April 8, 2018-The Success of HQ TriviaSMU SMC

What are you doing at 9 p.m. tonight? A good guess might be HQ Trivia, the trivia game app. Created in October 2017 by the former founder of Vine, Rus Yusupov, the success of HQ Trivia immediately took the world by storm and broke records.

How does it work?

HQ Trivia goes live every weeknight at 3 p.m. and every night at 9 p.m. Players from all around the globe quickly open their app to tune in to their favorite host, Scott Rogowsky. Once the game begins, players are given 10 seconds to answer each question. If you correctly answer the question, you move onto the next round. Winners of the game must correctly answer all 12 questions. If you do happen to have answered them all right, you can win various amounts of money, ranging into the thousands of dollars.

What makes it so popular?

Rogowsky, among others, attributes the success of HQ Trivia to its immediacy factor. Unlike other smartphone games, all the action is live. “It’s the FOMO element — the fear of missing out — that’s so prevalent in society now…. If you’re not there, you can’t play”. This unique characteristic differentiates HQ, because if you are not participating, you are missing out on the experience. The success of HQ Trivia can also be credited to its unique ability to bring real people together, in real time. In a world where we communicate behind screens, the group dynamic that HQ trivia encourages sets it apart from its competition.

New Brand Partnerships and Integrations

Adding to the success of HQ Trivia are its newly announced partnerships with Nike and Warner Brothers. On March 26, Nike partnered with HQ in order to celebrate the anniversary of the first Nike Air Max sneaker, created in 1987. Winners of Monday night’s game were included in the $100,000 prize pot and received a pair of the shoes. On March 28, HQ Trivia was sponsored by Warner Brothers new movie, Ready Player One. They offered the largest prize amount yet, a $250,000 pot. Sponsorships are new to the app, but HQ leadership believes it will further aid the success of HQ Trivia. “HQ’s ability to capture the undivided attention of this massive, engaged audience presents a unique opportunity,” explains Brandon Teitel, head of programming and strategic partnerships.