<s>
HQ	B-Application
was	O
a	O
mobile	B-Application
trivia	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Intermedia	O
Labs	O
for	O
iOS	B-Application
,	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
iPadOS	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
tvOS	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
First	O
released	O
in	O
2017	O
,	O
the	O
HQ	B-Application
app	B-Application
allowed	O
users	O
to	O
play	O
in	O
daily	O
live	O
trivia	O
games	O
,	O
through	O
which	O
they	O
could	O
win	O
or	O
split	O
prize	O
money	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HQ	B-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Vine	B-Application
creators	O
Rus	O
Yusupov	O
and	O
Colin	O
Kroll	O
,	O
and	O
credited	O
as	O
a	O
production	O
of	O
Intermedia	O
Labs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
app	B-Application
's	O
original	O
game	O
was	O
HQ	B-Application
Trivia	I-Application
,	O
in	O
which	O
players	O
have	O
10	O
seconds	O
to	O
answer	O
multiple-choice	O
questions	O
that	O
incrementally	O
increase	O
in	O
difficulty	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additional	O
games	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
HQ	B-Application
Words	O
and	O
HQ	B-Application
Tunes	O
,	O
were	O
added	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
last	O
HQ	B-Application
games	O
were	O
supposed	O
to	O
be	O
hosted	O
once	O
a	O
week	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
prize	O
pot	O
of	O
$1	O
,	O
500	O
,	O
and	O
typically	O
saw	O
around	O
15,000	O
players	O
each	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HQ	B-Application
has	O
only	O
approved	O
payouts	O
for	O
games	O
up	O
to	O
June	O
30	O
,	O
leaving	O
winnings	O
since	O
then	O
unpaid	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
February	O
14	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
that	O
owned	O
HQ	B-Application
Trivia	I-Application
sent	O
a	O
memo	O
to	O
staff	O
that	O
"	O
effective	O
today	O
,	O
HQ	B-Application
will	O
cease	O
operations	O
and	O
move	O
to	O
dissolution.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
four	O
days	O
later	O
,	O
Yusupov	O
said	O
that	O
he	O
had	O
a	O
tentative	O
deal	O
in	O
place	O
with	O
another	O
company	O
to	O
purchase	O
the	O
HQ	B-Application
franchise	O
and	O
keep	O
it	O
operational	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
29	O
,	O
HQ	B-Application
Trivia	I-Application
resumed	O
its	O
daily	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
HQ	B-Application
has	O
not	O
officially	O
announced	O
a	O
shutdown	O
,	O
it	O
has	O
not	O
had	O
a	O
game	O
since	O
November	O
17	O
,	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HQ	B-Application
Trivia	I-Application
was	O
first	O
released	O
on	O
August	O
26	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
for	O
iOS	B-Application
,	O
and	O
on	O
December	O
31	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
primary	O
host	O
of	O
HQ	B-Application
Trivia	I-Application
was	O
initially	O
Scott	O
Rogowsky	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2019	O
,	O
Rogowsky	O
was	O
replaced	O
by	O
Matt	O
Richards	O
as	O
the	O
primary	O
host	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
after	O
negotiations	O
between	O
HQ	B-Application
and	O
Rogowsky	O
broke	O
down	O
over	O
his	O
new	O
baseball	O
show	O
on	O
DAZN	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Richards	O
,	O
a	O
stand-up	O
comedian	O
from	O
Queens	O
,	O
New	O
York	O
,	O
who	O
has	O
played	O
comedy	O
roles	O
in	O
several	O
TV	O
shows	O
,	O
had	O
previously	O
worked	O
regularly	O
