What Cryptozoic Entertainment does

Cryptozoic Entertainment is a privately-held pop-culture entertainment company founded in 2010 and headquartered in Laguna Hills, California, that develops and publishes trading cards, tabletop games, and collectibles. Its product portfolio spans three core categories: (1) trading card lines under the CZX and Playpaks brands featuring licensed franchises including DC Comics, Peanuts, Adventure Time, Outlander, What We Do in the Shadows, The Expanse, Jurassic Park, and Middle-earth; (2) tabletop games built around its proprietary DC Deck-Building Game engine, plus licensed titles (Adventure Time Card Wars, Attack on Titan, Fight! Mortal Kombat 1) and original IP (Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards, How To Host A Murder, Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Game, Tear-a-Part, Rotten Tomatoes: The Card Game); and (3) collectibles including the Cryptkins vinyl figure line and premium Pantheon statues. Pricing spans $4.99 promo cards through $179.99 collector statues with bundle discounts and convention-exclusive SKUs.

The company operates a multi-channel go-to-market combining its own DTC e-commerce storefront (cryptozoic.com), Amazon, specialty hobby retailers, international distributors (Heathside Trading, Pyramid International, Fotorama), and convention exclusives at SDCC, GenCon, WonderCon, NYCC, ECCC, and LACC. Kickstarter functions as a primary pre-launch and demand-validation channel, with multiple ongoing or completed campaigns in 2024-2026. Revenue is generated through one-time physical product sales, licensing royalties from entertainment IP holders, premium-priced limited editions, and Kickstarter backer fulfillment. In March 2024, Konami acquired Cryptozoic's trading card division, a major restructuring event that narrowed the company's focus to tabletop games, collectibles, residual trading cards, and licensing; Shahriar Fouladi was appointed CEO in October 2025 to lead the post-divestiture phase. Customer base is B2C, primarily pop-culture enthusiasts and tabletop gamers, with 1,441+ reviews averaging 4.6/5 and an active social and community presence across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, X, and Kickstarter.

Name

Cryptozoic Entertainment

Legal name

Cryptozoic Entertainment

Website

https://cryptozoic.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cryptozoic Entertainment is a privately-held pop-culture publisher founded in 2010 that develops and licenses trading cards, tabletop games, and collectibles for fans of franchises including DC Comics, Peanuts, Adventure Time, and Outlander, distributed through e-commerce, conventions, Kickstarter, and specialty retail.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tabletop Games and Collectibles

NAICS

Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (459120)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Non-Sports Trading Cards Retail (TCG/Entertainment) (CRALAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Collectible Card Games (CCG/TCG) Retail (CRALAGAC), Gaming Collectibles, Merchandise & Toys Retail (CRACAFAI)

Keywords

• Tabletop card games
• Trading card products
• Collectible statues figures
• Deck building games
• Licensed board games

Headquarters

HQ city

Lake Forest

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Physical Product Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of trading cards, tabletop games, collectibles, and accessories through e-commerce storefront. Products include trading card boxes/packs, board games, card game accessories (sleeves, playmats, tokens), and statues.
2. Licensing Royalties: Revenue from licensing agreements with entertainment properties including DC Comics, Peanuts, Adventure Time, Outlander, What We Do in the Shadows, The Expanse, Jurassic Park, and others for trading cards and gaming products.
3. Convention and Exclusive Products: Limited-edition convention-exclusive products sold at events like SDCC, GenCon, WonderCon with premium pricing for exclusive items including autograph cards, sketch cards, and special editions.
4. Kickstarter Campaigns: Crowdfunding campaigns for new game systems and expansions, often with exclusivebacker rewards and stretch goal unlocks. Products like Adventure Time Card Wars 2025 and DC Heroes Role-Playing Game 40th Anniversary have been funded through this channel.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Cryptozoic Entertainment develops, publishes, and distributes licensed and original tabletop games, trading cards, and collectibles for pop culture fans. The company operates a 'Fans First' catalog spanning deck-building game systems, entertainment-franchise trading card sets, vinyl figures, and premium statues sold primarily through its own e-commerce store, conventions, Kickstarter, and specialty retail. In March 2024, Konami acquired Cryptozoic's trading card division, while the company continues to operate its remaining games, collectibles, and accessories business.

