Ad-funded mobile games portal launches
- Added:
- May 21, 2008
A new website, 123play.com, has gone live today offering more than forty mobile games for free, in exchange for receiving ad messages on their mobiles.
The company said each game would normally cost £3 or £5 cost to the consumer
123play.com has partnered with a number of games companies including THQ Wireless, RealArcade, Digital Chocolate, Hands-On Mobile, Vivendi Games Mobile, PlayerX, Indiagames and Progressive Media.
When mobile owners launch a 123play.com game on their mobile, they see a few seconds of advertising. If consumers like what they see and want to visit the advertiser’s website on their phone, they click on the ad; if they don’t, the game will start.
There’s no registration process and no limit on the number of games that can be downloaded; with the sole cost coming from the game connecting to 123play’s advertising server via the network each time it’s launched.
In the UK, 29% of consumers regularly play games on their mobile handsets, according to research firm M:Metrics.
“The variety of games on offer through our site means there’s a game that’s right for everyone, and our advertisers know that they are not just getting access to a broad audience, but to the right audience,” said Markus Ramark, CEO and founder of 123play.com. “For consumers, it’s a no-brainer: they get quality mobile games in just a few seconds, without getting hit in the pocket.”
Paul Maglione, President of Vivendi Games Mobile said: "We are happy to be partnering with 123play.com, which has demonstrated a strategic approach to ad-funded mobile gaming as a way of reaching more price-sensitive consumers. We look forward to the success of our joint activities and, as a result, the growth of mobile gaming in the months to come."
"As an entertainment medium we need to embrace all our potential customers while finding business models that keep us growing and thriving," said Sean Amann, GM Global Sales & Marketing Mobile & New Platform Games at RealArcade. "Monetizing our product thru ad-funded play allows the entire mobile gaming eco-system to grow by lowering the barrier to entry for new customers and reaching out to vast majority of mobile gaming consumers who have yet to pay to play."
Adam Comiskey, Worldwide Vice-President of THQ Wireless, said: “Ad-funded gaming is an important complimentary business model in an industry that is constantly evolving, and it's through innovators like 123play, that are looking at new ways to capture the publics’ attention, that mobile gaming will continue to grow and mature as an industry.”