A Wider Net

In a recent press release from Zylom.com, the free online games website owned by Real Networks, they claim to have been voted the UK’s “Most Popular Website”. Apparently, 275,000 people voted for their favorite from among 359 websites including juggernauts like Google, IMDB, and iVillage. Also interesting is their reported demographics - over 80% of their visitors are female over 30 yrs old.

I’m not sure how scientific this study is, but one thing is consistent around the globe - casual gaming is already huge and it’s attracting a whole new (and wide) demographic to the internet and to gaming.

Casual gaming provides more than revenue and sponsor opportunities. Games designed to augment your brand allow people to interact with your products, brand, and message in a lasting and affecting manner. They can also be custom designed to communicate product information, capture information, or drive traffic to product sales.

The full press release is below:

EINDHOVEN, the Netherlands, December 18, 2006 - The free online games website Zylom.com, which is the global casual games developer, distributor and publishing leader, has been chosen by the public as the UK’s “Most popular website of 2006” via the pan-European people’s-choice awards initiative by online research agency Metrixlab and supported by Nielsen//Netratings. The awards are the UK’s most important people’s choice award for websites. This marks the second year in a row that Zylom has been given the honor.

This year, 359 websites were nominated in 20 consumer categories. More than 275,000 people voted between October 9 and December 1. In each category there are two prizes to win: The title “Best Website of the Year” is awarded to the website with the highest average score on content, navigation and design. The title “Most Popular Website” goes to the website with the highest number of votes.

Zylom beat stiff competition from the likes of Google, iVillage, Play.com and the IMDB. In fact, Zylom.com has won the same award in several other European countries.

Rutger Peters, AVP of Europe Games for RealNetworks said, “We are extremely happy to win this award for the second time! This is very important to us, because it’s an acknowledgment that what we do resonates with our audience. It’s great to see that people throughout Europe love our website so much.”

Millions of people play the free online games on Zylom.com every month. They are simple word and puzzle games known as casual games and are becoming more and more popular, especially with women. Over 80 percent of Zylom’s visitors are female and over the age of thirty. Zylom’s studio creates well-known games for players worldwide and Zylom.com offers both those games and games from other developers for casual gamers to enjoy.

Recently, Zylom launched a new game subscription service in Europe, FunPass. With this subscription, visitors have access to more than one hundred downloadable games for one single monthly subscription charge. This service is exclusively offered to the European market through Zylom.

—————–End of press release——————-

Over ten million people throughout Europe play the Zylom games for free on www.zylom.com or through its European distribution network. Online games are especially popular amongst women; 80% of all visitors are female and over the age of thirty. Zylom was founded in the Netherlands in 2001. Earlier this month, Zylom was voted the fastest growing Media and Entertainment company in Europe in the Deloitte Technology Fast 500; the annual election of fastest growing Technology companies in Europe.

Earlier this year, Zylom was acquired by RealNetworks, Inc. which develops, publishes and distributes casual games throughout the world. Real’s consumer sites include www.real.com, www.realarcade.com, www.gamehouse.com, www.mrgoodliving.com and www.zylom.com.

For more information contact:

Petra van Dreumel, PR Manager, Zylom
E p.vandreumel@zylom.com
T +31 402 391 370

Stephen Orr, AxiCom UK (For RealNetworks)
E: stephen.orr@axicom.com
T: +44 (0)20 8392 4056