1st Playable Productions

Name

1st Playable Productions

Legal name

1st Playable Productions

Website

https://1stplayable.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Game Development Studio / Educational Game Development

NAICS

Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries (713), Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Serious Games & Simulation Studios (Training, Defense, Enterprise) (MPAFAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mobile & F2P Game Studios (MPAFAAAB), Full-Service Game Publishers (1st/2nd/3rd-Party Publishing) (MPAFABAA)

Keywords

• Game development studio
• Educational game development
• VR and AR game development
• Licensed mobile game development
• Serious game development

Headquarters

HQ city

Troy

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Contracted Game Development: Working with major entertainment brands (Disney, LeapFrog, Nickelodeon) to develop licensed games. Revenue comes from development contracts and licensing fees from IP holders.
2. Self-Published Game Sales: Direct sales of internally developed games through app stores (Apple, Google Play), VR platforms (Oculus, Gear VR), and console digital stores. Includes games like Letter Battle, Stone Age VR, Three Little Pigs VR, and Squeed! VR.
3. Tabletop/Physical Game Sales: Physical card games sold through The Game Crafter and potentially other retailers. Example: Cards Against Calamity.
4. Research and Educational Game Contracts: Projects funded by research institutions, government grants, and educational organizations. Examples: NIH-funded Playscope project with Stanford University, BrainPOP partnership for Fiscal Ship.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels9 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

1st Playable Productions is an independent game development studio that designs and develops educational and entertainment games across mobile, console (Nintendo 3DS, DS, Switch), VR/AR, web (3D WebGL), and tabletop platforms. The studio primarily operates as a contracted developer for major entertainment and educational IP holders (Disney, LeapFrog, Nickelodeon, Ubisoft, Konami, THQ) and research institutions, while also self-publishing a smaller catalog of original titles through app stores, VR platforms, and tabletop distribution channels.

