BWI: PlaySpan Hosts Monetization 2.0 Forum at GDC Austin, to Lead Discussion on New Monetization Models for Online Games, Social Networks, and Virtual Worlds

Press release from Business Wire India
Source: PlaySpan India Pvt Ltd
Friday, August 14, 2009 11:26 AM IST (05:56 AM GMT)
Editors: General: Consumer interest, Entertainment; Business: Advertising, PR & marketing, Banking & financial services, Business services, Information technology; Technology
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PlaySpan Hosts Monetization 2.0 Forum at GDC Austin, to Lead Discussion on New Monetization Models for Online Games, Social Networks, and Virtual Worlds
Senior-Level Game Industry Executives Gather to Discuss Monetization Solutions for Digital Media

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, Friday, August 14, 2009 -- (Business Wire India) -- PlaySpan, the leader in monetization solutions for online games, virtual worlds, and social networks, today announced its Monetization 2.0 Forum at GDC Austin 2009, titled "Monetization 2.0 - Show Me the Money," taking place at the Austin Convention Center on September 15th, 2009 from 2:00pm to 7:00pm. The PlaySpan-sponsored forum will join industry luminaries and thought leaders together to discuss the present and future of monetizing online games, virtual worlds, and social networks.

Confirmed speakers already include John Pleasant, CEO - Playdom, Jason Oberfest, SVP of Business Development - MySpace, Lance Tokuda, CEO - RockYou, Nanea Reeves, SVP EA-Online, Jessica Alter, Bebo Platform, Jim Crowley, CEO Turbine, Tom Hale, Chief Product Officer, Linden Lab, Cary Rosenzweig, CEO, IMVU, Damon Hougland, Senior Director of the PayPal Platform, Robert Norton, Managing Director - King.com, Peter Relan, Founder and Chairman of Aurora Feint, Johnny Mang, EA - DICE (Battlefield Heroes), Danielle Diebler | Adobe Platforms, Charles Hudson, VP Business Development, Serious Business, and Fernando Paiz | Executive Producer, Turbine.

"Increasing revenue opportunities is at the top of the mind of game developers, and as digital media expands cross-platform, a new infrastructure for monetization is required that supports various levels of user-engagement and user-experiences," said Karl Mehta, Founder & CEO of PlaySpan Inc., "Our forum at GDC Austin brings the best minds together to identify current market opportunities, and provide real world examples of the evolution of the medium and how to achieve success in the marketplace."

The half-day forum is designed to help publishers and game developers tackle some of the industry's toughest questions, such as: What are the best monetization examples on mobile, social networks, virtual worlds, casual games, and MMOs? Who are the big success stories and what are the pitfalls you need to avoid? How do you convert more free users to paying customers and drive higher revenue? How do you get your paying customers to spend more? How do you create and protect your most valuable customers? How do you protect from massive fraud and charge backs that could take your company down? Through lively panel discussions, case studies, and demos, attendees will take away critical insights needed to make games into real money makers.

The Monetization 2.0 Forum is included in the GDC Austin registration price on all pass types. There are no additional fees to attend. However, one must be registered with GDC Austin to attend the Monetization 2.0 Forum. For more information or to register for the event, please visit http://corp.playspan.com/gdc. For more information on pass options for GDC Austin, visit www.GDCAustin.com. If you'd like to set up a time to speak with PlaySpan at GDC Austin, you can visit booth # 801, or contact Eric Hartness, Chief Marketing Officer, at (408) 617-9155 to schedule an appointment.

About PlaySpan, Inc.

PlaySpanT is the leader in monetization solutions for over 1,000 online games, virtual worlds, and social networks. PlaySpan's patent-pending in-game virtual goods commerce and micropayment platform enables game publishers and developers to generate new revenues, acquire new users, and extend the loyalty of existing users.

PlaySpan also offers global payment solutions through its subsidiary PayByCash® with 85 payment methods in 180 countries. The ULTIMATE GAME CARD® is used by consumers to pay for 300 multiplayer games and around 700 games on popular social networking sites. It is available in about 45,000 retail locations across North America and growing rapidly worldwide.

Social network payment solutions are available through Spare Change©. Acquired by PlaySpan in April 2009, Spare Change is the first and leading payments platform designed specifically for social networks. Featured on over 700 applications, across Facebook, MySpace and Bebo, Spare Change empowers developers to successfully monetize their applications through micro payments. The Spare Change platform enables users to make safe, convenient, and friendly 1-click purchases through a variety of funding sources.

PlaySpan is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices in Virginia, Ohio, and Mumbai. Investors include Easton Capital, Menlo Ventures, STIC and Novel TMT Ventures. The company has recently won the 2009 OnHollywood Category Award for Best Gaming Company.

For more information about PlaySpan visit: http://corp.playspan.com

For more information about Spare Change visit: www.sparechangepayments.com


CONTACT DETAILS
Vinayak Rao, PlaySpan India Pvt Ltd, +91 9820045958, Vinayak.rao@playspan.com

KEYWORDS
CONSUMER, ENTERTAINMENT, MARKETING, BANKING, BUSINESS SERVICES, IT, TECHNOLOGY

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