“MMA FightPicker” will be first of several titles from new Shanghai-based studio in 2010
LOS ANGELES – Break Media, the Internet’s premier entertainment community for men, announced the formation of a game studio to drive its expansion into social gaming. The studio, located in Shanghai, China, will launch its first game on February 1: MMA FightPicker, a mixed-martial-arts-themed social game that will be featured on Break’s MMA property, CagePotato.com.
“Break’s success as a media company is predicated on a deep understanding of our audience and an ability to deliver the content they want,” said Keith Richman, CEO of Break Media. “Gaming is a natural extension of that strategy, enabling us to build on our existing strengths as a publisher to bring even more value to our users and open new revenue opportunities for Break and its advertising partners.”
The new game studio, which has been operating since Q4’09, is currently working on a half a dozen original titles for Break Media, all slated for release in 2010. The studio is expected to grow rapidly throughout the year, staffing up to more than three-dozen employees by mid year. Alex Lien, formerly COO of Chinese game development company Winking Entertainment, has been hired as General Manager, Greater China for Break Media and will manage the game studio and all other Break operations in the region.
“We’re excited about the games in development for this year, and we’re building an incredible team here in Shanghai,” said Alex Lien, General Manager, Greater China for Break Media. “This city has become a hub for game development, and we’re tapping directly into that knowledge base.”
MMA FightPicker, the first title from the Break game studio, combines elements of social gaming and fantasy sports games to provide players a unique way to interact with each other and the sport of mixed martial arts. In the game, players join pools and make predictions on upcoming MMA matches; the player who scores the most points wins the pool and status as a top MMA expert, as well as other potential prizes. Players will be able to purchase in-game currency called “potato chips” to join more pools and take advantage of offers from Break partners to earn free chips.
MMA FightPicker is launching into beta today and will launch into general availability on February 1. The game will be featured on CagePotato.com, and players will also be able to access it on Facebook.
About Break.com and Break Media:
Break Media is one of the largest entertainment properties and providers of content — video, editorial, and games — to men online. The company’s branded properties (Break.com, CagePotato, MadeMan, Chickipedia, HolyTaco, ScreenJunkies, and AllLeftTurns), combined with the publisher sites in the Break Media Network, reach more than 100 million men worldwide on a monthly basis. Break Media is currently the 33rd-largest web property in the U.S., and it operates the fifth-largest video advertising network in that market. Break Media offers its advertisers a variety of unique marketing opportunities, helping those brands interact with the Break audience on a targeted, integrated basis using innovative ad formats. For more information, please visit http://breakmedia.break.com/.