Product overview

1st Playable Productions is a game development studio that creates educational and entertainment games across multiple platforms. Their portfolio spans: (1) Self-published VR experiences including Stone Age Snap VR, The Three Little Pigs VR, Squeed! VR, Super Box Forts VR, and Stone Age VR; (2) LeapFrog educational games including the Imagicard AR series (Letter Factory Adventures, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Paw Patrol, Blaze), Cooking! Recipes on the Road, Disney Princess games, and LeapBand fitness tracker; (3) Disney licensed games for Disney NOW including Elena of Avalor: Wings Over Avalor, Fancy Nancy: Add a Little Fancy!, Frozen games, Disney SNAPS!; (4) Nintendo games including Frozen: Olaf's Quest, Ben 10 titles, Club Penguin games, Imagine series, Puzzle Quest, World of Zoo; (5) Self-published games including Letter Battle, Cards Against Calamity, The Fiscal Ship, SmokeScreen II. The company uses PlayCanvas for WebGL, OpenCV-based AR technology for Imagicard products, and has developed custom CMS and AWS infrastructure for web-based games. Services include Cross Platform development, Design Solutions, Education games, Entertainment games, Research projects, Technical Solutions, and VR/AR development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Stone Age Snap VR Self-published VR experience where players take a prehistoric safari and snap photos of beasts like mammoths and saber-toothed lynxes, with a field journal for saved photos.
• The Three Little Pigs VR 360° VR storybook experience of the classic Three Little Pigs tale where players watch the story unfold, find building materials, and construct houses. Compatible with Google Cardboard and Gear VR.
• Squeed! VR 3D VR game where players help the Squeeds banish Vile Goop from Loony Lagoon with immersive boat-based gameplay featuring hidden characters and creatures.
• Super Box Forts VR VR game with box destruction gameplay across 10 levels, featuring realistic physics, anti-box super powers, exploding/expanding/shrinking boxes, and combo scoring.
• Stone Age VR VR tour through a prehistoric jungle featuring mammoths, saber-toothed lynxes, and gators; players ride a Glyptodon and take pictures of animals saved to a field journal.
• Cards Against Calamity Tabletop card game for coastal community resilience training; players roleplay stakeholders (Fishing, Services, Industry, Tourism) to negotiate and communicate community improvement plans.
• The Fiscal Ship Federal budget balancing educational game developed with the Hutchins Center at Brookings and the Serious Games Initiative at Woodrow Wilson Center, playable in browsers and on BrainPOP for classroom use.
• Letter Battle JRPG-themed spelling adventure game where spelling is the core battle mechanic; features custom word lists including Dolch, Fry, and sight words for grades 1-4.
• SmokeSCREEN II Social influence game teaching teens to navigate relationships and avoid smoking/vaping by noticing social influence details and using influence to benefit others.
• Playscope Augmented reality STEM activity project combining microscopy with mobile devices so users can interact with real-life Euglena; developed with Prof. Ingmar Riedel-Kruse at Stanford with NIH funding.
• Elena of Avalor: Wings Over Avalor Disney-licensed 3D WebGL game on the DisneyNOW platform where players hatch and nurture Jaquin eggs through growth stages and train them in Strength, Intelligence, Reflexes, and Agility.
• Fancy Nancy: Add a Little Fancy! Dress-up game for ages 4-8 on the Disney NOW App where players help Nancy select outfits and craft custom accessories like tiaras for fancy selfies.
• Disney Frozen: Olaf's Quest Puzzle platformer for Nintendo 3DS starring Olaf with 60 imaginative levels, hidden collectibles, and side challenges; selected for Nintendo Selects 2016 collection.
• Cooking! Recipes on the Road Math learning game for LeapFrog Tablets where players follow recipes, select ingredients, and serve customers while learning measuring, fractions, percentages, decimals, and real-world mathematics.
• LeapFrog Imagicard Series Series of four AR educational titles (Paw Patrol, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Letter Factory Adventures, Blaze & The Monster Machines) for LeapFrog using a proprietary OpenCV-based card recognition engine.
• Yum Yum Cookstar Cooking game featuring Chef Yum Yum with vegetarian-only recipes, four difficulty levels, Daily Cooking Challenge, and Invitational Tournaments across Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
• Contracted Game Development Services Custom end-to-end game development services covering design, prototyping, production, and deployment of educational and entertainment games across mobile, console (Nintendo 3DS/DS/Switch), VR/AR, web (3D WebGL), and tabletop platforms for enterprise clients such as Disney, LeapFrog, Nickelodeon, Ubisoft, Konami, THQ, and D3 Publisher.

Quantifiable outcome

• Gold Medal at 2017 Serious Play Conference
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration17 records

