Webzen hops on the in game advertising band wagon

by: Chuck - posted: 6/27/2006 12:30:00 PM

Webzen announced today that they will be doing in game advertising with Massive inc for the PC versions of Huxley and All Points Bulletin (APB).  While it makes a lot of sense to put it in APB as its set in modern times I do wonder how it is going to work for Huxley.  They've got some time to figure it out though as Huxley isn't going to ship until 2007 and APB isn't due until 2008.

WEBZEN SIGNS MASSIVE TO PROVIDE VIDEO GAME ADVERTISING

Highly Anticipated Online Games Huxley and All Points Bulletin to Enjoy New Revenue Streams from Blue-Chip Advertisers

NEW YORK and SEOUL – June 27, 2006 – Massive Incorporated, creator of the leading in-game advertising network, and WEBZEN Inc (NASDAQ: WZEN), a leading global online entertainment company, today announced plans to provide in-game advertising to two of the global publisher’s most anticipated massively multiplayer online games (MMOG’s). The agreement marks Massive’s entry in the Asian market and WEBZEN’s first services to provide in-game advertising.
 
Games included in the deal are the upcoming PC versions of the massively multiplayer online first-person shooter (MMOFPS) Huxley and the urban action MMOG All Points Bulletin. Both games are slated for worldwide release and will include in-game advertising in each territory.
 
“As a premier global online games company, WEBZEN is dedicated to providing a realistic experience for our gamers,” said Nam Ju Kim, CEO, Webzen Inc. “The combination of WEBZEN’s global marketing know-how and Massive’s unprecedented in-game advertising experience ensures we are delivering the highest level of quality to gamers.”
 
Slated for release in 2007, the award-winning Huxley utilizes the UNREAL3 engine and WEBZEN’s proprietary networking technology to create an un paralleled twitch action gaming experience with up to 5,000 players in the same world. All Points Bulletin, developed by Real Time Worlds, Ltd. and designed by the creator of the Grand Theft Auto® franchise, is the only massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) to combine nearly limitless customization with intense urban action in a city that never sleeps. APB is planned for a 2008 release.
 
“Massive’s network represents the best global content in the industry, ever more so with the inclusion of Webzen’s award-winning games,” said Nicholas Longano, President of New Media for Massive. “We’re thrilled to work with Webzen to bring dynamic in-game advertising to the Asian market for the first time.”
 
Recently acquired by Microsoft Corp., Massive pioneered dynamic in-game advertising with the launch of the Massive Network in October 2004 and has since partnered with more than 60 blue-chip advertisers to seamlessly deliver ads into more than 75 million game sessions. Massive enables publishers and developers to capture significant new revenues through the aggregation of the video game audience which can be more effectively marketed to advertisers. Developers are able to integrate real-world ad campaigns that are timely and enhance the game environment with more realism.
 
About WEBZEN Inc.

Founded in 2000 and based in Seoul, Korea, WEBZEN (NASDAQ: WZEN) has become a leader in the MMOG market and has developed some of the world’s top online game and client/server technologies. WEBZEN is continuing the tradition of MU Online, which boasts more than 50 million registered users, with Soul of the Ultimate Nation and an array of exciting game titles slated for release in the world’s game market. WEBZEN is also the first publisher in Korea to diversify into console platforms, including Xbox 360 and PlayStation®3 (PS3). In January 2005, WEBZEN announced its entry into the U.S. games market with a subsidiary, WEBZEN America, based in Los Angeles.