View source for Cellufun

{{Infobox website
| name = Cellufun
| type = [[Mobile game]], [[Mobile social network]]
| logo = Tylted logo.png
| logo_size = 239px
| logocaption = Cellufun Logo
| screenshot = Tylted iphone Screenshot.png
| screenshot_size = 239px
| caption = Cellufun Screenshot
| url = {{URL|https://cellufun.com/}}
| language = [[English language|English]], [[Chinese language|Chinese]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[German language|German]], [[Russian language|Russian]]
| author = {{Unbulleted list|Cary Torkelson|Arthur Goikhman|Stephen Dacek}}
}}
'''Cellufun''', also known as '''Tylted''', is a social gaming community accessible from any mobile device, from the latest [[Smartphone|smartphones]] and tablets to the smallest feature phones.  Cellufun is different from most other social networks, as it is anonymous, with users creating avatars to represent themselves.  This has resulted in Cellufun ranking #117 in the [[Inc. (magazine)|Inc. 500]] list of fastest-growing companies.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.inc.com/inc5000/profile/cellufun | work=Inc. | title=2011 Inc. 500 | date=August 23, 2011 | access-date=August 23, 2011}}</ref> By blending chat and a large catalog of social games, and as verified by [[comScore]], Te has the highest user engagement numbers of any mobile internet site.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.groundtruth.com/ground-truth-half-of-all-time-spent-on-the-mobile-internet-is-on-social-networking-sites | work=GroundTruth | title=Half of All Time Spent on the Mobile Internet is on Social Networking Sites | date=April 21, 2010 | url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120909142924/http://www.groundtruth.com/ground-truth-half-of-all-time-spent-on-the-mobile-internet-is-on-social-networking-sites/ | archive-date=September 9, 2012 }}</ref>

Cellufun partners with mobile operators, mobile device makers, and media companies such as [[AT&T Mobility]], [[Verizon Wireless]], [[MetroPCS]], [[Virgin Mobile]], RIM, [[AOL]], and [[USA Today]] to deliver branded entertainment and marketing.<ref>{{Cite web|title=From Madoff to Sully, news events inspire video games - CNN.com|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/05/26/current.events.games/|access-date=2021-07-19|website=edition.cnn.com}}</ref>

== History ==
In February 2013, six years after the company's original [[Venture capital financing|venture financing]] round<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/69798-Cellufun-Secures-Funding/ | title= Cellufun Secures Funding| date= 21 March 2007|access-date=22 March 2013}}</ref> the Cellufun website and the Cellufun and Tylted brands were reacquired<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cellufun.com/about/|title=Cellufun Management Page|date=February 18, 2013|access-date=March 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130506071430/http://cellufun.com/about/|archive-date=May 6, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>  by two of its founders, Steve Dacek and Arthur Goikhman, who are operating the website under the Cellufun brand.

Based on Wall Street in New York City, the company was founded in 2005<ref>{{cite web |url= https://venturebeat.com/2012/04/10/cellufun-reborn-as-mobile-social-game-publisher-tylted/ |title=Cellufun reborn as mobile social game publisher Tylted &#124; VentureBeat|work=venturebeat.com|date=10 April 2012 |access-date=22 October 2012}}</ref> by Cary Torkelson, Arthur Goikhman and Stephen Dacek.  For several years, the company relied on advertising as its sole source of revenue. In mid-2009, Tylted added a new [[revenue stream]] by introducing a premium [[virtual currency]] called "FunCoins" to complement the existing "earned" point system called ''Cellupoints''. While all of Cellufun's games and applications remained free to play, the introduction of FunCoins opened up some premium content such as unique avatar clothes and special in-game advantages to those who wished to purchase the new currency.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2009-12-23-virtual-retail-sales-avatar_N.htm | work=USA Today | title=Unlike reality, virtual retail sales are hot, especially for avatars | first=Jayne | last=O'Donnell | date=December 24, 2009 | access-date=April 28, 2010}}</ref> Cellufun's community, as of July 2009 consisted of over 2 million registered users.<ref>[http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/33944/Cellufun-passes-2m-mobile-gamers-milestone Cellufun passes 2m mobile gamers milestone &#124; Mobile Entertainment News] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120904062210/http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/33944/Cellufun-passes-2m-mobile-gamers-milestone |date=2012-09-04 }}</ref>

In 2010, Cellufun was recognised as one of Top 8 mobile websites.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Cellufun|title=Cellufun Enters 2010 Ranked in Top Eight Mobile Websites|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cellufun-enters-2010-ranked-in-top-eight-mobile-websites-83487907.html|access-date=2021-07-19|website=www.prnewswire.com|language=en}}</ref>

In addition to casino games, board games and traditional social titles like ''Special Ops, MOBile Wars, Farm World, Mobile Chef'' and ''[[Beanie Baby|Pocket Beanie Babies]]'', Tylted also produces games based on current news and events.<ref>{{Cite web|title=9 Phone Games Older Millennials Loved & Younger Millennials Won't Remember|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/9-phone-games-older-millennials-loved-younger-millennials-wont-remember-8665473|access-date=2021-07-19|website=Bustle|language=en}}</ref> "Made-off" was based upon the [[Bernard Madoff]] [[Ponzi]] scheme.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://money.cnn.com/2009/05/18/smallbusiness/madoff_game/ | work=CNN Money | title=Ponzi video game mocks Madoff | first=Aaron | last=Smith | date=May 18, 2009  | access-date=August 24, 2011}}</ref>  Gulf Rescue raised awareness about the devastating oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico, and a percentage of all virtual goods revenues were donated to the Greater New Orleans Foundation.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.dailyfinance.com/rtn/pr/cellufun-launches-gulf-rescue-game-for-mobile/rfid338952587/ | work=Daily Finance | title=Cellufun Launches Gulf Rescue Game for Mobile | date=June 16, 2010 | access-date=August 24, 2011}}</ref> Some of the chat sections are used for other things such as role-play.

== Awards ==
On January 28, 2008, Cellufun's The Mobile Ring was awarded 2008 Best Mobile Game at NAPTE Mobile++ Top 12.<ref>[[NATPE]] Mobile++ Top 12 {{cite web|url=http://www.natpemobile.com/?page_id%3D39 |access-date=2013-03-22 }}</ref> Then, on February 14, Cellufun scored at the highest level of the Mobile Industry by being awarded a joint win in the "Best Mobile Game" category at the Global Mobile Awards 2008,<ref>Global Mobile Awards 2008 [https://archive.today/20120722184135/http://92.52.91.19/gma12/gma11_oldcontent/history_from_backup/history/2008_winners/cellufun.html www.globalmobileawards.com]</ref> held at the [[Mobile World Congress]] in [[Barcelona]]. Cellufun won for the multiplayer WAP game, [[Call of the Pharaoh]], where players must work together to build a pyramid.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://techcrunch.com/tag/cellufun/ Techcrunch]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120319185606/http://dmnnewswire.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=158477 DigitalMediaNet.com]

[[Category:American social networking websites]]
[[Category:Mobile game companies]]
[[Category:Video game development companies]]
[[Category:Video game companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Companies based in New York City]]
[[Category:Companies established in 2005]]