Startup
PPlayco
Playco
#42 (tie) in the Japan Top 100 Startups
| Founded / HQ | 2020 · Tokyo |
|---|---|
| Equity raised to date | ¥10B “約1億ドル（約100億円）” Company-stated cumulative · as of 21 Sept 2020 · Playco Only disclosed round. |
| Last round | 21 Sept 2020 · Series A · ¥10B 約1億ドル |
| Latest public valuation | Amount not statedcompany-disclosed >$1B · 21 Sept 2020 · Playco |
| Unicorn | Yes |
| Website | www.play.co |
Overview
Playco makes instant games that run inside messaging apps and browsers without a download. It was founded in Tokyo in 2020 by Michael Carter and others. Its September 2020 Series A of $100M valued the company at more than $1B.
Built from: Series A release
Company timeline
Founded
| Date | 2020· Playco |
|---|---|
| Founders | Michael Carter |
Funding
| Date | Round | Amount | Lead / key investors | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-09-21 | Series A | $100M; valuation >$1B 約1億ドル | Company release |
Key hires & board
None compiled yet.
Milestones
| 2021-09-15 | ProductPlayco and Sway House launch first instant-play game for TikTok users· Playco |
|---|---|
| 2021-09-28 | AcquisitionUS startup Playco acquires UK peer to strengthen game development (Nikkei)· Playco |
| 2021-09-28 | AcquisitionPlayco acquires Goodboy Digital, developer of HTML5 engine PixiJS· Playco |
News
| 2022-12-06 | Updates to Terms and Privacy Notice - Dec 2022 Updates Updates to Terms and Privacy Notice - Dec 2022 Updates· Playco |
|---|---|
| 2022-05-18 | Everyrealm and Storyverse Partner to Create Interactive Stories for NFT Communities Chainwire Everyrealm and Storyverse Partner to Create Interactive Stories for NFT Communities Chainwire· Playco |
| 2022-05-18 | New Interactive NFT Platform Storyverse Welcomes The Bored Apes in First-Ever Community-Driven Story Chainwire New Interactive NFT Platform Storyverse Welcomes The Bored Apes in First-Ever Community-Driven Story Chainwire· Playco |
| 2021-11-03 | Playco and Immutable X Partner Up To Advance Gas-Free NFT-Centric Gaming Experiences Zycrypto Playco and Immutable X Partner Up To Advance Gas-Free NFT-Centric Gaming Experiences Zycrypto· Playco |
| 2021-11-03 | Playco Partners with Immutable X To Bring Gas-Free NFTs on Ethereum to Instant Play Gamers Chainwire Playco Partners with Immutable X To Bring Gas-Free NFTs on Ethereum to Instant Play Gamers Chainwire· Playco |
| 2021-10-03 | Instant Games 2.0 with Justin Waldron, President of Playco Deconstructor of Fun Instant Games 2.0 with Justin Waldron, President of Playco Deconstructor of Fun· Playco |
| 2021-09-29 | 인스턴트 플레이 게임 선도 기업 플레이코, HTML5 게임 엔진 PixiJS 개발사 ‘굿보이 디지털’ 인수 Playco Official 인스턴트 플레이 게임 선도 기업 플레이코, HTML5 게임 엔진 PixiJS 개발사 ‘굿보이 디지털’ 인수 Playco Official· Playco |
| 2021-09-28 | Powering-up Pixi with Playco Goodboy Blog Powering-up Pixi with Playco Goodboy Blog· Playco |
| 2021-09-28 | US startup Playco acquires UK peer to strengthen game development (Nikkei) 米新興のプレイコー、英同業を買収 ゲーム開発を強化 Nikkei· Playco |
| 2021-09-28 | Playco acquires Goodboy for HTML5 game engine PixiJS VentureBeat Playco acquires Goodboy for HTML5 game engine PixiJS VentureBeat· Playco |
| 2021-09-28 | Playco, Global Leader in Instant Games, Acquires Goodboy Digital, Creators of PixiJS, the Number One HTML5 Game Engine Playco Official Playco, Global Leader in Instant Games, Acquires Goodboy Digital, Creators of PixiJS, the Number One HTML5 Game Engine Playco Official· Playco |
| 2021-09-28 | Playco acquires Goodboy Digital, developer of HTML5 engine PixiJS インスタントプレイゲームのグローバルリーダーPlaycoが、 HTML5ゲームエンジン技術「PixiJS」の開発者、Goodboy Digital社を買収 Playco Official· Playco |
| 2021-09-21 | Justin Waldron - The Future of Social Gaming Colossus Justin Waldron - The Future of Social Gaming Colossus· Playco |
| 2021-09-15 | Playco and Sway House launch first instant-play game for TikTok users TikTokユーザー向け史上初のインスタントプレイゲームを PlaycoとSway Houseが共同ローンチ！ Playco Official· Playco |
| 2021-09-15 | Social Media Superstars and Venture Capitalists Josh Richards, Griffin Johnson and Animal Capital’s Marshall Sandman Partner with Playco, Leader in Instant Gami Social Media Superstars and Venture Capitalists Josh Richards, Griffin Johnson and Animal Capital’s Marshall Sandman Partner with Playco, Leader in Instant Gami· Playco |
| 2021-08-18 | Why Zoom and Netflix offer games: an instant-game unicorn founder explains (Diamond Signal) ZoomやNetflixがゲームを提供する理由──インスタントゲームのユニコーン起業家が解説 Diamond Signal· Playco |
| 2020-09-21 | Series A: $100M; valuation >$1B· Company release |
Funding rounds in 2026
No 2026 rounds in our database yet. Earlier funding is summarised above from the cited source.