Spielen

What Spielen does

Spielen (legally Mediatrust GmbH & Co. KG) operates spielen.de, a German-language online gaming portal headquartered in Flensburg, Germany. The company was founded in 1986 and is privately held, with a headcount of 11-50 employees. Its platform offers a broad catalogue of free-to-play browser-based games across genres including action, puzzle, card, strategy, simulation, casino, and classics, organized across four sub-portals: the main spielen.de casual games site, browsergames.spielen.de (strategy and simulation browser games), socialgames.spielen.de (multiplayer card and board games such as Skat, Rommé, Canasta, Doppelkopf, and Schafkopf), and gesellschaftsspiele.spielen.de (a comprehensive board game database with rules, reviews, publisher/author information, and an associated community forum of approximately 5,500 active users). The underlying technology is a web-based HTML5 platform that embeds games from more than a dozen third-party publishers (including Innogames, Goodgame, Bigpoint, Upjers, Blue Byte/Ubisoft, Plinga, Gamigo, Coolgames, Plarium, TRAVIAN, m2p, and Spiele-Palast) and is accessible on PC, smartphone, and tablet browsers without mandatory software installation or registration for most titles. Selected franchises have been extended to native iOS and Android apps.

Spielen monetizes through three primary streams: advertising (interest-based ads served via Google, AdYouLike, and OpenX), a freemium layer with optional paid premium features or extras in certain games (with costs transparently disclosed upfront), and affiliate commissions on physical board game sales routed through Amazon from the gesellschaftsspiele database. The go-to-market motion is product-led growth: users arrive via organic search, blog content, and social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), and can play without registering. Optional account creation unlocks score saving, multiplayer participation, and community features. The platform is primarily oriented to the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) and serves casual gamers and board game enthusiasts as its primary user segment. No executive team, ownership structure beyond the operating partnership, funding history, or revenue figures are publicly disclosed in the input data.

Name

Spielen

Legal name

Mediatrust GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://spielen.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Spielen.de is a German-language, free-to-play online gaming portal operated by Mediatrust GmbH & Co. KG, offering browser-based casual, card, strategy, and board games plus a comprehensive board game database for casual gamers in the DACH region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Gaming Portal

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132), Software Publishers (513210), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Game Publishers (1st/2nd/3rd-Party Publishing) (MPAFABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mobile Game Publishing & App Game Stores (BPAMAKAB), Casual/Hypercasual Game Studios (MPAFAAAG)

Keywords

• Free online games
• Browser games
• Board game database
• Multiplayer card games
• Casual gaming portal

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Freemium / In-game purchases: The platform offers free games with optional paid premium features or extras for certain games. Some games provide additional services for money, though costs are transparently disclosed upfront. Users can play most games without registration.
2. Advertising: The site uses cookies and interest-based advertising to generate revenue. Third-party advertisers including Google, AdYouLike, OpenX, and others serve ads based on user browsing behavior.
3. Affiliate / Partner commissions: The site sells board games through partner affiliate links (e.g., Amazon) and earns commissions on resulting purchases. The Brettspiel database directs users to purchase physical board games via affiliate partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Spielen.de is a German-language free online gaming portal operated by Mediatrust GmbH & Co. KG, offering a broad catalog of casual browser-based games across genres including card games, puzzles, action, strategy, and classics, most playable without registration. The platform also operates a comprehensive board game database with game descriptions, instructions, reviews, and a community forum of approximately 5,500 active users, plus subdomain portals dedicated to multiplayer social card games and browser-based strategy/simulation titles.

