Z2
Develops games for iPhone and iPad.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| investor | €0.0 | round | |
| investor | €0.0 | round | |
| investor investor | €0.0 | round | |
$150m Valuation: $150m | Acquisition | ||
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
Z2, formerly known as Z2Live, was a Seattle-based video game developer established in 2009 by co-founders David Bluhm and Damon Danieli. Initially, their ambition was to create a connected, Xbox Live-style gaming platform for mobile devices. However, with the announcement of Apple's Game Center, the company, under the guidance of SVP Lou Fasulo who later became CEO, pivoted to developing highly social, free-to-play mobile games.
The company's business model centered on freemium games, where the games were free to download and play, with revenue generated from players purchasing premium content or in-game items to accelerate their progress. Z2 also developed a community layer for its games, enabling features like in-game chat, player-to-player transactions, and social graph integration with platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The firm secured venture funding from notable investors including Madrona Venture Group and Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ) to fuel its growth.
Z2's portfolio included several successful titles for the iOS platform. Their first game, "Trade Nations," was a city-building simulation that gained significant traction shortly after its release. This was followed by "MetalStorm," an aerial combat simulator, and "Battle Nations," which merged city-building mechanics with player-versus-player strategy. In a move to expand its development capabilities, Z2 acquired Vancouver-based Big Sandwich Games in 2012. The company's most successful title, "Paradise Bay," was launched in 2015. In February 2015, Z2 was acquired by King, the creator of Candy Crush Saga, for a reported $45 million. Subsequently, King was acquired by Activision Blizzard. The Z2 studio was ultimately shut down in early 2019 as part of broader layoffs by its parent company.
Keywords: mobile gaming, freemium games, video game developer, iOS games, social gaming, Trade Nations, Battle Nations, Paradise Bay, King acquisition, Madrona Venture Group, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Z2Live, David Bluhm, Damon Danieli, Lou Fasulo, Seattle startup, gaming platform, player-versus-player, city building games, in-app purchases