Playtika

Playtika is a digital entertainment company that specializes in the development and publication of social games. The company has over 30 million monthly active users playing its game titles.

Playtika
Private companies
Founded2010
FounderRobert Antokol and Uri Shahak
HeadquartersIsrael
Key people
Robert Antokol
ProductsOnline games
Number of employees
1,300 (2016)
Websiteplaytika.com

History

The company was founded in 2010 by Robert Antokol and Uri Shahak.[1] In May 2011, the company was bought by Caesars Entertainment Corporation.[2] Antokol remained the CEO of Playtika, and the company remained an independent unit within Caesars.[3]

In July 2016, the company's operations were acquired by a Chinese consortium,[4] valued at 4.4 billion dollars.[5]

Partnership and initiatives

Headquartered in Herzliya, Israel, the company has over three thousand employees in offices worldwide including Tel-Aviv, London,[6] Berlin, Vienna, Helsinki, Montreal, Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Santa Monica, Sydney, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Kiev, Bucharest, Minsk, Dnepr, and Vinnytsia.

Playtika started off in the casino-style genre of "Social Casino Games". This genre uses the central elements of popular casino games but players cannot use real cash within the gameplay, nor can they win real money. In lieu of a possible cashout, players play Social Casino games solely for their entertainment value and so to maintain their engagement, Playtika focused on creating rich layers of constantly evolving content on top of the core game mechanic.

At January 2018, Playtika set up a $400 million Israel investment fund. The fund plans to invest in Israeli mobile and Internet digital entertainment and consumer product companies.[7]

In October 2017, Playtika made its first foray into the casual games' genre with its acquisition of the Israeli-based games studio, Jelly Button. In December 2018, the company took another step in its new diversification strategy with the acquisition of Berlin-based casual games studio, Wooga.[8] In January 2019, the company acquired a Vienna-based casual games studio, Super treat.

In May 2019, the company launched an independent division dedicated to the creation and rapid development of casual games which plans to launch several new games every year.[9]

The announcement introducing the new independent division was made at the company's Global Summit in Ibiza, where over 2,500 employees from Playtika's 16 locations around the world gathered for a company event.[10]

In August 2019, Playtika acquired Finnish mobile game company Seriously, publisher of Best Fiends, a cartoon-style mobile game that launched in 2014.[11]

In March 2020, Playtika will donate its catered meals and food to local communities to provide relief for the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]

Games

The company operates the following games, among others:

  • June's Journey
  • Best Fiends
  • Solitaire Grand Harvest
  • Board Kings
  • House of Fun
  • Slotomania
  • Pirate Kings
  • World Series of Poker
  • Bingo Blitz
  • Caesars Casino
  • Pearls Peril
  • Vegas Downtown Slots
  • Poker Heat

References
  1. "Playtika's young founders win big on casino acquisition – Globes". en.globes.co.il (in Hebrew). 18 May 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  2. "Playtika CEO explains how games have arrived in Israel". VentureBeat. 18 November 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  3. "Israeli Startup Playtika Bought For $4.4B | News Briefs". nocamels.com. 31 July 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  4. Mozur, Paul (31 July 2016). "Chinese Group to Pay $4.4 Billion for Caesars' Mobile Games". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  5. Loo, Daryl; Naughton, Keith (30 July 2016). "Chinese Group to Buy Caesars' Games Unit for $4.4 Billion". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  6. Chapple, Craig (28 May 2019). "Playtika opens London studio". PocketGamer.biz. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  7. Yablonko, Yasmin (29 January 2018). "Playtika sets up $400m Israel investment fund". Globes. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  8. Shahaf, Tal (3 December 2018). "Playtika buys German games co Wooga". Globes. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  9. Takahashi, Dean (20 May 2020). "Playtika doubles down with a new casual games lab". VentureBeat. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  10. Pick, Adi (21 May 2019). "Playtika Sets Up New Team to Create the Next Candy Crush". Calcalist. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  11. Takahashi, Dean (26 August 2019). "Playtika acquires Best Fiends mobile game publisher Seriously". VentureBeat. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  12. Partleton, Kayleigh (19 March 2020). "Playtika is donating its catered meals to local communities to help against the coronavirus". PocketGamer.biz. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
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