News: HQ is ceasing operations today, CNN Business has learned. The company behind the once popular game @hqtrivia is no more cnn.com/2020/02/14/med…
Farewell to my 17,000 extra lives 
HQ CEO Rus Yusupov just sent a note to staffers (25 full-time employees): "This is one of the hardest things to do in my life, and I'm really sorry for any disruption this may cause you and our players." cnn.com/2020/02/14/med…
Tweet from HQ CEO Rus Yusupov, following today’s news of company shutting down:
If you follow me, you probably already know I wrote about and played HQ obsessively over the years. But one story I especially loved was profiling Sharon Carpenter. Everyone was talking about Scott with good reason, but the game was more than one person: mashable.com/2017/12/01/hq-…
Colin’s passing was shocking and sad. But one thing I learned from conversations with his friends and family is he had a big dream and he realized it. That’s incredible. He helped build not one but TWO viral apps that inspired joy digiday.com/media/remember…
I think it’s a pretty good sign of startup success that Facebook created its own HQ copycat. But FB essentially pulled the plug on that, a sign that maybe live trivia apps giving away money wasn’t sustainable digiday.com/media/facebook…
I spoke with HQ CEO Rus Yusupov about the company’s attempt at a comeback: “We've gotten our groove over the past two years and building out these building blocks.“
Issue was HQ still needed $$$ — more funding or a buyer, both of which fell through cnn.com/2019/12/12/med…
Issue was HQ still needed $$$ — more funding or a buyer, both of which fell through cnn.com/2019/12/12/med…
For the mems, here’s the piece I wrote shortly after HQ launched: mashable.com/2017/10/25/hq-…
And here’s the reason I have more than 17,000 extra lives: mashable.com/2017/12/22/hq-…
And here’s the reason I have more than 17,000 extra lives: mashable.com/2017/12/22/hq-…
HQ just sent out its final push notification: cnn.com/2020/02/14/med…
Thread from founder of one of the OG (and still exists!!!) HQ copycats, The Q:
Good Twitter Moment about the end of HQ, including farewell from HQ hosts twitter.com/i/events/12284…
Mike woke me up from a deep sleep and I heard: “Take some time to buy extra lives. You never know when you’re going to need them.” 😭
SAVAGE QUESTION SONG. SORRY YOU GOT IT WRONG.
Someone just signed up for HQ Trivia using my username as a referral. Sorry to tell you superswagsoph ... I don’t think you’ll get to play
Quiz Daddy has spoken
HQ CEO ended his email to staffers about the closure: “We'll be in touch in the next few days with more information regarding payroll, benefits, etc. Feel free to reach out to me directly with any questions.”
Q in company Slack: Severance?
A: No
Q in company Slack: Severance?
A: No
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Would love to hear all of these HQ Trivia voicemails. Imagine it’s a lot of WHY CANT I CASH OUT and/or FREE SCOTT
News re HQ Trivia downfall I wasn’t able to confirm on the record until now. Whistle (formerly Whistle Sports) was in conversations to buy HQ
Whistle spokperson re HQ: “With two acquisitions in 2019, M&A is a part of Whistle’s growth strategy. The company has been approached by several companies over the past year and has had conversations with HQ. We will continue to look for the right growth opportunities...”
Whistle background: Founded in 2014 as Whistle Sports, creates shows for video platforms like YouTube. It has since grown its content beyond sports and expanded to other platforms like Snapchat.
And yep was on a lil acquisition spree in 2019
And yep was on a lil acquisition spree in 2019
In October, Whistle acquired Vertical Networks, a mobile-focused content studio founded by Elisabeth Murdoch that owns popular Snapchat channels “Phone Swap” and “Brother.” In January 2019, Whistle acquired digital entertainment studio New Form.
HQ did fit into Whistle’s focus on mobile content and IP. You may not know “Team Whistle” but you might have heard of its shows like “No Days Off” and “My Hustle”
But a deal between HQ and Whistle didn’t come to fruition, and HQ is now gone. 25 full-time employees and contractors lost their jobs on Friday. The future of HQ’s tech stack and IP is TBD
