Outspark announces digital distribution platform for online games

Outspark, a publisher of free-to-play online games, is launching a new digital distribution platform today called Flint.

The platform will help third parties distribute their free-to-play, massively multiplayer online games or browser-based online games. The move makes sense and may get additional revenue for Outspark, which already has a popular portal for its own MMOs. With Flint, Outspark says that third-party developers will be able to reach more than 200 million players who are high-value gamers. The move will bring it into competition with a wide variety of players, from Valve’s Steam to Electronic Arts.

Outspark has been distributing its own games and ports from Asian game companies and the occasional third party for the past five years. The company now has more than 8 million registered players, but the company has made additional distribution partnerships that will put Flint titles in front of more than 200 million players.

“We’ve spent almost five years carefully creating the modules and building the tools that have come together as Flint and will enable MMO developers and publishers around the world to use our platform,” said Susan Choe, CEO of Outspark. “With our recent move into publishing third-party titles, web-based MMOs and our growing reach through distribution partnerships, we intend to make Flint the best platform for online game distribution and operation.”

The first third-party game to launch with Flint was Lord of Ages, a web-based real-time strategy online game in a fantasy universe. The game launched last week at Outspark.com. Flint is an open platform that provides tools for distribution, user acquisition, analytics, monetization, marketing and operations. Distribution partners include Miniclip and others.

Outspark was founded in 2007 and it has raised $23.3 million. Its investors include Syncom Venture Partners, SBI Investment, Mille Plateaux, DCM, Tencent, and Altos Ventures.

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