CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED
Childish Things Limited is a UK-based independent studio that develops and publishes the Cricket Captain franchise, an annual cricket management simulation game for PC, Mac, mobile, and console, sold direct-to-consumer to cricket fans and simulation gamers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED does
CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED is a UK private limited company founded in 2005 and headquartered in Hornsey, London, that develops and publishes the Cricket Captain franchise — a cricket-focused sports management simulation video game series. The product lets individual consumers manage international and domestic cricket teams across Test, ODI, and T20 formats, with a match engine, 3D engine, and a proprietary database of 8,000+ players and 197 domestic teams updated annually. Cricket Captain is sold as a one-time perpetual license across PC (Steam, direct download), Mac (Mac App Store), mobile (iOS and Android), and console, with the 2026 edition priced at £21.32 and progressively discounted on prior editions. The company monetises through three streams: annual game license sales, network keys for online multiplayer (portable across versions), and targeted in-game advertising via Bidstack (from Cricket Captain 2019 onward).
The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer: the company operates its own Magento-powered storefront (shop.childishthings.com), distributes through major app marketplaces, and generates demand through an active vBulletin forum (3,299 registered members, 50,954 posts) and a PURE360-managed email newsletter. There are no public listings, no disclosed funding rounds, no M&A activity, and no executive team listed in the source data; headcount is reported in the 11-50 band. The customer base is a horizontal long-tail of cricket enthusiasts and simulation gamers, with no enterprise or named-logo customers. The company is a single-franchise, niche-vertical publisher with strong domain specialisation but no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, patents, or third-party validation beyond forum engagement metrics.
CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED
- Legal name
- CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED
- Website
- https://childishthings.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Childish Things Limited is a UK-based independent studio that develops and publishes the Cricket Captain franchise, an annual cricket management simulation game for PC, Mac, mobile, and console, sold direct-to-consumer to cricket fans and simulation gamers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cricket Sports Management Simulation Video Games
- NAICS
- Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Casual/Hypercasual Game Studios (MPAFAAAG)
Keywords
Where CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Game Sales (One-time License): Sale of Cricket Captain game titles across PC (Steam/download), Mac (App Store), Mobile (iOS/Android) as one-time perpetual license purchases. Each annual version (e.g. Cricket Captain 2026) is sold as a standalone title.
- Online/Network Play Keys: Network keys sold for online multiplayer functionality, tied to user email addresses. Keys from previous versions work for newer editions.
- In-Game Targeted Advertising: Targeted advertisements delivered via Bidstack to in-game highlight advertising boards, using age, gender and country data collected from players of Cricket Captain 2019 or later.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Cricket Captain 2026 - Latest Version |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Cricket Captain 2025 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Cricket Captain 2022 |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels3 records
CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Childish Things develops and publishes the Cricket Captain franchise, an annual cricket management simulation video game available on PC (Steam, direct download), Mac (App Store), Mobile (iOS/Android), and Console. Players build and manage international and domestic cricket teams across Test, ODI, and T20 formats, customise kits/emblems/logos/players/fields via in-game editors, and play online multiplayer via a network key system. Older annual editions remain on sale alongside the latest release.
Product overview
CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED produces the Cricket Captain series, an annual cricket management simulation game franchise. The current flagship product is Cricket Captain 2026, with previous versions (Cricket Captain 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020) available for purchase. The product is available across multiple platforms including PC (via Steam and direct download), Mac (via App Store), and Mobile (iOS and Android). Core features include managing cricket teams across international and domestic competitions, with a match engine that simulates gameplay across Test, ODI, and T20 formats. The product family includes customisation tools (Kit Editor, Team Emblem Editor, Competition Logo Editor, Player Editor, Field Editor) that allow players to modify game content, with editor files shareable via Dropbox. Online multiplayer functionality (Network Game) enables players to compete using a network key system.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Cricket Captain 2026 Annual cricket management simulation video game enabling individual players to build and manage cricket teams across international and domestic competitions in Test, ODI, and T20 formats; customise kits, emblems, competition logos, players, and fields; and play online multiplayer via network keys. Released across PC (Steam/direct download), Mac (App Store), Mobile (iOS/Android), and Console for cricket enthusiasts and simulation gamers.
- Cricket Captain 2025 Previous annual edition of the Cricket Captain cricket management simulation video game, available for PC, Mobile, and Console for cricket enthusiasts and simulation gamers.
- Cricket Captain 2024 Earlier annual edition of the Cricket Captain cricket management simulation video game, available for PC, Mobile, and Console for cricket enthusiasts and simulation gamers.
- Cricket Captain 2023 Earlier annual edition of the Cricket Captain cricket management simulation video game, available for PC, Mobile, and Console for cricket enthusiasts and simulation gamers.
