Sulake
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Teen social networking |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Founder | Sampo Karjalainen Aapo Kyrölä |
| Headquarters | Helsinki, Finland |
Area served | 11 Countries [1] |
| Products | Habbo Lost Monkey (2011–) Niko (2012–) VMK (2005–08) Mini Friday (2006–10) IRC-Galleria (2007–11) Bobba Bar (2009–11) |
| 78.700.000 U$ (2011) | |
Number of employees | 160 (est. Jun 2012) |
| Website | www.sulake.com |
Sulake (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈsulɑke], "fuse") is a Finnish social entertainment company focused on online social places and games. The company's goal is to inspire playful interaction and self-expression in people by creating easy to use social online services. Sulake's main product is Habbo, the world’s largest virtual community and social game for teenagers.
Habbo
Sulake operate Habbo Hotel which is the world’s largest social game and online community for teenagers. Localized Habbo communities all around the world are visited by millions of teenagers every week. Habbo Hotel can be accessed via the local Habbo sites, and through the world’s largest social networking site Facebook, where all 11 of Habbo Hotel's language versions are also available. Through Facebook Connect, Habbo users around the world can easily find their Facebook friends in the virtual world and share their in-world experiences.
Mobile content
Sulake also operates Bobba Bar, a mobile virtual bar to meet and make friends. Sulake was established in 2000 and it has grown its annual revenues each year. The main shareholders in Sulake include Taivas Group, Elisa Group,followed by Movida Group (in Japan), the company's founders Sampo Karjalainen and Aapo Kyrölä, Sulake's CEO Paul LaFontaine and other personnel. In June 2012, Sulake had offices in 5 countries. Headquarters is situated in Helsinki, Finland. Currently the company has over 160 employees worldwide.
In September 2011, Sulake launched a new casual social game, Lost Monkey, for iOS devices.[2] In January 2012, they launched their second casual social game for iOS devices, Niko.[3]
Financial record
In March 2011, Sulake reported a record financial year. Revenue was up more than 20 percent over 2009, resulting in sales of €56.2 million ($78.7 million).[4] Sulake’s EBITDA in 2010 totaled €5.4 million ($7.6 million, 9.5 percent of revenue) and thus significantly improved from the previous year (€0.6 or $0.8 million). Net profit was €1.6 million ($2.3 million). Sulake has also been playing an active role in assisting the police in investigations connected to the theft of online furniture.[5]
Closure of international offices
In February 2012, it was announced that Sulake will be consolidating some of its manual processes and local operations.[6] In showing the door to 25% of their workforce, Sulake will also close all of their 11 country offices according to the report by Finnish publication Dome.fi.[7]
Allegations
In June 2012, Sulake has received negative press for ongoing sexual behavior allegations. Channel 4 news identified that Sulake was allowing users to post pornographic and violent messages - despite the fact that Habbo is targeted at young teenagers. On the 13th of June 3i, which held a multi-million pound 16 per cent shareholding, said it was pulling out of Sulake shares alongside other investors including Balderton. [8]
References
- ^ "Sulake: Habbo". Sulake Corporation Oy.
- ^ http://www.sulake.com/blog/entries/2011-09-30-Lost_Monkey_launched.html
- ^ http://www.sulake.com/press/releases/2012-12-01-Sulake_expands_Mobile_Strategy_for_Habbo.html
- ^ http://www.sulake.com/press/releases/2011-03-31-Habbo_Hotels_Parent_Company_Reports_Record_Year.html
- ^ http://sulake.com/blog/entries/2010-06-02-Virtual_thieves_caught_in_Habbo_Hotel_Finland.html
- ^ http://www.sulake.com/blog/entries/2012-02-16-Sulake_Consolidation.html
- ^ http://dome.fi/pelit/ajankohtaista/suomalainen-sulake-vetaytyy-maailmalta-irtisanoo-tuntuvasti
- ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet/9330572/Habbo-Hotel-investor-pulls-out-over-pornographic-content-claims.html