iloveRobots Selects Live Gamer for Powering Virtual Items and Microtransactions for Mechatars Robot Toy Line
New “Blended Reality” Game for Kids Incorporates RC Robots with Online Gaming, Adds Virtual Items for Robot Training Advancement
New York, September 21, 2011 – Live Gamer (www.livegamer.com), the world’s first combined digital commerce and advertising platform for the interactive entertainment industry, announced today that it has been selected by iloveRobots to drive microtransactions and the virtual economy for Mechaverse™, the “blended reality” world for Mechatars™.
Designed for kids age six and up, the new toy line combines robotics, online gaming and remote controlled (RC) toys. Players train their Mechatars in order to advance in the game – the more they play with and train their robot on and offline, the more weapons, skills and abilities their Mechatar earns. Live Gamer will manage the virtual items, currency and badges within the Mechaverse, enabling players to unlock items in the store based on badges earned in battles played online and offline.
“The response to the Mechatars toy line and the integrated online game has exceeded our expectations,” said Martin Hitch, CEO, Bossa Nova Robotics, parent company of iloveRobots. “By combining online and offline play, the experience of playing with and training Mechatars is a truly interactive experience. Live Gamer’s Elements platform powers virtual items and the in-world storefront for the Mechaverse virtual world – an integral part of the Mechatars training experience.”
“iloveRobots needed an advanced virtual items management solution to tie together the online and offline Mechatar experience,” said Andrew Schneider, President and Co-Founder for Live Gamer. “Elements lets the Mechaverse come alive and enables the advancement of Mechatars through training, badges and advanced items, while providing iloveRobots with valuable data to help refine the online and offline experience.”
Mechatars are available now at major retailers nationwide and at www.iloveRobots.com (MSRP $39.99). Kids can visit and begin leveling up their virtual Mechatar for free at www.mechatars.com. To learn more about Live Gamer and its virtual items management solutions, visit www.livegamer.com.
About Live Gamer
Live Gamer (www.livegamer.com) is the world’s first combined digital commerce and advertising platform. With an advanced microtransaction and virtual economy engine, global payment gateways, worldwide ad network and video incentive advertising platform, Live Gamer helps online entertainment companies drive maximize revenue from their content, and connects advertisers to a network of over 48 million users. Live Gamer’s technology has been adopted by leading publishers in gaming, entertainment and social including Facebook, Electronic Arts, Take 2, Sony Online, Namco Networks, REAL Networks and THQ. Advertisers on the Live Gamer Media network include Blizzard, KFC, Best Buy and Sony Computer Entertainment. For more information on Live Gamer and its Elements, Ad Elements, and gamerDNA media services, please visit www.livegamer.com.
About iloveRobots
iloveRobots is a consumer robotics company known for their dynamic and interactive toys. The company’s products leverage some of the most innovative technologies to create engaging and long-lasting play experiences for today’s tech-savvy kids. Based in Pittsburgh, PA, iloveRobots is a spin-off of the Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute. For more information about iloveRobots and its products, please visit www.iloveRobots.com.
Live Gamer Powering Rise of Immortals™ Virtual Economy
New York, August 30, 2011 - Live Gamer (www.livegamer.com ), the world’s first combined digital commerce and advertising platform for the interactive entertainment industry, announced today that it will power the virtual economy in Rise of Immortals™, the new Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) game from Petroglyph®.
Petroglyph has broken new ground in the MOBA genre with free-to-play Rise of Immortals, and has introduced unique socialization features like a social hub where players can show off their enhanced Immortals, a chat system, leader boards, and friend lists, an innovative character progression system, persistent level progression and skill trees, as well as cooperative Player versus Environment (PvE) mode – without the upfront cost of a typical MOBA game. Virtual goods and microtransactions let players engage and advance within Rise of Immortals at their own price point and pace, offering an experience that truly stands apart from existing MOBA titles in the market.
Petroglyph has integrated the Live Gamer Elements platform into Rise of Immortals to drive the game’s virtual economy. As a complete monetization engine, Live Gamer Elements includes virtual and digital goods catalog management, earned and bought currency support, item storefronts and merchandising, as well as deep analytics and international payment gateways.
“Petroglyph has built quite a bit of innovation into Rise of Immortals, bringing players features and game play that are new to the MOBA genre,” said Andrew Schneider, President and Co-Founder, Live Gamer. “We’re excited to be working with them to power some of these new features, and wish them the best of luck with the release.”
“Live Gamer’s Elements technology allowed us to quickly develop micro-transaction inventory, catalog and price management systems for Rise of Immortals,” said Steve Wetherill, Producer at Petroglyph Games. “Elements proved to be a great match for our requirements, enabling us to focus our development efforts on our game and at the same time shortening our time to market.”
