Summary: Kongregate is launching a multi-million dollar programme to help developers produce mobile games.
Kongregate is set to launch a $10 million (£6.4 million) programme that it hopes will encourage independent developers to produce mobile games for its platform.
The online games portal and its parent company GameStop announced today (February 4th) it is using the funding to support up-and-coming free mobile games at the same time as rolling out its own mobile business.
In order to help its clients to become successful in the mobile gaming industry, Kongregate is offering them cash advances to cover final build and integration expenses and free consultations with experienced developers, as well as creative services, quality assurance and gameplay testing.
Furthermore, the business is due to manage paid advertising campaigns for games across third-party networks and work alongside app stores to get certain games featured.
Heading up the Kongregate Mobile Developers scheme is Pany Haritatos, former general manager of competing online gaming site Zynga.
Mr Haritatos said at present, developers are struggling to get their games discovered through the many different app stores there are available to mobile users.
“I personally faced these challenges in 2009 while managing my own game studio. Utilising the Kongregate platform made my games successful, which ultimately led to my studio being acquired by Zynga,” he added.
Developers to receive support from Kongregate will see their games promoted to more than 50 million gamers via the online gaming company’s own website, GameStop’s iOS and Android applications, as well as web-based destinations and social media.
In addition, thanks to this new and innovative opportunity, some titles could appear in some of GameStop’s 6,600 stores worldwide.
Kongregate co-founder Emily Greer stated there is a big difference between the games portal’s mobile channel and what it is doing online. She told Inside Social Games: “We’re focusing on quality, not quantity, on mobile. We’re starting with the upper tiers, where everybody gets a high level of service and promotion.”
GameStop is also set to re-launch one of its applications with a new functionality that makes it easy for top developers to get their games discovered by up to 22 million of its PowerUp Rewards Members.
http://www.develop-online.net/news/43169/Kongregate-makes-10m-push-into-mobile-gaming-market
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