What BitMango does

BitMango is a privately held South Korean mobile game publisher founded in 2011 and headquartered in Seongnam, South Korea. The company specializes in publishing puzzle games across iOS and Android, with a portfolio of 100+ titles spanning word games (Word Cookies), sliding puzzles (Roll the Ball), block puzzles (Block! Hexa Puzzle), match-3 (Lollipop & Marshmallow Match3, Jewel Match King), and bubble shooters (Bubble Pop Origin!). Games are built primarily on Unity and distributed through Google Play and Apple App Store. After spinning off its internal development team into Puzzle1studio in January 2019, BitMango now operates exclusively as a publisher, including both self-published titles and games published from external studios via its B2B Publishing Partnership Program.

BitMango's business model is a freemium mobile gaming model with two primary revenue streams: in-app purchases of virtual goods and currencies (non-transferable, non-refundable virtual items) and in-app advertising served through third-party networks (AdMob, Unity Ads, ironSource, Chartboost, Vungle, AppLovin, Meta). The company does not publicly disclose pricing tiers and operates on a per-studio negotiated basis for its B2B publishing arm. User acquisition is driven by an in-house Creative team producing video and playable ad creatives distributed via Google Ads, Meta (Facebook/Instagram), Apple Search Ads, and game-focused networks.

The company serves two distinct customer segments: (1) Global mobile puzzle game players (B2C), with 3.7M+ daily active users and approximately 900M cumulative downloads worldwide, primarily concentrated in North America (79% of 2020 revenue from the US; 99% of revenue from overseas markets); and (2) Independent and small game development studios (B2B), who submit titles through BitMango's publishing program in exchange for global distribution, marketing support, and UA optimization. The company has been recognized by Apple (Word Cookies as a most popular app of 2017) and the Korean Government ($70M and $100M Export Tower awards in 2020 and 2021), and ranked #6 globally in puzzle game downloads for 2020.

Name

BitMango

Legal name

BitMango, Inc.

Website

https://bitmango.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

BitMango is a South Korean mobile puzzle game publisher founded in 2011, publishing 100+ word, block, match-3, and bubble shooter games globally on iOS and Android, serving 3.7M+ daily active users primarily in North America via freemium and B2B studio partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Puzzle Games

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944)

akta.pro primary industry

Mobile & F2P Game Studios (MPAFAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Digital Game Marketplaces & Item Economies (NFT/Skins/Trading) (BPAMAKAJ)

Keywords

• Mobile puzzle games
• Game publishing
• Mobile gaming apps
• In-app purchases
• Freemium games

Headquarters

HQ city

Seongnam

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. In-App Purchases (Virtual Goods and Virtual Currency): BitMango's games offer virtual currencies (coins, gems) and virtual goods for purchase within games. Players over 18 can buy Virtual Goods and Virtual Money with no monetary value and no refunds after purchase. Purchased virtual goods are non-transferable and have no real-world value.
2. In-App Advertising: The company serves ads within their mobile games, including third-party products and services. They use ad identifiers (Android Advertising ID, Apple IDFA) and tracking pixels for interest-based advertising in partnership with advertising networks such as Admob, Mopub, Inmobi, and others.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

BitMango is a global mobile puzzle game publisher that develops, publishes, and distributes free-to-play puzzle games on iOS and Android platforms. The company also operates a B2B publishing service for game development studios, providing global marketing, distribution, UA creative guidance, game analysis, and ongoing data-driven game tuning to help studios publish their games worldwide. Revenue is generated through in-app purchases of virtual goods/currency and in-app advertising.

Product overview

BitMango is a global mobile game publisher that distributes a portfolio of puzzle games — primarily match-3, word, block, and bubble shooter titles — to worldwide audiences. Its product portfolio consists of its own flagship puzzle games (Word Cookies!, Roll the Ball, Block! Hexa Puzzle, Jewel Match King, Lollipop & Marshmallow Match3, and others) alongside games published from external studios under its publishing service. BitMango also operates a customer support platform (BitMango Support) for its game users and offers a publishing program that provides global studios with marketing, UA creative guidance, game analysis, and distribution support. The company was founded in 2011, separated its development studio (Puzzle1studio) in 2019, and now focuses exclusively on publishing mobile puzzle games targeting the North American market.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Word Cookies! An addictive word puzzle game where players form as many words as possible from given letter sets in a crossword-style format. It is BitMango's flagship title, selected as one of Apple's most popular games and apps of 2017.
• Roll the Ball – slide puzzle A sliding tile puzzle game where players move tiles to create a path for a ball to roll from start to goal. One of BitMango's most downloaded titles with over 170 million global downloads.
• Lollipop & Marshmallow Match3 A match-3 puzzle game where players help Jenny recover a stolen lollipop by breaking candies and completing quests across a colorful world.
• Bubble Pop Origin! Puzzle Game An addictive bubble shooter puzzle game where players match and pop bubbles of the same color to progress through levels and collect treasures.
• Block! Hexa Puzzle A block puzzle game where players fit hexagonal pieces onto a board to build spatial intelligence and geometric skills, with over 50 million downloads globally.
• Jewel Match King A match-3 puzzle game where players match and collect sparkling jewels through an adventure across hot deserts and frozen glaciers to reach the jewel kingdom.
• Jewels Magic: Mystery Match3 A match-3 puzzle game set in a magical world where players find hidden jewels to complete quest levels and navigate mysterious paths.
• Sweet Home: Design & Blast An addictive block-matching puzzle game where players match colorful blocks to collect props, complete missions, and decorate homes.
• Brick Breaker – Shoot & Blast

Quantifiable outcome

• 3.7 million+ Daily Active Users
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and strategic.

