Got an Inspired Idea or Mechanic?

We believe that by taking on the risk of fully funding developers we will make room for them to try new things and push the creative envelope. Contact us if you have a game or game concept that you think could become a breakaway hit.


Become a PlayFirst Developer

Why Work with Us?

Every PlayFirst published game gains the advantage of:

Funding. Creating a great game means giving it the time it deserves to create a lasting piece of pop culture. We offer various funding models to meet your needs, whether you have a great concept on paper, a game that's almost complete, or anything in between.
Marketing. We are a publisher first and foremost, and we're the first company in casual games to set ourselves up that way from the start. What that means is we have dependable relationships with the key industry leaders and deep marketing know-how: all of which helps to get your game noticed, tried, talked about and sold. We not only distribute your game, but we extract maximum marketing value through our long-term relationships so your game stands apart.
Consumer Understanding. We think games are for people so we listen to the end customer at many points during game development. Through our numerous game panels, usability, focus testing, expert advisors (on game design and cultural localization) and pre-beta testing, we learn where your game will have its best success. We help your game and your audience come together.
Sales. Our games are sold on over 500 sites worldwide - and that's a lot of contracts. When you sign one contract with us, we take care of all the other contracts: portals, retail, mobile, console and more, so that you can focus on your game design. Your game reach grows without you having to spend time cutting the deals.
Distribution. We distribute to over 500 sites around in more than 35 countries with custom localization expertise. You never know where your game will be a hit, so we publish games across our networks and focus on penetrating key territories and languages. We're growing the network for your PlayFirst published game every day.
PR. We work with our PR firm to broaden the casual games audience and bring your game to casual gamers wherever they play. We've been in the New York Times, Daily Candy, USA Today, CNN, Reuters and more. Check out our recent media coverage.
Guidance. Each developer has different needs, different strengths and different areas where they want to focus. So we're set up to complement and supplement where we're most needed and get out of the way where we're not.
Technology. Our core technology, the Playground SDK, is engineered to port games nimbly to new platforms. Creativity is paramount and we'll work in whatever way allows you to express your creativity most easily. That said, we encourage you to check out our SDK as it easily and simply takes your game more places—click the 'Playground SDK' tab above.
And a Bit More. PlayFirst brings to bear a full range of business, legal, quality assurance, and consumer testing services. We think of these as the extra polish that gets the game shiny enough to make all the difference in sales. In essence, we round out development teams by providing the expertise behind bringing their great ideas - and great games - to market.

Developers

We work with some very talented developers. Take a look.

Featured Developers:

Sarbakan

"When PlayFirst challenged us to help them build a franchise around Wedding Dash, one of their most beloved properties, we were both flattered and excited. Such a feat would require the addition of tangible value and the introduction of innovative and daring ideas. Together, we committed to making this game a huge success by fueling the fans' interest and attracting new players. Working with PlayFirst's dedicated team, not only did we propel the franchise to a new level of success, but we addressed the age-old question of 'How do you make a successful sequel to a casual game blockbuster?' How, you ask? Simple. By having our two companies join forces; a "wedding" of sorts, if you will. And they lived happily ever after... until the next sequel, that is."

—Dominique Benoit, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Sarbakan
Big Splash Games

"They have really believed in us and trusted us every step of the way—they really let us run with the ball... PlayFirst also provided just the right amount of guidance, particularly around formal user testing, which helped us tweak and tune the first 2 Chocolatiers and make them much better games."

—Michael Thornton Wyman, CEO, Big Splash Games
Kat Games

"Working with PlayFirst allows me to focus on what I like best: developing games. I can concentrate and explore all my ideas while PlayFirst takes the game and makes the most of it. With a more and more demanding market, it's important to get as much development support as possible. PlayFirst does it with a good mix of strength and focus on innovation."

—Miguel Tartaj, CEO, Kat Games
Absolutist Ltd.

Absolutist Ltd.

DinerTown Detective Agency™
Pageant Princess
Aliasworlds Entertainment

Aliasworlds Entertainment

Gemini Lost
Turbo Fiesta
Cooking Dash®
Big Splash Games, LLC

Big Splash Games, LLC

Chocolatier ®: Decadence by Design ™
Chocolatier ® 2: Secret Ingredients
Chocolatier ®
Black Hammer Productions, Inc.

Black Hammer Productions, Inc.

Nightshift Legacy: The Jaguar's Eye ™
The Nightshift Code™
Foundation 9

Foundation 9

Funlime

Funlime

Fashion Dash®
Mythic Marbles™
Gamelab

Gamelab

Plantasia™
Egg vs. Chicken™
Subway Scramble™
Diner Dash®
KatGames

KatGames

Dream Chronicles ®: The Chosen Child
Dream Chronicles® 2: The Eternal Maze
Dream Chronicles ®
Kef Sensei

Kef Sensei

Parking Dash®
Mean Hamster Software

Mean Hamster Software

Passport to Perfume ™
Everything Nice
Pet Shop Hop™
Mind Control Software

Mind Control Software

Oasis™
Spellagories™
Mystery Studio

Mystery Studio

Pirate Poppers™
PiEyeGames

PiEyeGames

Sweetopia™
Pronto Games

Pronto Games

Dress Shop Hop ™
Sarbakan

Sarbakan

Wedding Dash®: Ready, Aim, Love!™
Diner Dash®: Munchkin Lunchkin ™
Diner Dash®: The Dash Slipper ™
Diner Dash®: Fee Fi Flo Fun ™
Diner Dash®: Through the Cooking Glass ™
Fitness Dash ®
Diner Dash ®: 1001 Bites ™
THE GAME OF LIFE® - Path to Success
Wedding Dash® 2: Rings Around the World
Say Design, Inc.

Say Design, Inc.

Solitaire Pop™
Poker Pop™
Viqua Games

Viqua Games

First Class Flurry
Doggie Dash®
SandScript™
Wadjet Eye Games

Wadjet Eye Games

Emerald City Confidential ™
Zemnott, Inc.

Zemnott, Inc.

Diaper Dash ™
Hot Dish 2: Cross Country Cook-Off
The Great Chocolate Chase™: A Chocolatier® Twist
Mahjong Roadshow™

Playground SDK


"Let me say this first: The biggest challenge in game development is creating fun. As CTO, I strive to make sure that technology does not get in the way of that primary goal."
- Brad Edelman, PlayFirst CTO

That's the philosophy behind the Playground SDK from PlayFirst. The framework provides all the technology you need to develop high quality casual games poised to maximize their market opportunity.

Playground SDK:

  • Easy to use C++ API
  • 2D and 3D hardware accelerated graphics
  • UI controls
  • Music and Sound FX
  • Lua scripting
  • User state/preference management
  • High scores
  • Multiplayer
  • Deploy on Windows, Macintosh, ActiveX, more
  • UNICODE support with powerful vector font engine for easy localization
  • Compressed footprint of only 0.5 MB
Please visit our Playground SDK site for more information.


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