Playshake
Acquired1 known investors
PlayShake (dba Shake) ran a free-to-play social prediction gaming platform tied to live sports and entertainment.
Also known as PlayShake Inc · PlayShake, Inc. · Shake
Investors · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026PlayShake, Inc., doing business as Shake, developed a social gaming platform offering a prediction platform tied to live sports and entertainment for customers in the United States. Its mobile app let friends compete in free-to-play handshake "bets" with sponsored stakes, with brands providing prizes as incentives.
Shake positioned its product as short-form, participatory engagement for younger sports and entertainment fans, working with brands and sports properties on a B2B2C basis so that the properties retained ownership of the fan-facing offering. In September 2025, Rival — a company that helps sports properties connect with fans through video game communities — acquired Shake to add a shorter-duration gaming option alongside its longer-form community products.
Business model
Shake operated in the B2B2C space, supplying free-to-play prediction and social gaming experiences that brands and sports properties use to engage fans, with properties typically wanting ownership of the offerings. Player participation was incentivized with prizes and sponsored stakes rather than wagering of real money.
Latest developments
On September 30, 2025, Sports Business Journal reported that Rival had reached an agreement to acquire Shake in an all-stock deal with undisclosed terms, while separately raising an oversubscribed round of more than $3 million for Rival. Shake's CEO and CTO took the COO and CTO roles, respectively, at Rival.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Shake was described as a social gaming platform serving brands seeking to reach Gen Z sports fans, complementary to Rival's longer-duration video game community products for properties such as the New York Giants, Detroit Pistons, Aston Villa, New Balance and Coca-Cola.
Shake focused on short-form, free-to-play prediction gameplay tied to live sports and entertainment events, using sponsored stakes and prizes rather than real-money wagering, and aimed at a younger Gen Z demographic than adjacent gaming-community products.
Technology
A mobile application supporting free-to-play prediction games and handshake-style "bets" between friends, tied to live sports and entertainment events.
Go-to-market
Shake sold through brands and sports properties in a B2B2C model, with the properties owning the fan-facing gaming offering and sponsors funding stakes and prizes.
Brands and sports properties seeking fan engagement, with end users being sports and entertainment fans, particularly a target demographic of 17-24 year-olds.
Geography
Shake served customers in the United States.
History
The company operated as PlayShake, Inc., doing business as Shake, serving customers in the United States. By mid-2024 it was recruiting founding engineering and design staff to build its sports and entertainment app. In September 2025 it agreed to be acquired by Rival in an all-stock transaction, with terms otherwise undisclosed; CEO Jack Kingsley joined Rival as chief operating officer and CTO Spencer Lichtenberg became Rival's chief technology officer.
Compiled by commissioned research from 4 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 3
launches, deals, and filingsRival, which connects sports properties with fans through video game communities, agreed to acquire social gaming platform Shake as a shorter-duration complement to its offerings. Terms were not disclosed other than that the deal was all-stock. Shake CEO Jack Kingsley joined Rival as COO and Shake CTO Spencer Lichtenberg became Rival's CTO.
Following the acquisition, Shake CEO Jack Kingsley became COO of Rival and Shake CTO Spencer Lichtenberg became CTO of Rival.
Shake was recruiting for two founding roles, engineer and designer, to build its mobile app allowing friends to compete in free-to-play handshake 'bets' with sponsored stakes.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 4
primary sources listed
- PlayShake Inc - Company Profile and News - Bloomberg Marketsbloomberg.com · web
4 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Playshake do?
- PlayShake (dba Shake) ran a free-to-play social prediction gaming platform tied to live sports and entertainment.
- Who are Playshake's investors?
- Playshake's investors include Miroma Ventures.