Playa Games
Playa Games is a Hamburg-based casual MMORPG developer operating the long-running Shakes & Fidget franchise and newer Mobile Dungeon title. It serves roughly 300,000 daily and 700,000 monthly European players via a freemium model and operates as a subsidiary of Sweden's Stillfront Group.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersHamburg, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Playa Games does
Playa Games GmbH is a Hamburg-based casual MMORPG and RPG game developer founded in 2009 by Jan Beuck and Martin Jässing. The studio operates two core products: the long-running, award-winning browser-and-mobile MMORPG Shakes & Fidget, which has sustained approximately 300,000 daily and 700,000 monthly active players across browser, iOS, Android, and Steam for over a decade, and the newer Mobile Dungeon fantasy RPG dungeon crawler launched in 2023 on mobile and Steam. Technology is built on a PHP backend with a Unity frontend, and the franchise leverages cross-platform distribution to maximize player reach.
The company generates revenue primarily through a freemium model combining optional in-game purchases, processed through PayPal, Paymentwall (via Goodgame Studios), and platform billing on iOS and Google Play, supplemented by advertising revenue from the in-game 'Flimmerkiste' video ad feature powered by Fyber. Player acquisition is driven by community-led growth across seven social media channels plus collaborations with German-speaking influencers (Simon Unge, Gimper, Fatty Pillow, Sneili Sneils). Since December 2018, Playa Games has operated as a subsidiary of the Swedish gaming conglomerate Stillfront Group, and the studio has scaled its LiveOps organization from 10 to over 50 employees since 2020 under sole Managing Director Thorsten Rohmann, who assumed the role in 2020 after serving as COO since 2011.
Playa Games firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Playa Games
- Legal name
- Playa Games GmbH
- Website
- https://playa-games.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Playa Games is a Hamburg-based casual MMORPG developer operating the long-running Shakes & Fidget franchise and newer Mobile Dungeon title. It serves roughly 300,000 daily and 700,000 monthly European players via a freemium model and operates as a subsidiary of Sweden's Stillfront Group.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Playa Games industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Casual and Mid-Core Online Games
- NAICS
- Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mobile Game Publishing & App Game Stores (BPAMAKAB)
Keywords
Where Playa Games is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hamburg
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Playa Games business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Freemium / Free-to-Play: Core games Shakes & Fidget and Mobile Dungeon are free to play. Revenue generated through optional in-game purchases and premium services.
- In-Game Purchases: Additional paid services within the games, processed through PayPal, Paymentwall via Goodgame Studios, and App Store/Google Play billing systems
- Advertising Revenue: Video advertising feature called 'Flimmerkiste' (Tube) where players watch commercials to earn in-game bonuses (Luckycoins)
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free-to-play base game with optional premium features |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels10 records
Playa Games product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Playa Games develops, publishes, and operates free-to-play browser and mobile games, primarily the award-winning MMORPG Shakes & Fidget (live since 2009) and the fantasy RPG dungeon crawler Mobile Dungeon. The games are distributed across web, iOS, Android, and Steam, and revenue is generated through optional in-game purchases, premium services, and rewarded video advertising.
Product overview
Playa Games operates a portfolio of browser-based and mobile games centered around two main products: the award-winning MMORPG Shakes & Fidget (launched in 2009), which has maintained player engagement for over a decade with approximately 300,000 daily and 700,000 monthly active players across multiple platforms (browser, iOS, Android, Steam); and the newer fantasy RPG dungeon crawler Mobile Dungeon (released 2023), which expands the company's gaming universe with team battle mechanics. Both games share thematic fantasy elements and cross-platform availability, with Shakes & Fidget serving as the established flagship product and Mobile Dungeon representing recent portfolio expansion.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Shakes & Fidget: Award-winning MMORPG that has been running since 2009, with approximately 300,000 daily active players and 700,000 monthly active players.
- Mobile Dungeon
Products and services
- Shakes & Fidget Award-winning fantasy MMORPG in which players create their own heroes and embark in epic adventures; available for free on browser, iOS, Android, and Steam with optional in-game purchases.
