Hive7

Hive7, founded in 2005 by Max Skibinsky, Dave Holt, and JD, carved a niche in the burgeoning social gaming market. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, the company focused on developing games for prominent social networks of the era, including Facebook, Myspace, and Bebo. Its business model centered on the free-to-play approach, common in social gaming, likely monetizing through in-game purchases and advertising.

The company's portfolio of titles included games such as Youtopia, Kick-Off, and Sindicate, but it was best known for "Knighthood," a medieval-themed game that blended combat and diplomacy. This flagship product was a key asset, attracting a significant player base and establishing Hive7's presence in the competitive social gaming landscape. The firm secured seed funding in 2006 from investors including Dhillon Capital and True Ventures, which supported its growth in the early years.

A significant milestone in Hive7's history was its acquisition by Playdom, a larger social gaming company, on June 24, 2010. The acquisition was part of Playdom's strategy to expand its portfolio of game development studios. Following the deal, the Hive7 team was integrated into Playdom's Mountain View office to continue developing new titles under the new ownership, gaining access to greater resources and a much larger player base. This move marked the culmination of Hive7's journey as an independent startup, transitioning its talent and intellectual property into a major player in the social gaming space, which itself was later acquired by Disney.

Keywords: Hive7, Playdom, social gaming, Facebook games, Knighthood game, Youtopia game, Max Skibinsky, Dave Holt, online games, social network games, free-to-play, in-game purchases, True Ventures, Dhillon Capital, gaming startup, Palo Alto startup, social game developer, MySpace games, Bebo games, video game acquisition