Remember HQ? ‘Quiz Daddy’ Scott Rogowsky Returns with TextSavvy, a Daily Mobile Game Show

Scott Rogowsky, a comedian adept at self-deprecation, humorously wandered New York City Comic Con with a “Wanted” poster featuring his own photo, asking strangers, “Have you seen this man?” People recognized the tall, bearded man as someone familiar, though they couldn’t quite place him. “You look familiar! Where do I know you from?” someone asked, viewing him as a possible acquaintance from a party. Another noted, “I know your face,” looking at the 41-year-old. A cosplayer dressed as a Ghostbuster eventually recognized him. “Did you used to do that game show online?” he asked, referring to Rogowsky’s past online show, “Like, every night?” Rogowsky humorously embraced his persona as a once-famous internet figure. “I know my place,” he told TechCrunch. “I’m not walking around like everybody’s supposed to know who I am.” Seven years prior, Rogowsky was widely recognized. He had been the face of HQ Trivia, an app that surged into popular culture and faded nearly as quickly. Between 2017 and 2019, Rogowsky hosted the twice-daily live mobile game show, which, at its peak, attracted over 2.4 million nightly viewers and achieved 20 million lifetime downloads. Now, Rogowsky returns with his own app, Savvy, reminiscent of HQ, with its first game, TextSavvy, a daily live game show offering cash prizes, but this time viewers compete against Rogowsky in a word puzzle game akin to a mix of The New York Times’ Wordle and Connections, rather than trivia. “I believe this is my calling in a weird way,” Rogowsky expressed, recalling the thrill of being watched by thousands at home. “I get up there in front of that camera, and it just flows.” HQ Trivia, created by Vine’s founders, became a cultural sensation, with office workers stopping everything to play HQ at 3 p.m. It was a groundbreaking entertainment format for the streaming era until the company collapsed due to unfortunate circumstances. Co-founder Colin Kroll died of a drug overdose, while the other founder, Rus Yusupov, had leadership clashes with the staff. He once threatened a journalist, claiming he would fire Rogowsky if she published an interview with him that mentioned liking Sweetgreen salads (Yusupov didn’t want to give the fast-food chain free publicity). HQ Trivia succumbed to the trap that ensnares many startups, despite a $15 million funding round leading to a $100 million valuation. The app, giving away money, never devised a solid monetization or sustainable business plan, declaring bankruptcy in February 2020. Its demise later fueled both dramatic documentaries and true-crime-adjacent podcasts dissecting how such a promising app spectacularly failed. This was tough for Rogowsky. More bad luck ensued after leaving HQ Trivia in 2019 for a job hosting an MLB Network show. He felt accomplished seeing Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez in the bathroom, but his show ended when the pandemic stopped baseball. He tried reviving an HQ-like company but faced repeated setbacks. “Crazy stuff I couldn’t control happened. I felt tossed and turned on this ocean raft, battered by uncontrollable events, and that reflected my general outlook on life,” he stated. Considering quitting show business, he opened a vintage store in California but missed comedy. “I went through a meaningful transformation in recent years,” he shared. The transformation climaxed in a seven-day mountain retreat called “the Hoffman Process,” a digital detox offering psychology and neuroscience lessons providing life clarity. “It gave me a lot of clarity to say, you know what, I have more to do here,” Rogowsky remarked. “I got out of that retreat and felt like, ‘I have something to say. People find me funny and entertaining. I find myself funny and entertaining.’” People played HQ Trivia for the allure of a cash prize, but the odds were thin. However, Rogowsky’s quick wit and charm kept millions returning each night, earning him a cult following still calling him “Quiz Daddy.” “Psychologically and emotionally, I couldn’t fully process my viral fame,” Rogowsky said, reflecting on his past fame. “These humbling seven years since have given me a vastly new perspective… My fanbase and core followers are right here. They’re with me, and it’s about getting the word out.” Rogowsky received many messages from people eager to help build the next HQ. But last year, a direct message from European game designer Johan de Jager on X caught his attention. “The idea was the host plays against the audience, creating two-way interaction,” Rogowsky explained. “Imagine HQ with me not only asking questions but also answering them… That idea adds another layer no one considered before.” In the AI era, where players can