What Happened To Games2U From Shark Tank Season 2?

Given the sheer number of would-be entrepreneurs that have graced the "Shark Tank" soundstage during its primetime run, you'd be correct in assuming it's difficult for any pitch to stand out from the pack. But if one were looking to make an impression beyond donning a silly outfit like Season 5's Tenikle Tripod pitcher, showing up with a life-sized nerf ball shooting robot and a giant, faux booger-stuffed nose sure seems like a pretty good place to start. 

If you've been watching "Shark Tank" since the early days, you might recall that the founders of Games2U did exactly that, hoping the additional eye-candy might be enough to help seal a deal with one of the series' billionaire panelists. Those gigantic props were also meant give the likes of Daymond John, Kevin O'Leary, and guest Shark Jeff Foxworthy a little taste of what they'd be ponying up for, with Games2U co-founders Stuart & David Pikoff seeking a $500,000 in investment to help grow their burgeoning mobile entertainment business.

In exchange for that sum, the Pikoff brothers were offering 10% of Games2U, and as their pitch unfolded, it became clear that there might be more to the business than just a few cool props and some obvious growth potential. While the Games2U gang eventually did win over a Shark and land an offer, it came with a problematic caveat the Pitkoff brothers didn't foresee. Here's a look at what became of Games2U from Season 2 of "Shark Tank."

If you were to punch up Games2U's ask vs offer numbers, you'd find that the Pikoff brothers walked into the "Shark Tank" studio valuing their company at a whopping $5 million. While many of the panelists were intrigued by what they saw from the Games2U presentation, there were pretty quick questions about that valuation. However, the Pikoff's were just as quick to offer explanations, pointing out that their franchise approach had already resulted in more than 100 successful Games2U operations that had delivered $3.5 million in sales the year prior, and were set to push that number to $5 million in the then current calendar year.

The problem was, however, that Games2U proper had only netted about $125,000 from that sum. Moreover, there were questions regarding whether the franchising format would be able to push the revenue numbers to the point that a Shark might eventually start banking more Benjamins than they were being asked to put into the company. Of course, for most of those Sharks, there's often not much to consider beyond the numbers. As such, four of the panelists were quick to offer Games2U the customary, "I'm out," that comes with a hard pass on an investment opportunity.

Kevin O'Leary was intrigued enough to bite, though he proffered Games2U a radically restructured deal, offering $500,000 for 51% of Games2U. The company founders took a minute to consider the offer before agreeing they simply couldn't give up control of their company. They instead counter at 25%, but O'Leary is not having it, and Games2U exited the stage without a deal.

The Games2U founders didn't take their "Shark Tank" exit as a failure, stating in their exit interview that they simply believed in their idea so much that they couldn't reasonably consider giving control of the company over to Kevin O'Leary, or anyone else for that matter. Given what they'd already achieved with Games2U even at the time of the show's 2010 airing, you could hardly blame them for wanting to keep their hands on the company's steering wheel — particularly as they'd built it up from scratch utilizing games and entertainment concepts they'd designed and built themselves.

As it happens, the Pikoffs were right to bet on themselves, as Games2U took off in the wake of its "Shark Tank" debut. As the brothers freely admitted in a "Shark Tank" Update segment that aired during the show's fourth season, that was in no small part due to the exposure they received from the primetime appearance. Seems that in the years between their initial Season 2 spot and the Season 4 update, the Pikoff brothers had grown Games2U from a local Austin, Texas based startup into an international operation, boasting franchises in seven different countries across the globe.

Perhaps more impressively, they'd grown Games2U's revenue considerably in the two-year span, claiming it had not only jumped from $4 million to $9 million "Shark Tank," but was set to double for the calendar year thereafter. It's worth wondering if even Kevin O'Leary's shrewd business acumen could've grown Games2U into a $20 million machine in such a short time.

As a reminder, Games2U's first "Shark Tank" appearance came in 2011. Likewise, a full decade has passed since the update made its way to air, leaving some to wonder if Games2U is still in business. While the company's current state of financial health is not known, we can confirm that Games2U is still very much around. With or without a deal, that fact alone ranks it alongside the likes of Season 12's LARQ Water Bottles as a bona fide "Shark Tank" success story.

That fact is evinced by the LinkedIn profiles of both David Pikoff and Stuart Pikoff, who are each listed as co-founders of Games2U. The latter Pikoff is, however, also listed as the company's CEO, so it's uncertain how involved David is in the business these days. Whatever the case, Stuart's profile notes Games2U has been gaming since 2006. If current Yelp reviews of the company are accurate, customers are somewhat split about the company's offerings, though it appears that franchises will likely to be around for the foreseeable future.

As the Pikoff's claimed during their "Shark Tank" spots, the company has also continued to build out its party offerings beyond the Booger Wars and U-Bot confections seen on the show. Per the company's >website, Games2U now offers everything from Bungee Joust and Video Game Stations to Bubble Soccer, Rock Walls, Giant Water Slides, and Hamster Ball Race Tracks. That means that Games2U outposts should be ready to party with kids of all ages, though it should be noted that offerings may vary by franchise.