Socialspiel

Socialspiel, legally known as Socialspiel Entertainment GmbH, was a Vienna-based independent game development studio established in early 2010. The company was founded by Helmut Hutterer and other former developers from prominent studios like Rockstar Games and Deep Silver. The founding team leveraged their extensive background in creating high-budget console games, including titles such as Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne, Cursed Mountain, and Dead Island, to transition into the then-burgeoning field of social and mobile gaming. Hutterer, who served as CEO, expressed a desire to work in smaller, more agile teams and engage directly with the player community, which fueled the pivot to social platforms.

The studio focused on developing free-to-play games for mobile and web browsers, aiming to deliver high-quality, character-driven experiences. Its business model revolved around offering games for free and generating revenue through in-app purchases for special features that allowed players to advance more quickly. Socialspiel's first title, "Push," a casual online board game, was launched in September 2010 in partnership with the social network Hi5. The company gained significant recognition with its game "Tight Lines Fishing," which won Social Game of the Year at the 2011 German Game Developer Awards. Another notable project was the browser game “Asterix & Friends,” developed in partnership with several entities including Deutsche Telekom.

Over the years, Socialspiel secured several strategic partnerships and investments. In 2012, the company recruited Dr. Niki Laber, the former CEO of Rockstar Vienna, to manage business and corporate development, and also acquired the mobile gaming startup Spielwerk to bolster its iOS development capabilities. A major milestone occurred in 2014 when Socialspiel entered a strategic partnership with the Tokyo-based gaming giant Nexon. This deal involved a cash equity investment from Nexon for a minority stake and gave Nexon exclusive worldwide publishing rights for Socialspiel's upcoming mobile titles. However, despite these achievements, the studio faced intense competition in the mobile gaming market and struggled with high user acquisition costs. In May 2017, the company initiated bankruptcy proceedings and its closure was ordered, marking the end of its operations.

Keywords: Socialspiel, mobile game development, free-to-play games, social gaming, Vienna game studio, Helmut Hutterer, Mike Borras, Rockstar Games alumni, Nexon partnership, Push game, Tight Lines Fishing, Asterix & Friends, Spielwerk acquisition, independent game studio, browser games, iOS gaming, social network games, game development history, European gaming startup, video game industry