Live Gamer Enhances Elements With Subscription & Physical Goods Support, Announces New Customer FunGoPlay
Kid’s Virtual World Will Encourage Outdoor Play with Connected Devices and In-Game Rewards
NEW YORK, NY – August 15, 2011 – Live Gamer (www.livegamer.com), the world’s first combined digital commerce and advertising platform for the interactive entertainment industry, announced today that it has released a feature-rich upgrade to its flagship Elements e-commerce platform on FunGoPlay, a new virtual sports theme park with real-world connected gear for online and mobile platforms. The upgraded platform will include subscriptions and physical goods support, the fundamental revenue drivers for the new kids site.
FunGoPlay separates itself from all other virtual worlds with its connected real-world sports gear, encouraging kids to get outside and play to earn special in-game rewards. It will leverage the upgraded Live Gamer Elements platform to handle subscriptions and micro-transactions as well as digital and physical bundles that include the purchasing of FunGoPlay’s connected sports gear.
“FunGoPlay is pioneering virtual worlds for kids by connecting real offline play with virtual online play,” said Andrew Schneider, President and Co-Founder of Live Gamer. “We’re delighted to be able to provide a flexible technology platform to enable advanced business models that blends both virtual and physical goods, micro-transactions and subscriptions.”
“Live Gamer’s Elements platform was the perfect solution to meet our vision of connecting sports play with an online world that provides rewards for physical activity,” said Steven Lerner, CEO of FunGoPlay. “As kids increasingly grow up in a connected world, we have an opportunity to deliver a new form of entertainment that integrates a unique digital content platform with a traditional sports play pattern. Live Gamer has played an integral role in making this happen.”
Advertising Veteran Bob Lonigro Joins Live Gamer As EVP of Media Sales
Bob Lonigro, EVP of Media Sales
Live Gamer (www.livegamer.com), the world’s first combined digital commerce and advertising platform for the interactive entertainment industry, announced today that 20-year ad industry veteran Bob Lonigro has joined the company as EVP of Media Sales. Mr. Lonigro will help Live Gamer lead sales across its new advertising business unit, Live Gamer Media, for both the adElements video engagement platform and gamerDNA Media advertising network.
Mr. Lonigro most recently served as vice president of media sales at NeoEdge Networks, where he was responsible for leading advertising sales efforts and formed a new casual games business model for the company. Prior to NeoEdge, he held senior sales executive positions with Electronic Arts’ Pogo.com, Future Media, IAC and GeoCities.com, where he was instrumental in the company’s $4.6b acquisition by Yahoo! in 1999.
Additionally, Lonigro has extensive experience in media planning, including a senior position at Ogilvy & Mather, where he oversaw 12 Kraft Foods brands and planned and implemented over $160 million in annual media spending. He has also served as the General Manager of Advertising Sales at Future Media, and as Senior Director of National Advertising Sales at Electronic Arts where he led the industry’s first video game deals and led the charge in online casual games advertising.
“Bob Lonigro has a rare combination of deep advertising experience and thorough knowledge of the games space,” said Andrew Schneider, president and co-founder of Live Gamer. “It’s an honor to have a veteran of his caliber join the Live Gamer Media team to help us grow this exciting new side of our business. He’ll be instrumental in working with publishers and advertisers alike.”
“Live Gamer has become a true leader in games monetization, and has filled the gap with its addition of the Live Gamer Media advertising unit,” said Bob Lonigro, EVP of Media Sales for Live Gamer Media, “I’m very much looking forward to helping Live Gamer reach more customers, and help advertisers and games publishers fulfill all of their online monetization needs.”
President of Live Gamer Andrew Schneider Speaks at Social TV Summit
Last Wednesday, President of Live Gamer Andrew Schneider attended the Social TV Summit in Los Angeles. The purpose of the Social TV Summit was to offer engaging panels, case studies, discussions, and networking opportunities with creative producers, ad agency executives, social TV experts and high-level executives from other related industries. Industry leaders and media economists weighed in on how social media is entering and enhancing the television, media, and advertising space and discussed where the future of social media lies.
Click here to watch Andrew Schneider’s speech at the Social TV Summit!
Live Gamer Acquires GamerDNA and Brandport
Live Gamer (www.livegamer.com), the trusted total revenue solution for the interactive entertainment industry, today announced that it has acquired two companies, GamerDNA and Brandport, to form the world’s first combined e-commerce and advertising platform. GamerDNA is one of the largest video game ad networks in the United States and Europe, reaching close to 48 million unique viewers per month. Brandport, which has been rebranded to Live Gamer Ad Elements, offers a video ad platform is used to increase monetization of free-to-play games by targeting all different types of gamers.
Check out coverage of the acquisitions on TechCrunch, Adweek, and All Things Digital!
