HQ (video game)
Live mobile trivia game that briefly captivated millions.
HQ was a mobile trivia game from Intermedia Labs, playable on iOS, Android, iPadOS, and tvOS. Launched in 2017, the app let people join daily live trivia contests where they could win or share cash prizes. The game was built by Vine creators Rus Yusupov and Colin Kroll and was listed as an Intermedia Labs production.
The original game, HQ Trivia, gave players ten seconds to answer multiple-choice questions that got harder as the game went on. Later additions included HQ Words and HQ Tunes. Near the end, scheduled games ran once a week with a $1,500 prize pool and typically drew around 15,000 players.
On February 14, 2020, Intermedia Labs told staff it would shut down and dissolve. Four days later, Yusupov said he had a tentative deal to sell the HQ franchise to another company and keep it going. HQ Trivia resumed daily games on March 29.
Though HQ never officially announced a shutdown, no game has been held since November 17, 2022. The app was removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store on August 5, 2023.
**History**
The original idea—a game show hosted by astronauts—came from Rus Yusupov, who had been testing the concept at his tech incubator Big Human before co-founding Intermedia Labs. HQ Trivia first launched on iOS on August 26, 2017, and on Android on December 31, 2017. Shows were broadcast live from New York City. The main host was initially Scott Rogowsky. In April 2019, after talks broke down over Rogowsky’s new baseball show on DAZN, Matt Richards took over as primary host. Richards, a stand-up comedian from Queens who had appeared in TV comedies, had been a regular fill-in host. Other hosts included Sharon Carpenter (also the main host for British games), Sarah Pribis, David Magidoff, Sian Welby, Alexandra Maurer (regular host for German games), Leonie Zeumer, Lara Falkner, Kathryn Goldsmith, Lauren Gambino, Lyndsey Rodrigues, and, for British games only, Beric Livingstone.
HQ was available worldwide—except in Russia and India—on the iOS App Store and Google Play. Average player counts ranged from 100,000 to 125,000. The record for concurrent players was 2.38 million on March 28, 2018.
On February 14, 2020, the app announced it would shut down immediately after its main investors stopped funding and a planned sale to an “established business” fell through.
Quick Facts
- Title
- HQ
- Publisher
- Intermedia Labs
- Designer
- Rus Yusupov · Colin Kroll
- Platforms
- iOS · Android
- Release
- August 26, 2017 (iOS) · December 31, 2017 (Android) · August 14, 2018 (tvOS)
- Genre
- Trivia game
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The game's original concept, a gameshow hosted by astronauts, was created by Rus Yusupov, who had been experimenting with the idea at his tech incubator, Big Human, prior to co-founding Intermedia Labs. HQ Trivia was first released on August 26, 2017, for iOS, and on December 31, 2017, for Android. Shows were broadcast live from New York City. The primary host was initially Scott Rogowsky, replaced in April 2019 by Matt Richards after negotiations broke down over Rogowsky's new baseball show on DAZN. Additional hosts included Sharon Carpenter, Sarah Pribis, David Magidoff, and others for various markets.
Reader's Guide
HQ's significance lies in its pioneering of live, synchronous mobile gaming with real cash prizes, a format that attracted millions of players and substantial media attention. At its height, the app drew 2.38 million concurrent players on March 28, 2018. However, the company faced financial instability: on February 14, 2020, Intermedia Labs Trivia announced it would cease operations after primary investors stopped funding and a potential sale fell through. A final episode of HQ After Dark aired that night, with host Matt Richards paying the $5 jackpot out of his own pocket. Four days later, Yusupov claimed a tentative deal to purchase the franchise, and games resumed on March 29. Despite never officially announcing a shutdown, HQ has not hosted a game since November 17, 2022, and the app was removed from both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store on August 5, 2023. The app's servers are offline, rendering all features non-functional. Unauthorized games occurred after a takeover in January 2023, including a game hosted by actor Fard Muhammad with a $50 prize. The Ringer released an eight-part podcast, Boom/Bust: The Rise and Fall of HQ Trivia, in May 2020, documenting the app's trajectory.
Did You Know?
- The original concept for HQ was a gameshow hosted by astronauts.
- The final jackpot before the February 2020 shutdown was $5, split among just over 500 players, and the prize was paid by the company, not out of host Matt Richards' own pocket.
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