Amazon’s Casual-Gaming Foray Likely an Instant Hit
Amazon has launched a casual games portal, “Games Downloads” (beta), positioning itself as a new contender in the online retail gaming industry, writes ars technica (via MarketingVOX).
The online retailer purchased casual game developer/portal Reflexive at the end of last year, leading to the development of Amazon’s own game portal.
Brand awareness of Amazon, coupled with the know-how and content provided by Reflexive, makes the company an instantly formidable competitor in the digital distribution of games.
To generate interest, Amazon is offering free demos of some 600 games, which sell for $9.99 or less. In the first week visitors will also be able to download three games for free: Jewel Quest 2, Build a Lot, and The Scruffs.
Amazon began selling games directly in 2006, after ending deal with Toys ‘R’ Us, which sold its gaming inventory through Amazon’s site.
Amazon has since become a popular retail source for gamers, as well as a reseller of used games for consumers.
The videogame software market has recorded double-digit growth in the US, which is the leading market, as well as the No. 2 and 3 markets—UK and Japan.
Games from casual-game leader PopCap is not included in the launch of “Games Downloads,” though Amazon’s Greg Hart, VP of video games and software, expressed interest in working with the company in the future.
PopCap’s Garth Chouteau said it would likely collaborate with Amazon as an online distribution partner, similar to its partnerships with Yahoo games and Real Arcade.
In 2007, Amazon successfully launched a digital music service, the Amazon MP3 store, positioned as a low-cost, DRM-free rival to Apple’s iTunes.