Snowman

What Snowman does

Snowman is a Toronto-based independent game studio founded in 2012 by Ryan Cash and Jordan Rosenberg, operating from a deliberately small team (firmographic range of 11–50 employees, with one source citing approximately six core team members). The studio develops and publishes premium mobile games and a small portfolio of productivity apps primarily targeted at the Apple ecosystem, with secondary distribution on Google Play, Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and Epic Games Store. Its flagship franchise is the Alto series — Alto's Adventure (2015) and Alto's Odyssey (2018) — built on the Unity game engine with native Apple integrations including iCloud Sync for cross-device progress and Game Center for leaderboards and achievements. The company runs no advertising and avoids in-app purchases, instead selling games as one-time purchases at price points between $1.99 and $9.99.

Snowman's business model spans four revenue streams: one-time app store sales of owned and co-developed titles; Apple Arcade subscription revenue through exclusive titles such as Where Cards Fall, Skate City, and their sequels; professional services and revenue-share partnerships with Netflix for games including Lucky Luna and Laya's Horizon; and branded merchandise through The Alto Collection storefront on Shopify. The studio's primary customer segments are casual gamers seeking artful, meditative experiences and Apple ecosystem users across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV, with a secondary segment of families with young children served through the wholly-owned Pok Pok subsidiary launched in May 2021. Co-development partnerships with The Game Band, Agens, and Slingshot & Satchel are central to Snowman's pipeline model, supplementing its small in-house team with external creative capacity for new IP such as DISTANT. The studio remains privately held with no disclosed institutional funding.

Name

Snowman

Legal name

Snowman

Website

https://builtbysnowman.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Snowman is a Toronto-based independent game studio founded in 2012 that develops premium, art-driven mobile games — notably the Alto series and Apple Arcade exclusives — for casual gamers and Apple ecosystem users, with a wholly-owned subsidiary (Pok Pok) serving the children's educational market.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Game Sales: Direct game sales through app stores at fixed prices (e.g., $1.99 for Alto's Adventure), with no ads or in-app purchases
2. Apple Arcade: Exclusive games on Apple Arcade subscription service including Skate City and Where Cards Fall
3. Merchandise: The Alto Collection includes apparel (t-shirts, socks), art prints, and accessories sold through the Snowman Store
4. Netflix Partnership: Partnership with Netflix for game development (Lucky Luna, Laya's Horizon) published through Netflix platform

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Snowman is a Toronto-based independent game studio that designs, develops, and publishes premium mobile games and iOS productivity apps. Its portfolio includes the Alto snowboarding/sandboarding franchise, Apple Arcade exclusives (Where Cards Fall, Skate City), Netflix-published titles (Lucky Luna, Laya's Horizon), the Pok Pok children's educational app, and standalone apps such as Checkmark 2 and Shifts. Revenue is generated primarily through one-time app-store purchases, Apple Arcade distribution, and co-development partnerships.

Product overview

Snowman is a small game studio that develops and publishes mobile games and productivity apps. Their portfolio includes productivity apps (Checkmark 2 for to-do/task management, Shifts for work schedule tracking), casual games (Circles memory game, Super Squares puzzle game), the acclaimed Alto series (Alto's Adventure snowboarding game and Alto's Odyssey sandboarding sequel), Apple Arcade exclusives (Where Cards Fall, Skate City, and their sequels), Netflix partnership games (Lucky Luna, Laya's Horizon), educational children's apps (Pok Pok Playroom), merchandise (The Alto Collection), and a podcast (Art & Craft). The company operates as both developer and creative partner, collaborating with studios like The Game Band, Agens, Land & Sea, and Slingshot & Satchel.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pok Pok: A new studio centered around creative, play-based learning experiences for kids. Their first app is Pok Pok Playroom, a digital playroom of educational toys that spark creativity and learning through open-ended play.
• Alto Collection

