On the heels of a successful foray into casual gaming this past November, USA Network's casual gaming site, Character Arcade, will expand its core offerings to position the site for growth. New features to include 20+ new games, community features and an affinity program. The Character Arcade can be found at here and currently features over 25 character-based flash games – a combination of show-themed applications (e.g. Monk-shui and Psych In Training) and original takes on popular online games (e.g. Character Sudoku and Character Solitaire).



Reality Reel Media -- Press Release
06.12.08

USA has capitalized on the growing casual gaming sector with great success. The Character Arcade has generated 30 million+ page views since its launch – growing +304% in its first three months to 14.3 million page views in February. The Character Arcade was ranked by comScore as one of the Top 50 Gaming sites in February and already has 165K+ registered users.

NEW GAMES

Developed and built collaboratively with design agency Glow Interactive, the Character Arcade currently houses 25 character-themed games with plans to double the site offerings by year’s end. New offerings will include new twists on classics, holiday themed games and multiplayer games. Launching this week is Blackjack, the classic casino game with helpful tutorials for novice players; and Blackjack Card Counting Trainer, for advanced players brave enough to learn the notorious art of card counting.

COMMUNITY FEATURES

Among the expanded features of the Character Arcade will be a focus on integrating social networking applications to the site. The Character Arcade will offer gamers a way to create personal profiles, make friends with fellow players, track the performance of elite gamers and friends, send direct challenges to rival gamers, and "talk smack" to anyone at the Arcade. By 3Q08, Character Arcade will also gain a presence on the popular social networking site Facebook by allowing users to play embedded Character Arcade games right on their profile page.

AFFINITY PROGRAM

To encourage repeat gameplay and increase the stakes for playing, USA will allow users to earn points for winning challenges, setting high scores or just for trying new games on the site. Initially points earned will be for vanity but by year’s end, players will be able to redeem them for virtual and/or hard goods such as coupons, advertiser products and USA merchandise.

MOBILE

The Character Arcade will expand to the mobile space by 3Q08, as gamers will be able to play the site's most popular games right on their mobile phone.

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