Goodgame Studios
Goodgame Studios is a Hamburg-based free-to-play game studio that designs and publishes browser and mobile strategy, simulation, and role-playing games for a global audience of 500M+ registered players across its Empire, Big Farm, and Legends of Honor franchises, operating as a subsidiary of Sweden's Stillfront Group.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersHamburg, Germany
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Goodgame Studios does
Goodgame Studios is a Hamburg-based entertainment software studio that designs and publishes free-to-play browser and mobile games for a global audience of casual and mid-core gamers. Founded in 2009 by brothers Dr. Kai Wawrzinek and Dr. Christian Wawrzinek, the company built its core portfolio around two flagship franchises: the Empire series of medieval strategy games (Goodgame Empire launched 2011, Empire: Four Kingdoms launched 2013, plus subsequent titles Empire: Age of Knights, Empire: World War III, and Empire: Millennium Wars) and the Big Farm farm-simulation series (launched 2012, with Big Farm: Mobile Harvest as the mobile extension). Additional titles span Legends of Honor (medieval strategy RPG), Goodgame Poker (browser poker), Big Company: Skytopia (entrepreneurial simulation), and Shadow Kings (dark fantasy strategy). Games are distributed across the company's own browser portals, Apple App Store, Google Play, Amazon Appstore, Samsung Galaxy Store, and Huawei AppGallery.
The technology stack centers on Flash (historically) and HTML5 (transitioning ~1M lines of code) for cross-platform browser delivery, Java for game servers, PHP for web infrastructure and the proprietary Goodgame Shop payment system, and Unreal Engine 4 for PC client games. A dedicated in-house usability laboratory with one-way mirror observation supports player experience testing. The company operates from a single Hamburg-Bahrenfeld headquarters exceeding 10,000 square meters, with employee headcount reported in the 1001-5000 range (sources from 2014 cite 650-1000+ employees from 40-50+ nationalities).
The business model is freemium free-to-play: players access games at zero upfront cost and the company monetizes through in-game purchases of virtual currency, items, and premium upgrades. The go-to-market motion is product-led growth across digital app stores and browser portals, supplemented by TV advertising in DACH markets, YouTube influencer partnerships, presence at major industry events (gamescom, GDC Europe, ChinaJoy), and community management via Discord. The Empire brand alone surpassed €1 billion in cumulative revenue with 220M+ registered players by December 2022; Goodgame Empire specifically reached $800M lifetime revenues by August 2017. Goodgame Studios was acquired by Swedish Stillfront Group (Nasdaq Stockholm: SF) around 2016 and operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary, with founders transitioning to passive shareholder roles and new CEO Oleg Savschouk and CPO Phillip Knust taking operational leadership in March 2019.
Goodgame Studios firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Goodgame Studios
- Legal name
- Goodgame Studios
- Website
- https://goodgamestudios.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Goodgame Studios is a Hamburg-based free-to-play game studio that designs and publishes browser and mobile strategy, simulation, and role-playing games for a global audience of 500M+ registered players across its Empire, Big Farm, and Legends of Honor franchises, operating as a subsidiary of Sweden's Stillfront Group.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Goodgame Studios industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Games
- NAICS
- Amusement Arcades (71312), Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Web3/Blockchain Game Studios (MPAFAAAO)
Keywords
Where Goodgame Studios is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hamburg
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Goodgame Studios business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- In-game Virtual Currency Purchases: Free-to-play model where players can purchase virtual goods and currency within games. No upfront cost to play.
- In-game Item Purchases: Players purchase in-game items, upgrades, and customizations to enhance gameplay experience across strategy, simulation, and RPG titles
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free-to-play access to all games |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
Goodgame Studios product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Goodgame Studios develops and publishes free-to-play browser and mobile games in the strategy, simulation, and role-playing genres for a global consumer audience. Its portfolio centers on the Empire medieval strategy franchise (including Empire: Four Kingdoms and Goodgame Empire), the Big Farm multiplayer farm simulation series (browser and Big Farm: Mobile Harvest), Legends of Honor, Goodgame Poker, Big Company: Skytopia, and Shadow Kings. Revenue is generated entirely through optional in-game purchases of virtual currency, items, and premium upgrades.
Product overview
Goodgame Studios operates a portfolio of free-to-play browser-based and mobile games, primarily in the strategy and simulation genres. The flagship Empire franchise (including Empire: Four Kingdoms, Goodgame Empire, and Empire: World War III) dominates the strategy category, while the Big Farm franchise (Big Farm and Big Farm: Mobile Harvest) serves the farming simulation market. Additional titles include Legends of Honor (medieval strategy), Big Company: Skytopia (mobile strategy), Goodgame Poker (online poker), and Shadow Kings (fantasy strategy). The company uses Flash and HTML5 technologies for cross-platform development, with games distributed across web browsers, iOS, Android, Amazon, Samsung Galaxy Store, and Huawei AppGallery.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- BIG FARM: Free-to-play multiplayer farm simulation game franchise including browser and mobile versions (Big Farm: Mobile Harvest).
