SAN FRANCISCO MySpace
today announced a new MySpace Games experience that creates a more
social gaming environment with new tools and functionality for users and
developers. The site, available at myspace.com/games, launched today at
the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. These big steps are an
evolution of the MySpace Platform to improve users’ gaming experience
with a simple way to discover and share games. It also offers improved
application engagement and analytics tools for developers on the MySpace
Platform.
“We’ve been working with our developer partners to
understand where they’d like to see MySpace go; based on that feedback
we started rebuilding MySpace Games. These are the first steps in
offering robust tools for developers to help their businesses thrive.”
Also at GDC, MySpace announced the MySpace Neon iPhone application,
giving users access to their MySpace games on the iPhone. MySpace also
showcases new social games including Fish
Isle IGG, Hoop
Fever Live TheBroth, Kingdoms
of Camelot Watercooler, Paradise
Paintball CMUNE, SPP
Ranch Slide, Warlords
BitRhymes, Wild
Ones Playdom, and Zombie
Revenge DeezGames.
“Nearly one-third of MySpace users engage daily with games. We believe
the new experience will empower even more of the MySpace audience to
discover, share, and showcase games, which along with music and movies,
are core to our content strategy,” said Mike Jones, MySpace
Co-President. “We’ve been working with our developer partners to
understand where they’d like to see MySpace go; based on that feedback
we started rebuilding MySpace Games. These are the first steps in
offering robust tools for developers to help their businesses thrive.”
The new MySpace
Games Gallery now makes it easy for users to stay up to date on
their games through Notifications, and discover new games through their
friends’ Stream, personalized game recommendations, and popular game
charts. Users will also be able to rate games, which enhance search
results and recommendations.
MySpace provides a platform that is simple and friendly to independent
game developers, while giving robust support for premium games from
major development houses resulting in more gaming choices for users and
developers alike. For developers, the new experience is a step to
improve application engagement as games will be merchandised in more
areas, games can be shared more easily by users, and deeper analytics
tools provide more insight into how games are being used and by which
demographics.
MySpace Platform developers are now able to:
-
Review application-specific analytics via a new API, including
invitation conversions, active users, notification responses and
demographics.
-
Build games in rich, 3D-like quality with Unity's powerful 3D engine
and allow MySpace users to access the games with a new plug-in. For
example, Paradise Paintball utilizes this technology.
-
Encourage cross-platform competition with Scoreloop, which allows
games on different platforms to share the same high scores,
achievements, challenges and buddy lists.
-
Utilize GroovyCortex,
which is a cloud-based solution for onsite application developers, to
provide low latency push data for multiplayer games.
-
Track the source of application invitations and utilization to learn
how users are finding and choosing specific games.
“We are impressed with MySpace’s renewed commitment to deliver a great
gaming experience to their users and our players," said Marianne
Borenstein, vice president of platform relations and player experience
at Playdom. “We have worked closely with them to develop a roadmap that
will improve promotional and viral channels on the platform. The gallery
is the first of many new initiatives we’re excited to see roll out.”
For developers at GDC, MySpace is hosting “Game
Development on Social Platforms” today, March 10. The day will focus
on understanding how to build games for social platforms, the business
aspects of developing social games, and how developers and designers can
tap MySpace’s massive and highly engaged audience. Developers and gamers
will be able to directly start building or perfecting their games with
the help of the MySpace technical team and its partners. Speakers will
include representatives from MySpace, InsideSocialGames, Lightspeed
Ventures, Motorola, Unity 3D and more. The winners of the MySpace
Developer Challenge will be announced, and include:
Also announced at GDC, the new MySpace Neon for iPhone application will
give users access to their MySpace games on the go. The application will
make it easy for users to interact with games on their iPhones, share
related real-time notifications with friends, and view the Stream with
just game-related notifications. Users will be able to access all games
available on MySpace and have the ability to remotely install games. The
game will be available for iPhone users in the coming weeks.
About MySpace
MySpace is
a technology company connecting people around the world through personal
expression, content, and culture. MySpace’s dynamic music, movie, video
and gaming environments empower its global audience to discover, share
and showcase content across the Web. The MySpace platform creates unique
social experiences through personal profiles, photos, videos, mobile,
messaging, games, and the world's largest music community. MySpace is a
division of News Corporation NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSL. For
more information, visit http://www.myspace.com/pressroom.
