Playback Games

What Playback Games does

Playback Games is a London-based independent mobile and web games studio founded in 2015, operating as a small (1-10 employee) remote-first team with an office address in SE8. The studio develops and publishes a portfolio of original, casual-leaning titles spanning arcade American football (Touchdowners 2), physics-based basketball (Dunkers 2), Caribbean-themed endless runner (Curry Goat Revenge), toy-character battle arena (Super Toy Smash, in early development/soft launch), and a pigeon simulator (Super Pigeon Pooper). The company also operates a curated HTML5 gaming web platform for browser-based play.

The studio is built on HTML5 and cross-platform web technologies, using JavaScript/TypeScript with the Phaser and Babylon.js game frameworks and WebGL for rendering. This stack enables unified development and release across iOS, Android, and web from a single codebase. The portfolio is positioned around differentiated, often unconventional themes rather than mainstream genres.

Monetisation is freemium: games are free to download and play with optional in-app purchases for gameplay enhancements, distributed globally via the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and the proprietary HTML5 platform. GTM is product-led and organic, supplemented by brand accounts on X (Twitter) and Instagram and a corporate website that serves as a discovery and careers hub. No external enterprise customers, B2B channels, advertising relationships, or institutional investors were disclosed prior to a recent $300,000 funding round from Exel by Merak.

Name

Playback Games

Legal name

Playback Games

Website

https://playbackgames.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Playback Games is a London-based independent studio that develops original casual mobile and HTML5 web games — including Touchdowners 2, Dunkers 2, Curry Goat Revenge, Super Toy Smash, and Super Pigeon Pooper — using JavaScript/TypeScript with Phaser and Babylon.js, monetising via freemium in-app purchases distributed globally through Apple App Store, Google Play, and its own HTML5 platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Mobile Games

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Mobile & F2P Game Studios (MPAFAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mobile Game Publishing & App Game Stores (BPAMAKAB)

Keywords

• Mobile game development
• Arcade sports games
• HTML5 gaming
• Casual mobile games
• Freemium gaming

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. In-App Purchases: Optional in-app purchases within games. All purchases are final and non-refundable per Terms of Service.
2. Freemium Games: Core games available for free with optional paid content and features through in-app purchases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Playback Games develops and self-publishes original, arcade-style mobile games and an HTML5 web gaming platform targeted at casual mobile gamers. Its core offerings are free-to-download games (Touchdowners 2, Dunkers 2, Curry Goat Revenge, Super Toy Smash, Super Pigeon Pooper) monetized through optional in-app purchases, distributed globally via the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and the company's own browser-based HTML5 platform.

Product overview

Playback Games is a mobile games developer offering a portfolio of accessible, original games spanning action-packed arcade titles and playful sports experiences. The core product lineup includes Touchdowners 2 (arcade American football with custom teams and dynamic environments), Dunkers 2 (physics-based basketball with power-ups and global leaderboards), Curry Goat Revenge (Caribbean-themed endless runner), Super Toy Smash (toy character battle arena, in early development), and Super Pigeon Pooper (pigeon simulator). The company also maintains an HTML5 gaming platform and operates with a remote-first team based in London.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Touchdowners 2 Arcade American football game combining simplified rules with outrageous moves. Players experience non-stop football action with crazy tackles, incredible passes, and gravity-defying jumps. The game includes custom team creation with unique players, uniforms, and strategies, plus dynamic environments with interactive elements and changing weather conditions across various stadiums. Targeted at casual mobile gamers seeking engaging arcade sports entertainment.
• Dunkers 2 Crazy physics-based basketball arcade game challenging players to score as many points as possible within a set time limit. Features fast-paced action with realistic physics, vibrant graphics, intuitive controls, challenging levels, special power-ups, and global leaderboard competition. Targeted at casual mobile gamers seeking quick-session competitive arcade gameplay.
• Curry Goat Revenge Endless runner game set on a fictional Caribbean island with ten levels. Players control a goat seeking revenge while navigating vibrant landscapes, dodging obstacles, and overcoming enemies. Features colorful graphics, engaging gameplay, and a unique storyline. Targeted at casual mobile gamers seeking themed endless-runner entertainment.
• Super Toy Smash

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Supersonic (Unity): Supersonic is Unity's hypercasual publishing arm, operating at large scale with significant UA and live-ops infrastructure. It serves as a broad incumbent benchmark for the hypercasual-mobile segment where Playback competes for organic discovery.
• Rollic (Zynga): Rollic is a hypercasual mobile game publisher acquired by Zynga. As a broad incumbent in casual mobile, it provides a comparison point for genre, UA mechanics, and exit dynamics relevant to Playback's potential growth or acquisition trajectory.
• Voodoo: Voodoo is the largest hypercasual mobile publisher globally with massive UA infrastructure. It serves as a broad incumbent benchmark for the casual/arcade mobile segment Playback competes in, though at far greater scale and capital intensity.

Direct peers

• Playgendary: Playgendary is a mobile game developer with a portfolio of casual and arcade-style titles distributed globally on iOS and Android. It is comparable to Playback on casual-arcade mobile focus, freemium model, and multi-genre indie publishing approach.
• Kwalee: Kwalee is a UK-based casual and hypercasual mobile publisher with a multi-title portfolio spanning arcade, sports, and sim genres. It is directly comparable to Playback on geography (UK indie), genre focus (casual/arcade mobile), and cross-platform distribution.
• CrazyLabs: CrazyLabs (formerly TabTale) is a major casual/hypercasual mobile game publisher with a portfolio of arcade-style titles distributed via app stores. It is comparable to Playback in target audience (casual mobile), business model (freemium/IAP), and product category (arcade mobile games).
• Miniclip: Miniclip is a Zurich/Lisbon-based mobile and web games publisher specializing in arcade-style sports titles (8 Ball Pool, Football Strike). It is a direct peer given the Touchdowners 2 / Dunkers 2 arcade-sports mobile/web overlap and the visible Miniclip-linked IP geolocation integration in Playback's stack.
• BoomBit: BoomBit is a Polish mobile game developer and publisher with a multi-title casual/arcade portfolio spanning sports, runner, and simulation genres. It is comparable to Playback on genre diversity, freemium monetization, and indie developer scale.
• Green Panda Games: Green Panda Games is a Paris-based casual mobile game studio with titles across puzzle, arcade, and simulation genres. It is comparable to Playback as a similarly-sized indie studio pursuing diversified casual-IP mobile publishing.
• Tactile Games: Tactile Games is a Copenhagen-based mobile game developer behind casual titles like Lily's Garden. It is comparable to Playback as a mid-sized European casual mobile studio with freemium/IAP monetization and multi-genre portfolio ambitions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PlaybackGamesUK
• Instagraminstagram.com/playbackgames

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Playback Games