What Stencil, Ltd. does

Stencil, Ltd. is a privately held game development, marketing, and publishing company founded in 2018 by Aaron Sarazan (CEO) and Adam Capps (CCO). The company is headquartered in San Francisco and operates with a small team of 1–10 employees, despite using a "Ltd." corporate suffix that suggests a UK or Commonwealth legal jurisdiction. Stencil publishes a portfolio of casual mobile games — including Merge City (a merge-style vehicle/city builder), Rocket Moto (motocross racing), Bouncefrands, and That Word Game — distributed globally through Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Roblox, and Xbox.

The company's underlying technology is built around an in-house development framework designed to enable rapid game creation and deployment. Stencil complements its own games with end-to-end game development services (creative direction, art direction, tools/systems development, ad integration, monetization, UI/UX) and publishing services (marketing campaigns, user acquisition optimization, live operations/analytics, A/B testing, store optimization, localization). To scale production capacity beyond its small core team, the company operates the "Stencil Network," a relationship layer of development studios and independent contractors.

Stencil's business model is two-pronged: consumer monetization through in-app purchases and advertising on its published games, and service-based revenue from third-party development and publishing engagements. Pricing details are not publicly disclosed. No venture funding rounds, institutional investors, parent companies, or M&A activity are disclosed, suggesting the company is bootstrapped and founder-controlled.

Name

Stencil, Ltd.

Legal name

Stencil, Ltd.

Website

https://stencil.ltd

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stencil, Ltd. is a bootstrapped mobile game development and publishing studio that publishes casual games (Merge City, Rocket Moto, Bouncefrands, That Word Game) across iOS, Android, Roblox, and Xbox for a global consumer audience, while also offering game development and publishing services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Game Development & Publishing

NAICS

Software Publishers (51321)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Mobile & F2P Game Studios (MPAFAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

In-Game Advertising & AdTech (networks, mediation, measurement) (MPAFAJAH), Mobile Game Publishing Networks (UA, Cross-Promo, Portfolio Publishing) (MPAFABAE), Casual/Hypercasual Game Studios (MPAFAAAG)

Keywords

• Mobile game development
• Mobile game publishing
• Casual mobile games
• User acquisition optimization
• In-app monetization

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Stencil, Ltd. develops and publishes casual mobile games (Merge City, Rocket Moto, Bouncefrands, That Word Game) for iOS and Android, monetized through in-app purchases and advertising. The company additionally offers third-party game development and publishing services spanning creative direction, art direction, tools/systems, ad integration/mediation, UI/UX, monetization, marketing, user acquisition optimization, live ops/analytics, A/B testing, store optimization, and localization, scaling execution via its Stencil Network of partner studios and independent contractors.

Product overview

Stencil, Ltd. is a game development and publishing studio offering both mobile games and development/publishing services. The company operates a portfolio of mobile games (Merge City, Rocket Moto, Bouncefrands, That Word Game) available on iOS and Android platforms, along with a suite of services spanning game development (creative direction, art direction, tools development, ad integration, UI/UX) and publishing (marketing, user acquisition, live ops, localization).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Merge City A merge-style mobile game where players combine vehicles to build their city and motor empire, available on iOS and Android.
• Rocket Moto A motocross racing mobile game available on iOS and Android.
• Bouncefrands A mobile game featuring bouncing characters, available on iOS and Android.
• That Word Game A word puzzle mobile game available on iOS and Android.
• Game Development Services

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Zynga: Zynga is a major mobile and social game publisher with a large portfolio spanning casual and mid-core genres. It operates at meaningfully larger scale than Stencil but is comparable because both develop and publish mobile games targeting similar casual consumer segments.
• AppLovin: AppLovin operates a major mobile advertising and monetization platform alongside its own game-publishing operations. It is comparable to Stencil in the publishing and UA layer, but at much larger scale and as part of a broader adtech portfolio rather than a pure-play mobile game studio.
• King (Activision Blizzard): King is the mobile games division of Activision Blizzard, best known for the Candy Crush franchise and broader casual F2P catalog. It is comparable to Stencil because both publish casual mobile games with IAP monetization for mass-market audiences.
• ironSource: ironSource provides a mobile UA, monetization, and ad mediation platform widely used by mobile game publishers. It is comparable to Stencil because ad integration/mediation is one of Stencil's named service offerings, but ironSource addresses the broader market, not a single studio's portfolio.

Direct peers

• Playrix: Playrix is an independent mobile game studio known for casual/hidden-object and merge-style titles and operates its own user acquisition and publishing infrastructure. It is comparable to Stencil because both are private mobile game studios that combine proprietary engines/frameworks with self-publishing and self-managed UA.
• Voodoo: Voodoo is one of the largest publishers of casual and hypercasual mobile games and operates a portfolio publishing model with internal cross-promotion. It is comparable to Stencil because both target the same casual mobile gamer with rapid-release titles and rely heavily on ad-based monetization and cross-promo networks.
• N3TWORK: N3TWORK operates a mobile games business focused on publishing, user acquisition, and live operations for F2P mobile titles. It is comparable to Stencil because both wrap first-party game publishing with services-style UA, monetization, and live-ops capabilities.
• Jam City: Jam City is an independent mobile game developer and publisher with a portfolio spanning casual and mid-core titles. It is comparable to Stencil because it similarly combines first-party game development with publishing/UA capabilities for its own catalog.
• Scopely: Scopely is a mobile game developer and publisher focused on F2P casual and mid-core titles with heavy investment in live ops and UA. It is comparable to Stencil because both operate a publish-and-distribute model targeting mass-market mobile gamers.
• Rovio Entertainment: Rovio is an independent mobile game studio and publisher (Angry Birds franchise) with cross-platform distribution and global consumer reach. It is comparable to Stencil because both develop and publish mobile first-party games across iOS, Android, and adjacent platforms with consumer-focused casual gameplay.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/brothers_chase
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stencil-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Stencil, Ltd.