Evaluating only myTown’s profile at its peak — without knowing the outcome — the model ranked Acquisition gone wrong as the #1 likely cause. Documented cause: Market collapse.
Key Events Timeline
FOUNDING
Keith Lee and Brian Truong founded Booyah Inc. in Los Angeles to build location games
FUNDING
Raised $14M from New Enterprise Associates to scale myTown location gaming platform
myTown shut down after Booyah's Nextopia pivot failed; location gaming trend had collapsed
Full Analysis
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Documented cause
myTown was developed by Booyah Inc., founded by Keith Lee and Brian Truong, raising $14M from New Enterprise Associates and other VCs. The Monopoly-style location game let users check in to real-world places to buy and own them virtually. It hit 7M users in 2010 and generated real revenue from virtual goods. Booyah pivoted to a new app called Nextopia in 2012 and shut down myTown in 2013 as the location gaming trend faded and new product development stalled.
Lesson
“Trend-dependent games must monetize aggressively during peak hype; location gaming windows close fast.”