Via Gamasutra

Mochi Media announced yesterday a partnership with Cyworld, an online social network, to offer a new gaming arcade to its users and as a secondary service- new advertising revenue streams. Mochi Media is one of the largest providers of game advertising solutions for flash games.

From the press release:

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — 08/20/08 — Mochi Media, the world’s largest online games advertising network, announced today a partnership with Cyworld US, an online social network, to offer a new gaming arcade to its users while creating new advertising revenue streams. Cyworld, through its rich and engagement-focused environment, enables users to connect with friends, share photos, and participate in discussions, or talk with members about popular culture and topics of interest to the community. Mochi Media’s library of Flash games will help extend this social entertainment and communications focus by allowing members to compete against top scores of friends, as well as comment on game play. The service will also allow Cyworld to capture a share of the advertising revenue generated from all games played on the site.

Through Mochi Media’s MochiAds for Publishers platform, Cyworld receives a feed of constantly updated, well-integrated Flash gaming content through the new gaming section on its site. By incorporating Cyworld’s social graph with Mochi Media’s games, Cyworld members have a unique social gaming experience where they can compete with friends and other Cyworld members and share their thoughts about the games, players and game play. Mochi Media’s unobtrusive pre-game ads are displayed as the game is loading, and bring new revenue opportunities to Cyworld while allowing it to provide a superior, distraction-free user experience.

Cyworld’s focus on engaging and entertaining its audience has been bolstered by the introduction of gaming content and is a prominent feature in its recent site redesign. The games portion of the Cyworld site was launched in mid-July, and already ranks second among the top areas of its site, in terms of engagement as measured by time on site. Cyworld will look to build on its members’ appetite for online gaming through the integration of Mochi Media’s broad array of games and features allowing users to challenge their friends and further extend the social aspects of gaming.

Cyworld and MochiAds: A New Model for User-Sensitive Advertising

Despite the enormous popularity of social networking around the globe, advertising across this medium has struggled to keep pace. At the heart of this struggle is that consumers are seeking a clutter- and distraction-free social networking experience to engage with friends, and existing advertising models do not map well to these requirements. Recognizing this disconnect and building on its focus on user experience, Cyworld has ripped out all banner ads on the site and turned to Mochi Media because its pre- and inter-level game advertisements are integrated into natural breaks in game play, and thus less disruptive to the user experience.

“Cyworld offers a world-class online experience — its tremendous popularity across Korea and other countries is a testament to its focus on a great user experience,” said Jameson Hsu, Mochi Media CEO. “MochiAds for Publishers offers Cyworld a consistent stream of highly engaging gaming content that will give Cyworld users an increased number of options for entertainment and will provide the company with new revenue possibilities.”

“We are very excited about this partnership with Mochi Media. Their consistently updated, highly entertaining gaming content will aid us in engaging and retaining our members,” said Darian Patchin, Cyworld VP of product marketing. “Mochi Media provides a deep level of gaming integration, enabling our members to compete and engage with one another. We are constantly looking to increase the quality of our members’ experience and providing a social way to interact with Web games is a perfect fit. Mochi Media helps solve a revenue problem that many social networks are facing. Since we don’t allow banner advertising on the site and are the only major social network without it, we are very selective about our revenue generation partners.”

Mochi Media is an online gaming network that provides tools for game developers, publishers and advertisers. The company provides independent developers of Web games with analytics, distribution, and monetization tools — while supplying publishers with a wide array of games they can select to publish to their sites and offering advertisers a way to reach the one-in-three Internet users who play online games.

WPP Group has acquired a reported 12.82% stake in a Chinese in-game agency “InGame Ad Interactive Technology Limited“

From the WPP Group press release:

WPP acquires minority stake in InGame Ad Interactive in China

21 August, 2008

WPP announces that it has acquired a minority stake of 12.82% of the issued share capital of IGA Limited, the Cayman Island parent company of InGame Ad Interactive Technology Limited in China.

WPP holds 55% of Series A Preferred Stock of IGA Limited. Revolution Ventures holds the remaining 45% of the Series A Preferred Stock, with founder shareholders holding the remaining common stock in the company.

InGame Ad, based in Shanghai, is a leading independent dynamic in-game advertising network in China providing consumer reach through a portfolio of premium quality online games, including mobile games.

This investment continues WPP’s strategy of developing its networks in important markets and sectors and demonstrates its commitment to developing its business in China.

If so you should probably plan on purchasing Mercenaries 2. Complete with destructible environment, Mercenaries 2 allows gamers to blow up in-game advertising at will.

Marketing and advertising professionals need not worry however. Not only do the ads come back, but destruction of ads in-game is the equivalent to direct engagement with your target audience.

Get the full scoop on the issues surrounding the destruction of in-game ads from GameDaily.

“Playrix Entertainment is the new name for the former casual games division of Terminal Studio originally founded in 2004. The team behind such solid titles as Atlantis Quest, The Rise of Atlantis, etc. is now entering a new era bringing you the perfect mix of high-quality production and innovation.

Over the last few years Terminal Studio has become known as a successful game development and self-publishing company that specializes in casual PC games for the whole family. Our new name marks the beginning of a new dawn for the experienced team of fun game professionals. Here at Playrix Entertainment you will find the perfect mix of talent and creativity, fun and technology. We have expanded and are looking to step up production but our mission remains the same and it is to create spectacular, captivating and always family-friendly games.”

Check out the opportunity within Fishdom: Deep Sea Adventure here.

The in-game campaign is being executed simultaneously with other efforts on the social networking site Friendster.

More details via BrandRepublic

It looks like the first destination for Greystripe’s mobile gaming products will be CollegeHumor.com which� relies on Quattro for publishing, hosting and managing advertising sales on its site.

Press Release

Julie Shumaker, Double Fusion’s current Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, will now be overseeing Double Fusion’s newly formed Core Games Group as its GM. Shumaker will now be overseeing publisher partnerships across Double Fusion’s core video game segment.

Glen Sussman, formerly CFO and COO of GameTrust, has joined the Double Fusion team as Chief Financial Officer; and Joshua Larson, former Vice President of Games at CNET Networks, has been brought on as the Vice President of Business Development.

On a side note: Yikes on some of the press release content. Not sure how this one slipped past the proofreading stations at Business Wire, Double Fusion, or Forty Seven Communications but-

“Sussman is coming on as CEO of Double Fusion just as the company embarks upon a double-digit revenue growth and multi-year expansion.”

You have to feel bad for Jonathan Epstein, CEO of Double Fusion with all his nice comments on the new hires.

“Julie, Josh and Glen all have unique and diverse backgrounds, but traits they all share are a love of games and a history of strong results and success in their prior roles,” says Jonathan Epstein, Double Fusion’s President and CEO. “Double Fusion prides itself on its world class technology, but it is our stellar team that brings the experience and dedication that has propelled Double Fusion to its status as the leading independent in the sector.”

Little does he know that he is actually being replaced… Just be glad that they are not a public company, that might have made for some interesting stock changes for the day…

“Cellufun is a community-driven mobile gaming portal providing free games that encourage social interaction between players. People from all over the world on all mobile networks access the site in their own language to compete, collaborate, chat and share game hints in their pursuit of real and virtual prizes. In addition to producing award-winning original games, Cellufun works with agencies and advertisers to design customized mobile marketing solutions that provide an unprecedented level of brand interaction and immersion.”

Advertisers and Marketers check out the listing here: CELLUFUN

“Recent reports are now confirming that the search giant has been testing video ads for over a month, likely with its partner Bunchball. Bunchball is a member of Google’s OpenSocial social networking effort and a Flash games developer with a few Facebook applications.”