Award-winning novelist Naomi Alderman has successfully reacquired the popular Zombies, Run! fitness app from blockchain company OliveX in a high six-figure deal, rescuing the beloved game from near extinction after mass layoffs threatened its future. The repurchase marks a triumphant return for Alderman, who co-created the immersive audio fitness game in 2012, and ensures that its 10 million-strong global community can continue their post-apocalyptic running adventures.
From Kickstarter Success to Corporate Acquisition
Zombies, Run! launched in 2012 as one of Kickstarter’s earliest fundraising successes, developed by Alderman and UK-based studio Six to Start. The innovative app transforms mundane exercise routines into thrilling narrative experiences where users become heroes fleeing from zombies while completing missions and uncovering storylines through audio drama. The game quickly gained traction as what claims to be the most successful smartphone fitness game ever made, generating approximately $7.9 million from 11.6 million downloads since its debut.
In March 2021, fitness and blockchain firm OliveX acquired Six to Start, bringing Zombies, Run! and other titles under its corporate umbrella. However, the relationship between the creative team and the new parent company became increasingly strained, particularly over ideological differences regarding the game’s anti-capitalist themes and OliveX’s ambitions to integrate cryptocurrency and NFT elements into the platform.
Crisis and Near-Shutdown
The situation reached a breaking point in March 2025 when OliveX laid off all but two employees from Six to Start, effectively announcing that the game would be discontinued unless a buyer emerged. The company informed users that while the app, its extensive archives, and community forums would remain accessible, no new episodes would be produced, leaving the beloved franchise in limbo. Sources revealed deep tensions between the Six to Start team and OliveX, along with its parent company Animoca Brands, centered on creative direction and the push toward blockchain monetization strategies.
A Personal Rescue Mission
“This isn’t a corporate acquisition; it’s me reclaiming the game I created and cherish so I can care for it,” Alderman declared in her announcement on the Zombies, Run! website. The author, best known for her novel “The Power,” personally purchased both the Zombies, Run! franchise and The Walk, another immersive fitness game she co-created with Six to Start. Notably, Alderman did not acquire Six to Start itself, and Marvel Move, the studio’s superhero-themed fitness app, will continue its planned sunset with final operations ending when annual subscriptions expire in July 2026.
Future Plans and Creative Control
With full creative control restored, Alderman has outlined her vision for the franchise’s future, emphasizing a return to fundamentals. “We are developing a new storyline for Zombies, Run!, which I hope will serve as a great introduction for new players or those returning after a hiatus,” she told The Verge. Production on Season 11, which was left incomplete during the ownership crisis, will resume to resolve the extended cliffhanger that fans have endured.
Alderman also took aim at broader industry trends in her announcement, criticizing “computer-generated algorithmically-produced slop” while reaffirming her commitment to quality storytelling. She emphasized that Zombies, Run!’s longevity stems from being a “game for good” that combines gripping narratives with a truly special community—elements she plans to preserve and strengthen moving forward.
