New Web market is ready to play: RealArcade to target the casual gamer
By Monica Soto
Seattle Times technology reporter
In a push to boost the budding digital games market, Seattle-based RealNetworks today is expected to launch RealArcade, a software platform that allows users to browse, purchase and manage downloadable games onto their computer desktops.
RealNetworks, which makes the most widely used software to play audio and video via the Internet, had previously announced its foray into the digital distribution of games in March, when it launched the RealArcade developer service. The set of software tools helps game developers package, distribute and sell PC games through the RealArcade platform.
The beta version of RealArcade (www.realarcade.com) includes more than 120 games, including titles such as Kayak Extreme, a kayaking-simulation game developed by Intel, and Super Bubble Pop, a 3-D puzzle game developed by Seattle-based Zombie, which plays in tempo with any MP3 music file.
Anthony Leamer, a RealNetworks product manager, said that most PC game developers target “hard-core gamers,” those who spend a considerable amount of time playing complex, cutting-edge video games. With RealArcade, the company is focusing on the “casual gamer,” or those who play anything from a basic racing game to cards or trivia.
“We think there’s a significant opportunity in this segment,” Leamer said.
Underscoring what it thinks is the vastness of the market, the company plans to launch a series of advertisements on Web sites as diverse as Rollingstone.com, Women’s Network’s iVillage.com, and ThirdAge.com, which caters to seniors.
Schelley Olhava, a senior analyst at market researcher IDC, said that, although she expects the number of casual gamers online to reach 39.6 million by year’s end, it’s a relatively untapped market in terms of revenue.
RealNetworks’ challenge will be to migrate players from free games sites at Yahoo! and Pogo.com to its pay-per-download model. “We know there’s a ton of people playing casual games on their PC,” she said. “The problem is: How do you make money off this market?”
While RealNetworks plans to offer a free downloadable demo of each game, its main revenue source will come from games it sells. The company also plans to pull in additional revenue from ads that appear with free games and a subscription service for massive, multi-player games that take months to complete.
In addition to the digital games it sells, the platform includes a games bazaar, which features independent titles that the company does not distribute or promote.
The site also features software updates and a personal account where users can store licenses for each game purchased. If users’ computers are broken or stolen, they can redownload the games.
Leamer said the company plans to market the game platform to users of its other products. Roughly 200 million unique users have downloaded RealPlayer, software that plays audio and video online via the Internet.
Monica Soto can be reached at 206-515-5632.
Copyright © 2001 The Seattle Times Company
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