Product overview

Cryptozoic Entertainment is a pop culture company founded in 2010, operating under the 'Fans First' motto, that develops and publishes physical entertainment products including trading cards, tabletop games, and collectibles. The product portfolio is organized around three core categories: (1) Trading Cards featuring franchise-based products like Peanuts Playpaks, Dog Man Playpaks, CZX Jurassic Park, The Expanse, Outlander, What We Do in the Shadows, CZX Middle-earth, Batman: Hush, Dark Nights: Metal, Conan the Barbarian, and New-Gen Universe; (2) Tabletop Games including flagship deck-building franchises DC Deck-Building Game and Adventure Time Card Wars, original IP games like Epic Spell Wars and Cryptkins, plus Attack on Titan Deck-Building Game, How To Host A Murder, Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Game, Fight! Mortal Kombat 1, Rotten Tomatoes: The Card Game, and Tear-a-Part; and (3) Collectibles featuring Pantheon Statues (DC superhero statues in classical styles) and Cryptkins Unleashed vinyl figures. The company also produces gaming accessories including card sleeves, playmats, tokens, and storage solutions. Products are distributed through e-commerce, retail, and convention exclusives, with significant use of Kickstarter crowdfunding for new releases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DC Deck-Building Game: A popular deck-building card game series featuring DC Comics characters and universe.
• Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards
• Cryptkins
• CZX
• Playpaks

