For game publishers, the Meez Games Service provides direct access to the tens of millions of users on key social media networks, including Facebook, Friendster, Perfspot and Meez, with additional networks launching each month. The Meez Games API enables game publishers to easily add functionality that delivers a more compelling and differentiated gaming experience, such as enabling users to import their personal Meez avatars into a game.

“Meez is giving game publishers access to some of the largest social networking communities on the Internet,” said Sean Ryan, Meez CEO. “More importantly, we’re providing unique hooks into the social fabric of these communities, so that game publishers can form long-term, monetizable relationships with users, driving revenue through the Meez advertising engine and through virtual item commerce.”

The Meez Games API enables game publishers to quickly add functionality that aligns their games with common user activities on social networking communities. Key functionality includes:
In-Game Avatars (“Meez Inside”) – Users can import their avatars into a game and use it to represent them as they play, creating a highly personalized gaming experience, which was formerly available only in high-end console gaming. Game players can become the bartender serving friends in Bar Room Blitz, now available at http://apps.facebook.com/meezroomz/, and will be able to have their Meez avatar bring down the house as a DJ in Dance Floor Destroyer later this week.
Emoticon Avatars (“Meez Enhanced”) - For games without human characters, the user’s individual Meez sits next to the game, reacting with a wide range of emotions as the user plays, such as falling “dead” when the game ends, or giving the thumbs up when the player gets a high score. This experience can now be seen across the games at Meez, as well as at Friendster Games and Perfspot Games.
Virtual Economy Engine – Game players can earn the Meez currency Coinz by finishing levels or winning awards. Coinz can be used to purchase virtual items such as avatar clothing, animations and furniture, driving users to play even more games.
Competition and Community Enablers – Users can compete with their friends for high scores that yield badges and awards, sending challenges back and forth using a social media site’s viral functionality to create personalized competitions.

“Meez has proven to be an exciting and explosive new opportunity for us as a distribution channel,” said Arthur Humphrey, CEO of Last Day of Work, the developer behind massive hits Fish Tycoon, Virtual Villagers and Plant Tycoon. “Integration of our games has been very easy, and they’re giving us access to tools, revenue and customers that wasn’t available to the casual sector previously.”

About Meez

Meez is a leading online social entertainment network that fuses avatars, casual gaming and virtual economy. The company’s platform supports the building of animated 3D avatars, live interactions in virtual spaces and competitive online gaming, creating an immersive environment where users can personalize their experience and interact with friends. Meez has grown to well over 5 million users while distributing their technology to leading social media sites and services, including AIM, Facebook, Friendster, Perfspot and Photobucket. Based in San Francisco, CA, and developed by Donnerwood Media, Meez is backed by Battery Ventures, Transcosmos Partners, Allen & Co., and other individual investors. For more information, visit: www.meez.com.