Gram Games

Gram Games, a mobile game developer, was established in 2012 by co-founders Mehmet Ecevit, Kaan Karamancı, and Alpay Koralturk. The company's genesis occurred in Istanbul, Turkey, with an initial team of five people. The early years were marked by experimentation and perseverance; after their first few games failed to gain significant traction, the team pivoted their focus to the casual puzzle genre. This strategic shift led to a breakthrough in the fall of 2014 with the launch of "1010!", a puzzle game inspired by Tetris, which was developed in a month using the company's remaining capital. The success of "1010!" was a turning point, securing further investment and establishing Gram Games in the hyper-casual market.

The business operates in the mobile gaming market, specifically targeting the hyper-casual and puzzle genres. Gram Games' portfolio includes nine titles that have collectively amassed over 170 million downloads worldwide. Their business model leverages both in-app purchases (IAP) and in-app advertising for revenue generation. The company's hit titles include "1010!" and "Merge Dragons!". "1010!" is a simple yet engaging puzzle game where players strategically place blocks on a 10x10 grid to create lines and clear the board. "Merge Dragons!" is another popular title where players match items like dragon eggs and treasures to heal a magical land, solve puzzles, and evolve powerful dragons. This game has been a significant revenue driver, becoming a Top 50 Grossing Game in the U.S. Apple App Store.

The company's journey culminated in a major milestone on May 30, 2018, when it was acquired by social game developer Zynga for $250 million in cash, with an additional three-year earn-out based on profitability goals. At the time of the acquisition, Gram Games had expanded to 77 employees with studios in London and Istanbul. The deal was a strategic move for Zynga to expand its portfolio of live game franchises and grow its daily active users by three million. Founder Mehmet Ecevit's background includes a passion for technology that led him to self-taught programming and an earlier entrepreneurial venture in 2008 with a game studio that released Turkey's first virtual world for children. Co-founder Kaan Karamancı holds degrees in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science from MIT and is also an angel investor.

Keywords: mobile gaming, puzzle games, hyper-casual games, free-to-play, in-app purchases, game development, Zynga, Merge Dragons!, 1010!, Mehmet Ecevit, Kaan Karamancı, casual games, mobile entertainment, game monetization, Turkish startup, ad monetization, live services, game portfolio, app store, Google Play