// startup autopsy
Six Degrees Games
Social gaming studio that couldn't survive Facebook's gaming exodus
platform dependencySilent Shutdown
Quiet closure with no public announcement · Fatal mistake: Six Degrees Games over-relied on Facebook as its primary distribution channel without building cross-platform or mobile capabilities before Facebook's gaming ecosystem collapsed.
Key Events Timeline
FOUNDING
Six Degrees Games founded in the USA to develop social games targeting emerging social network platforms.
FUNDING
Six Degrees Games raises significant funding round totaling near $18M, riding high on the Facebook gaming investment wave.
PRODUCT LAUNCH
Six Degrees Games launches social titles on Facebook but struggles to compete with Zynga's marketing dominance and viral distribution.
LAYOFF
Facebook platform policy changes devastate game discovery. Six Degrees Games lays off staff as user acquisition costs spike and viral growth disappears.
SHUTDOWN
Six Degrees Games ceases operations after failing to pivot to mobile and exhausting its runway. Studio closes quietly without a major acquisition.