Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Gamestop acquiring Flash game portal Kongregate]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/07/27/gamestop-acquiring-flash-game-portal-kongregate/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/07/27/gamestop-acquiring-flash-game-portal-kongregate/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/07/27/gamestop-acquiring-flash-game-portal-kongregate/#commentsFiled under: , ,

GameStop just took a huge step into the casual online gaming market, by agreeing to purchase the Flash game portal Kongregate. According to the announcement, the site will remain under the management of founders Jim and Emily Greer following the purchase, which should finalize on August 1.

CEO J. Paul Raines explained the move, saying, "Dolphin Olympics 2 is really, really wonderful." Okay, we made that up (though Dolphin Olympics 2 is really, really wonderful). Raines actually said, "Kongregate advances GameStop's digital strategy by providing a gaming platform for casual, mobile and browser games that can be promoted and played by our existing gamers. We welcome the Kongregate team to the GameStop family."

GameStop has previously experimented with free-to-play online gaming with initiatives including the Legends of Zork browser game and a small "Free2Play" portal on its retail site.

JoystiqGamestop acquiring Flash game portal Kongregate originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 10:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>casualflash-gamesgamestopj-paul-raineskongregateonline-gamespcTue, 27 Jul 2010 10:12:00 EST<![CDATA[GameStop's Zork 'customer acquisition engine' experiment was a success]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/05/21/gamestops-zork-customer-acquisition-engine-experiment-was-a-s/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/05/21/gamestops-zork-customer-acquisition-engine-experiment-was-a-s/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/05/21/gamestops-zork-customer-acquisition-engine-experiment-was-a-s/#commentsThe free-to-play browser game Legends of Zork has been a bit of an experiment for GameStop. The retailer has promoted the free-to-play browser game both in-store and online as the major title in its "Free2Play" service. It hasn't just been an experiment in offering online content to customers -- GameStop has also used it as a testing ground for promoting specific games.

"Targeted customers received free in-game play cards with purchases at GameStop and they used the codes on cards to enter the game site online," explained COO J. Paul Raines in yesterday's investor call. "The results were that we added a large number of new game players to Legends of Zork, roughly doubling the audience of that game in four weeks. Our customer acquisition costs were significantly lower than advertising driven customer acquisition, and it is clear to us now that stores can efficiently convert online game players and provide a multi-channel gaming experience."

Later, in response to a question about the growth of web-based games and its effect on GameStop, Raines called GameStop stores a "customer acquisition engine" for specific online games, as proven by Zork. GameStop's idea appears to be to earn revenue by promoting online games in stores -- and then possibly sell DLC cards. If it can do those things, it has nothing to fear from browser games.

JoystiqGameStop's Zork 'customer acquisition engine' experiment was a success originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 21 May 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>browser-gamegamestoplegends-of-zorkonline-gamespaul-rainesFri, 21 May 2010 13:00:00 EST