LOLapps
LOLapps is a company.
Active
Updated: ·
Financial History
Total Raised
N/A
Valuation
N/A
Leadership Team
Key people at LOLapps.
LOLapps is a company.
Key people at LOLapps.
LOLapps was a San Francisco-based developer and publisher of social games, primarily for the Facebook platform, focusing on quizzes, gifting apps, and later role-playing games (RPGs).[1][4][6] It built Facebook apps and games like those leveraging a white-label quiz and gift platform, evolving into a productized RPG platform for partners, serving social gamers and large developers seeking distribution and reduced risk in game launches.[1] The company raised $3.5M from investors including Polaris Ventures and Polaris Venture Partners, achieved over 200 million Facebook users across its titles, but merged with 6waves in 2011, shifted to publishing amid layoffs in 2012, and appears inactive as a standalone entity today.[1][2][6]
Founded in 2008 (with some sources noting emergence in 2007), LOLapps started in San Francisco at 650 Mission Street, initially building a white-label quiz and gift creation platform for Facebook users.[1][4][6] Key figures included co-founders like Arjun Sethi (later chief product officer post-merger) and Kavin Stewart, with leadership like Amit Rekhi highlighting its pivot to original Facebook games and RPG platforms.[1][2] Early traction came from chart-climbing games and acquiring MMO studio ROFLplay in July 2009; a pivotal 2011 merger with Hong Kong-based publisher 6waves formed 6waves Lolapps, backed by Nexon and Insight Venture Partners (including a $35M round per SEC filing), blending development with publishing for social and mobile games.[1][2][3]
LOLapps rode the early 2010s Facebook social gaming boom, capitalizing on viral mechanics like quizzes and gifting to amass users amid platforms like FarmVille's dominance.[1][6] Timing aligned with Facebook's app ecosystem explosion, enabling quick scaling before mobile fragmentation; market forces like freemium models and IP porting favored its risk-reduction platform.[1][3] It influenced the ecosystem by pioneering white-label tools and mergers that birthed hybrid dev-publisher models, paving the way for modern mobile publishing amid Nexon/Insight backing, though layoffs reflected cash crunches in maturing social gaming.[2][3]
As a merged and restructured entity by 2012, LOLapps ceased independent operations, with its tech and titles absorbed into publishing focuses that likely faded amid industry shifts to mobile-first apps.[2] Trends like app store dominance and live-ops games overtook its Facebook-centric model; any influence persists indirectly via alumni (e.g., Sethi) or legacy tech in gaming pubs. No recent activity suggests it's defunct, tying back to its snapshot as an early social gaming innovator whose merger arc mirrored the era's volatility.
Key people at LOLapps.
