WildTangent
Encyclopedia
WildTangent is a Redmond
, Washington based game network, privately held in the United States
that powers game services for several PC
manufacturers including HP, Dell, Toshiba, Gateway, Samsung, Acer and Lenovo. Collectively, WildTangent’s owned and operated service reaches over 20 million monthly gamers in the United States and Europe
with a catalog of more than 1000 games from nearly 100 developers.
The company recently announced its upcoming Android games service launching at the end of 2011. It also announced its launch partner is T-Mobile. The company also manages the advertising
sales for a group of gaming properties including Mochi Media
, Sony Online Entertainment
's Free Realms
, PopCap, PlayFirst
,as well as Artix’s AdventureQuest
, DragonFable and MechQuest properties.
The company owns a patent portfolio covering in-game advertising
and game delivery technologies and operates advertising campaigns for more than 50 US brands.
WildTangent makes money through a combination of online sales, subscription, advertising and micro-transactions using a proprietary micro-currency called WildCoins.
Advertisers can also purchase WildCoins and sponsor free game sessions. If the gamer agrees to see a short video advertisement while the game is loading, the advertiser will insert WildCoins making the game free to the player.
The WildCoins model allows customers to rent individual game titles, some of which can only be rented through the WildTangent catalog of nearly 1,000 games. Titles that are available for rent exclusively through the WildTangent console include Torchlight
, Defense Grid, Raven Squad, World of Goo
, Plants vs. Zombies
, and Bejeweled
.
On October 24, 2009 WildTangent crossed the one million daily download threshold, less than one year after the launch of its popular WildClub program.
Approximately 30 of the games in the WildTangent catalog were produced by the company's own WildTangent Game Studios. The rest of the games on the WildTangent game network are from other game developers and publishers. this includes game like Mall World which the company has represented to integrate major brands like Levis
.
Originally, WildTangent produced advergames for various companies, including Nike
, Coke
, and Ford
. The company no longer develops advergames. WildTangent used to be a publisher of Sandlot Games. But now, it's only the distributor due to the rebrand of Sandlot Games
.
wrote in 2004 that although the program was "not very" evil, some privacy complaints were justified as the program's user manual states that it may collect name, address, phone number, e-mail, and other contact information without the user's consent and could distribute the collected information with the user's consent. Concerns were also raised about the software's self-updating feature. Some popular antispyware programs detect the program during their scans, such as Spybot, which classifies it as a potentially unwanted program.
Redmond
Redmond may refer to:In people:*Redmond In places:* Redmond, Washington, best known as the home of Microsoft and Nintendo of America* Redmond, Oregon* Redmond, Utah...
, Washington based game network, privately held in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that powers game services for several PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
manufacturers including HP, Dell, Toshiba, Gateway, Samsung, Acer and Lenovo. Collectively, WildTangent’s owned and operated service reaches over 20 million monthly gamers in the United States and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
with a catalog of more than 1000 games from nearly 100 developers.
The company recently announced its upcoming Android games service launching at the end of 2011. It also announced its launch partner is T-Mobile. The company also manages the advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
sales for a group of gaming properties including Mochi Media
Mochi Media
Mochi Media is the world's largest browser-based games network, with more than 140 million monthly active users and 15,000 games on nearly 40,000 publisher websites. Mochi Media's game development products and services enable developers to track usage analytics, distribute their games to thousands...
, Sony Online Entertainment
Sony Online Entertainment
Sony Online Entertainment is a game development and game publishing division of Sony that is best known for creating massively multiplayer online games, including EverQuest, EverQuest II, The Matrix Online, PlanetSide, Star Wars Galaxies, Free Realms, and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, DC Universe...
's Free Realms
Free Realms
Free Realms is a massively multiplayer online role playing video game developed by Sony Online Entertainment set in a fantasy-themed world, named Sacred Grove for the PC, Mac and PlayStation 3. The game was released on April 29, 2009, for the Windows PC...
, PopCap, PlayFirst
PlayFirst
PlayFirst is a San Francisco-based publisher of casual games. The company’s mission is to deliver delightful games for everybody, every day. PlayFirst was founded in 2004 by industry veterans...
,as well as Artix’s AdventureQuest
AdventureQuest
AdventureQuest is an online flash based single-player RPG developed by Artix Entertainment in 2002. As of June 14, 2010, aq.battleon.com, the game's hosting website, and www.battleon.com, the game's homepage, have an Alexa rating of 3,041...
