PlaySpan Marketplace
In-game delivery of items arranged for Ragnarok players.
Thursday 5th February/...PlaySpan Marketplace™ announced today that it has teamed up with Gravity Interactive and its immensely popular game Ragnarok to provide automated in-game delivery of virtual items bought at the PlaySpan Marketplace. Players purchase exclusive virtual items, such as the Weekend Hunting Pack, at the PlaySpan Marketplace and then visit a special Ragnarok character to take delivery of them. The new service enhances the player experience while ensuring speedy and secure delivery.
“Ragnarok players can enjoy both unique packages and the easy, secure convenience of in-game delivery through the PlaySpan Marketplace”, said Jason Koerperich Community Manager of Gravity Interactive, Inc.
In addition to Gravity Interactive's Ragnarok and Rose Online, Gamers can also buy virtual items for 25 other popular titles. PlaySpan Marketplace customers can purchase virtual items, subscriptions, time codes, starter packs, and virtual currencies in a secure publisher authorised environment.
“For the first time, online gamers have a quick and simple way to buy virtual currency and in-game items without having to use the risky and unreliable grey market,” said Karl Mehta, CEO of PlaySpan, which provides the only comprehensive monetisation solution to the online games industry. “With these additions to the Marketplace catalog, we can serve an estimated 100 million-plus players.”
PlaySpan Marketplace enables gamers to use several convenient payment methods including credit cards, Ultimate Points™, PayPal™, PayByCash®, and the Ultimate Game Card®. For those customers who don't have access to cash or a credit card, they can earn Ultimate Points™ to make free purchases by completing surveys or advertising offers. In addition, customers receive 100 free Ultimate Points™ for creating an account.“We've made it exceptionally easy for customers who lack traditional payment options such as credit cards or PayPal™ to use alternate payment methods to play premium games,” said Mehta. “And the process is completely safe and convenient.”
Adding to its impressive list of six international awards, PlaySpan was recently selected for the 2009 OnMedia 100 List. The OnMedia 100 Award is given to private, emerging technology companies in the advertising, publishing, marketing, branding and public relations spaces. PlaySpan was selected by the AlwaysOn editorial team based on its demonstration of growth, market opportunity, quality of innovation and customer traction.PlaySpan offers a complete microtransactions platform for virtual goods and online game subscriptions, including more than 70 global payment methods through its subsidiary PayByCash® and the pre-paid Ultimate Game Card® available in Blockbuster, 7-Eleven, Rite-Aid, and Walmart stores.
Check out the PlaySpan Marketplace at www.playspan.comEnds.
About PlaySpan Inc.PlaySpan™ is the game industry's first publisher-authorised in-game commerce network. PlaySpan's patent-pending in-game search, commerce and micropayment technologies enable game publishers and developers to generate new revenues, acquire new users and extend the loyalty of existing users. Leading game providers and virtual world publishers, including Aeria Games, GamersFirst, Gravity Interactive, Inixsoft, Saga and Ntreev, have selected PlaySpan as their official marketplace for virtual goods.
PlaySpan also offers payment solutions through its subsidiary PayByCash® which has served the games industry for 10 years, supporting over 70 payment methods in 200 countries . PayByCash's widely distributed ULTIMATE GAME CARD® is the leading pre-paid card supported by over 200 online games and available in more than 12,000 retail locations across North America and soon worldwide. PlaySpan is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices in Charlottesville, VA, Cincinnati, OH and Mumbai. Investors include Easton Capital, Menlo Ventures, STIC and Novel TMT Ventures
About GRAVITY Co., Ltd.
Based in Korea, Gravity is a developer and distributor of online games. Gravity's principal product, Ragnarok OnlineTM, is a popular online game in many markets, including Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, and is currently commercially offered in 23 markets. For more information, please visit http://www.gravity.co.kr.