PlaySimple

PlaySimple, a mobile gaming developer headquartered in Bengaluru, India, was established in 2014 by co-founders Siddharth Jain, his brother Siddhanth Jain, Preeti Reddy, and Suraj Nalin. The founding team's journey is deeply rooted in the gaming industry, with Siddharth Jain, Preeti Reddy, and Suraj Nalin having previously worked at Zynga, a prominent social game developer, where they gained significant experience in product management and software engineering. Siddhanth Jain brought his experience as a software engineer from Walmart Labs to the venture. This collective background in gaming and technology provided a strong foundation for creating a data-driven company focused on the global market from its inception.

The company specializes in creating free-to-play casual games, with a strong emphasis on the word games genre. Its portfolio includes popular titles such as "Daily Themed Crossword," "Word Trip," "Word Jam," and "Word Wars," which have collectively amassed over 75 million installations and serve millions of daily active users. The business model primarily revolves around in-app advertising and the sale of virtual goods within its games. PlaySimple strategically targets the global gaming audience, with a notable concentration of female gamers, who account for a significant portion of its player base. The games are available on major mobile platforms like the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

A significant milestone in PlaySimple's history was its acquisition by the Swedish gaming and esports giant, Modern Times Group (MTG), in July 2021. The deal was valued at approximately $360 million, with potential for an additional $150 million in performance-based earnouts, marking one of the largest exits in the Indian startup ecosystem. This acquisition came after the company had raised a relatively modest total of $4.5 million in funding from investors, including Elevation Capital (formerly SAIF Partners) and Chiratae Ventures (formerly IDG Ventures). The acquisition provided a substantial return for the founders, who retained a majority stake, and early investors. Following the acquisition, PlaySimple continues to operate with creative freedom, leveraging MTG's network to enhance monetization and user acquisition while also expanding into new genres like card games.

Keywords: mobile gaming, free-to-play, casual games, word games, game development, in-app advertising, virtual goods, Daily Themed Crossword, Word Trip, Modern Times Group, MTG, Zynga, Indian gaming startup, Bengaluru startup, Siddharth Jain, Siddhanth Jain, Preeti Reddy, Suraj Nalin, female gamers, mobile game publisher, social games, puzzle games