for	O
HQ	B-Application
Trivia	I-Application
as	O
a	O
fill-in	O
host	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HQ	B-Application
has	O
been	O
made	O
available	O
worldwide	O
—	O
with	O
the	O
exception	O
of	O
Russia	O
and	O
India	O
—	O
on	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
App	I-Application
Store	I-Application
and	O
Google	B-Application
Play	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
app	B-Application
's	O
record	O
high	O
of	O
concurrent	O
players	O
was	O
2.38	O
million	O
on	O
March	O
28	O
,	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
February	O
14	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
that	O
the	O
app	B-Application
would	O
immediately	O
cease	O
operations	O
after	O
its	O
primary	O
investors	O
had	O
stopped	O
funding	O
the	O
company	O
and	O
a	O
potential	O
sale	O
of	O
HQ	B-Application
to	O
an	O
"	O
established	O
business	O
"	O
fell	O
through	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
final	O
episode	O
of	O
HQ	B-Application
After	O
Dark	O
was	O
aired	O
that	O
night	O
,	O
hosted	O
by	O
Matt	O
Richards	O
and	O
Anna	O
Roisman	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
February	O
18	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
Yusupov	O
said	O
on	O
Twitter	B-Application
that	O
he	O
had	O
reached	O
a	O
tentative	O
deal	O
with	O
an	O
unspecified	O
company	O
to	O
purchase	O
the	O
HQ	B-Application
franchise	O
,	O
thus	O
allowing	O
it	O
to	O
continue	O
in	O
the	O
near	O
future	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
29	O
,	O
Yusupov	O
publicly	O
announced	O
that	O
HQ	B-Application
was	O
resuming	O
operations	O
that	O
evening	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
,	O
host	O
Matt	O
Richards	O
announced	O
that	O
HQ	B-Application
was	O
donating	O
$	O
100,000	O
to	O
World	O
Central	O
Kitchen	O
,	O
founded	O
by	O
José	O
Andrés	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
other	O
game	O
shows	O
that	O
were	O
added	O
,	O
Anna	O
Roisman	O
regularly	O
hosted	O
HQ	B-Application
Words	O
,	O
Melody	O
Alanna	O
was	O
the	O
host	O
of	O
HQ	B-Application
Tunes	O
,	O
Lauren	O
Gambino	O
served	O
as	O
the	O
host	O
of	O
HQ	B-Application
Sports	O
,	O
and	O
Matt	O
Friend	O
was	O
the	O
host	O
of	O
HQX	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
shows	O
were	O
all	O
discontinued	O
in	O
February	O
2020	O
,	O
and	O
HQ	B-Application
Sports	O
returned	O
(	O
with	O
Gambino	O
)	O
in	O
May	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2020	O
,	O
The	O
Ringer	O
released	O
a	O
podcast	O
called	O
Boom/Bust	O
:	O
The	O
Rise	O
and	O
Fall	O
of	O
HQ	B-Application
Trivia	I-Application
that	O
charts	O
the	O
app	B-Application
's	O
rise	O
and	O
fall	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
eight-part	O
series	O
includes	O
interviews	O
from	O
host	O
Alyssa	O
Bereznak	O
with	O
fans	O
,	O
former	O
HQ	B-Application
employees	O
,	O
and	O
venture	O
capitalists	O
about	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
initial	O
popularity	O
,	O
the	O
chaotic	O
work	O
environment	O
of	O
Intermedia	O
Labs	O
,	O
and	O
what	O
led	O
to	O
its	O
initial	O
shut	O
down	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
app	B-Application
has	O
not	O
hosted	O
an	O
official	O
game	O
since	O
November	O
17	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
breaking	O
from	O
its	O
once-weekly	O
game	O
schedule	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
the	O
servers	O
used	O
by	O
the	O
app	B-Application
are	O
not	O
online	O
,	O
rendering	O
all	O
app	B-Application
features	O
non-functional	O
and	O
the	O
domains	O
