Current studio focus
Founder and CEO of Fun and Games, a mobile game studio building word and puzzle experiences for broad consumer audiences.
Founder & CEO, Fun and Games · Product Builder · Investor
Founder & CEO of Fun and Games.
Co-creator of Words With Friends.
David Bettner is founder and CEO of Fun and Games, co-creator of Words With Friends, and co-founder of Newtoy with Paul Bettner. He is also the director and co-creator of Disney SpellStruck, co-developed with Artist Arcade.
Founder & CEO, Fun and Games
Co-creator, Words With Friends
Co-founder, Newtoy (with Paul Bettner)
Director & Co-creator, Disney SpellStruck
Proven category impact
Co-created Words With Friends and co-founded Newtoy with Paul Bettner, then helped scale into a major franchise and acquisition outcome.
Creative leadership
Director and co-creator of Disney SpellStruck, co-developed with Artist Arcade, bringing modern word-game craft to Disney, Pixar, and Star Wars audiences on Apple Arcade.
Selected Journey
Key stops in David's career: games, studios, and investing.
1997-2008
Ensemble Studios
Built deep roots in game development during the Age of Empires era.
2008
Newtoy Co-founded
Co-founded Newtoy with Paul Bettner to build polished, social-first mobile games.
2009
Words With Friends
Co-created a breakout mobile title that became a defining social game franchise.
2010-2012
Zynga With Friends
After the acquisition, Newtoy became Zynga With Friends and expanded the franchise's reach.
2012+
Studios / Investing
Continued building companies and backing ambitious founders.
2020s
Fun and Games
Founder & CEO, building new word and puzzle games with a small, focused team.
2023+
Disney SpellStruck
Director and co-creator; co-developed with Artist Arcade for Apple Arcade and Disney.
Selected Products & Platforms
Games and products David has built, helped lead, or helped ship.
Flagship
Words With Friends
Social gameplay design, retention loops, asynchronous multiplayer, and mainstream product intuition at mobile scale.
Product
Game Design
Social Systems
Director / Co-creator
Disney SpellStruck
Director and co-creator of Disney SpellStruck, co-developed with Artist Arcade, with Disney and Pixar gameplay worlds and recent Star Wars content updates on Apple Arcade.
Studio Era
Halo Wars
Ensemble Studios-era strategy title work that reflects deep craft roots in game development.
Platform Distribution
Facebook Crossword
Crossword experiences on Facebook powered by Fun and Games technology and word-game know-how.
Newtoy Era
We Rule
Early Newtoy mobile hit and part of the studio's run of social game experiments before the breakout scale of Words With Friends.
Ensemble Era
Age of Empires III
Part of the Ensemble Studios era that built long-term craft foundations in strategy game development and large-scale production.
Selected Investments
A short list of investments that show the kinds of companies David likes to back.
Selected Seed Investments
Seed investments with strong performance and momentum across software, infrastructure, logistics, and consumer.
Seed / Angel
Top performerGecko Robotics
Industrial robotics and infrastructure intelligence.
Seed / Angel
First roundPlayful
David's first funding round.
Seed / Angel
MomentumGiga Energy
Energy and infrastructure execution with strong current momentum.
Seed / Angel
EnterpriseMutiny
B2B growth and personalization software with strong enterprise traction.
Seed / Angel
EnterpriseSecureframe
Security and compliance software with institutional follow-on validation.
Seed / Angel
Hard techElroy Air
Autonomous logistics aviation and deep-tech transportation bets.
Seed / Angel
Fintech infraRoutable
Payments and AP automation infrastructure for modern finance teams.
Seed / Angel
LogisticsRose Rocket
Vertical software for freight and logistics operations.
Seed / Angel
ConsumerBigscreen
Consumer/VR product bet aligned with long-term product instincts.
Seed / Angel
SaaSKnotch
Enterprise marketing intelligence and measurement software.
Notable Later-Stage / Strategic
A few later-stage and private-market positions.
Later-stage / Strategic
Later-stageInstacart
Later-stage position.
Private Market / Strategic
SelectiveSpaceX
Private-market position.
This is a selected list, not a full portfolio.
Core Strengths
Product Strategy
Game Design
Mobile Social Experiences
Founder Mentorship
Studio Building
Team Leadership
Early-Stage Investing
Strategic Advisory
Get In Touch
Reach out for product, studio, partnership, or advisory conversations.
Press Clips & References
Selected coverage and official references related to David, Newtoy, Fun and Games, and Disney SpellStruck.
Apple launches 20 fun new games for Apple Arcade
Official Apple announcement for Disney SpellStruck (Artist Arcade), noting development partnership with a Words With Friends co-creator.
DP
New Disney SpellStruck Word Game Now On Apple Arcade
Official Disney post describing Disney SpellStruck as created by Artist Arcade and Fun + Games in collaboration with Walt Disney Games.
TC
A Look Behind The 'Words With Friends' iPhone Gaming Phenomenon
TechCrunch interview coverage featuring Paul and David Bettner on Newtoy and Words With Friends.
WI
Halo Wars Devs Form iPhone Game Studio
Early coverage of Paul and Dave Bettner leaving Ensemble Studios to form Newtoy.
CN
Zynga expands its social circle with Words With Friends
Mainstream business coverage referencing the Bettners and the growth of the franchise.
FG
Fun + Games | Mobile Game Development Studio
Official studio site: “We’re a mobile game studio…” and current company positioning.
AS
Disney SpellStruck on the App Store
Live listing for the game, including release notes and current update information.
DM
Words With Friends Tests Your Vocabulary
Regional profile coverage on Newtoy and the cultural rise of Words With Friends.
GH
Words With Friends co-creator reveals Disney game, SpellStruck
Coverage and interview context tying Disney SpellStruck to David Bettner and Fun + Games.
Additional references
More references can be added as new interviews, releases, and announcements are published.