I got word from Atom Entertainment that they have just launched, or are about to launch a redesign of Shockwave.com, which they hope will appeal to a "broader range of online gamers." Apparently they're focusing on three areas now, ad-supported online games, the usual downloadable games, and multiplayer games. They also say they're adding a new subscription option called Shockwave.com Unlimited and supporting online games enabled for in-game ads. I've asked Atom for more information on the last item in particular, but I'm still waiting for more detailed news. I'm not sure if it means they are using one of the existing in-game networks like Massive or Double Fusion, or if they've rolled their own. Turns out Shockwave.com had already launched their own in-game ad network back in November. They've just added service to four games and have plans to expand to more. In any case, you already know what we think about in-game ads.

Click through for the complete press release, which is pretty vague and blasé really.

ATOM ENTERTAINMENT, INC. REDESIGNS SHOCKWAVE.COM(TM) SITE, LAUNCHES SHOCKWAVE.COM GAMES STUDIO TO DEVELOP EXCLUSIVE ONLINE GAMES AND ADVERGAMES
Atom Entertainment, Inc. More Than Doubles Investment in Online Game Production

SAN FRANCISCO, CA April 3, 2006 Atom Entertainment, Inc., the broadband entertainment pioneer, has redesigned the Shockwave.com(TM) site and announced a major investment in high quality online game development with the creation of the Shockwave.com Game Studios. This new entity within Atom Entertainment(TM), will develop exclusive content for the diverse Shockwave.com audience and work directly with advertisers to develop custom branded games both in-house and through the Shockwave.com extensive network of independent game developers.

"Today we're entering a new era in online gaming by redesigning the site to appeal to the wide demographic base of casual gamers and offering advertisers a breadth of choices to reach our growing audience of 25 million casual game enthusiasts," said Dave Williams, CMO of Atom Entertainment. "We've made the site more appealing for game players, and more flexible for advertisers who are trying to reach this audience in innovative ways."

Shockwave.com Enhancements
The new Shockwave.com site makes it effortless to find and play more than 300 games from a wide variety of genres. The enhanced site builds out new areas such as online and multiplayer games while maintaining the essential elements that are important to Shockwave.com consumers fun, free gameplay with a huge library of games to suit every taste. The Shockwave.com site is the place for consumers of all ages to find the games they want to play.

Atom Entertainment is also introducing a premium games service, Shockwave.com Unlimited as part of the redesigned site an expansion of the successful GameblastSM concept. For a cost of as little as $4.95/month, Shockwave.com users can have unlimited, ad-free access to hundreds of online and downloadable games in the Shockwave.com library, with no limits on gameplay.

More Targeted Advertising Opportunities:
The new Shockwave.com site will enable more innovative advertising and sponsorship programs around all types of online games. For example, expanded kids and multiplayer sections will allow marketers to target specific audiences much more effectively.

Through the Shockwave.com Games Studio, marketers now have access to a team of world class game producers and top developers who have already built some of the web's most popular advergames such as Redline Rumble. Developed for the Shockwave.com site in 2003, Red Line Rumble has received more than 300 million gameplays and remains one of the Top 10 games on the site today. In addition, Atom Entertainment is introducing distribution and sponsorship opportunities for advergames that will drive hundreds of thousands of gameplays among game enthusiasts.

The new advertising opportunities follow the November introduction of the Shockwave In-Game Network, which offers advertisers the opportunity to insert their brands into some of the most popular titles on the Shockwave.com site. Key advertisers joined with Atom Entertainment to immerse their brands in Shockwave.com games because it offered the rare combination of powerful integrated advertising opportunities and a vast, engaged audience.

Today, Atom Entertainment provides more than 12 million impression opportunities each month in the Shockwave In-Game Network. As part of the ongoing investment in new advertising technologies, the Shockwave In-Game Network is expanding to include new games offering advertisers another way to target key demographics.

"We want to be the first stop for any advertiser who wants to reach the online games audience," said Williams. "We can deliver the audience, the gameplays, and the production and technical expertise for any major marketer who is interested in getting into online gaming."
About Shockwave.com
The Shockwave.com(TM) website (www.shockwave.com) is the world's leading destination for online games, serving a large, loyal audience the best in free interactive entertainment since 1998. Shockwave.com has a library of more than 300 games including action-packed arcade-style games, jigsaws and puzzle games, multiplayer games, downloadable games and more.
Shockwave.com, AddictingGames, and GameBlast are trademarks of Atom Entertainment, Inc. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.

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