Product overview

Spielen.de is a German-language free online games platform operated by Mediatrust GmbH & Co. KG, offering a broad portfolio of browser-based games organized across multiple sub-portals. The core spielen.de portal provides casual online games across genres (action, puzzles, classics, casino), while gesellschaftsspiele.spielen.de serves as a detailed board game database with reviews, instructions, and a community forum (~5,500 active users). The socialgames.spielen.de subdomain focuses on multiplayer card games (Rommé-Palast, Canasta Palast, Solitaire-Palast, Governor of Poker 3), and browsergames.spielen.de covers strategy and simulation browser games (Undermaster, Forge of Empires). The platform also includes an editorial blog and optional user registration for saving scores and commenting. Most games are playable without registration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• spielen.de Online Games Portal A German-language free online games portal offering a broad catalog of casual browser-based games across multiple genres (action, puzzles, classics, card, board, casino, simulation), accessible without registration for many titles on PC, smartphone, and tablet.
• Browsergames Portal A sub-portal dedicated to browser-based strategy, simulation, and society/social games, featuring titles such as Forge of Empires, Elvenar, and Undermaster playable directly in the browser.
• Socialgames Portal A sub-portal focused on multiplayer social card and board games featuring titles such as Rommé-Palast, Canasta Palast, Solitaire-Palast, Skat-Palast, and Governor of Poker 3, with real-time online multiplayer play against other users.
• Gesellschaftsspiele Board Game Database A board game database and information portal covering tabletop board games with detailed pages including descriptions, instructions, reviews, ratings, publisher and author information, and an integrated community forum with approximately 5,500 active users.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Amazon (Affiliate Partner)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAmazon provides affiliate links for purchasing physical board games featured in the gesellschaftsspiele.spielen.de database. Spielen.de earns commissions on resulting purchases.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• InnoGames: InnoGames is one of Germany's leading browser and mobile game publishers (Forge of Empires, Elvenar). It is comparable to Spielen because it produces browser strategy games embedded on spielen.de, targets the same DACH audience, and represents both a content partner and a competitive threat as a vertically integrated publisher.
• Goodgame Studios: Goodgame Studios is a major German browser and mobile game developer/publisher. It is comparable because, like Spielen, it serves the German-speaking casual gaming market with browser-native titles (e.g., Goodgame Empire), and is both a content partner and an indirect competitor for the same gaming audience.

Direct peers

• Kongregate: Kongregate is a web-based casual and indie gaming portal with community features. It is comparable to Spielen because it aggregates browser-playable casual games from third-party developers and monetizes via ads and in-game purchases — an overlapping portal business model.
• Bigpoint: Bigpoint is a German browser-based online game publisher. It is comparable to Spielen because it both provides embedded games on spielen.de and operates in the same browser/online casual gaming space serving German-speaking users, making it a direct competitor and partner simultaneously.
• Miniclip: Miniclip is a Switzerland-based casual and browser gaming portal owned by Tencent. It is comparable to Spielen because it operates as a multi-genre casual games portal monetized via ads and in-game purchases, targeting European users with free browser games — directly overlapping in product, model, and audience.
• Gameforge: Gameforge is a German browser-based MMO and casual game publisher. It is comparable to Spielen because it operates in the same browser gaming category, serves DACH users, and competes for the same casual gaming session time with titles like AION and TERA.
• Pogo.com: Pogo.com (EA) is a long-running casual browser gaming portal offering card, board, and puzzle games. It is comparable to Spielen because it serves the same use case — free browser-based card, puzzle, and casual games for an adult audience — with a similar freemium/ad-supported model.
• Zylom: Zylom is a Dutch casual games portal offering browser-based puzzles, card, and board games. It is comparable to Spielen because it targets European adult casual gamers with a free-to-play, ad-supported browser games model including popular card and board game titles.

Emerging players

• CrazyGames: CrazyGames is a fast-growing instant-play browser gaming platform with HTML5 games. It is comparable to Spielen because it operates the same browser-casual-games category with no-download HTML5 titles and ad-supported monetization, but targets a more global/international audience.

Regional players

• Ravensburger (Digital / Board Game Division): Ravensburger is a major German board game publisher with a digital and online presence. It is comparable to Spielen because it provides board game content for gesellschaftsspiele.spielen.de and competes in the same DACH hobbyist/board game enthusiast community, making it both a content partner and a potential competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/spielen_de
• Facebookfacebook.com/spielen.de
• Instagraminstagram.com/spielen.de

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Spielen