Scopely

Scopely, Inc.

Company type	Private
Industry	Video games
Founded	1 January 2011 (2011-01-01) in Los Angeles, California, United States
Founder	Walter Driver, Ankur Bulsara, Eric Futoran, Eytan Elbaz
Headquarters	Culver City, California , United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Walter Driver (Co-CEO), Javier Ferreira (Co-CEO), Ankur Bulsara (CTO), Eunice Lee (COO), Tim O’Brien (CRO), Ben Webley (CMO), Phil Hardin (CFO)
Products	Mobile video games including Monopoly Go!, Star Trek Fleet Command, Marvel Strike Force, Scrabble GO, WWE Champions
Number of employees	2300 (2024)
Parent	Savvy Games Group
Website	scopely.com

Scopely, Inc. () is a U.S.-based developer and publisher of video game content, headquartered in Culver City, California, with additional offices throughout the United States, EMEA, and Asia. Its primary hub is located in Barcelona, Spain. As of 2024, Scopely holds the position of the second-largest global developer of mobile video games by revenue.

The company manages a combination of in-house development teams and collaborates with third-party studios to create free-to-play games. Scopely produces both original game titles and those derived from well-known entertainment franchises, utilizing licensed intellectual property to broaden its audience.

Leadership at Scopely includes Co-CEOs Walter Driver and Javier Ferreira, CTO Ankur Bulsara, COO Eunice Lee, CRO Tim O’Brien, CMO Ben Webley, and CFO Phil Hardin. Their game lineup features prominent names such as Monopoly Go!, Star Trek Fleet Command, Marvel Strike Force, Scrabble GO, and WWE Champions.

Since becoming part of the parent entity Savvy Games Group in 2023, Scopely operates over 15 offices worldwide and employs roughly 2,300 people. Its subsidiaries include DIGIT Game Studios, Genjoy, GSN Games, and Tag Games, which support its strategic growth in international markets.

History

Founded in 2011 in Los Angeles, California, Scopely was established by Walter Driver, Ankur Bulsara, Eric Futoran, and Eytan Elbaz. Elbaz had previously co-founded Applied Semantics, which was acquired by Google in 2003; meanwhile, Bulsara worked as a software engineer at MySpace.

In 2014, Javier Ferreira—formerly with Disney Interactive and Electronic Arts—joined Scopely alongside Tim O'Brien, who took on the role of chief revenue officer. By August 2015, Scopely was ranked #9 on Inc.’s List of the 5000 Fastest-Growing Companies in America.

The firm expanded internationally by opening an office in Barcelona in 2017. In May 2019, it acquired DIGIT Game Studios based in Dublin, known for their collaboration on the mobile 4x strategy title Star Trek Fleet Command. The following month, Scopely announced it had exceeded $1 billion in cumulative revenue.

In January 2020, Scopely acquired FoxNext Games Los Angeles along with its RPG MARVEL Strike Force as well as Cold Iron Studios from The Walt Disney Company; Cold Iron Studios was subsequently sold to Daybreak Game Company. In April of that year, the company purchased PierPlay, co-developer of the mobile word game Scrabble GO.

By July 2021, Scopely invested $50 million across three European mobile game developers to jointly create new titles and broaden its development capabilities. In October 2021, it completed the acquisition of GSN Games from Sony for $1 billion through a cash and stock transaction; Sony Pictures retained a minority ownership stake as part of this agreement.

In April 2023, Saudi-owned Savvy Games Group revealed plans to acquire Scopely for $4.9 billion; the transaction was finalized in July 2023. Despite the acquisition, Scopely continues to operate independently with its headquarters remaining in Culver City.

In June 2023, Scopely added Scotland-based Tag Games to its portfolio. By February 2024, it ended its publishing collaboration with Global Worldwide on Kingdom Maker, shifting focus and resources toward other projects.

Scopely earned recognition on Time magazine’s TIME100 Most Influential Companies list in May 2024 as it continued expanding its market presence. In January 2025, the company sponsored the FireAid benefit concert supporting wildfire relief efforts in Los Angeles, contributing to a total fundraising exceeding $100 million.

