Zattikka

Zattikka was established in August 2009 by Tim Chaney, a 25-year veteran of the videogame industry with experience at Virgin Interactive, and Mark Opzoomer, the former CEO of Yahoo! Europe. Their combined experience in gaming and internet business strategy shaped the company's direction. The firm was founded to capitalize on the fragmented and rapidly growing market of online, social, and casual interactive games.

The company's business model was centered on a 'buy and build' strategy, aiming to acquire and develop freemium games for social networks and mobile platforms. Zattikka targeted mid-core and casual social players, with revenue generated through a mix of subscriptions, virtual goods, and work-for-hire services. A key component of their operational strategy was a proprietary cloud-based analytics platform called 'SNAP', designed to analyze user behavior and enhance game engagement, retention, and monetization. The initial strategy involved creating a network of niche flash gaming sites.

A significant early move was the acquisition of the browser gaming portal Gimme5games in September 2009, which brought a portfolio of over 100 games and an experienced development team. This was followed by a major expansion in April 2012 when Zattikka went public on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment Market (AIM), raising approximately £12.6 million. The IPO funds were immediately used to acquire three companies: Hattrick, a Swedish developer known for its free-to-play online soccer manager game; Concept Art House, a San Francisco and Shanghai-based art and design company; and Sneaky Games, a Texas-based social game developer. These acquisitions were intended to provide Zattikka with established products and a strong operational presence in Europe, the US, and China.

Despite its ambitious growth strategy and a market capitalization of £22 million at its IPO, Zattikka faced financial difficulties. By July 2013, the company was struggling to meet its loan payments. This led to Zattikka entering administration in August 2013, where it began a process of selling its assets to reduce debt. The assets, including Sneaky Games, Concept Art House, and Hattrick, were sold off, marking a rapid decline for the company.

Keywords: online gaming, social games, mobile games, casual games, freemium model, game publisher, game developer, browser games, video game industry, IPO, acquisitions, Zattikka, Tim Chaney, Mark Opzoomer, Gimme5games, Hattrick, Concept Art House, Sneaky Games, AIM listing, virtual goods, SNAP analytics