- Empire
- BIG COMPANY
Quantifiable outcome
- Over €1 billion in revenue generated from Empire brand
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Goodgame Studios
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Goodgame Studios technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Goodgame Studios partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- GamesForest.ClubminorNon-profit organization for forest protection. Vernissage art event held at Goodgame Studios office raised proceeds donated to GamesForest.Club to protect more than 1000 sqm of forest.
- One Tree PlantedminorNon-profit charity partnership for Big Farm Forest charity event. For every truck load of seedlings collected by the community, Goodgame Studios works with One Tree Planted to plant real trees. Up to 5000 trees to be planted in spring 2019 in California reforestation efforts.
- inSocial Media / Bibi's Beauty PalaceminorPartnership with Germany's most influential YouTube superstar 'Bibi' from Bibi's Beauty Palace (5 million followers) for Big Farm: Mobile Harvest update promotion across 30 TV channels in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
- Qihoo 360coreFirst German gaming company to partner with Qihoo 360, China's biggest Android app store with 300 million users. Empire: Four Kingdoms made available to Qihoo 360's user base from October 2014. Partnership announced at ChinaJoy 2014 in Shanghai.
Scale indicators15 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Goodgame Studios competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Zynga: US-based free-to-play mobile and social game publisher (FarmVille, Empires & Puzzles) with Take-Two ownership. Comparable as a broad F2P incumbent with overlapping strategy/social-casual portfolio (Empires & Puzzles competes directly with Goodgame Empire) and similar reliance on long-lifecycle live-ops.
- Supercell: Finnish mobile game developer (Clash of Clans, Clash Royale) and a global incumbent in mid-core mobile strategy. Comparable as a benchmark for F2P strategy monetization and live-ops excellence, though Supercell operates at a larger scale and on mobile-first rather than browser-mobile.
- Gameloft: French mobile game developer and publisher with a broad free-to-play portfolio across strategy, simulation, and casual genres. Comparable to Goodgame as a multi-title F2P publisher with similar distribution through app stores and similar cross-genre diversification.
- King (Activision Blizzard): Global leader in casual free-to-play mobile gaming (Candy Crush franchise) and part of Activision Blizzard. Comparable as a broad incumbent in F2P mobile gaming with deep expertise in live-ops, UA, and long-lifecycle franchise management, though focused on casual puzzle rather than strategy/simulation.
Direct peers
- Wooga: Berlin-based free-to-play casual and mid-core mobile game developer (June's Journey, Pearl's Peril). Comparable to Goodgame as a German F2P studio focused on long-lifecycle narrative/casual games with similar live-ops and monetization approaches.
- Travian Games: Munich-based publisher of browser-based strategy MMO games including Travian and Rail Nation. Direct comparable: same F2P browser-strategy heritage, similar German/European studio origin, and overlapping target audience of mid-core strategy players.
- Playrix: Russian-founded mobile free-to-play game developer behind Homescapes, Gardenscapes, and Township. Highly comparable: similar F2P model, similar live-ops-heavy simulation/casual portfolio, and direct competition with Big Farm in the farm-simulation genre.
- InnoGames: Hamburg-based free-to-play game studio (Forge of Empires, Warlords of Aternum, Elvenar) developing browser and mobile strategy/simulation MMO games. Most direct comparable to Goodgame: same city, same F2P model, same strategy/simulation genre focus, and similar lifecycle stage.
- Socialpoint: Barcelona-based mobile free-to-play game studio (Dragon City, Monster Legends) acquired by Take-Two. Comparable as a mid-sized F2P strategy/simulation mobile studio with similar live-ops-driven revenue model and similar lifecycle-management focus.
- Bigpoint: Hamburg-based browser and mobile free-to-play game developer historically known for strategy/simulation titles such as Farmerama and DarkOrbit. Direct peer to Goodgame given shared Hamburg origin, F2P browser heritage, and overlap in casual/mid-core strategy genres.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Goodgame Studios social profiles
Digital presenceGoodgame Studios financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Goodgame Studios leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Goodgame Studios funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Goodgame Studios M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Goodgame Studios
What does Goodgame Studios do?
Goodgame Studios develops and publishes free-to-play browser and mobile games in the strategy, simulation, and role-playing genres for a global consumer audience. Its portfolio centers on the Empire medieval strategy franchise (including Empire: Four Kingdoms and Goodgame Empire), the Big Farm multiplayer farm simulation series (browser and Big Farm: Mobile Harvest), Legends of Honor, Goodgame Poker, Big Company: Skytopia, and Shadow Kings. Revenue is generated entirely through optional in-game purchases of virtual currency, items, and premium upgrades.
Is Goodgame Studios a public or private company?
Goodgame Studios is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Goodgame Studios founded?
Goodgame Studios was founded in 2009. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Goodgame Studios based?
Goodgame Studios is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Goodgame Studios make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. In-game Virtual Currency Purchases are the primary driver. The others are in-game Item Purchases.
Who are Goodgame Studios's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Zynga, Supercell, Gameloft and King (Activision Blizzard). Direct peers are Wooga, Travian Games, Playrix, InnoGames, Socialpoint and Bigpoint.
Does Goodgame Studios have an API?
No public API is recorded for Goodgame Studios.
What industry is Goodgame Studios in?
Goodgame Studios's product category is Online Games. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAO, Web3/Blockchain Game Studios. Its NAICS code is 71312 and its SIC code is 7900.