What Jolly Bear Games does

Jolly Bear Games Limited is a New Zealand-incorporated, privately held developer and publisher of casual browser-based video games. The company operates a portfolio of more than 20 titles spanning Mahjong, solitaire, hidden object, word, sudoku and other puzzle genres, with stated hit properties including Quinn's Aquarium, Big City Adventure, Solitaire Gardens, and Mahjong Getaway played by millions of consumers worldwide. Its games are delivered through a proprietary platform, GamePins.com, as well as Facebook, requiring no download, installation, or subscription to play.

The underlying technology is HTML5, TypeScript and JavaScript, with the PixiJS 2D game engine powering the browser experience and a legacy Flash ActionScript 3 codebase used for porting older titles. AWS provides cloud hosting for encrypted player data, JSON Web Tokens handle persistent authentication, and Google Analytics and Facebook Analytics collect aggregated usage telemetry. The company monetizes exclusively through a freemium model: play is free and registration is optional, but users can purchase in-game virtual currencies (Tokens and Pins) via Stripe or PayPal to unlock power-ups, content packs and Pin Boards.

The target customer is a horizontal, long-tail audience of casual gamers across all age groups seeking low-friction, no-download puzzle and card entertainment. Distribution is global and self-serve via GamePins.com and Facebook, and growth is supported by an in-platform reward economy (Tokens, Pins, Pin Boards) and a friend-invite referral mechanism. The company is bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds or parent entity.

Name

Jolly Bear Games

Legal name

Jolly Bear Games Limited

Website

https://jollybear.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Jolly Bear Games is a New Zealand-based, bootstrapped developer and publisher of casual browser games across Mahjong, solitaire, hidden object, word, and puzzle genres. It distributes more than 20 titles globally through its proprietary GamePins.com platform and Facebook, monetizing via free-to-play with optional in-game virtual currency purchases.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Rosedale, Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. In-Game Virtual Currency (VC) Purchases: Users can purchase virtual in-game fictional currencies (Tokens, Pins) using real money through the platform. These virtual currencies can be exchanged to purchase limited rights to features such as power-ups, game content packs, and additional pin-boards. Users can also earn virtual currencies through in-game progression and completing challenges.
2. Third-Party Payment Processing: Payments are managed through third-party payment providers PayPal and Stripe. The company retains information on type of card used and last four digits of card for support purposes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Jolly Bear Games develops and publishes a portfolio of 20+ casual browser games spanning Mahjong, Solitaire, Hidden Object, Word, and Puzzle genres. Games are distributed free-to-play via the company's own GamePins.com platform and on Facebook, with monetization through in-game virtual currency (Tokens and Pins) purchases.

Product overview

Jolly Bear Games is a New Zealand-based casual browser game developer offering a portfolio of 20 distinct game titles playable on its GamePins platform. The portfolio spans multiple casual game genres including Mahjong (Quinn's Aquarium, Mahjong Cruise, Mahjong Getaway), Solitaire (Solitaire Gardens, Morning Tea Solitaire, Rivers of Gold Solitaire, FreeCell Bakery Solitaire, Sailing Seas Solitaire), Hidden Object (Big City Adventure, Undiscovered World), Word games (Word Hunch, Shell Spell, Daily Word Search), Puzzles (Sudoku Relics, Rail Rider, Simply Shikaku, Tea Box Puzzler), and creative games (Jigsaw Joy, Playful Painter, Starscape Memories). Games are accessible through three channels: direct browser play on GamePins.com, Facebook integration, and downloadable versions. The company uses HTML5/JavaScript/TypeScript with PixiJS for game development and supports in-game virtual currency purchases processed through PayPal and Stripe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Quinn's Aquarium

Quantifiable outcome

• Millions of players worldwide across hit titles

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• PayPalcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party payment provider used to manage payments for in-game virtual currency purchases. PayPal handles payment processing directly and may use cookies on their website for payment facilitation.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party payment provider used to manage payments for in-game virtual currency purchases. Stripe processes payments directly and may use cookies on their website for payment facilitation.
• AWS (Amazon Web Services)coreTechnology or IntegrationCloud hosting provider for encrypted database storage of personal information. Personal data is stored on encrypted databases hosted by AWS, currently located on the East coast of the United States.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• King Digital Entertainment: Activision Blizzard-owned publisher best known for Candy Crush and a broader portfolio of mobile casual puzzle and card games. Comparable in casual puzzle/card genre focus and virtual-currency monetization, but operates at vastly larger scale on mobile rather than browser.
• Miniclip: Swiss-based casual games publisher (now Tencent-owned) offering browser and mobile puzzle, card, and arcade titles. Comparable in free-to-play casual-game model and cross-platform distribution, with a heavier weighting toward arcade and competitive multiplayer content.
• Big Fish Games: Long-standing casual game publisher offering hidden object, solitaire, and puzzle titles across browser and downloadable formats with freemium and premium monetization. Comparable genre mix and casual-gamer target audience, though with broader mobile and downloadable distribution beyond pure browser play.
• Zynga: Major publisher of casual and social games (Words With Friends, Zynga Poker, FarmVille sequels) historically anchored in Facebook and now mobile. Comparable casual-game genre focus and freemium virtual-currency model, though at vastly greater scale and with mobile-first distribution rather than browser.
• Pogo.com (Electronic Arts): EA-owned hub offering dozens of free browser-based casual games (solitaire, mahjong, hidden object, word, puzzle) with virtual-currency monetization. Directly comparable to Jolly Bear's GamePins model in genre mix, browser-first delivery, and freemium mechanics, though operated by a major publisher with broader resources.
• Addicting Games (Take-Two / AddictingGames): Long-running free browser-based casual and arcade games portal offering puzzle, card, and word titles. Comparable in browser-first delivery and broad casual-game catalog, though more skewed toward arcade-style and shorter-session content than Jolly Bear's episodic hidden-object and mahjong titles.

Direct peers

• Arkadium: Independent publisher of free browser-based casual games (solitaire, mahjong, hidden object, word, puzzle) distributed via its own platform and partner sites. Closest direct competitor to Jolly Bear in product, delivery model (no-download browser), and monetization (in-game virtual currency and power-ups).
• PlayFirst: Casual game developer/publisher of hidden object, time management, and puzzle titles historically distributed via browser and downloadable formats. Comparable in casual-genre portfolio, episodic content, and freemium monetization aimed at the same broad demographic.
• iWin: Free-to-play casual games platform offering solitaire, mahjong, hidden object, and puzzle titles via browser and downloadable clients with virtual-currency monetization. Closely comparable to Jolly Bear in genre mix, freemium model, and target demographic of older casual gamers.
• Solitaired: Free browser-based solitaire and casual card-game platform with ad-supported and premium monetization. Comparable in browser-first, no-download delivery and casual card-game focus overlapping with Jolly Bear's Solitaire Gardens and other solitaire titles.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/jollybeargames
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jolly-bear-games-inc

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 Jolly Bear Games