EA launches Club Pogo in the UK

Publishing giant Electronic Arts has launched a version of its Club Pogo casual gaming service, localised to the UK.

Membership of the service costs GBP 4.99 a month, or GBP 34.99 a year. It offers exclusive games, no advertisements, and enhanced community features over the standard, free Pogo site.

EA localised Pogo, which offers word, puzzle, card and board games, to the UK in August this year. It has also reworked the site for the French and German markets.

The new subscription service gives access to over 30 exclusive games and customisable avatars. It also allows players to compete for badges, earn Pogo Gems and exchange them for further items. The US site has more than 1.5 million subscribers.

"We've listened to the UK Pogo players and really tried to deliver a customized experience for them, while providing the opportunity to interact with current Club Pogo players," said Pogo's general manager Andrew Pedersen.

UK members can customise their avatars with items such as a cricket outfit or Dickensian dress, and use themed backgrounds including 'down the pub', 'afternoon tea' and 'London bus stop'.