ChopUP
ChopUp is a Nigerian mobile gaming company developing 26+ African-themed mobile games for consumer audiences in Nigeria and select African markets, monetizing via low-cost subscriptions (N20 daily) and direct operator billing through MTN, Etisalat, and Airtel telecom networks.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersLagos, Nigeria
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What ChopUP does
ChopUp is a Nigerian mobile gaming company that develops and publishes mobile games featuring African themes, narratives, and cultural references. The company operates as a division of Pledge51 Ltd and is headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, with a small team of 1-10 employees. ChopUp has built a portfolio of over 26 mobile games spanning arcade, action, racing, strategy, sports, and educational genres, with its flagship Danfo series reaching 700,000+ gamers and Danfo Reloaded recording over 500,000 downloads.
The company's core technology is a mobile gaming platform with direct operator billing integration, enabling subscription-based monetization through Nigerian telecom networks (MTN, Etisalat, Airtel) using airtime credit deduction. Games are also distributed via Google Play, Apple App Store, and direct APK downloads. Technical features include real-time multiplayer via Facebook (Oya Run with Friends), Bluetooth multiplayer (Table Soccer), gyroscope-based gameplay (Chicken Escape), eSports leaderboards (Tear Rubber Racing), and educational content (Ebola Strike Force).
ChopUp's business model combines a low-cost subscription service (N20 daily / approximately $0.06, or N30 weekly / approximately $0.15) providing access to all games, supplemented by in-game purchases and advertising. The company monetizes through three Nigerian telco partnerships that handle billing, plus global app store distribution. Founded by Zubair Abubakar and Bayo Puddicombe, ChopUp received seed funding from Tayo Oviosu in 2015 and has established brand recognition through coverage in TechCabal, NPR, CNN, and Techpoint.ng.
ChopUP firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ChopUP
- Legal name
- Pledge51 Ltd
- Website
- https://chopup.me
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- ChopUp is a Nigerian mobile gaming company developing 26+ African-themed mobile games for consumer audiences in Nigeria and select African markets, monetizing via low-cost subscriptions (N20 daily) and direct operator billing through MTN, Etisalat, and Airtel telecom networks.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ChopUP industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mobile Gaming
- NAICS
- Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mobile Game Publishing & App Game Stores (BPAMAKAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Game Subscription & Membership Services (BPAMAKAD)
Keywords
Where ChopUP is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lagos
- HQ country
- Nigeria
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
ChopUP business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Subscription Gaming: Users pay daily (N20/$0.06) or weekly (N30/$0.15) subscription to access all ChopUp games. Fees are deducted from airtime credit via direct operator billing on MTN, Etisalat, and Airtel networks.
- In-Game Purchases: Games feature in-game stores selling items like bulletproof vests, bombs, ammunition, power-ups (Sango fireball, freezing potions), and fortifications that enhance gameplay experience.
- Advertising Revenue: Jagun: Clash of Kingdoms suggests ad viewing to refortify the kingdom wall and extend gameplay during battles.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Daily subscription - ₦20 ($0.06) |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Weekly subscription - N30/$0.15 |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | In-game items - various prices |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
ChopUP product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ChopUp develops and publishes mobile games with African themes, narratives, and cultural elements for feature phones and smartphones. The company offers over 20 games across genres including action, arcade, racing, sports, strategy, and adventure. A subscription gaming service provides access to all games for N20 daily or N30 weekly, with payments processed through direct operator billing via mobile network operator airtime credit on MTN, Etisalat, and Airtel networks.
Product overview
ChopUp is a mobile gaming company developing games with African themes. The company offers a portfolio of 26+ mobile games across genres including arcade, action, adventure, racing, strategy, and sports. Key products include the flagship Danfo series (700,000+ users), real-time multiplayer games like Oya Run with Friends and Table Soccer with Bluetooth multiplayer, educational games like Ebola Strike Force, and racing games like Tear Rubber Racing. Games are distributed through telco app stores (MTN Nigeria, Etisalat, Airtel), Google Play, and Apple App Store with a subscription service (N20 daily) providing access to all games. Most games feature social features including Google Leaderboards and Facebook integration for multiplayer play.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Danfo Series (Flagship) Flagship game franchise featuring Danfo Reloaded with growing user base of over 700,000 gamers; ChopUp's most popular game series in Nigeria.
- Subscription Gaming Service Subscription-based service providing access to all ChopUp games for daily (N20/$0.06) or weekly (N30/$0.15) fees, deducted from airtime credit through mobile network operator billing on MTN, Etisalat, and Airtel.
- Tear Rubber Racing Street racing game set across African cities featuring an undercover cop storyline, car customization, 200 racing challenges, and eSports leaderboard functionality.
- Monkey Post Street soccer game featuring leagues, tournaments, and multiplayer competition; players build champion street soccer teams and compete against friends.
- Mama Put Bubble-matching arcade game where players help Iya Basira cook African dishes by unlocking trapped ingredients across 60 stages.
- Juicy Beans (Èwà Àgòyìn) Casual puzzle game where players help Chioma collect ingredients for African bean dishes by matching required items across levels.
- Adventures of Baba Laisis Adventure game following Bala Lasisi on an adventure with 18 challenging levels; sequel to Jumpology.
