Jam City (company)

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Jam City
Company typePrivate
IndustryVideo game industry
Founded2007
Headquarters
Los Angeles, United States
Number of locations
6
Key people
Chris DeWolfe
ProductsCasual gaming
Number of employees
500 (September 2016)
SubsidiariesTinyCo
WebsiteJamCity.com

Jam City is a Los Angeles-based[1] mobile game developer. The company was founded in 2010[2] by MySpace co-founders Chris DeWolfe and Aber Whitcomb and former 20th Century Fox executive Josh Yguado.[3] Jam City’s mobile games include Cookie Jam, a Facebook “Game of the Year” winner[4] that has been downloaded more than 100 million times;[5] Panda Pop, also downloaded more than 100 million times;[6] and Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, which debuted at number one in the Apple App Store’s free-to-play games category.[7] The company has 50 million monthly users and 7 titles to date that have ranked in the 100 highest-grossing charts in the Apple App Store.[8][7] Jam City has studios located in both California and South America.[9][10]

History

Formation

Chris DeWolfe’s company, Platform G, acquired San Francisco-based social gaming platform MindJolt in March 2010 with Austin Ventures backing. The MindJolt name was retained, DeWolfe became CEO and expanded the leadership team, which then included fellow MySpace founders Colin Digiaro and Aber Whitcomb, COO and CTO, respectively; Josh Yguado (SVP of Business & Corporate Development); and Richard Fields, the founder of MindJolt, who joined the new company to lead strategy.[11] DeWolfe commented in a 2013 article that one reason MindJolt appealed to him was that it had a big gaming footprint on Facebook.[12]

In April 2011, MindJolt doubled its staff (to 80) and added mobile games to its portfolio of web offerings by acquiring two companies, Social Gaming Network and Hallpass Media.[13] Social Gaming Network had a strong mobile presence,[12] as the creator of iPhone and Android games that had been downloaded 30 million times.[13] Game portal Hallpass Media had a big web presence[12] with four million monthly users of about 1500 web-based games.[13]

Social Gaming Network (SGN)

MindJolt adopted a new name, Social Gaming Network (or SGN), in March 2012.[14]

In June 2013, SGN acquired Mob Science, which was a Facebook games developer of "mid-core social games" and known for Legends: Rise of a Hero.[15]

In December 2015, SGN acquired two companies, Fat Rascal and Kiwi, Inc.[16] At the time, DeWolfe stated that Fat Rascal and Kiwi were two of the best independent studios he’d seen in the current market and that it was an exciting time for the company as it continued to "deploy fresh capital and acquire the brightest game talent" that would enable them to globally expand their development capabilities.[17]

TinyCo Acquisition

The acquisition of TinyCo in July[18] added 125 employees to SGN,[19] bringing its total number to about 400.[20] Mobile entertainment games that TinyCo had created included Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff and Marvel Avengers Academy.[21]

Jam City Rebrand

In September, SGN rebranded itself as Jam City, Inc.[22] In a CNBC Power Lunch interview, DeWolfe commented that the name change better reflected the culture of SGN and the types of games they had been making. The name "Jam City" both sounded like a fun name and had multiple meanings for the company.[23]

Games

Most of the games Jam City produces are free-to-play and give users the option to make microtransaction purchases with real money to obtain more lives or add special skills in-game that allow them to advance further in it faster.[24] Jam City's goals include long shelf life games that generate revenue for years.[25] As of January 2017, two of Jam City’s largest hit games, Panda Pop and Cookie Jam, were growing every month and had been on the market for four years.[24]

At the time of the September 2016 rebranding (from SGN to Jam City, Inc.), Jam City announced that they had obtained a license for the intellectual property necessary to develop a game based on Peanuts.[22]

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery

Main article: Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery

On April 25, 2018, Jam City released Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, a mobile game based on J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World franchise. Developed by Jam City in partnership with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery is the first mobile game where players create their own character and experience life as a Hogwarts student.[26] In the game, players customize their own personal avatar and can attend magic classes, learn spells, battle rivals, and embark on quests at Hogwarts.[27] Several actors from the Harry Potter film series comprise the voice cast for the staff of Hogwarts in the game, including Dame Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Warwick Davis, Sally Mortemore, Gemma Jones, and Zoe Wanamaker.[28] Over 3 million players pre-registered for the game before its launch,[29] and within 24 hours of its release, it reached #1 in the free-to-play category in the Apple App Store and #10 in the top-grossing chart across all categories.[30]

Cookie Jam

Cookie Jam, Jam City’s flagship game, is a match-3 puzzle game where players complete baking-themed puzzles in order to proceed to the next level. Cookie Jam was named Facebook's “Game of the Year” in 2014.[31] On May 24, 2014, Jam City released the next game in the Cookie Jam franchise, Cookie Jam Blast, and announced that Cookie Jam had over 100 million downloads and 5 million daily active players worldwide.[32]

Products and Collaborations

MindJolt released a monetization tool, AdJolt, in November 2010. AdJolt was made available to third party developers who would then share revenue generated through use of the tool with MindJolt.[33]

