character IP and expanded into animation, merchandise, and film — the same trajectory ZeptoLab is pursuing with Om Nom.
• Outfit7: Outfit7 is the studio behind Talking Tom Gold Run and the broader Talking Tom IP. It is a direct peer in mobile games with a mascot-driven franchise, family/children audience targeting, and IAP plus ad-supported monetization — comparable in audience and monetization mechanics to ZeptoLab.
• Supercell: Supercell is the Finnish mobile games studio behind Clash of Clans and Brawl Stars, owned by Tencent. While Supercell focuses on competitive multiplayer rather than single-player puzzles, it is comparable to ZeptoLab as a similarly sized independent-feeling mobile game studio with strong IP and live-ops practices.
• Moon Active: Moon Active is the Israeli studio behind Coin Master, one of the top-grossing mobile games globally. It is a direct peer in mobile casual gaming with a similar-sized team and freemium IAP monetization, though its gameplay is more social-casino hybrid than ZeptoLab's puzzle/shooter mix.
• Voodoo: Voodoo is a Paris-based mobile game publisher known for hypercasual hits. It is a direct competitor in mobile game publishing with a comparable distribution-led model, though focused on hypercasual rather than the IP-driven casual/midcore titles ZeptoLab emphasizes.
• Halfbrick Studios: Halfbrick is an Australian mobile game studio known for Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride. It is a comparable mid-sized mobile game studio with a similar reliance on long-lived IP, freemium monetization, and a mix of single-player and multiplayer titles.
• Miniclip: Miniclip is a mobile and online games publisher and developer with a portfolio of casual and competitive multiplayer titles. It is comparable to ZeptoLab as a cross-platform publisher with both casual and midcore competitive offerings distributed via app stores and web.
• Scopely: Scopely is a mobile game publisher (Monopoly GO, Stumble Guys) owned by Savvy Games Group. It is comparable to ZeptoLab as a mobile-first publisher with a portfolio strategy spanning IP-based and original titles, though operating at significantly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ZeptoLab
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQm7lPfyFeVL8CBGDtT1ARQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/zeptolab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zeptolab
• Instagraminstagram.com/zeptolab
• TikToktiktok.com/@omnomstories

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

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 Zeptolab