- Jumpology Platform jumper game featuring Baba Lasisi character with African costumes, locations, power-ups, and global leaderboard functionality.
- Jagun: Clash of Kingdoms Strategy game set in pre-colonial Jagunlabi Kingdom where players defend against enemy kingdoms using weapons and magic across 4 wars and 40 battles.
- Ebola Strike Force Educational action game where players control a nanobot extracting serum to cure Ebola, featuring 3 worlds, 30 levels, and real-life health tips.
- Chicken Escape Arcade game using gyroscope controls where players help Cuckoo escape a witch's cooking pot with global leaderboard.
- Okada Rider
- Old Soldier
- M.O.L.U.E 2050 War
- Jonah The Fisherman
- Sambisa Assault Whack-a-mole style action game where players take on the role of soldiers fighting terrorism, featuring in-game store, achievements, and leaderboards. Part of proceeds support terrorism victims.
- Egede Launcher
- Ojuju Calabar
- Chop and Quench
- Fada Xmas Joyride
- Oya Run with Friends First real-time multiplayer game in Nigeria where players race against Facebook friends, competing for votes and leaderboard rankings.
- Evil Tree
- Moto Car
- Action Film
- Jump and Pass
- Queen Amina
- Table Soccer
- Okada Fever
- Monkey Banana
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 700,000 gamers for Danfo series
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use ChopUP
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
ChopUP technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
ChopUP partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- MTN NigeriacorePrimary telco distribution partner. ChopUp games are hosted on MTN app stores across key markets in Africa. Subscription service is powered by direct operator billing via MTN, allowing users to pay with airtime credit.
- Etisalat NigeriacoreTelco app store distribution partner enabling direct operator billing for subscription payments. Games available on Etisalat app store.
- Airtel NigeriacoreTelco app store distribution partner. Multiple games available for Airtel download with direct operator billing integration.
- SamsungminorSamsung was a sponsor for the University of Lagos Table Soccer Tournament in 2014, providing prizes including Samsung Galaxy Trend Lite devices.
- Pledge51coreParent company and co-founding entity. ChopUp is a division of Pledge51 Ltd, a leading mobile solutions company also co-founded by ChopUp founders Zubair Abubakar and Bayo Puddicombe.
- NaijaloadedminorMedia partner for the University of Lagos Table Soccer Tournament in 2014, helping promote the event.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ChopUP competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Maliyo Games: Lagos-based mobile game studio building casual games with African themes for the Nigerian and pan-African market, targeting similar prepaid-mobile consumers with locally relevant content.
- Leti Arts: Ghanaian game studio developing mobile and digital games inspired by African folklore and history (e.g., Africa's Legends), targeting the same African-narrative content niche ChopUp serves from a different West-African market.
- Nyamakop: South African independent game studio behind Semblance, building narrative-driven and stylistically distinct games; comparable as a Sub-Saharan African indie developer pursuing culturally rooted IP.
- Kuluya: Nigerian mobile game developer with a catalog of African-themed casual and educational games, sharing ChopUp's focus on local narratives and mobile-first distribution in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Usiku Games: Kenyan game studio producing educational and entertainment mobile games with African themes and characters, comparable in mission and product type to ChopUp's African-narrative portfolio.
Broad incumbents
- Kwalee: UK-based hypercasual mobile publisher with hundreds of millions of downloads; relevant incumbent competing for African user attention via low-cost ad-funded mobile games that displace subscription-based models like ChopUp's.
- Voodoo: Paris-based global leader in hypercasual mobile gaming with massive UA budgets; comparable as the incumbent that increasingly targets African smartphone users with free-to-play mobile games, competing for the same end-user time and spend.
Others
- Pledge51 Ltd: ChopUp's parent company and co-founding entity, a mobile solutions firm co-founded by the same founders; relevant as the strategic/operating parent and shared resource pool.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses1 record
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ChopUP social profiles
Digital presenceChopUP financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ChopUP leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
ChopUP funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ChopUP 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 ChopUP
What does ChopUP do?
ChopUp develops and publishes mobile games with African themes, narratives, and cultural elements for feature phones and smartphones. The company offers over 20 games across genres including action, arcade, racing, sports, strategy, and adventure. A subscription gaming service provides access to all games for N20 daily or N30 weekly, with payments processed through direct operator billing via mobile network operator airtime credit on MTN, Etisalat, and Airtel networks.
Is ChopUP a public or private company?
ChopUP is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was ChopUP founded?
ChopUP was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is ChopUP based?
ChopUP is headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, in the Africa region.
How does ChopUP make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Subscription Gaming is the primary driver. The others are in-Game Purchases and advertising Revenue.
Who are ChopUP's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Maliyo Games, Leti Arts, Nyamakop, Kuluya and Usiku Games. Broad incumbents are Kwalee and Voodoo. Pledge51 Ltd is listed as an others.
Does ChopUP have an API?
No public API is recorded for ChopUP.
What industry is ChopUP in?
ChopUP's product category is Mobile Gaming. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAKAB, Mobile Game Publishing & App Game Stores, with a secondary code of BPAMAKAD, Game Subscription & Membership Services. Its NAICS code is 7131 and its SIC code is 7990.