Gamezebo#The Zeebys

Gamezebo was launched in 2005.{{Cite web |title=About us |url=https://www.gamezebo.com/about/ |access-date=February 20, 2023 |website=Gamezebo |language=en-GB |archive-date=February 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220111312/https://www.gamezebo.com/about/ |url-status=live }} It was founded by Joel Brodie, the former head of business development at Yahoo! Games. Brodie found that many video game publications "looked down" on casual games and started the website to review and cover news on the genre.{{Cite web |last=Takahashi |first=Dean |date=February 23, 2010 |title=As audiences shift to social games, so do game reviewers |url=https://venturebeat.com/business/as-audiences-shift-to-social-games-so-do-game-reviewers/ |access-date=February 20, 2023 |website=VentureBeat |archive-date=February 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220111312/https://venturebeat.com/business/as-audiences-shift-to-social-games-so-do-game-reviewers/ |url-status=live }} It was billed as the first website which solely covered casual games.{{Cite web |last=Saltzman |first=Marc |date=February 28, 2006 |title=Casual games — good, clean, cheap fun online |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2006/TECH/fun.games/02/28/casual.games/ |access-date=February 24, 2023 |website=CNN |archive-date=February 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230224124607/https://edition.cnn.com/2006/TECH/fun.games/02/28/casual.games/ |url-status=live }}

Gamezebo and the Casual Games Association launched the Zeebys in 2007, which were awarded to casual games. Voting was open to members of the public. In 2008, it held another installment of the Zebbys which was aired on Lifetime,{{Cite web |date=January 12, 2007 |title=Voting Opens For Zeebys: First Annual Casual Game Awards |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/voting-opens-for-zeebys-first-annual-casual-game-awards |access-date=February 20, 2023 |website=Gamesindustry.biz |archive-date=February 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220111313/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/voting-opens-for-zeebys-first-annual-casual-game-awards |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=August 1, 2008 |title=Zeebys 2008 |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/zeebys-2008-casual-game-of-the-year-award-secured-by-agatha-christie-death-on-the-nile |access-date=February 20, 2023 |website=Gamesindustry.biz |archive-date=February 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220111312/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/zeebys-2008-casual-game-of-the-year-award-secured-by-agatha-christie-death-on-the-nile |url-status=live }} and was nominated for a Webby Award for 'Games-Related' websites.{{cite web |last=International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences |date=2008 |title=12th Annual Webby Awards Nominees |url=http://www.webbyawards.com/webbys/current.php?media_id=96&season=12#webby_entry_games_related |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090315065909/http://www.webbyawards.com/webbys/current.php?media_id=96&season=12#webby_entry_games_related |archive-date=March 15, 2009 |publisher=Webby Awards}} Gamezebo used RSS for its content feed.{{Cite magazine |last=E |first=Arnold |date=April 2008 |title=Something for the RSSt of us |url= |magazine=Searcher |volume=16 |issue=4 |pages=40–43 |issn=1070-4795}} In 2009, Gamezebo expanded its scope with the growing popularity of social games such as FarmVille (2009). By February 2010, it had a staff and twenty freelance journalists. The website was redesigned in 2014.

In 2015, editor-in-chief Jim Squires told MacRumors that Gamezebo was struggling as larger mobile developers shifted away from traditional advertising.{{Cite web |last=Rossignol |first=Joe |date=June 24, 2015 |title=App Store's Emphasis on Chart Positioning Squeezing Out Developers and Media Publications |url=https://www.macrumors.com/2015/06/24/app-store-disparity-developers-gaming-websites/ |access-date=February 24, 2023 |website=MacRumors |archive-date=August 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230828210518/https://www.macrumors.com/2015/06/24/app-store-disparity-developers-gaming-websites/ |url-status=live }} In March 2016, Gamezebo was acquired by casual game company iWin.{{Cite web |last=Weber |first=Rachel |date=March 16, 2016 |title=iWin to acquire website Gamezebo |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2016-03-16-iwin-to-acquire-website-gamezebo |url-status=live |access-date=February 20, 2023 |website=GamesIndustry.biz |language=en |archive-date=January 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118054346/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2016-03-16-iwin-to-acquire-website-gamezebo }} It launched another redesign shortly after, improving navigation and expanding its coverage to PC games.{{Cite web |last=Squires |first=Jim |date=May 18, 2016 |title=Welcome to Your New Gamezebo |url=https://www.gamezebo.com/news/welcome-to-your-new-gamezebo/ |access-date=February 20, 2023 |website=Gamezebo |archive-date=February 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220111312/https://www.gamezebo.com/news/welcome-to-your-new-gamezebo/ |url-status=live }}

An article in Games and Culture found that Gamezebo catered to a broader audience than other video game news sites. Unlike websites aimed at "core gamers" like Kotaku and TouchArcade, which also exclusively covers mobile games, Gamezebo did not marginalize mobile games in its coverage.{{Cite journal |last1=Chess |first1=Shira |last2=Paul |first2=Christopher A. |date=March 2019 |title=The End of Casual: Long Live Casual |journal=Games and Culture |language=en |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=107–118 |doi=10.1177/1555412018786652 |issn=1555-4120 |doi-access=free }}

Gamezebo, Inc. is based in Walnut Creek, California.{{Cite web |title=Gamezebo Inc |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/1390152D:US |access-date=February 20, 2023 |website=Bloomberg |archive-date=August 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230830013610/https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/1390152D:US |url-status=live }} Its editor-in-chief is Jim Squires.{{Cite web |last=Webster |first=Andrew |date=December 27, 2013 |title=Growing up gamer: should your child play classic games? |url=https://www.theverge.com/2013/12/26/5245136/growing-up-gamer-should-your-child-play-classic-games |access-date=February 24, 2023 |website=The Verge |archive-date=February 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230224124601/https://www.theverge.com/2013/12/26/5245136/growing-up-gamer-should-your-child-play-classic-games |url-status=live }}

• Justin McElroy, podcaster and co-founder of Polygon{{Cite web |title=Justin McElroy |url=https://www.engadget.com/about/editors/justin-mcelroy/ |access-date=February 20, 2023 |website=Engadget |archive-date=February 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220111312/https://www.engadget.com/about/editors/justin-mcelroy/ |url-status=live }}

{{reflist|2}}

• {{Cite book |last=Juul |first=Jesper |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r4vRa7MGbYIC |title=A Casual Revolution: Reinventing Video Games and Their Players |publisher=MIT Press |year=2012 |isbn=9780262285803 |location=Cambridge |language=en |author-link=Jesper Juul (game researcher)}}

• [https://gamezebo.com Official website]
• {{Crunchbase|id=gamezebo|name=|type=organization}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20081221231612/http://zeebys.com/ The Zeebys] (archived)

{{Video game journalism}}

Category:Video game news websites

Category:Browser-based game websites

Category:Internet properties established in 2005

Category:Video game genre websites