- Cricket Captain 2022 Earlier annual edition of the Cricket Captain cricket management simulation video game, distributed 64-bit only on Steam, for PC, Mobile, and Console cricket enthusiasts and simulation gamers.
- Cricket Captain 2021 Earlier annual edition of the Cricket Captain cricket management simulation video game, sold as a virtual product with no physical copy delivery, for PC, Mobile, and Console cricket enthusiasts and simulation gamers.
- Cricket Captain 2020 Earlier annual edition of the Cricket Captain cricket management simulation video game, sold as a virtual product with no physical copy delivery, for PC, Mobile, and Console cricket enthusiasts and simulation gamers.
- Cricket Captain for Mac Mac-native versions of the Cricket Captain cricket management simulation with keyboard controls, cross-platform online play (Mac users can play online with PC), and Dropbox support for syncing saves and editor files across multiple devices. Distributed via the Mac App Store in territories including the UK and Australia for cricket enthusiasts and simulation gamers on macOS.
Quantifiable outcome
- 45 new playable domestic teams across 5 countries added in 2026 edition
Companies that use CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature12 records
CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sports Interactive: Developer of Football Manager, the world's leading sports management simulation franchise. The most analogous product to Cricket Captain—same genre (sports management), same recurring annual release model, and same niche-sport-specialty approach. Relevant as the gold standard for what a leading sports management simulation franchise can achieve at scale.
- Out of the Park Developments: Developer of Out of the Park Baseball (OOTP), the leading baseball management simulation franchise. Same genre (sports management simulation) with annual releases, different sport, similar indie studio profile with deep stat-driven simulation. Closest analogue for what a successful multi-decade niche sports management franchise can become.
- Frontier Developments: UK-based developer behind the F1 Manager series, as well as Elite Dangerous and Planet Coaster. Frontier's F1 Manager is a recent direct competitor in sports management simulation focused on motorsport, with a similar niche-enthusiast audience and annual release cadence.
- Big Ant Studios: Developer of Cricket 19, Cricket 22, and other cricket video games. The most direct competitor offering actual cricket gameplay rather than management simulation—relevant because both target the same cricket gaming niche and compete for the same enthusiast wallet.
Broad incumbents
- Konami Digital Entertainment: Japanese game publisher behind eFootball (formerly Pro Evolution Soccer) and other sports titles. A long-standing broad incumbent in sports video games with both gameplay and management-adjacent titles—relevant for understanding how a large publisher navigates annual sports releases.
- 2K Games: Publisher of major sports games including NBA 2K, WWE 2K, and others. A broad incumbent in the sports video game space with significant annual AAA franchise presence—relevant for understanding publisher-side economics in sports gaming.
- Nacon: Publishing label that has published Big Ant Studios' Cricket 19 and Cricket 22. Relevant as a publisher operating in the cricket video game space, demonstrating the publishing dynamics for niche sports titles where AAA publishers don't compete directly.
- Codemasters: UK-based developer of sports and racing video games including the F1 franchise (now part of Electronic Arts). Specializes in motorsport and racing simulation, an adjacent category to cricket management simulation in terms of sport-specific enthusiast appeal.
- SEGA: Japanese game publisher that owns Sports Interactive (the Football Manager studio) and Total War franchise. Relevant as the parent company of the largest sports management simulation competitor and as an indicator of acquisition dynamics in the sports simulation space.
- Electronic Arts (EA Sports): EA Sports publishes major sports games including EA FC (soccer), Madden NFL (American football), NHL, and others. A dominant incumbent in sports video games; relevant for understanding competitive dynamics, distribution strategies, and what scale looks like in sports gaming.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED social profiles
Digital presenceCHILDISH THINGS LIMITED financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED 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 CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED
What does CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED do?
Childish Things develops and publishes the Cricket Captain franchise, an annual cricket management simulation video game available on PC (Steam, direct download), Mac (App Store), Mobile (iOS/Android), and Console. Players build and manage international and domestic cricket teams across Test, ODI, and T20 formats, customise kits/emblems/logos/players/fields via in-game editors, and play online multiplayer via a network key system. Older annual editions remain on sale alongside the latest release.
Is CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED a public or private company?
CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED founded?
CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED based?
CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Game Sales (One-time License) is the primary driver. The others are online/Network Play Keys and in-Game Targeted Advertising.
Who are CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sports Interactive, Out of the Park Developments, Frontier Developments and Big Ant Studios. Broad incumbents are Konami Digital Entertainment, 2K Games, Nacon, Codemasters, SEGA and Electronic Arts (EA Sports).
Does CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED have an API?
No public API is recorded for CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED.
What industry is CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED in?
CHILDISH THINGS LIMITED's product category is Cricket Sports Management Simulation Video Games. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAG, Casual/Hypercasual Game Studios. Its NAICS code is 45912 and its SIC code is 7900.