WorldWinner
 | |
| Genre | Online game, Mobile game, Game of skill, Casual game |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1999 |
| Founder | Alex Bloom (Saidakovsky), Alex Ganelis, Daniil Utin |
| Headquarters | , |
| Parent | Game Show Network |
| Website | www.worldwinner.com |
WorldWinner is a cross-platform, skill-based games community that operates competitive cash tournaments for web, mobile web, and mobile (iOS) platforms. Games include Solitaire Rush, Wheel of Fortune®, SCRABBLE Cubes, and Tetris® Burst. In 2018, WorldWinner launched Angry Birds Champions, the official cash tournament version of Rovio Entertainment's Angry Birds.
WorldWinner is based in Boston, MA and operates under the Game Show Network’s GSN Games division.
History
Worldwinner was founded in 1999 in Newton, Massachusetts[1] by Alex Bloom (formerly Saidakovsky), Alex Ganelis, and Daniil Utin, raising over $17 million from leading venture capital firms, including HarbourVest Partners and Benchmark Capital.
WorldWinner launched on August 17, 2000 as the first online gaming destination allowing participants to compete in skill-based tournaments for real-money winnings. The company established partnerships with leading casual games sites, including Yahoo!, EA, Pogo, iWon, PAX TV, WildTangent, and Shockwave. By 2002, WorldWinner was hosting more than two million tournaments per month, with more than $100,000 in daily cash winnings.
From 2000 to 2004, WorldWinner reported a revenue increase of 2,386 percent, earning the number six spot on the Technology Fast 50 for New England.[2] During that time, Saidakovsky, Ganelis, and Utin obtained a patent for their tournament technology.[3] By 2004, WorldWinner had over 14 million registered players worldwide, hosting more than four million tournaments and awarding millions of dollars in prizes every month.[4]
In March 2006, WorldWinner was acquired by FUN Technologies and merged with SkillJam into WorldWinner, dropping the SkillJam brand.
In December 2007, Liberty Media acquired FUN Technologies[5] in a transaction valuing the company at $484 million. As a result of the acquisition, WorldWinner integrated with the Liberty-owned Game Show Network, and FUN Technologies was discontinued as a brand. WorldWinner rebranded to GSN Cash Games in 2013. The company also launched its mobile web offering (GSN Cash Games Mobile) in 2014, allowing players to compete in cash tournaments on mobile devices.
In 2017, GSN Cash Games re-branded back to WorldWinner, simultaneously launching a cash tournament version of Solitaire TriPeaks, based on the Solitaire TriPeaks app by GSN Games.
In July 2017, WorldWinner launched its iOS app, followed by Android in May 2018.
As of June 2018, WorldWinner is no longer available in the EU.
Cash tournament model
WorldWinner hosts different types of cash tournaments with varying player pools, prize pools, entry fees, and difficulty level. Players are matched with other players of similar skill. Unlike gambling games that, from a legal standpoint, feature the elements of chance, prize, and consideration, WorldWinner games are modified so that player skill (as opposed to chance or luck) is the predominant factor in performance and winnings.
WorldWinner also offers free Warm-Up tournaments.
Games
WorldWinner’s portfolio includes online and mobile games based on popular card games, puzzle games, word games, board games, TV game show games, arcade games, and match-three games.
| Game | Availability |
| Angry Birds Champions | App, web |
| Wheel of Fortune® | App, web, mobile web |
| SCRABBLE Cubes | App, web, mobile web |
| Tetris® Burst | App, web |
| Solitaire Rush | App, web, mobile web |
| PAC-MAN™ | App |
| TRIVIAL PURSUIT | App, web |
| Solitaire TriPeaks | App, web |
| Catch 21® | App, web, mobile web |
| Big Money™ | Web, mobile web |
| The Price Is Right®: Super Plinko™ | Web, mobile web |
| Bejeweled® 2 | Web |
| Bejeweled® Blitz: Rubies and Riches | Web |
| Cubis | Web |
| Dynomite!™ | Web |
| Luxor | Web |
| Mahjongg Dimensions | Web |
| Pyramid Solitaire Adventures | Web |
| SCRABBLE BOGGLE | Web |
| Spades | Web |
| Spider Solitaire | Web |
| SwapIt! | Web |
| SwapIt 2 | App, web, mobile web |
| Swipe Hype | Web |
| Word Mojo | Web |
| Vegas Nights 2 | Web |
| Zen Gems | Web |
Charitable donations
WorldWinner and GSN Games have collectively supported many nonprofit groups, donating a portion of tournament entry fees to organizations such as Toys for Tots, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.[6][7]
References
- ^ "WorldWinner.com Launches Online Gaming Site that Rewards Skilled Players with Cash Prizes; New Gaming Destination Brings the Thrill of Competition to Familiar Games. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
- ^ Inc., WorldWinner,. "WorldWinner Ranks Sixth on Deloitte's Technology Fast 50 List". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Minimizing the effects of chance, US Patent" (PDF).
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ Inc., WorldWinner,. "WorldWinner Explodes in 2004 with Record Revenues". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Liberty Media Corporation Completes Acquisition of FUN Technologies Inc". Retrieved 2018-01-22.
- ^ "WorldWinner Kicks off Charitable Online Games Competitions during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month - GameZone". GameZone. 2012-05-04. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
- ^ "WorldWinner launches "Compete for Pink" for breast cancer funds". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
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Further reading
- GSNGames.com
- "GSN/Worldwinner looking to bring cash gaming competitions to Facebook". AOL.com. April 15, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
- "WorldWinner.com". PC Magazine. October 30, 2001. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
- "WorldWinner wins rights to cash competition versions of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune". Boston Business Journal. July 18, 2005. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
{{cite web}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Saidakovsky, Alexander L.; Ganelis, Alexander; Utin, Daniil (9 May 2002). "United States Patent Application: 0020055379 - Minimizing the Effects of Chance" (PDF). United States Patent and Trademark Office.