Playmatics
Playmatics is a Brooklyn-based custom game development studio (11–50 employees) that designs multiplatform narrative, educational, and transmedia games for entertainment brands, museums, government agencies, and research institutions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersBrooklyn, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Playmatics does
Playmatics is a Brooklyn-based custom game development studio that designs and builds multiplatform games for branded entertainment, serious games and education, research and grant-funded work, and gamification/branding engagements. The studio operates with 11–50 employees from its DUMBO headquarters at the Made in New York Media Center and was founded by Nicholas Fortugno (Chief Creative Officer and original designer of Diner Dash) and Margaret Wallace. Its portfolio spans web-based games, iOS/Android mobile titles, AR/VR experiences, museum installations, and board/card games, with notable projects including Breaking Bad: The Interrogation for AMC Television, Red Bull Focus featuring Pharrell Williams, LEGO On Patrol, Disney's Kingdom Keepers: Race to Save the Magic, MicroRangers for the American Museum of Natural History, Science Game Lab with Scripps Research, and the NIH-funded BreatheFree smoking-cessation game.
The studio's core technology stack supports narrative-heavy interactive experiences with complex dialogue trees, transmedia integration, geolocation-triggered AR (MicroRangers), and multiplayer AR (Under the Sea). An in-house graphic adventure platform — Playcomix — won the Audience Choice Award at DEMO Day NYC. Technical differentiators center on interactive narrative design, museum-grade AR/geolocation integration, and the ability to operationalize serious-games research workflows with academic and clinical partners. Internal capabilities combine story design, software engineering, and content production, but no proprietary AI/ML models or data flywheels are disclosed.
Playmatics monetizes primarily through fee-for-service custom development contracts and licensing arrangements with entertainment brands (AMC, Disney, Red Bull, LEGO), museums and cultural institutions (American Museum of Natural History, NYPL, New York Historical Society, Museum of Science and Industry), government and NGOs (USAID, Federal Reserve Bank of New York), and research partners (NIH, NSF, Columbia University Medical, Scripps Research, University of Geneva). Pricing is project-specific and quote-based with no disclosed tiers; some branded-IP projects carry royalty or licensing components. Demand is largely event-driven, generated through founder-led conference presence (Sundance, GamesBeat, MAVRIC, Grey Area Festival), earned media coverage, and an institutional-partner network.
Playmatics firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Playmatics
- Legal name
- Playmatics, Inc.
- Website
- https://playmatics.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Playmatics is a Brooklyn-based custom game development studio (11–50 employees) that designs multiplatform narrative, educational, and transmedia games for entertainment brands, museums, government agencies, and research institutions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Playmatics industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Custom Game Development Services
- NAICS
- Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing (339930)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mobile Game Publishing & App Game Stores (BPAMAKAB)
Keywords
Where Playmatics is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brooklyn
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Playmatics business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Contract Game Development: Custom game development and design services for branded entertainment, serious games, and transmedia projects. Projects are commissioned by entertainment companies, museums, healthcare organizations, and government agencies.
- Licensing Royalties: Development of branded games for entertainment properties (AMC, Disney, Red Bull) that may include licensing arrangements and ongoing royalties for intellectual property usage.
- Grant-funded Research Projects: NIH and NSF-funded game development for health and science applications, including clinical trials and commercialization of health games.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Playmatics product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Playmatics is a custom game development studio that designs and builds multiplatform games and interactive experiences for entertainment brands, educational institutions, museums, healthcare organizations, and government agencies. Projects span web-based games, mobile apps (iOS/Android), augmented reality experiences, transmedia narratives, museum installations, and board/card games. The studio combines narrative design expertise with digital and real-world experience design to deliver award-winning branded entertainment, serious games, and research-driven interactive projects on a contract basis.
Product overview
Playmatics is a game development studio that builds highly engaging multiplatform games for entertainment, education, serious games, research, and gamification/branding purposes. Their portfolio spans web-based games, mobile apps (iOS/Android), museum installations, AR/VR experiences, and board/card games. Key products include branded IP games for AMC (Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead), educational games with ProPublica/WNYC (The Waiting Game), museum-based experiences (MicroRangers, Future Energy Chicago), research/science games (Science Game Lab, Robbin' Goblins), health games (BreatheFree), and their internal Playcomix graphic adventure game platform. Their approach emphasizes 'Discovery Through Play' by merging storytelling with interactive experiences across digital and real-world contexts.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Custom Multiplatform Game Development Project-based design and development of custom games across web, mobile (iOS/Android), AR, transmedia, museum installations, and board/card games for enterprise clients.
- Playcomix Graphic Adventure Game Platform Proprietary internal graphic adventure game platform developed by Playmatics, enabling the studio to deliver interactive narrative-driven adventure games efficiently.
- Science Game Lab Portal
Quantifiable outcome
- Winner CableFAX Award Digital Program Award 2011 for Breaking Bad: The Interrogation
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Playmatics
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Playmatics technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Playmatics partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
25 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.
- Columbia University Digital Storytelling LabcoreCo-winner of Brown Institute Magic Grant for Project Immerse with co-founder Nicholas Fortugno. Episodic web experience dealing with misinformation on the internet.
- Hello TeamSolarminorCollaboration on Under the Sea AR project - public augmented reality multiplayer experience.
- MAVRIC ConferenceminorNick Fortugno spoke at inaugural Mixed/Augmented/Virtual Reality Innovation Conference in Washington DC.
- ProPublicacoreCo-created award-winning The Waiting Game, an interactive narrative experience about asylum seekers. Partnership combines journalism, radio (WNYC), and game design expertise.
- WNYCcoreCo-development partner for The Waiting Game alongside ProPublica, providing radio broadcasting expertise for the journalism game.
