Jago Studios is a mobile game developer positioning itself as a specialist in branded IP integration. The deck outlines a clear thesis: using recognized brands like Garbage Pail Kids provides 'Familiarity, Affection, and Trust,' which theoretically lowers acquisition costs and improves retention. The team is highly experienced, with credits including Club Penguin, Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, and The Simpsons. While the deck provides strong market context—noting that the 100th ranked mobile game generates $83 million annually—it lacks specific financial projections, burn rate details, or a cl…
Key takeaways
- The company targets the 'humor itch' in mobile gaming, using established brands to drive downloads (Slide 1).
- Top-grossing mobile games generate massive revenue, with the top 5 averaging $60 million per month as of June 2018 (Slide 4).
- The core strategy relies on three value drivers: Familiarity for lower acquisition, Affection for retention, and Trust for spend (Slide 7).
- The leadership team features deep industry roots, including a CEO who generated $1bn+ in revenue and an Emmy-winning animator (Slide 10).
- Their first title uses the Garbage Pail Kids IP, which sold nearly $500 million in product during the 80s and 90s (Slide 13).
- The target demographic for their first game is 35-45 year olds with disposable income (Slide 13).
- Jago plans to expand from RPGs into Puzzle, Casino, and Strategy genres over a 5-year timeline (Slide 16).
- The 18-month roadmap includes soft launches in the Philippines, Australia, and Canada before a global window (Slide 19).
Jago Studios: A Strategy Built on IP and Nostalgia
Jago Studios enters the mobile gaming fray not by promising new worlds, but by monetizing old ones. Their pitch deck is a masterclass in 'de-risking' a startup by leaning on the established success of others—both in terms of intellectual property (IP) and the professional pedigree of the founding team. The deck focuses heavily on the economic potential of the mobile gaming market and the specific psychological levers that branded content pulls.
Slide 1: The Hook
The cover slide introduces the logo and the tagline: "Mobile games that scratch the humor itch." It is simple and sets a tone. The use of three stylized emoji-like faces reinforces the focus on humor and casual entertainment. It doesn't over-explain, leaving the heavy lifting to the market data that follows.
Slide 4: The Market Opportunity
Jago immediately addresses the 'Why Now' and the 'How Big' by showing the revenue potential of the App Store. Citing AppAnnie data from June 2018, the slide notes that "The 100th ranked game makes $83m a year." The table breaks down average net revenue per month by rank:
Top 5: $60m · #6 - 10: $39m · #11 - 20: $25m · #21 - 50: $16m · #51 - 100: $8.1m · #101 - 200: $4.5m
This slide is designed to show that you don't need to be the #1 game in the world to be a massive success. Even a 'mid-tier' success in the top 200 represents a significant business.
Slide 7: The IP Thesis
This is the core of the Jago Studios business model. They argue that "Brands have three key value drivers we leverage." These are: 01 Familiarity (drives downloads at lower cost), 02 Affection (retains players longer), and 03 Trust (increases player spend). In a market where User Acquisition (UA) costs are skyrocketing, using a brand to lower the 'cost per install' is a compelling argument for investors.
Slide 10: The Pedigree
The team slide is exceptionally strong. Stuart Drexler (CEO) is credited with generating $1bn+ in revenue across brands like Club Penguin and Barbie. Aaron Nemoyten (Live Producer) is a 'Mobile RPG maven' who worked on Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes. Lián Amaris handled marketing for the Kim Kardashian: Hollywood game, and Scott Shaw is a 4-time Emmy Award-winning cartoonist. This slide tells investors that this isn't their first time at the rodeo; they have built and scaled massive hits before.
Slide 13: The First Product - Garbage Pail Kids
Jago reveals their first big bet: a mobile RPG based on Garbage Pail Kids . They justify this choice by noting the brand sold nearly half a billion dollars of product in its heyday. Key metrics provided include:
Topps continues to sell 1M+ card packs per year. · Core fans are 35-45 years old with disposable income. · The brand maintains global awareness, supported by a heat map showing mentions in June 2018.
By targeting an older demographic with nostalgia, they are going after 'whales'—players who have the money to spend on in-app purchases.
Slide 16: The Expansion Plan
Jago isn't just a one-trick pony. This slide shows a 5-year category expansion plan. They start with RPGs (12% market share), then move into Puzzle (24%), Casino (20%), and Strategy (18%). The table shows they intend to launch 8 games total over five years. This demonstrates a 'platform' play rather than just a single-game studio play.