, DragonFable and MechQuest properties.
The company owns a patent portfolio covering in-game advertising
In-game advertising
In-game advertising refers to advertising in computer and video games. IGA differs from advergaming, which refers to a game specifically made to advertise a product.The IGA industry is large and growing...
and game delivery technologies and operates advertising campaigns for more than 50 US brands.
WildTangent makes money through a combination of online sales, subscription, advertising and micro-transactions using a proprietary micro-currency called WildCoins.
WildCoins
WildCoins are a micro-currency launched by WildTangent in the fall of 2006 to give gamers a way to pay for gameplay other than full retail purchase. WildCoins work like quarters used at a traditional arcade. Gamers can purchase WildCoins and use them to play any games on the network. Each time the gamer inserts the required number of coins, he or she can play the game for up to 24 hours, or until the user voluntarily exits the game, without having to use more WildCoins.Advertisers can also purchase WildCoins and sponsor free game sessions. If the gamer agrees to see a short video advertisement while the game is loading, the advertiser will insert WildCoins making the game free to the player.
The WildCoins model allows customers to rent individual game titles, some of which can only be rented through the WildTangent catalog of nearly 1,000 games. Titles that are available for rent exclusively through the WildTangent console include Torchlight
Torchlight
Torchlight is an action role-playing game developed by Runic Games and published by Perfect World, released for Windows in October 2009. The fantasy-themed game is set in the fictional town of Torchlight and the expansive caverns and dungeons nearby, which adventurers explore to collect valuable...
, Defense Grid, Raven Squad, World of Goo
World of Goo
World of Goo is a physics-based puzzle game by 2D Boy, an independent game developer consisting of Kyle Gabler and Ron Carmel, both former Electronic Arts employees, released for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, iOS, Android and WiiWare...
, Plants vs. Zombies
Plants vs. Zombies
Plants vs. Zombies is a tower defense action video game developed and originally published by PopCap Games for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. The game involves a homeowner using many varieties of plants to repel an army of zombies from "eating their brains". It was first released on May 5, 2009,...
, and Bejeweled
Bejeweled
Bejeweled is a puzzle game by PopCap Games, first developed for browsers in 2001. Three follow-ups to this game have been released. More than 75 million copies of Bejeweled have been sold, and the game has been downloaded more than 500 million times....
.
WildClub
In November 2008, the company launched a subscription program called WildClub which offers customers access to the company’s patented digital currency, called WildCoins. WildClub offers three tiers of membership: 2-month, 6-month and 12-month which vary in price from $9.99-$6.99. WildClub customers receive 50 WildCoins each month of their membership.On October 24, 2009 WildTangent crossed the one million daily download threshold, less than one year after the launch of its popular WildClub program.
Games
WildTangent's catalog includes over 1,500 games from 3rd-party developers.Approximately 30 of the games in the WildTangent catalog were produced by the company's own WildTangent Game Studios. The rest of the games on the WildTangent game network are from other game developers and publishers. this includes game like Mall World which the company has represented to integrate major brands like Levis
Levis
-People:*François de Gaston, Chevalier de Lévis , French soldier best known for his command in Canada in 1760*George Levis , American college basketball player and coach*Georges Lévis , French adult comic artist-Places:Canada...
.
Originally, WildTangent produced advergames for various companies, including Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
, Coke
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation and manufacturer, retailer and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. The company is best known for its flagship product Coca-Cola, invented in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in Columbus, Georgia...
, and Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
. The company no longer develops advergames. WildTangent used to be a publisher of Sandlot Games. But now, it's only the distributor due to the rebrand of Sandlot Games
Sandlot Games
Sandlot Games is a casual and family-friendly games developer and publisher based in Bothell, Washington, United States. It was founded in 2002 by Daniel Bernstein, a veteran of the casual gaming industry, whose experience spans from game development to content strategy at WildTangent, Monolith,...
.
Criticism
Users have complained that the company's products have an adverse effect on their PC's performance or are intrusive to the user's experience. PC MagazinePC Magazine
PC Magazine is a computer magazine published by Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc. A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009...
wrote in 2004 that although the program was "not very" evil, some privacy complaints were justified as the program's user manual states that it may collect name, address, phone number, e-mail, and other contact information without the user's consent and could distribute the collected information with the user's consent. Concerns were also raised about the software's self-updating feature. Some popular antispyware programs detect the program during their scans, such as Spybot, which classifies it as a potentially unwanted program.