Real's Casual Games Syndication Partners Will Benefit from Game Trust's
Customizable Community and Commerce Technology Platform
SEATTLE, Sept. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Digital entertainment
services company RealNetworks(R), Inc. (Nasdaq: RNWK) today announced it
has entered into an agreement to acquire Game Trust, Inc, a casual game
infrastructure company based in New York. Real plans to add Game Trust's
innovative community and commerce capabilities to the technology platform
currently offered to Real's games syndication partners. The transaction is
expected to close early in the fourth quarter.
"Our partners want to add social networking to their sites to further
engage their game players," said Harold Zeitz, senior vice president for
Real's Games Division. "This acquisition will create enhanced consumer
experiences for our partners' offerings and for Real's casual games
players."
Real powers more than 200 casual games channels owned by popular media
outlets and portal companies worldwide.
"We are very excited to join Real and push the casual games industry
forward," said Adeo Ressi, CEO of Game Trust. "This agreement unites the
industry's top content, top distribution, and top technology platform. The
players will ultimately benefit."
"Social networking is a critical next step for the casual games
industry and for Lifetime," said Kris Soumas, vice president of Games at
Lifetime, the leading network for women and a top syndication partner with
Real. "We're looking forward to implementing Game Trust's technology with
Real to enhance our extremely popular games section and strengthen the
sense of community on LifetimeTV.com."
Nielsen/NetRatings recently reported that online players of casual
games are 30 percent more likely than adult Internet users overall to
participate in bulletin boards and 75 percent more likely to visit a chat
room to interact with friends or family.
"Social networking will be a catalyst for the next wave of casual games
growth," said James Kuai, a research analyst at Parks Associates. "This new
partnership demonstrates how industry leaders like RealNetworks are
capitalizing on the growing popularity of social networking and community
to provide a richer experience for casual games audiences."
Game Trust's Game Frame platform is the industry-leading software
platform for community, affinity, and commerce models in online casual
games. Game Trust syndicates the platform to leading media companies around
the world. Real will continue to support and strengthen these partnerships.
ABOUT REALNETWORKS
RealNetworks, Inc. delivers digital entertainment services to consumers
via PC, portable music player, home entertainment system or mobile phone.
Real created the streaming media category in 1995 and has continued to lead
the market with pioneering products and services, including: RealPlayer(R),
the first mainstream media player to enable one-click downloading and
recording of Internet video; the award-winning Rhapsody(R) digital music
service, which delivers more than 1 billion songs per year; RealArcade(R),
one of the largest casual games destinations on the Web; and a variety of
mobile entertainment services, such as ringback tones, offered to consumers
through leading wireless carriers around the world. RealNetworks' corporate
information is located at http://www.realnetworks.com/company.
ABOUT GAME TRUST
Game Trust (http://www.gametrust.com) has developed the platform of
choice for online casual games and community, licensed by MiniClip, Liberty
Media, Slingo, and other major media and casual game portals. As consumers
have demanded more from interactive entertainment, Game Trust has responded
with advances in community, interactive game play, social networking,
affinity, online profiles and usage reporting. The fourth generation Game
Frame platform has been customized to meet the scale and branding needs of
partners worldwide, and supports the addition of game content through easy
to use tools. The Company is venture backed with offices in New York and
Denmark.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve
risks and uncertainties, including statements relating to the integration
of Game Trust's technology with Real's offerings, the adoption by consumers
and Real's partners of service enhancements enabled by Game Trust's
technology platform, support and expansion of services to be offered to
Game Trust's existing partners and Real's game development partners, and
the growth of casual gaming. Actual results may differ materially from the
results predicted. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from
the results predicted include: the risk that RealNetworks may not
successfully integrate Game Trust's technology with its existing casual
games services following the closing of the acquisition; development and
consumer acceptance of casual games online generally and Real's services in
particular because these are relatively new and unproven business models
and markets; risks associated with acquisitions generally, and the
acquisition of Game Trust in particular, including the risks of personnel
integration and unknown liabilities; competitive risks, including competing
technologies, products and services; and risks associated with the
introduction of new products and services. More information about potential
risk factors that could affect RealNetworks' business and financial results
is included in RealNetworks' annual report on Form 10-K for the most recent
year ended December 31, and its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and from
time to time in other reports filed by RealNetworks with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. The Company assumes no obligation to update any
forward-looking statements or information, which are in effect as of their
respective dates.
SOURCE RealNetworks, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.realnetworks.com
http://www.gametrust.com
CONTACT:
Audrey Craipain of SHIFT Communications, +00
(1) 415-374-0715, realgames@shiftcomm.com, for RealNetworks,
Inc.; or Carol Rogalski of RealNetworks, Inc., +00 (1)
206-892-6780, crogalski@real.com
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