The story
How we scoped, built, and shipped this system.
DIBS is a playful neighbourhood map game built by COZQ and integrated into Around Town. Members call dibs on squares across a shared map - turning familiar streets into a light-hearted, community-scale experience at dibs.aroundtown.uk.
It is free to play, works alongside the main Around Town platform, and is reachable from the Around Town website and iOS app - so neighbours can dip in without creating a separate product account.
What is DIBS?
DIBS invites people to claim squares on a map of Earth - 1.66 trillion possible tiles, one planet. At neighbourhood scale, it becomes a gentle game of local discovery: see who has called dibs nearby, explore your town from a fresh angle, and share a bit of playful competition with people who actually live around you.
Unlike a standalone mobile game, DIBS is designed as an ecosystem extension for Around Town. It reuses member identity, shares the same Cloudflare-backed Laravel infrastructure, and surfaces inside the community product members already use for local updates and conversation.
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Map-based claiming
Browse an interactive map and call dibs on squares - playful ownership of places you know and love. -
Neighbourhood-first
Built for hyperlocal communities, not anonymous global leaderboards - the game feels like part of local life. -
Free to play
No subscription, no paywall - DIBS is free for Around Town members to try whenever curiosity strikes. -
Shared platform identity
Sign in once through Around Town and move between community feed and DIBS without friction.
Integrated into Around Town
DIBS is not a bolt-on microsite. COZQ integrated it into the Around Town website and iOS app, so members discover the game in context - as something fun to do in the same place they already read local updates and join neighbourhood conversation.
On the web, DIBS runs as a fast React map experience at dibs.aroundtown.uk, deployed alongside the main Around Town Laravel platform. In the app, DIBS is reachable from the same member session, keeping auth and profile data consistent across surfaces.
One ecosystem, two experiences
Around Town handles the practical side of local life - feeds, recommendations, council-aware updates and trusted conversation. DIBS adds a lighter layer: a map game that encourages exploration and gives members another reason to open the app.
Both products share engineering patterns COZQ uses across client work: modular Laravel services, React front ends, and Cloudflare edge hosting for responsive map tiles and API calls.
Built for mobile and web
DIBS is a progressive web experience with app-like behaviour - portrait-friendly layout, installable manifest, and a focused dark-green visual identity that sits comfortably next to Around Town's calm community design.
Members can play in the browser or follow through from the Around Town iOS app when they want a quick, local diversion.
How it works
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Join Around Town
Sign in on web or iOS with Apple or Google - the same account used across the Around Town ecosystem. -
Open DIBS
Launch DIBS from aroundtown.uk or the Around Town app to load the interactive neighbourhood map. -
Explore the map
Pan and zoom across your area - each square is a tile you can discover and claim. -
Call dibs
Claim squares on streets and landmarks you recognise - playful ownership that stays tied to real places. -
Share the fun
Invite neighbours to play - it is free, local, and designed to complement Around Town conversation.
- Price to play
- Free
- Map tiles
- 1.66T
- Platforms
- Web + iOS
Technologies used
- JavaScript
- PHP
Key outcomes
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Ecosystem extension
Demonstrates how COZQ ships companion experiences inside an existing community platform - not as disconnected side projects. -
Cross-surface reach
Playable on the web and discoverable from the Around Town iOS app with shared member identity. -
Zero-cost entry
Free access lowers the barrier for members to try something new without commitment. -
Map-first React UX
Shows COZQ's capability to deliver responsive, tile-based map interfaces on Cloudflare-backed infrastructure.
Call Dibs on Earth. 1.66 trillion squares. One planet.
Is DIBS free?
Do I need a separate DIBS account?
How do I access DIBS from the Around Town app?
Who built DIBS?
Try DIBS for free
Call dibs on your neighbourhood today - no subscription, no catch. Open the map and explore your area from a playful new angle.