Geoguesser is about listing out where you are from a random view in Google Streetview and guessing as close as possible by quickly putting a pin on a map.
Many have probably thought: What happens if I just get dropped somewhere?, says Daniel Antell, one of Geoguesser's co-founders.
Were "super nervous"
The hobby project grew as more people discovered the game. As a company, the big step was taken in 2019, when the subscription model was launched.
We were super nervous about it. If it hadn't worked, we would have had to shut down, because the cost of Google Maps increased so much. But we realized that the community was willing to pay for the game, says Antell.
Betting on e-sport
In addition to developing the game, Geoguesser is betting on breaking into the e-sports world.
We quickly realized that it works very well to compete in Geoguesser. It's easy to understand, entertaining and fair for the players, says Antell.
This weekend, the World Championship will be held for the third time, this time in Copenhagen and $100,000 in the prize pool. Hugo Holmryd Malmborg is the Swedish hope. He made it to the World Championship via the league created with 40 participants, which also served as a qualifier.
Maybe the best in the world can soon make a living from Geoguesser, believes Mikael Falgard, e-sports manager.
I absolutely hope so. We have taken very big steps to now be at the level just below the absolute biggest. I think we have enormous strength. We can become the biggest mainstream e-sport, he says.
Background: Geoguesser
Geoguesser started in 2013, by some friends who studied computer technology in Linköping but who then worked as web consultants. When Google made its API (instruction book and content) available for Maps and Streetview, co-founder Anton Wallén built a small test, which was released on the Reddit forum where it quickly became a topic of discussion.
When the interest turned out to be great, he, now CEO Daniel Antell and technical manager Erland Ranvinge created Geoguesser.
Now, sales are approaching 450 million kronor and around 100 people work from the office at Slussen in Stockholm.
Most of the money comes from subscriptions.
Geoguesser can be played in a web browser window, mobile phone and via Steam.
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