MegaZebra

Lore & Background

MegaZebra was founded in late 2008 by a team led by Henning Kosmack and Mark Gazecki, positioning itself as an early European entrant in social gaming. In September 2009, the company received backing from the founders of Web.de through Kizoo Technology Ventures. Its first game, Mahjong Trails, launched and reached over two million monthly players by January 2011, a figure it still maintains. In March 2011, MegaZebra raised multiple millions of euros in a second funding round led by Doughty Hanson Technology Ventures, with participation from Kizoo and private investor Markus Stolz.

In January 2012, gaming veterans Gaute Godager (founder of Funcom) and Jürgen Goeldner joined the board, alongside existing members Nigel Grierson, Matthias Hornberger, and Mark Gazecki. The company launched Solitaire Castle in late 2011, which reached over 1.5 million monthly active users by October 2012 and over 2 million by January 2013. Suburbia, released in 2013, reached 2 million monthly active users in early 2014 and was noted as the first game to combine episodic, TV-style content with simulation mechanics. Its latest game, Solitaire Chronicles, became the company's first cross-platform title and won a Tabby Award in 2015 for Best iPad game: Cards, Casino and Dice.

Reader's Guide

MegaZebra's significance lies in its role as an early European pioneer in the social gaming space, a sector that was initially dominated by North American companies. By developing cross-platform free-to-play games for both Facebook and mobile devices, the company demonstrated the viability of the European market for social games. Its success with titles like Mahjong Trails and Solitaire Castle, each attracting millions of monthly active users, showed that casual card and puzzle games could sustain large audiences over years. The company's ability to secure multiple rounds of venture funding from notable investors, including Doughty Hanson Technology Ventures and Kizoo Technology Ventures, underscored investor confidence in the European social gaming model. Additionally, MegaZebra's innovation with Suburbia—blending episodic TV-style content with simulation mechanics—represented a novel approach to game design. The company's legacy is reflected in its continued operation and its recognition as one of the top 25 fastest-growing developers on Facebook in early 2011, as well as being among the top three European game developers by daily active users at that time.

Did You Know?

• MegaZebra was one of the top 25 fastest growing developers on Facebook in January 2011, with almost 4 million monthly users.
• Mahjong Trails, MegaZebra's first game, still had more than 2 million monthly active players as of the article's writing.