non-responsive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
January	O
15	O
,	O
2023	O
,	O
the	O
HQ	B-Application
app	B-Application
was	O
displaying	O
the	O
following	O
message	O
:	O
"	O
Dear	O
HQ	B-Application
Community	O
:	O
The	O
app	B-Application
has	O
been	O
taken	O
over	O
by	O
me	O
,	O
a	O
security	O
vulnerability	O
finder	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
We	O
all	O
are	O
tired	O
of	O
HQ	B-Application
's	O
lack	O
of	O
communication	O
,	O
and	O
as	O
such	O
the	O
app	B-Application
has	O
been	O
taken	O
over	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
way	O
I	O
was	O
able	O
to	O
take	O
over	O
the	O
app	B-Application
?	O
</s>
<s>
We	O
will	O
be	O
running	O
unofficial	O
HQ	B-Application
Trivia	I-Application
and	O
HQ	B-Application
Word	O
games	O
on	O
Monday	O
10PM	O
and	O
10:45PM	O
EST	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HQ	B-Application
Trivia	I-Application
Australia	O
,	O
which	O
aired	O
its	O
final	O
game	O
on	O
August	O
9	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
just	O
12	O
days	O
after	O
the	O
first	O
show	O
aired	O
on	O
July	O
25	O
,	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HQ	B-Application
Trivia	I-Application
Germany	O
,	O
which	O
announced	O
their	O
last	O
game	O
on	O
August	O
11	O
,	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HQ	B-Application
Trivia	I-Application
UK	O
,	O
which	O
announced	O
a	O
"	O
break	O
"	O
as	O
they	O
prepared	O
for	O
HQ	B-Application
Words	O
on	O
December	O
5	O
,	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HQ	B-Application
Trivia	I-Application
took	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
a	O
live	O
trivia	O
game	O
,	O
which	O
usually	O
airs	O
daily	O
at	O
9pm	O
US	O
Eastern	O
Time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
Fridays	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
format	O
shifted	O
for	O
HQ	B-Application
Tunes	O
,	O
until	O
that	O
game	O
ceased	O
in	O
February	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2018	O
,	O
the	O
app	B-Application
broadcast	O
games	O
in	O
Germany	O
,	O
Australia	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
UK	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
players	O
can	O
earn	O
"	O
Erasers	O
"	O
by	O
playing	O
two	O
other	O
nearby	O
HQ	B-Application
Trivia	I-Application
players	O
to	O
eliminate	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
wrong	O
answers	O
to	O
a	O
question	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HQ	B-Application
Trivia	I-Application
partnered	O
with	O
Nike	O
,	O
Wendy	O
's	O
,	O
Warner	O
Bros	O
.	O
and	O
other	O
organizations	O
to	O
promote	O
products	O
and	O
movies	O
such	O
as	O
Rampage	O
,	O
Fantastic	O
Beasts	O
:	O
The	O
Crimes	O
of	O
Grindelwald	O
,	O
Ready	O
Player	O
One	O
and	O
The	O
Lego	O
Movie	O
2	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
in	O
September	O
2019	O
,	O
HQ	B-Application
introduced	O
an	O
additional	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
called	O
HQ	B-Application
After	O
Dark	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
was	O
no	O
set	O
time	O
when	O
HQ	B-Application
After	O
Dark	O
was	O
played	O
,	O
though	O
it	O
would	O
most	O
often	O
occur	O
after	O
midnight	O
Eastern	O
Time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HQ	B-Application
After	O
Dark	O
usually	O
occurred	O
on	O
a	O
weekly	O
basis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
31	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
HQ	B-Application
introduced	O
HQ	B-Application
Sports	O
,	O
a	O
spinoff	O
game	O
in	O
which	O
