What MovieStarPlanet does

MovieStarPlanet ApS is a Copenhagen-based private game developer founded in 2008 by CEO Claus Lykke Jensen. The company operates a portfolio of social dress-up and creative games targeted at children aged 8-15, with a registered user base exceeding 250 million across ten European countries and the United States. Core products include the original MovieStarPlanet (Flash-based), MovieStarPlanet 2 and BlockStarPlanet (both built on the proprietary Unity-based Nebula platform), and BooniePlanet/Boonieverse. The platform combines avatar customization, movie-making, fashion design, chat, and user-generated content with social networking features.

All new games run on Nebula, a proprietary Unity-based game engine and microservices backend that replaced a legacy monolithic SQL architecture, reducing hosting costs by 40% and cutting bug-fix time from days to hours. The platform enables reusable components (avatars, login, chatrooms, friends, shops, safety, localization) shared across titles. The company holds multi-jurisdictional child safety certifications (TRUSTe COPPA, KidSAFE, FSM Germany, UKCCIS) and combines AI chat moderation (Two Hat Community Sift) with trained human moderators in cooperation with Save the Children Denmark and law enforcement agencies.

Revenue is generated through a freemium model combining in-game virtual goods and currency, integrated advertising campaigns, physical licensing partnerships (Egmont magazine in Poland since 2013; Panini trading cards from 2021), and merchandise via the official webshop. The game is distributed through Google Play, Apple App Store, desktop downloads, and physical retail. The company has remained self-funded through operations, with CEO signaling in late 2020 that the company was exploring new investors or a potential stock exchange listing.

Name

MovieStarPlanet

Legal name

MovieStarPlanet ApS

Website

https://moviestarplanet.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

MovieStarPlanet is a Copenhagen-based developer of social dress-up and creative games for children aged 8-15, operating MovieStarPlanet, MovieStarPlanet 2, BlockStarPlanet, and BooniePlanet on its proprietary Nebula platform, with 250M+ registered users across Europe and North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. In-game virtual goods and currency: Players purchase in-game items such as clothing, animations, and pets using virtual currency. The game features a shop where users spend real money for virtual goods.
2. In-game advertising: In-game advertising campaigns integrated into the platform. Example campaign 'Bella and the Bulldogs VS MovieStarPlanet' won a Lovie Award bronze medal.
3. Licensing and merchandise: Physical products including official magazines (Egmont), trading cards (Panini), and merchandise through the official webshop (t-shirts via CoBrand partnership).
4. Official Webshop: E-commerce sales of branded merchandise including T-shirts, bedding sets, towels, water bottles, and gym bags through mspshop.eu.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MovieStarPlanet develops and operates free-to-play online social dress-up and multiplayer games for children aged 8-15, including the original MovieStarPlanet (Flash-based), MovieStarPlanet 2, and BlockStarPlanet, all running on its proprietary Unity-based Nebula microservices platform. The company monetizes through in-game purchases of virtual goods and currency, in-game advertising, and licensed merchandise such as magazines (Egmont) and trading cards (Panini).

Product overview

MovieStarPlanet operates a portfolio of social gaming platforms for children aged 8-15. The core products include the original MovieStarPlanet (Flash-based dress-up and social game), MovieStarPlanet 2 (Unity-based successor on the Nebula platform), and BlockStarPlanet (block-based multiplayer game platform). All new games run on the proprietary Nebula microservices backend. The company extends its digital brands into physical products including an official magazine published by Egmont in Poland since 2013, and trading cards in partnership with Panini launched in 2021.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nebula: Unity-based game engine/platform developed by MovieStarPlanet that enables creation of social games with reusable components including avatars, profiles, login, chatrooms, friends list, high scores, safety, localization, and shops.