In December 2010, a partnership with Broadcast Interactive Media (BIM) was formed. BIM is a company that works with local media, such as television networks, newspapers, and radio stations, throughout the US and helps run their online presences. One method utilized to bolster user engagement on websites is the addition of games, which gives users a reason to visit in the absence of breaking news. With this partnership, MindJolt’s portfolio of 1300 games became available for distribution to these media outlets through BIM.[34]

In December 2012, SGN launched its proprietary technology, MasterKey, which allowed them to develop a game once and then publish it across multiple platforms in less time than it would take to build on the varying platforms individually.[35] MasterKey was described as being technology that "essentially works like a translator or convertor."[12] It took Whitcomb and his team about 18 months to create the MasterKey technology that also allows users to begin playing a game on one device and pick up where they left off when accessing the game from another device.[36]

SGN partnered with Fox to create a game, Book of Life: Sugar Smash, that was based on Guillermo del Toro and Jorge Gutierrez’s animated film, The Book of Life released in October 2014.[37] This was SGN’s first collaboration with a major Hollywood studio to simultaneously release a game and film.[38] With the partnership, both SGN and Fox shared marketing for their respective products and were able to promote for each other – the game promotes the movie and the movies promotes the game – one way this is done is through the stars of the movie, including Channing Tatum and Zoe Saldana, providing information about the game to their fans and social media followers.[39] Rick Phillips (Fox’s SVP of Digital Entertainment) noted, "with this game, we are able to broaden the film’s universe, enabling the audience to interact with the story long after they’ve left the theatre."[38]

In December 2014, SGN and Chinese internet technology company NetEase announced a partnership that enabled SGN’s game, Cookie Jam, to be distributed in China in early 2015.[40] In contrast to the two major app stores in the US (iOS and Android), China has over a dozen.[41] NetEase’s existing experience and presence in the China was viewed as an asset to SGN as they could help streamline the process "in a huge way."[42] NetEase would also be providing assistance in reworking the game to make it graphically more suitable for a Chinese audience.[41] NetEase stated they were "thrilled to bring SGN’s most popular mobile game to China" and that they were "confident it will resonate strongly with players in the region… with fast-paced, fun gameplay and compelling characters, Cookie Jam has tremendous potential in China."[43] This was the first time SGN tailored a game specifically for Chinese users.[42]

South Korean mobile game company Netmarble was announced a $130 million investment in SGN in July 2015; this was one of the largest investments in mobile gaming since 2013.[44] The investment made Netmarble the largest shareholder in SGN.[45] SGN stated that the partnership was strategic and not just financial.[46] Netmarble would help SGN further expand into Asia and SGN would help Netmarble expand its market share in the US.[47][48] At the time, less than 10% of the revenue by Asian game publishers was being generated outside Asia.[44] SGN’s products were being used 55-60% in the US and Canada;[45][49] the Asian games market was the largest in the world and SGN wanted a share of it. The investment ensured that SGN and Netmarble would distribute each other’s games.[46]

In February 2016, Snapchat’s first-ever app-install advertisement was run; it was for SGN’s game, Cookie Jam. The ad featured comedian Ken Jeong dressed as a giant cookie.[50]

References

  1. ^ Graham, Jefferson (March 1, 2017). "MySpace co-founder's advice for Snap's Spiegel". USA Today. Tysons Corner, VA.
  2. ^ Graham, Jefferson (March 22, 2017). "Jam City seeks another hit with more Family Guy, plans for IPO". USA Today. Tysons Corner, VA. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  3. ^ Chaykowski, Kathleen (June 12, 2017). "Former MySpace CEO Makes A Comeback As A Mobile Gaming Hitmaker". Forbes. New York, NY. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  4. ^ Takahashi, Dean (May 24, 2017). "Jam City's Cookie Jam hits 100 million downloads as Cookie Jam Blast debuts". VentureBeat. San Francisco, CA. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  5. ^ Shieber, Jonathan (August 24, 2017). "Panda Pop passes 100 million users as Jam City readies for an IPO". TechCrunch. San Francisco, CA. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Chan, Stephanie (April 26, 2018). "Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery tops Apple App Store charts a day after launch". VentureBeat. San Francisco, CA. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  7. ^ Karlin, Susan (August 9, 2017). "Jam City CEO Chris DeWolfe Talks Mobile Gaming Strategy—And A 2019 IPO". Fast Company. New York, NY. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  8. ^ Spangler, Todd (September 22, 2016). "SGN Changes Name to Jam City, Acquires Rights to Make 'Peanuts' Mobile Game". Variety. New York, NY. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  9. ^ Fennimore, Jack (March 14, 2018). "Mobile Game Giant Jam City Acquires Colombian Developer Brainz and Their Game World War Doh". Heavy.com. New York, NY. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
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  12. ^ a b c Rusli, Evelyn M. (18 April 2011). "A Myspace Founder Builds Again, Buying Game Companies". New York Times Dealbook. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
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  27. ^ Jarvey, Natalie (April 5, 2018). "Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon to Reprise Roles for Harry Potter Mobile Game". The Hollywood Reporter. Los Angeles, CA. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
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  49. ^ Johnson, Lauren (4 February 2016). "Snapchat Runs Its First App-Install Ad, and It's for Moblie Game Cookie Jam". Adweek. Adweek. Retrieved 20 January 2017.

External links

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