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Pixowl is a technology company.
Pixowl develops and publishes mobile games, focusing on creative builder experiences and titles leveraging popular intellectual properties. The company designs interactive worlds where players can construct, customize, and engage with characters and environments, offering a diverse portfolio that includes well-known licensed brands. Its development approach emphasizes user-generated content and accessible gameplay mechanics, catering to a broad audience of casual and dedicated mobile gamers.
Arthur Madrid and Sebastien Borget co-founded Pixowl in 2011, establishing the company with a vision for mobile gaming that fosters creativity and social connection. Madrid, serving as CEO, and Borget, as COO, brought extensive industry experience to the venture. Their initial insight centered on the demand for builder-style games on mobile platforms, aiming to create digital spaces where users could freely express themselves and interact.
The company primarily serves a global audience of mobile game players seeking engaging and imaginative experiences, often featuring familiar characters. Pixowl’s long-term vision is to continue expanding its presence in the mobile gaming sector by cultivating vibrant digital ecosystems. It strives to deliver imaginative and community-driven gameplay that resonates with a wide demographic, continually evolving its offerings to meet player expectations.
Pixowl has raised $1.0M across 1 funding round.
Pixowl has raised $1.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Pixowl has raised $1.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $1.0M Seed in August 2012.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 2012 | $1M Seed | — | Firstminute Capital, Oikos Innovation Capital, Vesuvio Ventures, Johann "hansi" Hansmann | Announced |
Pixowl has raised $1.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Pixowl's investors include Firstminute Capital, Oikos Innovation Capital, Vesuvio Ventures, Johann "Hansi" Hansmann.
Pixowl is a mobile game development studio founded in 2011, specializing in player-centric worldbuilding games with character-driven narratives, such as *The Sandbox*, *Peanuts: Snoopy’s Town Tale*, *Garfield: Survival of the Fattest*, and *Goosebumps HorrorTown*.[1][2][3] Headquartered in San Francisco with studios in Buenos Aires, it serves families and casual gamers by enabling user-generated content (UGC) creation and sharing, blending comic-book art, gameplay, and IP-based titles; it achieved over 10 million players for *The Sandbox* alone, selected as an Apple Best Game of 2012.[1][2] Acquired by Animoca Brands in 2018 for $4.9 million, Pixowl is transitioning *The Sandbox* to blockchain, evolving it into a decentralized gaming ecosystem with NFTs, voxel editors, and an open marketplace, boasting 40 million downloads, 1 million monthly users, and 57 million user-generated worlds.[1][5][6]
The studio solves the limitations of centralized platforms like Minecraft and Roblox by pioneering UGC on mobile and now blockchain, fostering community-driven creation and ownership of digital assets.[4][5] Post-acquisition, growth momentum includes daily creation of 100,000 worlds and 25,000 elements, partnerships with brands like Peanuts and Garfield, and Animoca's resources to launch blockchain *The Sandbox* as one of the most anticipated Web3 games.[1][5]
Pixowl was founded in April 2011 in San Francisco by co-founders Arthur Madrid (CEO), Sébastien Borget (COO), Adrien Duermael (CTO), and Laurel Michaut (artist and co-founder), aiming to build a family entertainment brand through innovative mobile games.[1][2] Arthur Madrid, a serial entrepreneur, previously founded Wixi (sold to Lavasoft in 2010) and 1-Click Media (acquired by Ipercast in 2007); Sébastien Borget drove operations for the 25-person international team; Adrien, "King of Code 2011," handled tech and designs; and Laurel brought comic expertise from seven published books.[2]
The idea emerged from a passion for reconnecting families via mobile gaming, inspired by world-builders like Minecraft; *The Sandbox* launched as a 2D pixel creator, quickly gaining traction with 7.5 million players and Apple's recognition, proving simple UGC concepts could scale massively.[1][2][6] Early success with IP titles like Peanuts and Garfield solidified its path, leading to backing from investors like Martin Varsavsky and full acquisition by Animoca Brands in 2018 to unlock blockchain potential.[5][6]
Pixowl rides the UGC and Web3 gaming wave, transforming mobile hits into decentralized ecosystems amid blockchain's rise for digital ownership, countering centralized giants like Roblox/Minecraft.[5][6] Timing aligns with NFT booms and Animoca's portfolio (e.g., CryptoKitties), enabling *The Sandbox* to pioneer community-driven metaverses where creators monetize voxel assets via open markets.[1][5]
Market forces like gamification, AI, and crypto favor it, with 40M downloads proving mobile-to-blockchain viability; it influences ecosystems by providing interoperable tools, inspiring decentralized gaming and boosting Animoca's Web3 leadership.[1][5][6]
Pixowl's blockchain *The Sandbox* launch positions it as a metaverse frontrunner, with NFT marketplaces and cross-game utility driving creator economies. Trends like decentralized ownership and AI-enhanced UGC will accelerate growth, potentially expanding influence via Animoca's ASX-listed resources and IP synergies. As mobile gaming matures into Web3, Pixowl could redefine player-centric worldbuilding, evolving from a studio into a foundational ecosystem player—unlocking the "next Minecraft" promise.[5][6]