 | Digital Release | August 2003 |
| Delisting | December 07, 2021 - Games Removed December 07, 2022 - Withdrawals Disabled |
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| Developer | King | |
| Publisher | King | |
| Available On | Some versions of some titles available on Facebook or mobile platforms | |
| Links | RoyalGames.com homepage [Archive] |
Delisting
King announced on October 21st, 2021 that their cash-prize games portal, RoyalGames.com, would be shut down on December 7th, 2021. The site originally launched in August of 2003 as MidasPlayer.com and rebranded to RoyalGames.com in November of 2005. Having developed around 200 titles for the portal over the years, the site would eventually become a testbed for new Facebook games, and later mobile games. King was then acquired by Activision Blizzard in November of 2015.
Popular titles like Candy Crush, Bubble Witch, and Farm Heroes got their start on RoyalGames.com, initially running on Flash and with the option to pay for tournament entries to win cash prizes. The transition to HTML5, however, greatly reduced the number of titles on the portal. An investigation by PayPal that halted payouts to winning players between December of 2020 and June of 2021 also apparently hampered the site’s viability. King posted the following announcement on October 21st, 2021:
For 18 years, players around the world have enjoyed Royal Games’ competitive tournaments. At the end of 2020, we shared an update with you that due to changing web-based technology on major browsers, we would be adjusting the game services we are able to offer to players.
This evolving landscape has led us to the make the difficult decision to close down the Royal Games site. Players may continue to play games on the site until 12pm CET on Tuesday 7th December 2021, after which live operations will cease. Players will be able to make withdrawals until 7 December 2022.
This decision was by no means easy. As this journey is coming to a close, we want to thank all of you, our dedicated players, for your time spent at Royal Games. We hope that you had many memorable experiences here, and we hope to see you on one of our other platforms.
King Announcement
The announcement was appended by an FAQ with more details for active players that may still have had unpaid balances in their accounts:
What is happening?
Players can continue playing games as usual until 7th December 2021. Freerolls will also be operated as usual. On 7th December 2021, the games will close but the site will remain open for withdrawal requests until 7 December 2022.
Can I make a withdrawal request now?
Please check that all your details are up to date with PayPal before making your request. You can make a withdrawal request at any time. We have also removed withdrawal fees as a goodwill gesture to players.
How do I update my details with PayPal?
You can check directly with PayPal to make sure your account details are up to date. If you want to remove the PayPal account linked with your Royal Games account, and link a new account, please open a support ticket. For security reasons, we will ask you to provide some account details in order for us to confirm the validity of your request. Once we verify your request, we will be able to remove your existing PayPal connection from your account and you will be able to input a new PayPal account when you next make a withdrawal request. You will need to ensure that the new PayPal account has not previously been used on a different Royal Games account.
How long do I have to withdraw my money?
After game operations stop at 12pm CET on Tuesday 7th December 2021, you will be still able to make withdrawal requests via the site for a maximum of 12 months. The final date to make a withdrawal request via the site will be 7 December 2022.
How long will it take you to process withdrawal requests?
We are aiming to process all withdrawals as soon as we can, however, processing times will depend on the number of withdrawal requests received each day.
Can I deposit more funds in my account now?
For maintenance reasons, we will not be able to take any new deposits during the sunset period.
What is happening on Royal Games between now and 7th December 2021?
The Royal Games site will be open after 7th December 2021 to allow for withdrawals. Until then, the games will continue to operate as normal, including the daily calendar, bonus spinner and the Tuesday/Friday freerolls. You can make a withdrawal request at any time, and we have removed withdrawal fees as a goodwill gesture.
What will happen on the site on 7th December 2021?
On 7th December 2021, any open cups will be closed and all the games will be removed from the site. The site will remain open for withdrawal requests until 7th December 2022, so that players who want to continue playing while the games remain live, and any players who may not have visited the site between 21st October 2021 and 7th December 2021 have the opportunity to withdraw their balances.”
About the Game
Royalgames.com: Competitive safe gaming for Europe and the world
Do you love games? Do you enjoy playing at your best? Then Royalgames.com, the world’s largest skill gaming site, is for you. Every month, Royalgames.com hosts more than 200 million games played. We host games for millions of players from more than 50 countries and we think you will fit right in!
In Skill Gaming, players take part in tournaments where skill is decisive in determining the outcome. The players back themselves to win with small stakes, and the winner takes the pot. We charge a small administration fee for hosting the game. Because skill games are not games of chance (or ‘gambling’), Royalgames.com is legal and does not require a license in most European territories, the majority of the United States and many other territories.
Launched in August 2003, the Royalgames.com site is now available in 9 languages and 7 currencies. We are always adding new territories, so if you would like Royalgames.com in your language, let us know about it. Royalgames.com is a private company based in the United Kingdom with a development campus in Stockholm, Sweden.
Company History
- August 2003 – Royalgames.com Site goes live
- January 2004 – US$50k in prizes
- February 2004 – Implementation of multi-currency site
- April 2004 – US$550k in prizes
- September 2004 – Multiplayer 8-Ball Pool and 9-Ball Pool Launch
- January 2005 – 15 million games played and US$3m in prizes
- September 2005 – Apax Partners Invests in Midasplayer (Skills) Limited
- November 2005 – Site URL changes from ‘Midasplayer.com’ to ‘Royalgames.com’
- January 2006 – >40 million games played in the month
- January 2007 – >80 million games played in the month
- January 2008 – >190 million games played in the month and more than 100 games live on the site.
- January 2009 – >350 million games played in the month.
- October 2010 – Royalgames.com on Facebook was launched.
- May 2010 – Miner Speed was launched as a mobile game – #1 in the puzzle category for Sweden, Germany, France, England and Canada.
- October 2011 – >1 billion games were played in a month on www.royalgames.com and Royalgames.com on Facebook combined.