What if a game of smartphone mini golf actually scored you money? Online gaming platform Skillz, which is based in both Boston and San Francisco, lets you – and its other 1.5 million active users – do just that. What makes that number even more impressive, however, is that the company only just launched in the iOS App Store on Wednesday.
Founded in 2012, the startup enables game developers to add competition play features into their mobile games, allowing users to duel for virtual currency or actual dollars. Skillz takes a small sum from each winner’s pot.
The company claims that it’s already generating more than $0.30 in incremental revenue per daily active user, or ARPDAU. To put that in perspective, wildly popular mobile games like Candy Crush were raking in between $0.05 to $0.10 ARPDAU, explained Skillz cofounder and CEO Andrew Paradise.
“We have partners who have added three times that amount in incremental revenue through the addition of the Skillz cash tournament platform,” said Paradise in the release. “Results like this are why we’ve had over 200 studios sign up as pre-launch customers and today have over 100 games available on the App Store.”
Paradise is the former CEO of AisleBuyer, which Intuit bought in 2012 for somewhere between the $80- to 100-million. In June 2013, the startup raised a $5.5 million in Series A, led by Cambridge’s Atlas Venture.
Skillz, which was previously only available for Android, has been adding around 10,000 new users every day. Important to note, however, is that the company’s challenges for real money is only available for users over 18 in states that allow cash competitions in “games of skill.” Cash competitions in skill-based games are legal in 37 states, which boils down to 180 million Americans.
The new fleet of Skillz-powered games include Strike! Real Money Bowling, Mini Golf 3D Putt Putt Game, Sushi Chop: Slash 4 Cash, and more.
Writer's Note: A previous version of this story misstated the ARPDAU Skillz is currently doing. Skillz generates more than $0.30 ARPDAU.
Image via Skillz