players	O
answer	O
sports	O
trivia	O
questions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HQ	B-Application
Sports	O
was	O
hosted	O
by	O
Lauren	O
Gambino	O
,	O
co-host	O
of	O
the	O
fantasy	O
football	O
web	O
show	O
"	O
Offsides	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HQ	B-Application
Sports	O
was	O
usually	O
played	O
every	O
Monday	O
and	O
Wednesday	O
at	O
8pm	O
ET	O
and	O
its	O
standard	O
jackpot	O
was	O
$	O
1,000	O
each	O
show	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
7	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
Matt	O
Richards	O
announced	O
that	O
HQ	B-Application
Sports	O
would	O
return	O
on	O
May	O
10	O
,	O
hosted	O
again	O
by	O
Gambino	O
,	O
scheduled	O
for	O
Sundays	O
and	O
Thursdays	O
at	O
5pm	O
ET	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
airing	O
six	O
games	O
sponsored	O
by	O
Busch	O
Light	O
beer	O
,	O
Gambino	O
announced	O
another	O
HQ	B-Application
Sports	O
hiatus	O
during	O
the	O
broadcast	O
of	O
May	O
28	O
,	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2018	O
,	O
HQ	B-Application
launched	O
another	O
game	O
called	O
HQ	B-Application
Words	O
,	O
a	O
word	O
puzzle	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
style	O
of	O
Wheel	O
of	O
Fortune	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Beginning	O
on	O
February	O
13	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
HQ	B-Application
Words	O
began	O
allowing	O
10	O
total	O
incorrect	O
letter	O
choices	O
across	O
all	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
puzzles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
April	O
2019	O
,	O
it	O
had	O
changed	O
to	O
5	O
strikes	O
plus	O
one	O
for	O
each	O
level	O
the	O
player	O
has	O
attained	O
in	O
the	O
current	O
HQ	B-Application
Season	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HQ	B-Application
Words	O
was	O
usually	O
hosted	O
by	O
comedian	O
Anna	O
Roisman	O
,	O
but	O
had	O
been	O
guest	O
hosted	O
by	O
Matt	O
Richards	O
,	O
Timothy	O
Dunn	O
,	O
and	O
Neil	O
Patrick	O
Harris	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
January	O
29	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
HQ	B-Application
announced	O
on	O
their	O
HQ	B-Application
Trivia	I-Application
Twitter	B-Application
page	O
that	O
HQ	B-Application
Words	O
would	O
be	O
returning	O
to	O
the	O
app	B-Application
on	O
Wednesdays	O
at	O
9pm	O
ET	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
9	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
HQ	B-Application
announced	O
and	O
launched	O
a	O
spinoff	O
trivia	O
game	O
called	O
"	O
HQ	B-Application
Tunes	O
"	O
hosted	O
by	O
New	O
York	O
City	O
singer	O
and	O
songwriter	O
Melody	O
Alanna	O
,	O
who	O
was	O
a	O
host	O
of	O
the	O
former	O
music	O
trivia	O
app	B-Application
,	O
"	O
Out	O
of	O
Tune	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
12	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
HQ	B-Application
launched	O
HQX	O
,	O
a	O
multi-themed	O
photo	O
competition	O
hosted	O
by	O
Matt	O
Friend	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Beginning	O
its	O
beta	O
stage	O
in	O
September	O
2019	O
,	O
HQ	B-Application
Jokes	O
is	O
a	O
live	O
comedy	O
show	O
where	O
users	O
rate	O
standup	O
comedians	O
 '	O
jokes	O
live	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HQ	B-Application
Drops	O
was	O
a	O
live	O
QVC-like	O
show	O
hosted	O
by	O
Lauren	O
Gambino	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
show	O
,	O
HQ	B-Application
merchandise	O
would	O
be	O
displayed	O
and	O
users	O
would	O
have	O
between	O
60	O
and	O
180	O
seconds	O
to	O
purchase	O
