PennyPop
- Open roles
- 0
- Founded
- 2012
- Employees
- N/A
- Offices
- 0
About PennyPop
WRKSHP was an American mobile game and interactive entertainment studio established in San Francisco in 2012 as PennyPop. Its work focused on connected mobile experiences, combining persistent online worlds, synchronous multiplayer gameplay and ongoing live events. The studio later expanded into music games and live concert streaming before its operations wound down between late 2022 and 2023.
The company's debut game, Battle Camp, launched on iOS in 2013 and subsequently reached Android and web platforms. It combined monster collecting, match-three puzzle combat and the social structure of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game. Players participated in troop communities, real-time player-versus-player encounters and coordinated raid events within a persistent game world. Its development brought together custom game technology, multiplayer networking and continuing content operations.
Around 2016, PennyPop adopted WRKSHP as its public studio identity. The company applied its mobile development and live-operations experience to Beat Fever, released in 2017. This music rhythm game incorporated licensed tracks and collaborations with music labels, artists and festivals, using interactive events to connect mobile play with music discovery and performance. Its partnerships supported song debuts and virtual festival experiences within the game.
The studio's subsequent music work moved beyond rhythm gameplay toward interactive live performance. In 2019, it worked with Pandora co-founder Tim Westergren on the transition to Next Music, which provided the framework for Sessions, also known as Sessions Live. That platform was designed as a virtual venue where independent musicians could perform live concerts and earn money through audience interaction.
As its business shifted toward music streaming, WRKSHP sold Battle Camp and its associated assets to Safe Lane Gaming AB in September 2020. That transaction transferred the game rather than establishing an acquisition of the studio itself. The later wind-down of Sessions brought the company's progression from mobile multiplayer games to live music technology to an end.
More about PennyPop
Founders and historical governance
- Cousins Gordon Su and Charles Ju founded the studio. The report identifies Su's historical roles as CEO, president and director, and Ju's as chief product officer and director; these are not current executive appointments.
- Historical directors included Benjamin Peretz and Tim Westergren.
Engineering and operating methods
- The studio built a custom object-relational mapping layer on Amazon DynamoDB for its game backend.
- In AWS's July 2014 case study, Charles Ju reported that two server engineers supported an MMORPG serving millions of players. He attributed part of DynamoDB's value to reduced maintenance costs.
- The 2013 launch account describes roughly a year and a half spent developing the engine, followed by a demo and about another year developing Battle Camp.
Recognition
- Battle Camp received Apple's Best Multiplayer Game award in 2013. The recognition was for the game.
Notable credits
2 creditsOffices
Current and former locations of PennyPop
- 201 Spear Street, Suite 220, San Francisco, CA 94105, USASan Francisco, California, United States
San Francisco office
Former officeAbout this office
Historical overall headquarters and development studio for executive management, engineering, art and game operations. Previously occupied Suite 1500 at the same address.
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