Under it’s publishing platform I-play, Oberon Media plans to heavily invest in Google’s Android, and is currently planning to release 20 titles for the platform over the course of this year.
I-play’s VP of Sales and Marketing for mobile, Keith Adair states that Android does have a distinct advantage over other (read:iPhone) smartphones currently on the market, in that, “not only can game be distributed via Google’s Android Market, but increasingly carriers will launch their own portals on the platform, enabling a second point of distribution.” He further establishes that each individual carrier is still defining their Android strategy, these distribution channels will give long-established mobile developers an advantage, as they’re likely to take advantage of existing operator contacts.
“We see a big opportunity on the carrier side. I don’t believe that the Google marketplace will be the only interesting channel for Android content,” says Adair.
Given that individual carriers are still scrambling strategizing on how best to leverage Android’s capabilities, Adair theorizes that these carriers will have to differentiate themselves and attract customers into these portals.
To this end, I-play plans on releasing approximately 20 titles for Android this year, including popular I-play franchises Fast & Furious, Deal or No Deal, and Bubble Town. The company also plans on developing social and microtransactions services for Android. Some of these planned features include: multiplayer connected games. I-play’s new offerings should begin hitting the market this month, but company reps confirm that they’ve already tested Deal or No Deal and Sexy Pillowfight in the market. Neither game has performed terribly well at this point, Sexy Pillowfight garnering between 1,000 and 5,000 downloads, while Deal or No Deal saw a paltry 500 to 1,000. However, it’s important to keep in mind that Oberon has yet to really put the screws to their marketing and advertising plan to support these titles, on this platform.
And while the attitude and direction of Oberon Media might be in the right place, the New York based hasn’t exactly had it easy in the past. This re-focusing comes after the departure of COO Don Ryan, complete with a round a lay-offs. November of 2008 saw other cut backs, shortly after they’d announced an influx of $20 million via VC investments. It should be interesting to see of Oberon/I-play’s ‘all in’ but will pay off. On one hand they stand to earn big. On the other, this could very well play out as their swan song.
