Playful Studios

The Playful crew in launch of New Super Lucky's Tale in 2019

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**Playful Studios**, previously known as **Playful Corp.**, or simply known as **Playful**, is a private, non-profit independent video game company based in McKinney, Texas. It was founded in November 13, 2012 by founder and CEO Paul Bettner. They're widely known for their popular *Lucky's Tale* franchise, as well as the online multiplayer sandbox game *Creativerse*.

Playful was previously a VR game studio in 2013 but then expanded through mainstream platforms following the release of *Super Lucky's Tale* in late-2017.

Playful has 100+ employees as of 2019. Their 3-story headquarters was closed sometime in early-2021, either they we're leased out or sold out.

## History

### 2010-2013: Founding and origins

Bettner and his brother David, who worked at Ensemble Studios, went on to start New Toy in McKinney in 2008, during the iPhone era.

They created *Words With Friends* in 2009, which was acquired by game developer Zynga in 2010 for $53.3 million.

### 2018-present: Cancelation of *Star Child*, new headquarter space, and a "streamlined production model"

In 2018, Star Child never received an official release date; however, it was expected to launch by the end of 2018. Interestingly, Playful’s confirmation that lack any mention of a potential launch date. The game was announced during E3 2017. It's alien setting, futuristic aesthetic, and bright colors immediately stood out. Months thereafter, Star Child was shown again during the pre-game show for PlayStation’s Paris Games Week conference in 2017.

In October 2019, their headquarters relocated from 221 E. Louisiana St., Ste. B, McKinney, to 300 E. Davis St., McKinney. A 55,000-square foot building with 3 kitchens, a library area, a children’s playroom, a recording studio and tons of office and meeting space.

On January 22, 2020, Playful retired a large portion of their staff to pivot a "more streamlined production model", driven by a changing game marketplace.

Bettner publicly announced it on Playful's blog, saying that there is a significant portion of its staff that can be affected as the studio works to adapt to the current game development climate - however Playful doesn't specify how many members we're let go, nor how many currently work at Playful. The release does say “we will be working closely with each person affected by this transition to help them move forward,” but gives no details on what steps Playful will be taking to do so.

*"Continued changes in the global video game marketplace require Playful to evolve its approach to the development and production of our current and future projects. The studio will be pivoting to a more streamlined production model based on distributed game development and dynamic, project-based teams,"*
*"...we are truly heartbroken to be parting ways with many of our friends and colleagues. These are people who have poured their hearts into every game Playful has created, who have supported us and each other every step of the way, and have truly made this studio what it is today."*

The blog was removed ever since.

## Games released

 *Lucky's Tale* | March 28, 2016
 *Super Lucky's Tale* | November 7, 2017

## References

 Playful Blog - Dan Herd; To all the Lucky Fans on Launch Day - Playful Studios November 8, 2019 - retrieved on May 1, 2021.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 *Bloomberg Markets*; Playful Corp - Company Profile and News - retrieved on May 11, 2021.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 *Unique McKinney*; Meet Paul Bettner, Founder & CEO of Playful Studios - retrieved on May 9, 2021.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 *Crunchbase*; Employees, Board Members, Advisors & Alumni - retrieved on May 10, 2021.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Playful Studios raises $23 million for spectator-enabled games - Retrieved December 1, 2020.
6. ↑ *Crunchbase*; Paul Bettner - Founder & CEO @ Playful Studios - retrieved on May 9, 2021.
7. ↑ McKinney-based Playful Studios brings joy to people of all ages - Retrieved December 1, 2020.
8. ↑ Playful Studios raises $23 million for spectator-enabled games - Retrieved December 1, 2020.
9. ↑  Playful Game Development Closes McKinney Texas Studio, Makers of Lucky's Tale by John Daniels, on YouTube - retrieved on July 7, 2021.
10. ↑ Star Child Canceled Concerns Put to Rest By Developer
11. ↑ Gamasutra - Significant layoffs at Super Lucky's Tale developer Playful Studios
12. ↑ Mass Playful Studios Layoffs, Developer of Star Child and Lucky's Tale
13. ↑ Playful Studios "significantly" reduces full-time staff as part of studio restructuring | PGbiz