To coincide with the start of open beta, the Pixel Mine Web Portal is now open for business. Located at the www.pixelminegames.com, the Portal is a one-stop-shop for gamers to browse and purchase Pixel Mine games, check out stats, chat with friends, manage their account and billing, read the latest news, blog about the games and more. New content for Fireteam Reloaded, such as character skins, game maps and new game play modes will be available through the Pixel Mine store using a secure micro-payment transaction system.
“We want to give players the best experience from the minute we open the gates; all player characters and companies will save and transfer when the final game is released. Active beta testers will also receive up to a 20% discount in the Pixel Mine Store,” said Bill Money, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Pixel Mine. “By maintaining everything a player needs on our Portal, we are making this the easiest game to play and manage. Our community, and the game industry overall, are ready for this game and to see the tremendous value in new digital distribution models.”
According to the Casual Games Association, more than 200 million people worldwide play online casual games, and there were over 720 million downloads of casual games in 2006. In a recent report, Pacific Crest Securities estimated that the U.S. online casual games business will grow to $725 million in 2008 from $375 million in 2006. The total worldwide business will be at least twice that size. Analysts identified four key reasons online casual games are driving growth in the overall videogame market: New revenue models; New, simple gameplay mechanics; Lower development costs; and Persistent online game play.
“Pixel Mine’s business strategy fits perfectly within these guidelines for growth,” added David Reese, co-founder and President of Pixel Mine. “We’re keeping development costs down with a 4-6 month dev cycle per title. Furthermore, we’re taking full advantage of the opportunities that today’s Web culture has to offer. We have a wealth of experience building online communities that will enable us to anticipate and fulfill the needs of our customers from the start. These are AAA titles like you’ve never seen before – all the quality and fun of a massive console game without the multi-million dollar budgets and 2-3 year dev cycles.”
Fireteam Reloaded features state of the art in-game voice chat technology, provided by Vivox, that lets players easily communicate with one another to formulate strategy and taunt their opponents. Fireteam Reloaded also features a spectator mode that lets enthusiastic fans cheer or jeer from above and even drop items into the game from their spaceship.
When launched this fall, Fireteam Reloaded will be available for download from the Pixel Mine and Fireteam Reloaded websites.
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