Products and services

• Alto's Adventure A critically acclaimed endless runner snowboarding game featuring rhythmic gameplay, night cycles, weather changes, and llamas to rescue. Released across iOS, Android, Mac, and Apple TV.
• Alto's Odyssey A sandboarding sequel to Alto's Adventure set in endless desert landscapes; Apple Design Award 2018 winner.
• Where Cards Fall A coming-of-age story game where players build houses of cards to navigate formative memories and dreamlike spatial puzzles about adolescence; Apple Design Award 2020 winner. Co-developed with The Game Band and released as an Apple Arcade exclusive.
• Skate City A skateboarding game that captures the heart and soul of street skating, featuring cities based on real-world skate locations from Los Angeles to Oslo and Barcelona. Co-developed with Agens and released as an Apple Arcade exclusive.
• Skate City: New York The anticipated sequel to Skate City, released in January 2025 on Apple Arcade.
• Lucky Luna A vertically-scrolling platformer released in September 2022 as Snowman's first partnership title with Netflix.
• Laya's Horizon An open-world flying adventure released in May 2023 as part of Snowman's continued partnership with Netflix.
• Pok Pok Playroom A digital playroom of educational toys for kids, centered around creative play-based learning experiences through open-ended play. Released via Snowman's wholly-owned Pok Pok subsidiary studio.
• Checkmark 2 A to-do app for iPhone featuring location-based reminders, flexible recurring reminders, one-tap rescheduling, and iCloud sync. Supports GTD workflow with headers for task organization.
• Shifts A work calendar app for iPhone designed for shift workers to track schedules, add shifts with one tap, calculate earnings, and share schedules with others.
• Circles A memory game for iPhone and iPad, playable as a multiplayer game against friends with Game Center integration, featuring 120 levels. A percentage of each sale is donated to Alzheimer's research.
• Super Squares A puzzle game for iOS developed in collaboration with Marcelo Marfil and Oliver Cameron.
• Alto's Odyssey: The Lost City Apple Arcade special edition of Alto's Odyssey featuring new content including The Lost City, released on Apple Arcade.
• Alto's Adventure: The Spirit of the Mountain Apple Arcade special edition of Alto's Adventure featuring The Spirit of the Mountain content, released on Apple Arcade.

Quantifiable outcome

• Apple Design Award Winner 2018 for Alto's Odyssey
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• NetflixcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2022Netflix partnership to develop games for the Netflix platform. Lucky Luna (vertically-scrolling platformer) launched September 2022, followed by Laya's Horizon (open-world flying adventure) in May 2023.
• AgensflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partnership with Oslo studio Agens to create Skate City, released exclusively on Apple Arcade in September 2019. Skate City: New York sequel released in January 2025.
• Slingshot & SatchelcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2016Australian indie duo developing DISTANT, a game set in a fantastical, colorful universe. Snowman is helping bring the game to market on Mac, PC, console, and Apple TV.
• The Game BandflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2016Collaboration with LA-based studio The Game Band to develop Where Cards Fall, released exclusively on Apple Arcade in September 2019 and later on other platforms.
• Harry NesbittflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Harry Nesbitt is the artist and developer behind Alto's Adventure and Alto's Odyssey. This is Snowman's most significant partnership, producing award-winning games that became the studio's flagship franchise.
• NoodlecakeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNoodlecake published Alto's Odyssey on Android platform in July 2018.
• Pok PokcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPok Pok is a new studio launched by Snowman in May 2021, focused on creative, play-based learning experiences for kids. First app Pok Pok Playroom is a digital playroom of educational toys.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• thatgamecompany: Creator of Journey, Flower, and Sky: Children of the Light, focused on emotional, meditative, artful games. Comparable to Snowman in design philosophy and premium positioning across mobile and console.
• Simogo: Swedish indie studio behind Sayonara Wild Hearts and Device 6, known for artful, design-led mobile and Apple Arcade titles. Closely matches Snowman's emphasis on craft, atmosphere, and premium experiences.
• The Game Band: LA-based indie studio that co-developed Where Cards Fall with Snowman and made Where Cards Fall and Stranger Things 3. A direct collaborator and peer in artful Apple Arcade game development.
• ustwo games: Maker of Monument Valley, an award-winning premium mobile game studio focused on artful, meditative experiences. Directly comparable to Snowman in aesthetic, premium pricing, and Apple Design Award pedigree.
• Playdead: Danish studio behind Limbo and Inside, an acclaimed indie developer known for distinctive art direction and premium pricing. Comparable on craft-driven, award-winning indie game development.
• Noodlecake Studios: Canadian mobile game developer and publisher that ported Alto's Odyssey to Android. A peer indie publisher/developer in the same mobile premium and partnership ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Sirvo: Small studio behind Threes!, a design-led premium puzzle game. Comparable to Snowman as a tiny, craft-focused indie studio building elegant premium mobile titles.
• Mediocre AB: Swedish studio behind Smash Hit and Beans, focused on minimalist, polished premium mobile games. Comparable to Snowman in aesthetic minimalism and premium mobile focus.

Broad incumbents

• Devolver Digital: Indie game publisher with a strong curatorial brand across PC, console, and mobile. Comparable to Snowman's publisher/partner role but broader and larger in scope.
• Annapurna Interactive: Publisher of artistic indie games (Gris, Sayonara Wild Hearts, Stray) across mobile and console. Overlaps with Snowman's curated, design-forward publishing model on a larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/builtbysnowman
• Facebookfacebook.com/builtbysnowman
• Instagraminstagram.com/builtbysnowman

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Snowman