PALO ALTO, CA--(Marketwire - May 13, 2008) -
Social Gaming
Network, (SGN) first gained wide acclaim and user adoption through
their first Facebook game,
Warbook, which was
the first Facebook application to take advantage of the social graph and
create a true social gaming experience on that network. The company, led by
Shervin Pishevar, has since moved quickly to capitalize on social gaming, a
space that has become one of the fastest growing verticals on the social
web. Since their launch, SGN has quickly secured its position as one of the
leading publishers and become the platform of choice for social game
developers who want to quickly distribute and monetize their games. Seizing
the opportunity, SGN has nurtured and will continue to expand its expertise
and leadership in the social gaming community.
SGN's development team is creating the most dynamic and simple ecosystem
for the creation and publication of games on the social web. With the
current financing, the company will allocate even greater resources to
research and development of its gaming platform, and produce more tools for
social game developers who want to create a richer gaming experience on the
social networks and the social web. SGN has also become the marquee sponsor
of the very first social gaming conference:
InterPlay: the Business of Gaming on
the Social Web.
Online games have morphed beyond the "casual" environment and interface to
become a part of a richer entertainment experience that has grown to
include a new audience. This audience may not have experience with casual
or hard-core games, but the numbers reveal that social games provide a
different experience that's fun, compelling, social and conveniently
asynchronous -- meaning that players need not play with one another
simultaneously.
As developers create increasingly rich features and more advanced
game-play, SGN will be at the forefront of the field, providing these
developers with the right platform and an audience to distribute these
games, while giving them maximum monetization opportunities through
advertising and virtual goods. SGN's robust portfolio of games also
addresses a wide spectrum of tastes, from hard-core war games to cheeky,
fun casual games.
Today marks a major milestone for SGN and as the company adds more depth to
its platform and diversity to its portfolio of games, it will continue to
stay at the forefront of the social gaming industry.
Quotes:
Shervin Pishevar, CEO of SGN
"We could not be more pleased with the announcement we are making today.
This funding is indicative of how SGN is poised to dramatically impact the
future of gaming platforms on the social web. Our focus and drive is to
develop a dynamic and flourishing ecosystem for gaming on the web and
continue to be the obvious choice for game developers who want to create
social games that engage millions of users on the social networks and
beyond."
David Sze, Partner,
Greylock
Partners
"SGN is at the forefront of social gaming. Greylock Partners is impressed
with the positive growth and reputation that SGN has quickly achieved. We
are thrilled to work with them to further develop an industry that we know
has incredible potential in the years to come."
Justin Fishner-Wolfson, Principal,
Founder's Fund
"SGN has proven itself as a leading innovator in the social gaming space.
Their strong leadership team and unmatched portfolio of games will allow
them to continue to build upon the platform they have in place. SGN is
uniquely positioned to work with developers who want to create a richer
gaming experience for social networks and the social web."
About SGN:
Social Gaming Network (SGN) is the leading global development platform for
social game distribution. SGN has created a complete ecosystem for social
game developers to easily distribute and monetize their games across the
social web. These games transcend traditional game play, by giving players
a highly personalized, engaging, competitive, and portable user experience.
Since its inception, SGN's games have attracted over 1 billion page views,
54 million installs and nearly 1.1 milion daily active users across
Facebook, Bebo, hi5, and MySpace. Popular titles include, Warbook,
FightClub, StreetRace, Jetman, and Free Gifts. Headquartered in Palo Alto,
CA, SGN is funded by Greylock Partners, Founders Fund, Columbia Capital and
Novak Biddle Venture Partners. For a complete list of available tiles,
developer and publisher information, please visit
www.sgn.com.
About Greylock Partners:
Founded in 1965, Greylock Partners is one of the world's leading venture
capital firms. Over the past 41 years, Greylock has funded and helped build
several hundred successful companies. The Greylock approach uniquely puts
the entrepreneur first, with Greylock working as an "invited guest" in a
highly supportive yet consultative way to help entrepreneurs build
market-leading companies. Companies Greylock has funded include Ascend
Communications, CheckFree, Continental Cable, Decru, DoubleClick, Internet
Security Systems, Ikanos, Legato, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Openwave, Red
Hat, RightNow Technologies, Tellabs, Trilogy and Wily Technology.
Greylock's offices are located in Silicon Valley, the Boston area and
Israel. For more information, please visit
www.greylock.com.
Recent News:
February 20, 2008: Jetman and Free Gifts Join the SGN Platforms
February 15, 2008: Social Gaming Network Launches SGN Gaming Hub
Links:
SGN
http://sgn.com
SGN Blog
http://blog.socialgn.com/
SGN Developers
http://developers.socialgn.com/
Complete List of SGN Games available today on Facebook, Bebo, MySpace and
hi5:
Warbook
Jetman
Street Race
Text Twirl Free Gifts
FightClub
Nicknames
Superlatives
Most recently launched on MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/tunnelgame
http://www.myspace.com/playjetman
http://www.myspace.com/blockygame
http://www.myspace.com/froggergame
http://www.myspace.com/herdaword
http://www.myspace.com/asteroidsgame
Industry News:
Game On: Zynga and SGN Battle For Social Gaming Developers, TechCrunch,
Erick Schonfield, Feb. 14, 2008
http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/02/14/game-on-zynga-and-sgn-battle-for-
social-gaming-developers/
Rival gaming networks compete for developer attention, CNET (also posted on
Webware Gadgets Out There, Orglex, and Techmeme), Caroline McCarthy, Feb.
14, 2008
http://www.news.com/8301-13577_3-9872561-36.html
http://www.webware.com/8300-1_109-2-0.html?keyword=Social+Gaming+Network
http://www.techmeme.com/080214/p128#a080214p128
Zynga and SGN launch ad networks for game developers on social networks,
VentureBeat, Eric Eldon, Feb. 14, 2008
http://venturebeat.com/2008/02/14/zynga-and-sgn-launch-ad-networks-for-game-
developers-on-social-networks/
The Social Gaming Network Raises the Stakes, The Social Times, Nick O'Neill
Feb. 14, 2008
http://www.socialtimes.com/2008/02/the-social-gaming-network-raises-the-
stakes/
Contact Information: Media Inquiries:
Vanessa Camones or Seana Sullivan
theMIX agency for SGN
(415) 412-2856