Products and services

• DC Deck-Building Game Cryptozoic's flagship deck-building game franchise featuring DC Comics characters. Players build decks to defeat villains through multiple expansions and crossover packs, available in Rivals (two-player) and cooperative variants.
• Adventure Time Card Wars Card battle game based on Cartoon Network's Adventure Time series. Features lands, creatures, and heroes from the animated series in competitive and cooperative modes.
• Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards Cryptozoic's original deck-building card game series featuring wizard battles with humorous card names and artwork. Includes the ANNIHILAGEDDON series and various expansions with branded accessories.
• Cryptkins Unleashed Cryptozoic's original IP featuring cryptid-inspired vinyl figures including Bigfoot, Mothman, Unicorn, Cerberus, Nessie, Chupacabra, and Bob, available in Cosmic, Bone-Chilling, and other edition variants.
• Peanuts Playpaks Trading card products featuring Peanuts characters with themed cards, activities, stickers, standees, and mini-games across various seasonal releases.
• Dog Man Playpaks Trading card products based on Dav Pilkey's Dog Man book series featuring activities, stickers, standees, and mini-games, produced under partnership with Dav Pilkey's Monster Island.
• CZX Jurassic Park Trading Cards Trading card products based on the Jurassic Park franchise under the CZX premium brand, featuring oversized cards, autograph cards, and sketch cards for collectors.
• The Expanse Trading Cards Trading cards based on The Expanse TV series and books, featuring base cards, autograph cards, and hand terminal styled collectibles.
• Outlander Trading Cards Trading cards based on the Starz Outlander TV series featuring promotional cards and autograph cards.
• What We Do in the Shadows Trading Cards Trading cards based on the FX What We Do in the Shadows TV series featuring vampire-themed collectibles across seasons 1 and 2.
• Pantheon Statues High-end collectible statues featuring DC Comics characters reimagined as classical Greek and Roman figures, available in Standard, Silver, Gold, and Relic editions.
• CZX Middle-earth Trading Cards Premium trading cards based on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies under the CZX premium brand.
• Batman: Hush Trading Cards Trading cards featuring iconic Batman Hush comic artwork by Jim Lee and Jeph Loeb.
• Dark Nights: Metal Trading Cards Trading cards based on DC Comics' Dark Nights: Metal Batman storyline featuring the Dark Multiverse.
• Conan the Barbarian Trading Cards Trading cards based on the Conan the Barbarian franchise released in collaboration with Pan-Universal Galactic Worldwide.
• New-Gen Universe Trading Cards Trading cards based on New-Gen comics distributed by Marvel Comics, with convention-exclusive boxes available at SDCC 2026.
• Attack on Titan Deck-Building Game Deck-building game based on the Attack on Titan anime and manga series featuring Season 1 content.
• How To Host A Murder Murder mystery party game with updated art and gameplay for interactive social deduction experiences.
• Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Game Party game based on the Mystery Science Theater 3000 TV series celebrating the art of riffing on cheesy movies, including Roger Corman's New Horizons Library.
• Fight! Mortal Kombat 1 Deck-building game based on the Mortal Kombat video game franchise featuring a new take on Cryptozoic's deck-building engine, including base game, three expansions, and multiple accessories.
• Card Sleeves and Gaming Accessories Gaming accessories line including card sleeves (standard and oversized), playmats, acrylic tokens, storage boxes, and collectible coins.
• Rotten Tomatoes: The Card Game Card game based on the Rotten Tomatoes movie review brand, challenging players' movie knowledge.
• Peanuts: Many Faces of Snoopy Tabletop game and trading cards featuring Snoopy's various personas including Flying Ace and Joe Cool, with cards, stickers, and standees.
• Tear-a-Part Party game where players tear paper to create art and guess each other's creations despite having zero artistic skill.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.6/5 average customer rating from 1,441 reviews indicating high customer satisfaction
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Fantasy Flight Games: Publisher of board, card, and role-playing games including licensed Star Wars, Marvel, and Lord of the Rings titles. Strong overlap with Cryptozoic in deck-building, card games, and licensed IP.
• Funko: Pop-culture collectibles maker best known for vinyl figures across licensed franchises. Directly comparable to Cryptozoic's Cryptkins vinyl line and its DC/Pop-Culture collectibles strategy.
• Upper Deck Company: Privately held publisher of trading cards, memorabilia, and licensed tabletop games. Closely comparable to Cryptozoic in mixing licensed-franchise trading cards with collectibles and game products.
• WizKids: Miniature and collectible game publisher (HeroClix, Dice Masters) known for licensed-IP tabletop products. Comparable to Cryptozoic's deck-building, collectible, and licensed-product model.
• IDW Games: Tabletop and collectibles arm of IDW Media publishing licensed comic IP board games and trading cards. Comparable in licensed entertainment IP tabletop products and collectibles.
• The Op Games: Specialty tabletop/card game publisher (formerly USAopoly) focused on licensed entertainment IP games such as Telestrations, Azul, and Codenames variants. Comparable to Cryptozoic's licensed card-game business.
• Games Workshop: UK-based publisher of tabletop miniatures games (Warhammer) with strong direct-to-consumer and licensed partnership motion. Comparable in proprietary-IP-driven collectibles and tabletop.

Broad incumbents

• Asmodee: World's largest hobby game publisher (Catan, Ticket to Ride, Star Wars games). Adjacent incumbent competing for retailers, conventions, and licensed-game distribution.
• Topps (Fanatics Trading Cards): Major trading card maker whose collectible card business is most directly comparable to Cryptozoic's pre-Konami trading card division, though much larger and broader in sports.
• Ravensburger: Large global game publisher behind Disney Lorcana TCG and many licensed board games. A broader incumbent whose licensed tabletop catalog competes for the same shelf space as Cryptozoic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cryptozoic
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CryptozoicGaming
• Facebookfacebook.com/cryptozoic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cryptozoic-entertainment
• Instagraminstagram.com/cryptozoicentertainment
• TikToktiktok.com/@cryptozoicentertainment

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Cryptozoic Entertainment