Socialfirstgames

Social First (Social First Oy) is an independent Finnish game studio based in Helsinki that builds cross-platform social multiplayer games. Founded in late 2021 by Kim Soares (CEO) and Mikko Kähärä (President), the company positions its titles as long-lived social spaces rather than single-release products, aiming for games that can be played for a decade or more and that serve as social platforms where players form lasting relationships. The team is multinational, drawn from five European countries, with prior credits at Kukouri, Paradox Interactive, Nitro Games, Ubisoft, Rovio and Housemarque.

The studio's first title, Nexus Station, is a cross-platform social MMO described as a spiritual successor to Pixel Worlds. It entered Early Access on mobile in December 2024, followed by a PC release on Steam in January. Development has been shaped by early playtesting with thousands of players and by an early community that includes Pixel Worlds veterans. In January 2025 Social First acquired the Pixel Worlds and Tiny Troopers IP from Kukouri Mobile Entertainment after Kukouri shut down its game operations; those franchises had accumulated more than 60 million downloads across mobile, PC and consoles. In November 2025 the company acquired GamerPay, an in-game item marketplace, which continued operating with existing accounts and listings intact.

Founding story

Kim Soares and Mikko Kähärä, both games industry veterans, founded Social First in late 2021 with the goal of creating highly social multiplayer games designed to be played for decades. Much of the team had worked together previously, including on cross-platform social MMOs at Kukouri, and the company launched publicly in January 2022 with pre-seed backing.

Business model

Social First develops and operates its own cross-platform multiplayer titles rather than working for hire, funding development through venture capital and Business Finland innovation funding while building toward a live, long-lived social game intended to function as an ongoing platform. It has also expanded by purchasing existing game IP and an in-game item marketplace.

Social First operates cross-platform social games with player-driven in-game economies and, following the GamerPay acquisition, an in-game item marketplace where players buy and sell items. Its terms of service reference player accounts and in-game purchases made with credit cards or payment instruments such as PayPal.

Traction

The company reported early playtests with thousands of players and, per its seed investor, strong retention and engagement both in-game and across social media prior to Early Access. Headcount reached roughly 20 in August 2024. The acquired Kukouri franchises had more than 60 million downloads across mobile, PC and consoles.

Latest developments

In January 2025 Kukouri Mobile Entertainment shut down its game operations and sold the Pixel Worlds and Tiny Troopers IP to Social First, while the studio continued developing Nexus Station with its early community. In November 2025 Social First acquired the in-game item marketplace GamerPay, which was to continue operating normally with all accounts and listings intact.