AI capability6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• DisneycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Long-standing partnership for Disney-licensed game development. Created Elena of Avalor: Wings Over Avalor (pioneering first 3D WebGL game on DisneyNOW), Fancy Nancy: Add a Little Fancy!, multiple Disney Frozen games, Disney Princess games, and Disney XD games. Disney provides IP licensing and distribution through DisneyNOW platform.
• Environmental Law Institute (ELI)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Collaborated with ELI to design and develop Cards Against Calamity - a tabletop card game for coastal community resilience training. The game simulates stakeholder roles in community disaster preparedness and planning.
• NOAA and Wilson CenterflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Cards Against Calamity was made with support from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the Wilson Center (Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars), providing funding and subject matter expertise for coastal resilience education.
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Co-host of Games in Education's Teen Game Workshop along with RPI and Velan Studios. 1st Playable participates in RPI Game Fest and STEM panels.
• Velan StudiosminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Co-host of Games in Education's 4th annual Teen Game Workshop along with RPI and 1st Playable.
• BrainPOPcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2016The Fiscal Ship educational game distributed through BrainPOP platform, making it accessible to schools using BrainPOP's educational content platform.
• Hutchins Center at Brookings and Serious Games Initiative at Woodrow Wilson CenterflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Partnership to develop The Fiscal Ship - a game about federal budget balancing. Hutchins Center provided expertise on fiscal policy while 1st Playable handled game design and development.
• Stanford University (Prof. Ingmar Riedel-Kruse)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016NIH-funded Playscope project (grant PA15-269) - an AR STEM activity combining microscopy with mobile devices to interact with living organisms. 1st Playable developed the software application.
• GameMill EntertainmentminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2016Disney Frozen: Olaf's Quest published/distributed by GameMill Entertainment for Nintendo 3DS.
• NickelodeoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Partnership with Nickelodeon for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Imagicard AR game and Paw Patrol games. 1st Playable developed TMNT Imagicard bringing Turtles characters to life through AR technology.
• Disney XDminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything: Puddin' Party - mobile game for Disney XD featuring characters from the TV show.
• LeapFrog EnterprisescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Ongoing partnership developing educational games for LeapFrog platforms including tablets, LeapTV console, LeapBand fitness tracker, and Imagicard AR system. Games include Cooking! Recipes on the Road, Disney Princess educational games, and multiple Imagicard titles (TMNT, Letter Factory, Paw Patrol, Blaze).
• D3 PublisherminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Victorious: Taking the Lead published by D3 Publisher for Nintendo DS - a rhythm and dance game based on the Nickelodeon TV show.
• Disney (Club Penguin)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force and Club Penguin: Herbert's Revenge - DS games connecting to the online Club Penguin world with coin upload functionality.
• THQminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009World of Zoo game published by THQ for Nintendo DS - a life simulation game about zoo management.
• KonamiminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008GoPets: Vacation Island published by Konami - pioneering Nintendo DS game with cross-platform PC connectivity and social networking features.
• UbisoftminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Ener-G Gym Rockets published by Ubisoft for Nintendo DS - a gymnastics training game leading to Olympic competition.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Filament Games: Educational and serious game studio based in Madison, WI that develops game-based learning products for schools, museums, and publishers. Directly comparable to 1st Playable in mission, audience (K-12), and contract-based revenue model with institutional clients.
• Schell Games: Pittsburgh-based studio specializing in educational, training, and entertainment games including VR/AR experiences. Comparable to 1st Playable in serious games focus, VR capability, and partnerships with major IP and institutional clients.
• Triseum: Educational game studio (formerly PetriStudios) developing learning games for higher education. Comparable in serious games / educational focus and institutional distribution (textbook publishers), though oriented more toward higher-ed than K-12 like 1st Playable.
• E-Line Media: Game developer focused on learning games and impact-driven entertainment (e.g., Never Alone, Beyond Blue). Directly comparable to 1st Playable's mission-driven educational/serious game portfolio and B Corp-adjacent positioning.
• FableVision: Boston-based educational media and game studio founded by Peter H. Reynolds, producing learning games, interactive books, and animations for schools. Comparable to 1st Playable in K-12 educational games, AR/VR, and institutional channel partnerships.

Regional players

• Velan Studios: Troy, NY-area game studio (co-host with 1st Playable of the Teen Game Workshop) developing console and multi-platform titles. Regional peer; serves as an ecosystem partner rather than direct competitor due to different target market.

Emerging players

• Resolution Games: Stockholm-based VR game studio focused on multi-player VR titles (Demeo, Angry Birds VR). Comparable emerging player in VR game publishing where 1st Playable has shipped multiple self-published VR titles.
• nDreams: UK-based VR game studio and publisher with both internal IP and contracted VR work. Comparable emerging player whose VR-focused model and platform relationships mirror 1st Playable's VR development and Oculus/Gear distribution.
• GlassLab Games: Nonprofit impact-focused game studio developing assessment-embedded learning games with institutional partners (similar to Brookings, NOAA relationships). Comparable as a serious-games specialist in the same educational/civic-impact space as 1st Playable's serious games portfolio.

Others

• BrainPOP: Educational content platform (current distribution partner for The Fiscal Ship). Adjacent ecosystem player rather than competitor; useful as a comparable for understanding the school-channel go-to-market and subscription-model dynamics relevant to 1st Playable's educational pipeline.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/1stPlayable
• Facebookfacebook.com/1stPlayable
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1st-playable-productions

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 1st Playable Productions