Applifier

Applifier was a Finnish mobile game services company that carved out a significant niche in the player acquisition and monetization market before its strategic acquisition. Founded in Helsinki in 2008, the firm was led by CEO Jussi Laakkonen. Initially, Applifier established itself with a cross-promotion network for independent social application developers on Facebook, which by 2011 reached over 150 million monthly active users.

Sensing a shift in the market, the company pivoted towards mobile gaming. This led to the creation of its two flagship products: Everyplay and GameAds. Everyplay, launched in beta in 2012, was a service that allowed mobile game players to record, share, and discuss moments from their gameplay. This tool was designed to drive organic discovery and player retention by letting gamers share their experiences, effectively creating viral marketing for the games they played. The service included features like FaceCam, which recorded a player's facial reactions during gameplay, and was made available for both iOS and Android. By March 2014, Everyplay had a community of over 6 million registered users.

Complementing Everyplay was GameAds, a video advertising network launched in 2013. This service provided developers with a crucial revenue stream by enabling them to monetize non-paying users through in-game video ads. It also served as a tool for user acquisition, helping publishers find engaged new players. The business model revolved around these services; Everyplay's SDK was free for developers, fostering widespread adoption, while GameAds operated as a paid advertising network. The company successfully raised $6 million in funding over its lifetime to fuel the development of these products. In March 2014, Applifier was acquired by Unity Technologies for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition integrated Everyplay and GameAds into the Unity development platform and Unity Cloud services, aiming to provide Unity's vast developer community with powerful tools to connect with audiences and monetize their games.

Keywords: mobile game services, Everyplay, GameAds, Unity Technologies, Jussi Laakkonen, game replay sharing, video ad network, user acquisition, game monetization, cross-promotion network, social gaming, Helsinki startup, mobile SDK, player engagement, in-game advertising, virality, game discovery, gameplay recording, FaceCam, mobile marketing