• Google AdWordscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBitMango uses Google AdWords as a marketing partner for paid search advertising campaigns to acquire new users for their mobile games. Google AdWords is used for running targeted search ads across Google's advertising network.
• Apple Search AdscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBitMango uses Apple Search Ads for user acquisition campaigns targeting iOS users on the Apple App Store.
• AppsFlyercoreTechnology or IntegrationBitMango uses AppsFlyer as a marketing partner for attribution and analytics to measure campaign performance and user acquisition effectiveness across their mobile game portfolio.
• AppLovincoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBitMango partners with AppLovin for mobile advertising and user acquisition campaigns to reach new players across their game portfolio.
• ChartboostcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBitMango partners with Chartboost for mobile game advertising. The partnership has resulted in measurable improvements, with BitMango reporting a 40% conversion increase using Chartboost's playable ad formats.
• Meta (Facebook, Inc.)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerBitMango uses Meta's advertising platforms (Facebook and Instagram) as a key marketing partner for user acquisition campaigns targeting broad audiences on social media platforms.
• ironSourcecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBitMango uses ironSource for mobile advertising and user acquisition campaigns as part of their multi-channel marketing strategy.
• MolocominorGTM or Marketing PartnerBitMango uses Moloco as a marketing partner for mobile advertising and performance-based user acquisition.
• VunglecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerVungle serves as a marketing partner and has featured BitMango's success story, publishing an article titled 'How BitMango Became One of the Top Ten Android Publishers'.
• Unity AdscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBitMango uses Unity Ads for in-game advertising and user acquisition campaigns, leveraging Unity's game-focused ad network.
• Admob (Google)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerBitMango uses AdMob as an advertising partner for displaying ads within their mobile games, serving third-party product and service advertisements.
• MoPub (AppLovin)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMoPub is used as an advertising partner for ad monetization within BitMango's mobile games.
• InMobiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInMobi is used as an advertising partner for displaying ads within BitMango's mobile games.
• Google Play StorecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGoogle Play Store serves as BitMango's primary distribution channel for Android mobile games. All flagship titles are published and distributed through Google Play.
• Apple App StorecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorApple App Store serves as BitMango's primary distribution channel for iOS mobile games. All flagship titles are published and distributed through the Apple App Store.
• ZeptoLab (Cut the Rope)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerBitMango partnered with ZeptoLab for a character collaboration with their Cut the Rope IP in 2021, expanding their game content through cross-branding with established puzzle game characters.
• Qumi (Mahjong Tour: Witch Tales!)strategicChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBitMango's first external publishing collaboration with Qumi for the game Mahjong Tour: Witch Tales! in 2021, marking BitMango's first publishing of games from an external developer.
• Puzzle1studiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPuzzle1studio was spun off from BitMango in January 2019 to focus on game development, while BitMango focuses on publishing. The two companies maintain a close relationship with Puzzle1studio developing games that BitMango publishes. BitMango outsources customer support to Puzzle1studio for query response services.
• Helpshift, Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationHelpshift provides BitMango's customer support infrastructure, enabling in-app messaging and help center functionality for player support across all BitMango games. Customer service is accessible at bitmangogames.helpshift.com.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Zynga: Zynga is a major mobile game publisher with a strong portfolio in match-3 and puzzle (e.g., Words With Friends, CSR). It competes directly for puzzle genre mindshare and UA inventory with BitMango and follows an adjacent F2P model.
• Miniclip: Miniclip is a global mobile and online game publisher with puzzle and casual titles (8 Ball Pool, Golf Battle). It has comparable scale, global distribution footprint, and F2P mobile monetization.
• King (Activision Blizzard): King owns Candy Crush and is the dominant force in mobile puzzle/match-3 gaming. It competes in the same North American puzzle charts BitMango targets and shares the same F2P IAP+ads business model, although King is much larger and broader.
• Voodoo: Voodoo is a leading mobile game publisher specializing in casual and hyper-casual titles with high global download volumes. While more skewed to hyper-casual than puzzle, Voodoo competes for the same UA inventory and casual user base.

Direct peers

• Outfit7: Outfit7 (Talking Tom Gold Run, My Talking Tom Friends) is a casual mobile game publisher that targets the same global family/casual audience as BitMango with F2P IAP and ad-based monetization.
• ZeptoLab: ZeptoLab publishes the Cut the Rope puzzle franchise, comparable to BitMango as a mobile puzzle game studio/publisher. The two have an active partnership (2021 Cut the Rope character collaboration) showing direct content overlap.
• Playrix: Playrix is a leading global mobile puzzle game publisher behind titles like Homescapes and Township. Both operate the same free-to-play puzzle publishing model with IAP and ad monetization, and both target North American puzzle audiences at scale.
• Jam City: Jam City is a mobile game studio/publisher known for match-3 puzzle franchises such as Cookie Jam and Panda Pop. It is a direct competitor in the puzzle-match genre with similar IAP/ads business model.
• Rovio Entertainment: Rovio is the publisher of Angry Birds and several puzzle titles (e.g., Angry Birds Match). It is directly comparable as a mobile game publisher specializing in casual/puzzle content distributed globally through the same app store channels.
• Peak Games: Peak Games (now part of Zynga) built its business on casual and puzzle titles like Toy Blast. It shares BitMango's F2P mobile puzzle focus, mid-core casual audience targeting, and reliance on North American and European markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCBeudBpmf9SLNqaeoAyyc2A/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/bitmangogames
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bitmango
• Instagraminstagram.com/bitmango_games

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 BitMango