Snowman (company)

Built by Snowman, Inc.
TypePrivate
IndustryVideo games
Founded2012; 14 years ago (2012)
Headquarters
Toronto
,
Canada
Key peopleRyan Cash (CEO)
Websitebuiltbysnowman.com

Built By Snowman, Inc., doing business Snowman, is a mobile app and video game developer as well as publisher based in Toronto. It developed Alto's Adventure (2015) and sequel Alto's Odyssey (2018), both endless runner game with procedurally generated landscapes. Ryan Cash and Jordan Rosenberg previously worked on productivity mobile apps before starting work on games in 2012.

History

Snowman developed the iOS app Checkmark in 2012. Its first game was Circles, based on Simon. The team released Alto's Adventure in 2015 under the name Team Alto.

In March 2016, Snowman announced Where Cards Fall, a collaboration designer Sam Rosenthal and his game studio The Game Band. Snowman also announced DISTANT, a game created by the two-person team at Slingshot & Satchel in November. It released Alto's Odyssey, the sequel to Alto's Adventure, again under the name Team Alto in 2018.

Snowman spun out Montessori education-inspired learning app Pok Pok, conceived by a Belgian couple, in 2022. The split was due to the app's younger target audience compared to Snowman's products. Cash's sister Melissa joined Snowman in 2017 to help with the launch of Pok Pok.

Games

Year Title Developer Publisher Platform(s)
2015 Alto's Adventure Team Alto Snowman, Noodlecake Studios (Android) Android, iOS, macOS, Windows
2018 Alto's Odyssey Android, iOS, macOS
2019 Skate City Agens Games Snowman iOS, macOS, Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Where Cards Fall The Game Band iOS, macOS, Windows, Nintendo Switch
2022 Lucky Luna Snowman Netflix Android, iOS
2023 Laya's Horizon Android, iOS
2025 Skate City: New York Agens Snowman iOS, macOS, tvOS
TBA DISTANT Slingshot & Satchel Windows, macOS, tvOS

References

  1. ↑ Malik, Aisha (May 2, 2023). "Snowman, the studio behind Alto's Adventure, debuts wingsuit game Laya's Horizon exclusively with Netflix". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  2. ↑ Sapieha, Chad (February 12, 2018). "Built By Snowman is making all the right moves for its Alto's Adventure sequel". Financial Post. Archived from the original on January 22, 2022. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Takahashi, Dean (May 11, 2021). "Pok Pok Playroom mobile app lets kids engage in open-ended play". GamesBeat. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
  4. ↑ Webster, Andrew (February 19, 2015). "The next great iPad game is a chill snowboarding adventure". The Verge. Archived from the original on April 18, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  5. ↑ Webster, Andrew (August 30, 2016). "Watch the first teaser for Where Cards Fall, the somber follow-up to Alto's Adventure". The Verge. Archived from the original on January 24, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  6. ↑ Plante, Chris (November 30, 2016). "Alto's Adventure creator is publishing the beautiful new platformer, Distant". The Verge. Archived from the original on February 12, 2018. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  7. ↑ Gartenberg, Chaim (December 7, 2016). "Alto's Odyssey, the follow-up to Alto's Adventure, is coming in 2017". The Verge. Archived from the original on December 8, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  8. ↑ Webster, Andrew (May 11, 2021). "The team behind Alto's Adventure is launching a new app — and studio — aimed at kids". The Verge.
  9. ↑ Scott, Josh (June 15, 2022). "Snowman gaming studio spinout Pok Pok closes $3.9 million CAD to help kids learn through play". Betakit.com.
  10. ↑ Helfand-Rogers, Candice (August 2, 2022). "Becoming a New Mom Gave This Ed Tech Entrepreneur New Drive". The Story Exchange. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
  11. ↑ Webster, Andrew (September 8, 2022). "Netflix's latest game is a fresh take on platformers". The Verge. Archived from the original on September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  12. ↑ Webster, Andrew (April 26, 2023). "Netflix is getting a beautiful new wingsuit game on May 2nd". The Verge. Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved April 26, 2023.