Live Gamer Powers 2K’s First Social Games Endeavor
LIVE GAMER TO POWER MONETIZATION FOR 2K’S SID MEIER’S CIVILIZATION® WORLD FOR FACEBOOK
E-Commerce Platform Leader Powers 2K’s First Social Games Endeavor
NEW YORK, June 30, 2011 – Live Gamer (www.livegamer.com), the trusted total revenue solution for the interactive entertainment industry, today announced that it has been selected by 2K to power its first foray into Facebook social games with its highly anticipated title Sid Meier’s Civilization® World. Sid Meier’s Civilization is recognized as one of the greatest strategy franchises of all-time, with more than 10 million units sold worldwide and unprecedented critical acclaim from fans and the media alike.
2K has integrated the Live Gamer Elements platform, for access to the only end-to-end virtual goods and economy management service available. This complete monetization engine includes earned and bought currency e-wallet, virtual goods catalog management and merchandising, item storefronts, deep analytics, integration with Facebook Credits for payments and much more.
“Civilization is one of the most successful and beloved game franchises in history, made by one of the most acclaimed game designers ever,” said Andrew Schneider, President and Co-Founder, Live Gamer. “It’s an honor to be a part of 2K’s first endeavor into the social games world with their debut Facebook application, Civilization World.”
To learn more about Live Gamer’s total monetization solutions, visit http://livegamer.com/products/.
2K is a wholly owned publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).
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Live Gamer Powers New Territories for Facebook Credits
Originally posted by Loren Cheng
Today we’re announcing new international payment methods and improved payout workflows for developers using Facebook Credits. Through these improvements, we’re now able to support developers in virtually all countries.
Starting around July 1, we’re adding alternative payment options for Facebook Credits in 13 countries in Asia and Latin America. Those payment options are supported by Live Gamer.
We’re also excited to announce that we now support payouts to developers in all countries globally (excluding a few government-embargoed countries). To do this, we’ve developed a new pay out process for developers in countries where we haven’t previously supported payouts through banks or PayPal. For developers in these countries, we may request some additional documentation to enable them to be paid through their local bank account.
If you have specific questions about international payment options and payouts for Facebook Credits, please reach out directly or through the developer forums.
Check out the coverage on AllThingsD.com here!
Live Gamer and Skrill Partner to Offer Turnkey, End-To-End Monetization Engine for Global Game Publishers
Live Gamer and Skrill, which operates the payment provider Moneybookers, today announced a preferred payments partnership creating a sophisticated, end-to-end monetization engine tailored for online game publishers. By seamlessly integrating Moneybookers’ secure, real-time payments platform with Live Gamer’s total commerce solution, Live Gamer Payments by Skrill offers game publishers and developers a one-stop solution for driving online revenues, maximizing user acquisition and retention, developing and managing digital item sales, increasing user engagement and much more.
The combined turnkey, multi-platform service gives publishers and developers instant access to new markets with over 100 payment methods in 200 countries and territories. Live Gamer Payments by Skrill offers localized, country-specific payment methods including bank transfer and debit instruments, in addition to global credit/debit, mobile payments, pre-paid cards, Facebook credits and more. Additionally, Skrill’s digital wallet offers customers an easy ‘password only’ payment method, tailored for micro payments and set to increase merchant’s retention rates. Settlement can be conducted in 41 local currencies.
Going beyond payments, the combined service offers a complete virtual economy management platform, including advanced merchandising tools and an industry-leading transactional analytics system. With deep insights into user data, publishers can optimize their digital sales strategy and increase ARPU. Publishers are also able to easily manage and price thousands of SKUs including digital media, virtual goods or even physical product, as well as create discounts, coupons and bundles.
Check out the coverage on Forbes.com here!
Live Gamer @ GDC! Beyond Credit: Localized Payment Strategies For Global Business
Europe is a key market for game developers. However, due to the difficulties in reaching the many individual markets, European customers have been largely underserved. One major challenge is understanding the diverse payment options for digital content and how these options vary by country. The content providers that understand and tackle payment issues country-by-country are the ones likely to be most successful in Europe.
Live Gamer GDC Session: Beyond Credit: Localized payment strategies for a global business
During this session, key findings will be shared that highlight which payment methods drive the most revenue in Europe for online game publishers. Best practices, success and failures and how to best set up a global-local payments strategy will be discussed.
When: Thursday March 3rd
Where: Moscone Center 1:30pm PT (RM 309)
Presented by David Cole, DFC Intelligence, Analyst
Moderator: Jeremy Miller, DFC Intelligence, Analyst
Panelists: Nima Pourshasb, Live Gamer, VP Corporate Development
Carsten van Husen, Gameforge 4D, CEO
Ralf Wenzel, Skrill Holdings, COO
Linus Menden, Big Point, Head of Finance
