Raising the game.
Take chances. Move fast. Be open.
We Hippos are incurably curious. Experimenting is the way we know to discover the ideas we never would have expected—oddball ideas that end up bringing countless moments of joy to millions of people.
Lance Priebe, Co-Founder & Creative Catalyst
Dream big. Think small.
Hyper Hippo was born in 2012, when we set out on a journey to create the next big game. Expectations were high; the new pod of Hippos was ready to deliver something massive. We emulated the large game houses by extensively designing, developing and playtesting the vast new world of Mech Mice. There was just one problem: we were so busy thinking big that we forgot to think small.
When it became clear that Mech Mice was not the hit we were looking for, we took a step back and threw down the gauntlet: Six months. Anything goes. Every idea counts.
That’s how our breakthrough game AdVenture Capitalist changed the course of our company and pioneered the genre of Idle gaming. Talk about thinking small! Originally conceived as “Progress Bar: The Game,” it was about as complicated as it sounds. Most of the team expected it to be one of our fail-fast experiments—until we discovered we couldn’t put it down.
We launched Adventure Capitalist on the Apple Store and Google Play in 2015. Within a few short years, AdCap was being enjoyed by over 40 million players.
In 2018, the AdVenture world expanded with the launch of AdVenture Communist. Around this time, we realized that in order to grow and shape our IP, we needed to ensure that our vision wouldn’t be compromised by forces outside our community of players and makers. This led us to establish our own publishing entity for our games. It was important to us that we remained free to make (and break!) our own rules.
Since then, we’ve continued to expand, innovate, and grow our portfolio of games to reach audiences around the world, with the launch of AdVenture Ages, Dungeon Dwarves (in partnership with Netflix Games), and Vacation Tycoon.
The last 10 years have been an amazing journey, and we already have a big vision for what the next 10 years will look like for Hyper Hippo. Everything starts with building great games, and we’re turning to our community of creators to help us do just that.
Awards
Listen carefully. And constantly.
That’s what it all boils down to for us. Our journey leading up to the release of AdVenture Capitalist taught us that only by listening closely to our players, our community and our team, early and often, can we hope to discover what makes a game truly special. Providing moments of joy in people’s lives is our purpose – that’s why being player-centric is a core value for us.
As we develop our next generation of games, we are excited to grow with new Hippos and partners who are driven to connect, inspire, and create a positive impact for people around the world.
Inclusion on and behind the screen
Hyper Hippo is committed to championing inclusion on the screen and behind the screen. To us, this means we are committed to creating an inclusive workplace and inclusive products. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity and ability to be heard, and we strive to create spaces where people feel safe to share opinions and express themselves. It is of the utmost importance to us that our people and our players feel accepted, welcomed, and able to be themselves in our workplace and our communities.
Our leadership
Sam Fisher
As CEO of Hyper Hippo Entertainment, Sam focuses on fostering talent, creativity, and growth across the company’s global portfolio. As an active leader in the Games Industry, Sam advocates for entertainment’s transformative potential and its ability to build strong communities. He leads with the belief that Hyper Hippo is not just building games but great positive experiences for players everywhere, guiding the team to create successful games through his strategic leadership.
Lance Priebe
Lance is our lead hippo, outdoorsman and the visionary behind our organization. Lance has been developing online worlds since he created his first virtual world in 2000 called Penguin Chat and later co-founded and created Club Penguin in 2005. He likes to work or as he would likely phrase it, “pursue his passions!” He creates ALWAYS and loves that he gets to be a part of an organization that connects people around the world through fun!
Jen Kilback
As Chief Business Officer at Hyper Hippo, Jennifer oversees business operations at Hyper Hippo, including finance and accounting, people and culture and IT and workplace services. A CPA with 20 years of experience in the gaming industry and corporate leadership, she ensures the company’s strategic priorities are grounded in strong operational support and thoughtful planning. By fostering a collaborative, values based environment, Jennifer helps Hyper Hippo to succeed in a fast changing industry.
Alexandre Denault
As Vice President, Production & Technology Operations at Hyper Hippo Entertainment, Alexandre leads teams responsible for delivering and operating the studio’s games as the company continues to grow. He focuses on helping teams and leaders navigate the challenges of scale by aligning priorities, evolving ways of working, and making better decisions as complexity increases. Drawing on his experiences operating live game infrastructure serving millions of daily players, Alexandre brings a pragmatic, people-first approach to coaching leaders, strengthening execution, and supporting sustainable growth across the studio.
Emma Bullen
As Senior Director, Partnerships & Platforms, Emma leads initiatives that bring the studio's games to millions of players worldwide through strategic partnerships, market expansion, and player-focused innovation. A BAFTA Award winner with more than two decades of experience across the gaming and entertainment industry, including a leadership role at Disney and creative work with the BBC, Emma brings a collaborative, people-centered approach to scaling products globally and building high-performing teams. A Women in Games Ambassador and Indie Games Accelerator Mentor, she is a passionate advocate for inclusion, mentorship, and the power of play to enrich lives and create moments of joy.
Jordan Dinning
As Vice President, Marketing, Jordan leads the studio’s approach to player growth, engagement, and retention, building systems that connect acquisition, onboarding, and live operations into a unified lifecycle strategy. With more than two decades of experience in growth and lifecycle marketing, she has helped scale original IP and build sustainable growth engines across multiple products. Jordan is known for her collaborative leadership style and focus on building high-performing teams and modern growth infrastructure. She is passionate about player-centric design, rapid experimentation, and the belief that great growth systems empower creativity and create better experiences for players.
Our partners
From platform partnerships, to technology and developers, we strive to work with the best and most innovative partners in the industry. We take pride in our positive and productive relationships with all of our partners.
