ROB SMALL
Career History
Miniclip is one of Europe’s earliest and most recognisable names in online and mobile gaming, best known for global hits such as 8 Ball Pool and Football Strike. Founded by Rob Small in 2000, the company first built its reputation in browser-based multiplayer sports and action games on its own website before becoming a major force in mobile. Small served as Chief Executive Officer for two decades, guiding the company through sustained global growth before becoming President in 2020.
Under his leadership, Miniclip evolved from a web portal into a diversified international publisher with hundreds of millions of monthly players. The company accelerated its expansion through a series of high-profile acquisitions, including Easybrain, Sybo, Masomo, Ilyon and Lessmore, extending its reach across puzzle, arcade and sports genres. Following its acquisition by Tencent in 2015, Small continued to shape long-term strategy and partnerships, leading Miniclip’s evolution beyond mobile into premium PC and console publishing, broadening the company’s presence across multiple platforms while maintaining its core strength in multiplayer sports and competitive casual titles.
About Miniclip
Miniclip is a global games publisher headquartered in Switzerland, reporting more than 10bn downloads and over 400m monthly players across its portfolio. The company is best known for its enduring sports and multiplayer franchises, including 8 Ball Pool, Football Strike and Carrom Pool, each of which continues to attract tens of millions of active users.
Through acquisitions such as Easybrain, the developer of Sudoku.com and Nonogram.com, and Sybo, the creator of Subway Surfers, Miniclip has become one of the world’s largest independent mobile publishers. Building on this scale, the company now plays a central role in shaping the next phase of global mobile gaming, combining long-term franchise management with investment in new genres, platforms and technologies.
8 Ball Pool