- AMC TelevisioncoreLong-standing partnership for branded games including Breaking Bad: The Interrogation (award-winning), Breaking Bad: The Cost of Doing Business, and The Walking Dead: Dead Reckoning.
- American Museum of Natural HistorycoreMultiple collaborations including Killer Snails board game, MicroRangers mobile game (with Geomedia), Pterosaurs card game, and upcoming projects.
- Scripps ResearchcorePartnership for Science Game Lab portal - a hub for citizen science games, crowdsourced science projects, and educational STEM games.
- New York Historical SocietycoreDevelopment of Playing the President: FDR's First Hundred Days game for the Meet the Presidents exhibit, including onsite installation and web experience.
- Disney PublishingmajorConcept, design, and development of Disney's Kingdom Keepers: Race to Save the Magic game combining multiple gaming genres.
- Red BullmajorDesign and development of Red Bull Focus puzzle game featuring music by Pharrell Williams, available on iOS and Android.
- LEGOmajorDevelopment of LEGO On Patrol platform-hopping game for kids.
- Sundance InstitutemajorCo-founder Nick Fortugno serves as advisor for Sundance New Frontier Lab, working with cutting-edge new media storytelling projects in VR, AR, and AI-driven narratives.
- University of GenevaminorPartnership with Dr. Daphne Bavelier and Dr. C. Shawn Green for Robbin' Goblins neuroscience game experiment.
- Columbia University MedicalminorDevelopment of Sonoanatomy medical educational game teaching residents anesthesiology how to use sonograms for nerve blocks.
- USAIDminorField work in Indonesia to explore mobile games for disaster risk reduction; Decisions for the Decade game for climate policy education.
- New York Public LibrarycoreCo-development with Jane McGonigal and Natron Baxter of Find the Future: The Game for NYPL's Centennial - overnight adventure game.
- Museum of Science and IndustryminorFuture Energy Chicago simulation game for the museum's permanent exhibition.
- NIH (National Institutes of Health)coreFunded development of BreatheFree smoking cessation mobile game in clinical trials; Wonder Aquarium ADHD treatment game.
- NSF (National Science Foundation)minorFunded development of Killer Snails mobile game (Phase II) and Genigames web platform.
- Federal Reserve Bank of New YorkminorDevelopment of Econoluju educational game teaching high school students about macroeconomics and the Fed's role.
- Killer SnailsminorCo-creation of Assassins of the Sea deck-building board game with American Museum of Natural History.
- Roger Ross WilliamsminorOscar Award-Winning filmmaker for Traveling While Black transmedia project exploring African American history.
- SMOSHminorGamification project for popular YouTube entertainment brand.
- Grey Area FestivalminorNick Fortugno spoke at Grey Area Festival in San Francisco on immersive technology and experience design.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Playmatics competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Schell Games: Independent game studio focused on serious games and immersive experiences for entertainment, education, and training. Highly comparable as a similarly-sized custom development firm with overlapping project spectrum including theme parks, museum installations, and federal contracts.
- Filament Games: Educational game development studio creating games for schools, museums, and educational publishers. Closely comparable portfolio of museum, classroom, and educational serious games work.
- Simcoach Games: Serious game studio specializing in training simulations and learning games for government, healthcare, and education. Similar mission-driven institutional client base and project scale.
- Muzzy Lane: Boutique serious games studio focused on educational and policy simulations for institutional clients. Comparable size and serious games focus with similar project-based revenue model.
- Noblesync Technologies: Custom game development studio focused on training, simulation, and serious games for defense, healthcare, and education. Similar mix of grant-funded and institutional client work.
- TriHelix: Serious game development firm creating gamification and learning experiences for federal, healthcare, and corporate clients. Comparable size, contract services profile, and serious games focus.
Broad incumbents
- Niantic: Augmented reality gaming company behind Pokémon GO and Ingress. Plays in adjacent AR/real-world games space at substantially larger scale with consumer-facing IP rather than bespoke contract work.
Emerging players
- Two Bit Circus: Immersive entertainment studio creating real-world and AR/VR experiences. Comparable on the physical-installation and AR/VR axis of Playmatics' portfolio.
- Meow Wolf: Immersive art and entertainment experiences that blend narrative, technology, and physical installation. Comparable on the transmedia and immersive experience design axis, though with a different funding/scale model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Playmatics social profiles
Digital presencePlaymatics financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Playmatics leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Playmatics funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Playmatics 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 Playmatics
What does Playmatics do?
Playmatics is a custom game development studio that designs and builds multiplatform games and interactive experiences for entertainment brands, educational institutions, museums, healthcare organizations, and government agencies. Projects span web-based games, mobile apps (iOS/Android), augmented reality experiences, transmedia narratives, museum installations, and board/card games. The studio combines narrative design expertise with digital and real-world experience design to deliver award-winning branded entertainment, serious games, and research-driven interactive projects on a contract basis.
Is Playmatics a public or private company?
Playmatics is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Playmatics founded?
Playmatics was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Playmatics based?
Playmatics is headquartered in Brooklyn, United States, in the North America region.
How does Playmatics make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Contract Game Development is the primary driver. The others are licensing Royalties and grant-funded Research Projects.
Who are Playmatics's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Schell Games, Filament Games, Simcoach Games, Muzzy Lane, Noblesync Technologies and TriHelix. Niantic is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Two Bit Circus and Meow Wolf.
Does Playmatics have an API?
No public API is recorded for Playmatics.
What industry is Playmatics in?
Playmatics's product category is Custom Game Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAKAB, Mobile Game Publishing & App Game Stores. Its NAICS code is 339930 and its SIC code is 7900.