Wed, 09/16/2009

2009 Press Releases

RealGames Introduces Federation of Studios, Provides Developers with No-Cost Solution to Reach Billions of Mobile Customers

Signs Sonic Boom as first developer partner in mobile game publishing program


SEATTLE – September 17, 2009 – RealGames™, a division of RealNetworks®, Inc. (NASDAQ: RNWK) today introduced the Federation of Studios (FoS), a mobile publishing solution that lets small and mid-sized game developers port their games, at no up-front cost, across more than 1700 mobile handsets, eight different operating systems and 130 carriers and direct-to-consumer distributors. This newest offering from the RealGames Network grants developers access to Real's proprietary EMERGE® development platform and an integrated marketing and distribution process, arming them with the ability to deliver their game to the broadest mobile gaming audience possible.

"For many small, innovative studios and publishers today, keeping up with the fragmentation and demands of the carrier market has become increasingly challenging, forcing them to focus on fewer handsets where non-carrier distribution is a viable option," says Matt Turetzky, VP content at RealGames. "This means lots of great games are developed for handsets like iPhone, Blackberry or Windows Mobile that don't make it into the hands of other consumers.  The Federation of Studios bridges this gap by providing a simple, efficient way to reach more than 2 billion customers worldwide, with no entry costs required from developer partners." 

The EMERGE development process enables quick, cost efficient porting to multiple platforms (J2ME, BREW, iPhone, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, Android, Nintendo DSi and Flash).  Key to the efficiency of EMERGE is a tightly managed business process that, in addition to porting capabilities, also provides game developers with quality assurance, localization, sales and distribution services. The first FoS partner is Sonic Boom, Inc., a leading publisher and creator of mobile games and applications, developer of mobile titles including Name that Tune!® and Virtual Villagers®.

"At Sonic Boom, we've watched the mobile games market become increasingly complex, with App stores, handsets, and OS proliferation growing rapidly," says Lou Fasulo, SVP of Publishing at Sonic Boom.  "By joining RealGames' Federation of Studios and tapping into the EMERGE platform, we'll be able to simplify the process of delivering our games to more mobile consumers around the world, while increasing our bottom line in the long run."

All games developed in the EMERGE platform will be optimized for touch screen and tilt-enabled handsets, while existing games can be automatically ported to newly profiled handsets to enable easy backfilling for every new handset on the market.  EMERGE games are currently available on all leading carriers and handset manufacturers.  Developers can receive more information about the Federation of Studios by contacting FoS@real.com.

RealGames' mobile games business is powered by the Mr. Goodliving® mobile game studio in Helsinki Finland, established 1999 and acquired by Real in 2005.  Today, Real's mobile games portfolio consists of more than 90 titles published under the RealArcade® brand, including hits like SCRABBLE® Mobile, Sally's Spa, Tiki Towers, Collapse!® and Cake Mania. Since debuting on iPhone late last year, RealArcade has published five top 20 iPhone games including two number one titles.

For More Information:
Tiffany Dunning      
RealNetworks        
206.892.6733       
tdunning@real.com   

Suzanne Aronowitz
SHIFT Communications for RealNetworks
617.779.1814
saronowitz@shiftcomm.com

RNWK-G

ABOUT REALNETWORKS

RealNetworks, Inc. delivers digital entertainment services to consumers via PC, portable music player, home entertainment system and mobile phone. Real® created the streaming media category in 1995 and has continued to lead the market with pioneering products and services, including: RealPlayer®, the first mainstream media player to enable one-click downloading and recording of Internet video; the award-winning Rhapsody® digital music service, which delivers more than 1 billion songs per year; RealArcade®, one of the largest casual games destinations on the Web; and a variety of mobile entertainment services, such as ringback tones, offered to consumers through leading wireless carriers around the world. RealNetworks' corporate information is located at www.realnetworks.com/about-us/index.aspx.

ABOUT SONIC BOOM

Sonic Boom, Inc. is a leading publisher of mobile interactive entertainment based in Manhattan, NY. Founded in 2003, David Danon is founder and CEO of this independently funded company. Sonic's portfolio of published games and apps, include Virtual Villagers®, Animal Planet® Pix, Name That Tune!®, iKnow Hip Hop, Redneck Fishin', iZombie: Death March, ToneMaker, Tattoo Shop, Graffiti Writer, America's Top Hotties, Wallpaper Maker, and Kill All Bugs. Visit www.sonicboomgames.com for more information.

RealNetworks, Emerge, Mr. Goodliving, Collapse!, RealArcade, Rhapsody, RealPlayer, Real and the Real logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of RealNetworks, Inc. or its subsidiaries.  All other trademarks, names of actual companies and products mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.