JEEP® VEHICLES DRIVE MULTIPLAYERS INTO FUTURE OF GAMING WITH KUMA'S OUTRAGEOUS EPISODIC FIRST-PERSON SHOOTER, DINOHUNTERS
New York (August 20, 2007) - Kuma Games, industry leader in the new market for episodic video games, today announced a milestone in its partnership with Jeep® Brand. More than one million Jeep Patriots have been shown to players around the globe inside Kuma's popular online episodic video game series, DinoHunters. Racing through time and space to evade mammoth dinosaurs and other beastly enemies, real-world multiplayers, or gamers, compete in and around Jeep Patriots inside a variety of fast-paced games. DinoHunters - a premium first-person shooter set inside a faux reality TV series - is available for free download at www.kumagames.com.
The successful in-game branding of Jeep vehicles brings Kuma Games another step closer to bridging the gap between television and video games. By using a TV-like distribution model to release free episodic games on a regular schedule with an emphasis on interactivity, Kuma's strategic, integrated marketing offers attractive opportunities for advertisers wanting to reach the coveted male 18-34 demographic. By partnering with Kuma to feature the Jeep Patriot as a key element of game play in DinoHunters, the Jeep brand showcases its vehicles to more than two million existing players along with an average 20,000 new users every month.
"Free episodic gaming represents a new frontier for advertisers, appealing to core demographics when they are most receptive," says Keith Halper, CEO of Kuma Reality Games. "What's great about working with Jeep is that we can feature the Patriot in a relevant and tactical manner. Not only is it fun, but gamers essentially get to test drive the Patriot every time they play."
"We are excited to partner with Kuma Games and take advantage of their unique episodic gaming model," said Jay Kuhnie, Director, Jeep Communications. "With the DinoHunters game we become a central piece of the players' arsenal for success within the game, giving us a deeper connection with our target audience."
In addition to monthly game-isodes, Kuma produces and releases DinoHunters machinima shorts, hilarious animated movies created entirely on the video games graphic engine. As an added value, Jeep will be showcased in DinoHunters new machinima releases in the coming months.
DinoHunters games are developed on Valve's benchmark Source Engine - the same engine that powers Half-Life 2 - and are released in regular installments, available for free download at www.KumaGames.com.
About the Jeep Brand
The Jeep brand has expanded to seven models in the past two years, the most available to retail consumers at one time in the brand's 66-year history. With the introduction of the all-new 2008 Jeep Liberty mid-size sport-utility vehicle (SUV), Jeep offers customers the freshest, most capable and widest range of sport-utility vehicles under one brand in the industry.
At the start of 2004, the brand's trio of tough, capable, rugged SUVs included the venerable Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Liberty (Cherokee outside North America) and the icon of the brand, the Jeep Wrangler. In 2005, the Jeep Commander was introduced. In 2006, the redesigned Jeep Wrangler was unveiled. Also debuting in calendar year 2006 were three more all-new Jeep vehicles: Jeep Patriot, Jeep Compass and the four-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited.
About Kuma
KUMA, LLC. ( www.kumagames.com) is the industry leader in the new market for Episodic Video Games - intense, up-to-the-minute 3D game experiences delivered to PCs in weekly episodes. Kuma's network of free, ad-supported game series makes high-end game play accessible to mass market consumers. Each week, players' PCs are updated with the latest "game-isode" from their favorite series inspired by just-released TV shows and films, real world news events and pop culture happenings. With over 100 game-isodes currently available in three titles, Kuma has an excess of two million users, with an additional 200,000 new players signing on each month. Kuma's synergy with traditional TV programming -- such as The History Channel® series Shootout! -- makes television more dynamic and more relevant to a media and tech-savvy generation while presenting distinct marketing advantages for TV partners, advertisers, content owners and distributors. With an unprecedented level of user interactivity, Kuma represents a direct analog for television within video games.
Kuma Reality Games, headquartered in New York, NY, is a privately held company.
Kuma Media Contacts:
Karen Raque
Bender/Helper Impact
(310) 694-3138
karen_raque@bhimpact.com
Stacy Miles
Bender/Helper Impact
(310) 694-3106
stacy_miles@bhimpact.com