hi5 has announced that it is launching SocioPath, which it describes as a social gaming platform. Partners like BigPoint, Digital Chocolate, Portalarium, Playdom and Casual Collective will work on the platform, designed to be less constraining than games on social networks like MySpace and especially Facebook.
“Social media game developers and publishers are facing significant barriers to drive audience and revenue on social networks, and are struggling under the restrictions imposed on them by these portals,” said Alex St. John, hi5 President. “We’re providing a platform that enables social game developers and publishers to be liberated from the walled garden social network, build their own communities around their games, and monetize them efficiently.”
“By working with hi5 and leveraging the new platform for our game Millionaire City, we’ll have access to all of the powerful messaging, notifications, invites and gifting mechanisms associated with social gaming. This will enable us to build more direct relationships with our user base and empower users to connect with friends from across the web,” said Digital Chocolate CEO Trip Hawkins.
“We’ve already been experiencing early success with our title, PortCasino Poker, which has received five times more traffic on hi5 versus other social networks,” said Richard Garriott, “Ultima creator and creative director at Portalarium. We’re looking forward to growing our relationship with hi5, bringing more of our games to the site, and leveraging their new platform to increase our audience.”
“We’ve been very fortunate to work with hi5 on the integration of Backyard Monsters with their platform. They understand the value of partnerships and are always working to better their platform to meet the needs of both the user and the developer,” said Will Harbin, CEO of Casual Collective. “Furthermore, their new product enhancements will allow us to virally reach more users through new channels. We’re looking forward to more games and more success on hi5.”