Slide 19: The Roadmap
The 18-month roadmap covers July 2018 through December 2019. It includes a Soft Launch (SL) strategy targeting the Philippines, Australia, and Canada. This is standard industry practice to test monetization and retention before spending big on a Global Launch. It also notes the intention to "Secure IP 2nd Title" by late 2019, showing a commitment to their multi-IP strategy.
Slide 22: The Legal Disclaimer
The deck ends with a standard legal disclaimer. Notably, there is no 'Ask' slide in this selection. We don't know how much they were raising or what the valuation was. This is a significant omission for a teardown, as the 'Ask' usually dictates the tone of the entire deck.
What Works in This Deck
The Team-Market Fit: The team's past successes (Star Wars, Kim Kardashian, Club Penguin) perfectly align with the strategy of using branded IP to build mobile games. Investors love to see a team that is 'doing it again' in a familiar space.
The Clear Value Proposition: The 'Familiarity, Affection, Trust' slide (Slide 7) is a very clear way to explain why they are licensing IP instead of building their own. It addresses the biggest pain point in mobile gaming: the cost of getting people to download your game.
Specific Demographic Targeting: Instead of saying 'everyone likes games,' they specifically identify 35-45 year olds with disposable income. This shows a sophisticated understanding of monetization.
What Is Missing
The Financials: There are no slides showing projected burn, revenue targets for the first game, or the cost of the IP licenses. Licensing IP is expensive and usually involves high minimum guarantees and royalty splits. Without seeing these numbers, it's hard to judge the viability of the margins.
The 'Ask': As mentioned, the lack of a funding slide is a major gap. We don't know if they are raising $2M or $20M.
Competitive Analysis: While they show the market size, they don't show who else is doing this. Studios like Scopely or Glu Mobile have built massive businesses on this exact model. Jago needs to explain why they are better or different than the incumbents.
Founder's Summary: What to Copy
Use 'Social Proof' for IP: If you are using a brand, don't just say it's popular. Use Slide 13 as a template—show historical sales, current social media mentions, and the specific age of the 'super-fan' who has the money to pay you.
Quantify the 'Why': Slide 4 is excellent because it quantifies the opportunity. It doesn't just say 'mobile gaming is big'; it tells you exactly how much the 100th best game makes. This makes the goal feel attainable and the upside feel massive.
Professional Portraits/Caricatures: The use of high-quality caricatures on the team slide (Slide 10) fits the 'humor' theme of the company perfectly while remaining professional. It’s a great way to build brand identity within the deck itself.
Frequently asked questions
- What is Jago Studios' primary competitive advantage?
- Their primary advantage is their focus on 'branded games.' By licensing established IP like Garbage Pail Kids, they aim to bypass the high costs of building a new brand from scratch. Slide 7 explicitly states that this strategy leverages 'Familiarity' to drive downloads at a lower acquisition cost, which is the biggest hurdle in modern mobile gaming.
- Who is the target audience for their first game?
- According to Slide 13, they are targeting 'core fans' of Garbage Pail Kids who are now 35-45 years old. The deck highlights that this demographic possesses 'disposable income,' making them ideal targets for the monetization mechanics found in mobile RPGs.
- How does the team's experience validate the business model?
- The team (Slide 10) includes veterans from EA, Disney, and Kabam. Specifically, Aaron Nemoyten's experience with 'Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes'—a top-10 grossing mobile RPG—directly correlates with Jago's plan to launch a mobile RPG as their first title. This reduces execution risk in the eyes of investors.
- What are the revenue expectations for the mobile gaming market according to the deck?
- Slide 4 cites AppAnnie data from June 2018, showing that the top 5 grossing games average $60 million per month. Even games ranked 101-200 average $4.5 million per month. This data is used to illustrate the 'spectacular return' possible if Jago can place multiple games in the Top 100.
- What is missing from this pitch deck?
- The provided slides lack a clear 'Ask' (how much money they want), a 'Use of Funds' breakdown, and specific unit economics (CAC/LTV) from their beta testing. While Slide 19 mentions a 'soft launch,' it doesn't share the data gathered from those regions, which is usually what investors want to see in a gaming pitch.