- Mobile Dungeon Fantasy RPG dungeon crawler with team-battle mechanics, released by the Shakes & Fidget creators; available on iOS, Android, and Steam.
Quantifiable outcome
- 300,000 daily active players, 700,000 monthly active players
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Playa Games
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Playa Games technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration13 records
Feature1 record
Playa Games partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Goodgame Studios (Altigi GmbH)coreGoodgame Studios handles the technical processing of payments for in-game purchases. Paymentwall transactions are facilitated through Goodgame Studios located at Theodorstr. 42-90, Haus 9, 22761 Hamburg, Germany.
- Content Creators (Simon Unge, Fatty Pillow, Gimper, Sneili Sneils)minorInfluencer collaborations for marketing Shakes & Fidget game. First collaborations started in 2015 with further partnerships established in 2018.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Playa Games competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bigpoint: Hamburg-based browser game publisher historically known for Battlestar Galactica Online and other free-to-play browser titles. Direct regional peer in the European browser-based gaming market.
- Goodgame Studios: Hamburg-based browser and mobile game developer (Goodgame Empire, Big Farm) and a sister company under Stillfront Group. Highly comparable in genre, geography, and infrastructure; also handles Playa's payment processing.
- Gameforge: German (Karlsruhe) publisher of browser-based and client MMOs including AION, TERA, and Runes of Magic. Comparable to Playa Games as a European browser/MMO publisher serving long-running fantasy communities.
- InnoGames: Hamburg-based developer and publisher of free-to-play browser and mobile strategy games (Forge of Empires, Elvenar). Closest direct peer to Playa Games by geography, genre, and free-to-play browser-first business model.
- Travian Games: Munich-based developer of browser-based strategy MMO games such as Travian and Rail Nation. Comparable in genre (browser strategy) and free-to-play monetization model.
- Bytro Labs: Hamburg-based strategy game developer (Supremacy 1914, Call of War) and a Stillfront Group sister studio. Closely comparable as a Stillfront-owned, German browser/mobile strategy studio.
Broad incumbents
- Stillfront Group: Stockholm-listed parent company of Playa Games and a portfolio of mid-sized free-to-play game studios. Directly comparable as the studio's acquirer and strategic platform for browser/mobile strategy games.
- Playtika: Israel-based mobile free-to-play publisher focused on casual and casino-style games (Bingo Blitz, Slotomania). Broad incumbent with comparable free-to-play mobile/social monetization mechanics targeting similar casual audiences.
- Zynga: Large US-based mobile and social free-to-play publisher (Words With Friends, Zynga Poker, FarmVille). Operates in the same casual/social gaming category with overlapping free-to-play monetization, but at much greater scale and across a broader portfolio.
- Rovio Entertainment: Finland-based mobile game publisher best known for the Angry Birds franchise. Comparable as a European mobile free-to-play publisher leveraging a flagship IP into adjacent games and spin-offs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Playa Games social profiles
Digital presencePlaya Games compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Playa Games financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Playa Games leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Playa Games funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Playa Games 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 Playa Games
What does Playa Games do?
Playa Games develops, publishes, and operates free-to-play browser and mobile games, primarily the award-winning MMORPG Shakes & Fidget (live since 2009) and the fantasy RPG dungeon crawler Mobile Dungeon. The games are distributed across web, iOS, Android, and Steam, and revenue is generated through optional in-game purchases, premium services, and rewarded video advertising.
Is Playa Games a public or private company?
Playa Games is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Playa Games founded?
Playa Games was founded in 2009. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Playa Games based?
Playa Games is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Playa Games make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Freemium / Free-to-Play is the primary driver. The others are in-Game Purchases and advertising Revenue.
Who are Playa Games's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bigpoint, Goodgame Studios, Gameforge, InnoGames, Travian Games and Bytro Labs. Broad incumbents are Stillfront Group, Playtika, Zynga and Rovio Entertainment.
Does Playa Games have an API?
No public API is recorded for Playa Games.
What industry is Playa Games in?
Playa Games's product category is Casual and Mid-Core Online Games. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAKAB, Mobile Game Publishing & App Game Stores. Its NAICS code is 7131 and its SIC code is 7900.