Moblyng was a developer of cross-platform HTML5 games, allowing users to play seamlessly across devices. Initially successful with significant funding and partnerships, the company struggled with monetization. Despite gaining traction on Facebook's HTML5 mobile platform, Moblyng shut down in January 2012 due to financial challenges.
What Was Moblyng?
Moblyng specialized in developing cross-platform HTML5 games, enabling seamless play across various devices. Their unique value proposition lay in creating games that ran on multiple platforms without additional development. Notable achievements include raising nearly $9 million in funding, forming alliances with Playdom and Lolapps, and achieving over 10 million game downloads.
What Happened to Moblyng?
The story of Moblyng is a classic tale of innovation, growth, and eventual decline, marked by several key phases:
Initial Success and Growth: Moblyng, originally founded as FlipTrack in 2007, initially focused on porting Flash slideshows to mobile platforms. The company later pivoted to developing HTML5 games, raising nearly $9 million in funding and forming alliances with Playdom and Lolapps.
Technological Innovations: Moblyng was a pioneer in creating cross-platform HTML5 games, allowing seamless play across various devices. This innovative approach garnered over 10 million game downloads and significant traction on Facebook's HTML5 mobile platform.
Monetization Challenges: Despite its technological advancements and growing user base, Moblyng struggled to monetize its games effectively. The company ran out of time and cash before its audience grew significantly enough to sustain operations.
Financial Struggles: Moblyng's inability to generate sufficient revenue led to its financial downfall. By January 2012, the company had to shut down and lay off all 20 employees due to insufficient monetization.
Late Traction: Although Moblyng saw a growing base of active users for its HTML5 games, this growth came too late to save the company. The late traction was not enough to overcome the financial challenges and secure the company's future.
When Did Moblyng Shut Down?
Moblyng shut down in January 2012, as confirmed by multiple sources. The company faced financial difficulties due to insufficient monetization, leading to the layoff of all 20 employees.
Why Did Moblyng Shut Down?
Insufficient Monetization: Moblyng struggled to generate enough revenue from its games to sustain operations. Despite having popular titles like "Social Poker Live" and "Word Racer Live," the company could not monetize effectively. Founder Stewart Putney admitted, "We did not monetize enough to stay in business," highlighting the core issue.
Late Audience Growth: The company saw a surge in user engagement too late to make a difference. By the time their HTML5 games started gaining traction, Moblyng had already run out of time and financial resources. This late growth was insufficient to reverse the company's fortunes.
Performance Issues: Many of Moblyng's HTML5 games suffered from performance problems, running slower than expected. These technical challenges hindered user experience and likely contributed to the company's inability to retain and grow its user base effectively.
Competitive Market: Moblyng faced stiff competition in the mobile gaming space, which made it difficult to stand out and attract a significant audience. The competitive landscape added pressure on the company to innovate and monetize quickly, a challenge they couldn't meet.
Financial Mismanagement: Despite raising nearly $9 million in funding, Moblyng failed to manage its finances effectively. The company ran out of cash before it could achieve a sustainable business model, leading to its eventual shutdown and the layoff of all 20 employees.
Lessons Learned from Moblyng's Failure
Monetization Strategy: Develop a robust monetization plan early to ensure sustainable revenue streams and avoid financial pitfalls.
Timely User Growth: Focus on rapid user acquisition to build a substantial audience before financial resources deplete.
Technical Performance: Prioritize optimizing game performance to enhance user experience and retention.
Market Differentiation: Stand out in a competitive market by offering unique value propositions and innovative features.
Financial Management: Manage funds prudently to extend runway and support long-term business viability.
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