December 2nd, 2008 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Ad Funded Gaming | 1 Comment »
T-Mobile is not only chasing the App Store experience, the operator has now also launched a portal with free mobile games. As you can imagine, free means ad-funded, but that's a big step forward for this market.
Funded by advertising, customers can now access at least one new game per week by joining T-Mobile’s Game Club. The first free game available to consumers is Poker Million II, which is funded by advertisers like Paramount Pictures.
Digistores will host and manage the content and new games will be made available each week. Games scheduled to appear in the coming weeks include IQ Booster, Pro-Bowling, Pool Star and Einstein’s Brain Game.
Customers need to watch two full-screen, targeted adverts before starting the game and two adverts after the game has finished. Within the UK, customers will not be charged for the data required for downloading the game or accessing the adverts. The full screen, interstitial adverts are interactive and enable the user to visit an advertiser’s mobile site or even click to call or text the advertiser. There will be no limitations on the number of games that can be downloaded or how many times each game can be played.
Damien Byrne, Head of New Proposition Development, T-Mobile UK, said: “The launch of ad-funded games further strengthens T-Mobile’s mobile gaming offering to consumers. We continue to make mobile gaming easier than ever before and a more enjoyable experience for our customers.”
Steve Gordon, Managing Director, Digistores said: “We are delighted to be working with T-Mobile on this innovative project. Our experience in the mobile gaming and advertising market and T-Mobile’s web’n’walk service are the perfect match and we look forward to attracting new customers to mobile games. Our technology allows advertising to targeted to specific segments which makes it a successful proposition for advertisers and content partners alike.”
Zac Stephenson, Communications Director at Ad Agency Mediaedge:cia added: “Digistores offered us the opportunity to associate with free, quality gaming content delivered directly to a mobile audience. As mobile phones continue to assume greater roles as entertainment delivery devices, it's important for Paramount to remain at the forefront of new developments such as this.”
Just what the market needs; the big boys playing on the word “Free,” whereas the keyword should be “Free and Poor selection!”
Certainly poor brands, AD FUNDED – how dumb do they think the consumer is!!!