Games platform provider PapayaMobile is keen to remain independent as the mobile social gaming market evolves and it benefits from being a relatively small operation.

"There’s a fantastic opportunity being an independent player – especially small – because you can still turn on a dime. That’s a pretty powerful position to be in," Papaya evangelist Oscar Clark told Mobile Apps Briefing.

Citing the ability for its developers to build technology for the platform quickly rather than being held up by bureaucracy, Clark said: "I love the fact we’re still in start-up mode."

He added that as the mobile social gaming market is still evolving, it is too early to take the company off the market through an acquisition. "We don’t know where the disruption is really going to take us," he said.

Although the company is a relatively small operation – it has just over 100 employees but 64 million users – Clark said its niche combination of freemium and social gaming means it is still able to compete effectively. "We think we’ve got the magic formula and I think it’s going to be interesting to see how much money some of those other companies are spending. We’re able to punch above our weight because of that formula," he said.

However, being small does mean the company has to choose its battles, namely "getting people to understand how to make the best possible social games on mobile".

To find out how PapayaMobile is working with developers to make freemium social mobile games a success, check out the latest Mobile Apps Briefing Focus article.