the	O
current	O
item	O
either	O
using	O
Apple	O
Pay	O
or	O
Google	O
Pay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HQ	B-Application
had	O
been	O
criticized	O
for	O
its	O
method	O
of	O
paying	O
winners	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
iOS	B-Application
users	O
,	O
some	O
winners	O
had	O
the	O
cashout	O
button	O
gray	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
Android	B-Application
users	O
,	O
the	O
cashout	O
button	O
could	O
be	O
clicked	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
would	O
display	O
a	O
message	O
saying	O
that	O
the	O
player	O
needed	O
$0.01	O
or	O
more	O
to	O
cashout	O
even	O
though	O
they	O
had	O
met	O
the	O
payout	O
threshold	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Typically	O
,	O
victorious	O
players	O
received	O
under	O
$1	O
,	O
although	O
payouts	O
on	O
occasion	O
got	O
as	O
high	O
as	O
$	O
100,000	O
and	O
a	O
pair	O
of	O
HQ	B-Application
Nike	O
sneakers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Alex	O
Jacob	O
,	O
who	O
won	O
a	O
$	O
20,000	O
prize	O
on	O
HQ	B-Application
Trivia	I-Application
in	O
June	O
2019	O
,	O
stated	O
he	O
had	O
not	O
been	O
paid	O
his	O
winnings	O
a	O
month	O
after	O
his	O
win	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
lieu	O
of	O
a	O
direct	O
payment	O
,	O
HQ	B-Application
had	O
initially	O
informed	O
Jacob	O
that	O
they	O
would	O
email	O
further	O
instructions	O
but	O
never	O
sent	O
the	O
email	O
and	O
failed	O
to	O
respond	O
to	O
follow-ups	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
Android	B-Application
apps	O
experienced	O
many	O
technical	O
glitches	O
as	O
the	O
app	B-Application
grew	O
in	O
popularity	O
,	O
sparking	O
outrage	O
from	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Creators	O
Rus	O
Yusupov	O
and	O
Colin	O
Kroll	O
sought	O
to	O
attract	O
investors	O
and	O
venture	O
capitalist	O
firms	O
to	O
fund	O
HQ	B-Application
with	O
the	O
intent	O
of	O
landing	O
a	O
post-money	O
valuation	O
as	O
high	O
as	O
$100	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
pair	O
's	O
prior	O
split	O
from	O
Twitter	B-Application
caused	O
issues	O
;	O
Kroll	O
departed	O
the	O
social	O
media	O
site	O
in	O
2014	O
after	O
accusations	O
of	O
incompetence	O
and	O
alleged	O
inappropriate	O
behavior	O
towards	O
women	O
,	O
and	O
Yusupov	O
was	O
laid	O
off	O
in	O
2015	O
,	O
giving	O
potential	O
investors	O
reasons	O
for	O
pause	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
,	O
HQ	B-Application
's	O
fundraising	O
prospects	O
were	O
ongoing	O
and	O
its	O
parent	O
company	O
,	O
Intermedia	O
Labs	O
,	O
was	O
still	O
in	O
talks	O
with	O
potential	O
investors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
won	O
the	O
A-Train	O
Award	O
for	O
Best	O
Mobile	B-Application
Game	I-Application
at	O
the	O
New	O
York	O
Game	O
Awards	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
won	O
the	O
award	O
for	O
"	O
Word	O
&	O
Trivia	O
Game	O
"	O
with	O
Nike	O
and	O
HQ	B-Application
Trivia	I-Application
–	O
Nike	O
X	O
HQ	B-Application
Air	O
Max	O
Day	O
at	O
the	O
2019	O
Webby	O
Awards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Time	O
magazine	O
ranked	O
it	O
"	O
App	B-Application
of	O
the	O
year	O
"	O
for	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
16	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
that	O
HQ	B-Application
Trivia	I-Application
was	O
nominated	O
for	O
a	O
Primetime	O
Emmy	O
Award	O
for	O
Outstanding	O
Interactive	O
Program	O
for	O
its	O
partnership	O
with	O
Warner	O
Bros	O
.	O
to	O
promote	O
The	O
Lego	O
Movie	O
2	O
:	O
The	O
Second	O
Part	O
.	O
</s>
