Ravensburger AG

Is Ravensburger a subsidiary of another company?
No. Ravensburger AG is an independent, family-owned German company held through Maier family foundations. It is not part of any larger group and has maintained family control since Otto Maier founded it in 1883.

Is Ravensburger publicly traded?
No. Ravensburger is a private Aktiengesellschaft owned by the Maier family foundations and does not trade on any stock exchange. It publishes limited financial figures, reporting FY2025 revenue of approximately EUR 744 million.

When was Ravensburger founded?
Ravensburger was founded in 1883 by Otto Julius Maier in Ravensburg, Germany, publishing its first game in 1884. The company celebrated its 140th anniversary in 2023, the same year it launched Disney Lorcana.

Who founded Ravensburger?
Otto Julius Maier founded the company in Ravensburg, a town whose name it adopted as its brand. The Maier family has controlled the business across five generations through foundation ownership structures.

What is Ravensburger's market position?
Ravensburger is the world market leader in jigsaw puzzles, a top-tier European board game and children's book publisher, and since 2023 the publisher of Disney Lorcana, the most successful new trading card game launch in over two decades.

Does Ravensburger own Disney Lorcana?
Ravensburger developed and publishes Disney Lorcana under a licensing agreement with Disney. It owns the game design and publishing rights for the TCG product, while Disney retains ownership of the underlying character intellectual property.

Otto Julius Maier founded the company in Ravensburg, Germany, in 1883, initially publishing instruction manuals and board games. Its first game, Reise um die Erde (Journey Around the World), appeared in 1884, establishing a formula of educational entertainment that still defines the brand.

Through the 20th century Ravensburger built its dominance in two categories: puzzles, where it became the global market leader with a reputation for premium quality, and board games, including classics like Memory (1959), Scotland Yard (1983), and Labyrinth (1986). International expansion and acquisitions including Swedish toy maker BRIO (2015) and US game companies broadened the portfolio.

The 2023 launch of Disney Lorcana represented a strategic diversification into the high-growth TCG category, designed by TCG industry veterans including former Magic professionals and published under a broad Disney licensing agreement. Its sell-out debut was the biggest product launch in company history.

Ravensburger operates under German corporate sustainability standards with published commitments covering FSC-certified paper sourcing for puzzles and cards, European manufacturing to reduce logistics emissions, and social standards across its German and Czech production sites.

The company emphasizes durable product quality as inherently sustainable, with puzzle and game products designed for decades of use rather than disposable consumption, and runs corporate volunteering and community programs in its Ravensburg home region.

Ravensburger's record is largely clean. Lorcana's launch drew the standard TCG supply-shortage criticism when demand far outstripped initial print runs in 2023, fueling secondary market prices before production scaled, a pattern since largely resolved.

As a card game publisher it now faces the same randomized-product discussions as other TCG companies. Its heritage businesses have encountered no significant controversies, consistent with its conservative family-ownership culture.