Zoom in: Co-founder Aman Agarwal says that live play changes the engagement pattern, especially for younger users: Topdog players average roughly 25 games per day at about 60 seconds each, versus an industry norm of six games at four minutes apiece. “Younger players tend to want faster outcomes,” he told BettingStartups. “They will play more games, but they want each one resolved quickly.”

Why it matters: The deeper claim is that real-time multiplayer isn’t just stickier but more defensible—Agarwal argues live play makes fairness self-evident, something the skill-gaming category has always struggled to prove. If the retention and monetization gains he cites hold up, more of real-money gaming could shift away from solitary score-chasing and toward live, head-to-head competition.

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