On March 12, 2025, Niantic, Inc. announced intentions to divest its video game division to Scopely in a deal valued at approximately $3.5 billion. This acquisition includes titles such as Pokémon Go, Pikmin Bloom, along with companion applications Campfire and Wayfarer. The transaction is anticipated to close later in 2025.

Games

Scopely entered the mobile gaming market in January 2012 with its debut free-to-play title, Dice With Buddies. This was soon followed by the releases of Jewels With Buddies and Bubble Galaxy With Buddies, the latter achieving the top position among free apps on the App Store. In April 2013, the company collaborated with Rocket Jump to develop Mini Golf MatchUp, which dominated free app rankings in 49 countries and secured the #1 spot on both iPhone and iPad in the United States. Later that year, Scopely introduced Wordly in September, marking its first single-player game, and Skee-ball Arcade in November; both titles reached #1 on the App Store. The portfolio expanded further in June 2014 with Slots Vacation, followed by the acquisition of Space Inch’s Disco Bees in July.

In April 2015, Scopely teamed up with Hasbro to launch the officially licensed Yahtzee With Buddies across iOS, Android, and Apple Watch platforms, achieving over one million downloads within just four days. The subsequent year saw the release of Dice With Ellen, a Yahtzee-inspired game featuring Ellen DeGeneres. That May, Scopely formed a multi-year partnership with DIGIT Game Studios from Ireland, leading to the acquisition of the fantasy strategy MMO Kings of the Realm.

August 2015 marked a significant collaboration with Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead, and Skybound Entertainment to release The Walking Dead: Road to Survival. This title garnered 4 million downloads during its first week and ranked among the Top 25 Grossing Games in 17 countries. In 2016, Scopely partnered with Sony Pictures Television to launch Wheel of Fortune: Free Play, inspired by the well-known television game show.

In 2017, Scopely joined forces with World Wrestling Entertainment to develop WWE Champions, a match-3 puzzle game that earned a Webby Award for People's Voice in the sports category. By 2018, Scopely had four high-grossing games: WWE Champions, The Walking Dead: Road to Survival, Wheel of Fortune: Free Play, and Yahtzee With Buddies. That year also featured the release of Star Trek Fleet Command, created in partnership with CBS Interactive and DIGIT Game Studios, as well as Looney Tunes World of Mayhem, developed alongside Aquiris Game Studio under license from Warner Bros., which surpassed one million downloads on its first day.

In 2019, Star Trek Fleet Command generated over $50 million in revenue within four months post-launch. The following year, Scopely introduced Scrabble GO through collaborations with Hasbro and Mattel; this launch was hailed as the most successful debut for a mobile word game to date.

Continuing its expansion, Scopely acquired Kitka Games’ mobile party battle royale title Stumble Guys in 2022. In April 2023, it unveiled Monopoly Go!, which quickly became the highest-grossing mobile game of 2023, amassing $1 billion in revenue and setting a record as the fastest mobile game launch ever.

Funding

Scopely’s funding trajectory underscores robust investor trust and swift company growth. In 2013, it secured an $8.5 million seed investment led by Anthem Venture Partners, alongside contributions from The Chernin Group, Greycroft Venture Partners, and New Enterprise Associates. The following year brought a $35 million Series A round spearheaded by Evolution Media. Subsequent financing rounds included $55 million in Series B during 2016; a $60 million Series C led by Revolution Growth in 2017; and $100 million from Greenspring Associates in 2018.

The company raised $200 million in a Series D round in 2019 at a valuation of $1.7 billion, followed by an additional $200 million early in 2020 that increased its valuation to $1.9 billion. Its most recent significant capital infusion occurred in October 2020 with a $340 million Series E round, elevating its valuation to $3.3 billion. These financial injections have fueled Scopely’s product development, global expansion efforts, and strategic acquisitions, reinforcing its position within the mobile gaming sector.