Products and services

• MovieStarPlanet The original social dress-up game for children aged 8-15, built on Flash technology. Players create MovieStar avatars, produce animated movies, design fashion looks, play mini-games, chat with friends, join clubs, and participate in weekly themes and events.
• MovieStarPlanet 2 The successor to MovieStarPlanet, built on Unity and the proprietary Nebula platform. Children aged 8-15 chat and hang out with friends at locations, take selfies of their latest Look, share creations, and decorate virtual Homes while wearing digital fashion items.
• BlockStarPlanet A block-based multiplayer game platform for children and tweens where players build their own multiplayer games or join games created by other players. Features content-driven Seasons with creative narratives combined with user creativity.
• MovieStarPlanet Magazine Official licensed magazine published by Egmont (Poland since 2013, additional European markets) that combines MovieStarPlanet content with competitions, digital code redemptions for in-game items, and fashion news for tween readers.
• MovieStarPlanet 2 Trading Cards Trading card collection launched in partnership with Panini, featuring 220 card designs across 6 categories (including BFF Cards, Theme Cards, and Diamond Cards), with each pack containing redeem codes for exclusive in-game fashion items on MovieStarPlanet 2.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40% reduction in hosting costs through microservice architecture migration
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Two Hat / Community SiftcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 October 2021AI-powered content moderation system integrated into online moderation and chat filtering. Community Sift detects inappropriate language including avoidance techniques (133t speak, phonetic replacements) and false positive detection.
• Save the Children DenmarkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2021Cooperation for specialized training of moderators in online grooming, conflict resolution, cyber bullying, and child safeguarding. Vernon Jones, Head of Safety, previously worked at Save the Children Denmark's online child protection team.
• Google (Android)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMovieStarPlanet and MovieStarPlanet 2 apps distributed through Google Play Store for Android devices
• Apple (iOS)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMovieStarPlanet and MovieStarPlanet 2 apps distributed through Apple App Store for iOS devices including iPhone and iPad

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Mojang Studios (Minecraft): Minecraft is the dominant sandbox game for kids and teens, with strong avatar/identity, social multiplayer, and a vast creator/modding ecosystem. It operates in the same broad kid-gaming category as MovieStarPlanet and competes for the same parental purchasing and tween attention.
• Roblox Corporation: Roblox is a massively larger platform that combines user-generated games, avatar social networking, and a virtual economy for kids and teens. While much broader in scale and capability, it competes for the same tween audience, the same time budget, and the same advertising/in-game-purchase dollars as MovieStarPlanet.

Direct peers

• Stardoll: Stardoll is a long-standing fashion/dress-up and social game platform aimed squarely at tween girls, with virtual currency, avatar customization, and social community features. It is the closest direct competitor to MovieStarPlanet in the tween-girls fashion/dress-up niche and competes for the same demographic and monetization model.
• WildWorks (Animal Jam): WildWorks' Animal Jam is an online multiplayer game for children with strong safety infrastructure (built with National Geographic) targeting the same 8-15 age band as MovieStarPlanet. Comparable along dimensions of child-safe social play, avatar customization, and live operations.
• Gaia Online (Gaia Interactive): Gaia Online is an anime-themed avatar-based social MMO with forums, chat rooms, and user-generated content. It is comparable to MovieStarPlanet through its avatar customization, virtual goods economy, and teen-friendly social networking model.
• Habbo Hotel (Sulake): Sulake's Habbo Hotel is a long-running avatar-based social game/virtual world targeted at teens, with chat rooms, virtual goods, and community features. It is highly comparable to MovieStarPlanet in its combination of avatar-based social networking, virtual goods monetization, and teen-focused safety infrastructure.
• IMVU (Together Labs): IMVU is an avatar-based social platform with deep avatar customization, virtual goods, and chat. It targets a slightly older demo than MovieStarPlanet but mirrors the same model of user-generated identity, fashion-driven virtual goods, and social chat with safety controls.
• Poptropica (Pearson Education): Poptropica is a browser-based online game and virtual world for kids with avatar creation, social features, and educational content. It targets a similar tween demographic as MovieStarPlanet and shares the online safety and avatar-driven social play characteristics.

Emerging players

• Rec Room: Rec Room is a cross-platform social game platform with user-generated rooms, avatar-based play, and a younger audience. It is comparable to MovieStarPlanet's community-led GTM and avatar/social mechanics, though its focus is broader (teens and adults) and increasingly on VR.
• Highrise (Picsart): Highrise is an avatar-based social chat and game platform with virtual goods and community rooms, aimed at Gen Z and younger users. It intersects with MovieStarPlanet's avatar-driven social networking and virtual goods monetization model, though without the explicit children's positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/moviestarplanet
• Xx.com/MSP_world

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

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 MovieStarPlanet