PEOGA launch
Or Pan-European Online Games Association to you, a new trade body founded by assorted online game publishers.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Hamburg, Germany, 11 February 2009:. Leading Online Game publishers from Europe have founded the Pan-European Online Games Association (PEOGA).
The founding members of PEOGA ( www.peoga.eu) are Frogster Interactive (Berlin), Game Entertainment Europe (Amsterdam), Gameforge 4D (Karlsruhe), Games Masters (Sheffield), Gamigo (Hamburg) and Gravity Europe (Paris). These companies are Online Game publishers focusing on the distribution and marketing of online games or goods and services directly related to online games.
Additionally companies without Online Game publishing activities, which also cater to the Online Game Industry can apply to PEOGA as associate members. The current associate members of PEOGA are Cliffhanger Productions, Dao Pay, fatfoogoo, paysafecard, MMO Life, Moneybookers and SUCT International. Carsten van Husen of Gameforge and Richard van Barneveld of Game Entertainment Europe have been appointed as presidents.
The founding members have set three major goals for PEOGA:
• Networking. PEOGA is the meeting point for European companies from the online game publishing industry.
• Improvement of the Public opinion. PEOGA shall improve the image of online games by providing realistic information to the public.
• Self Regulation of the Online Game Industry. The online game industry has responsibilities towards their users. PEOGA will assist to set general rules and regulations for the industry.
PEOGA President Carsten van Husen explains: “We invite other European Online Game companies to join us. We have a strong and simple focus and start with a minimal budget. We’ll strive to be non-bureaucratic!”
PEOGA President Richard van Barneveld adds: “We are happy about the enthusiastic reaction of our fast growing industry. Our members offer a great new form of entertainment with many positive aspects and we all feel the responsibility to protect our users from the negative ones . With PEOGA we have given our industry a real face.”
PEOGA has been born out of the idea of German-Korean online games consultant Peter C. Krell.