Q&A with Roi Glazer, General Manager of Solitaire Grand Harvest
What do you get when you mix solitaire, farming, and The Smurfs?
Apparently… a top-grossing mobile game. Also one of my favorite games of all time.
Solitaire Grand Harvest, published by Playtika, has quietly grown into the #1 highest-grossing solitaire game in the U.S., with over $1 billion in lifetime revenue and more than 71 million downloads worldwide.
At the center of it all is Roy Glazer, General Manager of the game, who’s helped shape its evolution from a card game to a full-blown live ops ecosystem.
Solitaire Grand Harvest has been thriving for years — not something every mobile game can say. What do you think is the real secret to its long-term appeal?
Solitaire Grand Harvest is the #1 highest-grossing Solitaire game in the U.S., attracting hundreds of thousands of daily players worldwide. Its success lies in delivering high-value content and a dynamic experience that allows its community to experience the satisfaction of farming in growing and harvesting crops, building and designing their own personalized farm, and progressing through endless Solitaire levels.
To keep the game fresh and exciting for our players, we are continuously introducing new features and fostering a strong online community, keeping players engaged and connected around the fun and creativity at the heart of Solitaire Grand Harvest.
What’s the key to balancing complexity without losing the simplicity people love about solitaire?
The key is respecting the simplicity that makes solitaire timeless while layering in just enough depth to keep players engaged over the long term. In Solitaire Grand Harvest, we start with the familiar mechanics players love, then introduce features like farm-building, seasons, and community challenges that naturally extend the experience without overwhelming it.
Strategic IP partnerships have become a big part of how we achieve that balance. Collaborations like Peanuts with Snoopy and our current partnership with The Smurfs allow us to refresh the game in ways that feel familiar and exciting. We have found that partnerships like these really connect with players through the nostalgic bonds they already have with these cultural icons while forming new connections by offering a fresh, rewarding take on solitaire. It is about enhancing the experience thoughtfully, keeping the heart of solitaire front and center while evolving around what players love most.
We’re suddenly seeing big names jumping into the solitaire scene. Do you see this surge as validation of the genre, healthy competition… or a little of both?
Solitaire has always been beloved, but now we are seeing new energy and creativity around how it can evolve. We welcome the competition because it pushes the entire category forward and keeps players excited. We have always believed in the potential of combining the timeless simplicity of solitaire with fresh experiences, which is why collaborations like our current partnership with The Smurfs are so important. They let us offer players something new and culturally relevant while staying true to what makes solitaire so universally appealing.
Your IP collabs — like Peanuts and The Smurfs — feel unexpected, but totally charming. How do you decide which brands make sense for the game, and what role do they play in your overall player strategy?
We are very thoughtful about the IPs we bring into Solitaire Grand Harvest. The goal is always to find partners that feel authentic to the spirit of the game, while also tapping into larger cultural moments that excite our players.
Our collaboration with The Smurfs is a great example as the full game is now smurfed for players’ enjoyment. Currently, every Smurf is a farmer Smurf in Solitaire Grand Harvest, just in time for the big-screen debut of The Smurfs movie. Players can dig up exclusive in-game rewards as the iconic characters journey from Smurfs Village to the lush farmland of Solitaire Grand Harvest.
These partnerships are more than just fun crossovers. They create meaningful moments of connection, giving players fresh reasons to engage with the game while staying true to the timeless simplicity of solitaire. Through collaborations like Peanuts and The Smurfs, we are able to evolve the experience thoughtfully, keeping it culturally relevant and deeply rewarding for our global community.
Have any of those partnerships led to shifts in how players engage with the game? Any surprises in what really clicked or didn’t during those events?
Absolutely. IP partnerships like Peanuts with Snoopy and The Smurfs have strengthened player engagement by creating fresh and nostalgic yet culturally relevant moments that feel both exciting and familiar.
We have seen spikes in daily activity, longer session times, and strong participation in special events tied to these collaborations. What has really clicked is the emotional connection, players love seeing beloved characters integrated naturally into the Solitaire Grand Harvest world. It reinforces that when done thoughtfully, these partnerships deepen loyalty without disrupting the core game experience.
Was there ever a feature or update you were unsure about at first, but players totally surprised you by loving it?
Our team deeply researches every opportunity to ensure we are confident before bringing anything into Solitaire Grand Harvest. While you can never predict everything, players have consistently surprised us with how strongly they respond when the integration feels natural and true to the spirit of the game. It speaks to the team’s exceptional ability to blend the best of both worlds into one seamless, rewarding experience.
If you had total freedom — what’s one feature or dream collab you’d add to Solitaire Grand Harvest tomorrow?
It is a tough question, because we are so proud of the amazing collaborations we have already brought to life. Just recently, SuperPlay, now part of Playtika, partnered with Disney to launch Disney Solitaire, which shows the level of ambition and creativity across our teams. With the foundation we have built, the possibilities are truly endless.
What’s something most players would never guess about what goes on behind the scenes to keep Solitaire Grand Harvest fresh and constantly evolving?
What players might not realize is just how much planning, testing, and creative collaboration happens behind the scenes. Every new feature, event, and partnership is the result of months of research, player insights, and teamwork across many disciplines. It is a constant balance of staying true to what players love while finding thoughtful ways to surprise and delight them.
👉 Have you read my analysis yet? You should check it out!
The Addictive and Wildly Profitable World of Solitaire Grand Harvest https://www.gamigion.com/solitaire/
