National Geographic Games Launches Online Casual Games Portal With Community Features In Partnership With Oberon Media

WASHINGTON - National Geographic Games (NGG), in collaboration with Oberon Media, the leading multiplatform casual games company, has launched its first online subscription-based gaming portal (games.nationalgeographic.com). The branded portal features a mix of premium online and multiplayer games that consumers can download on a free trial basis, purchase or subscribe to a monthly games package for a modest fee. Some branded games will also be offered free.

The portal features a growing list of premium games created by NGG, as well as popular games from across Oberon Media’s vast game publisher network. The announcement was made today by Paul Levine, senior vice president, National Geographic Interactive Platforms Group.

Set to reach millions monthly, the portal extends National Geographic’s core mission to “inspire people to care about the planet” through interactive gaming experiences across multiple platforms. The new National Geographic gaming portal also goes beyond conventional online casual gaming and offers players a community in which they can create personal avatars and interact socially as they play.

“This partnership extends our reach to a whole new generation of video game players and families,” Levine said. “Our branded game portal allows consumers to easily play fun, high-quality games based on National Geographic’s core themes and media properties as well as dozens of other well-known games. The community features integrated into the portal will expand and enhance gamers’ play experiences and overall connection with the National Geographic brand.”

The portal builds on the success of hit titles created by NGG such as “Herod’s Lost Tomb” and “Plan It Green,” which have been widely distributed globally and which have realized millions of downloads across the world’s top casual game sites and are now available at retail.

“Developing this casual game portal will bring National Geographic content to viewers and players in a uniquely interactive and engaging way,” said Ofer Leidner, co-founder and chief strategy officer at Oberon Media. “We’re proud to present such entertaining and exciting content on a cohesively branded new platform.”

About National Geographic Ventures
National Geographic Ventures (NGV) is a wholly owned, taxable subsidiary of National Geographic Society, one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888 to “increase and diffuse geographic knowledge,” the National Geographic Society works to inspire people to care about the planet. NGV, part of the editorial group National Geographic Global Media, includes National Geographic Television production and distribution, National Geographic Television International, Digital Media (including Nationalgeographic.com) and National Geographic Interactive Platforms Group, comprising the Mobile, Gaming, Maps and Interactive Publishing business groups. NGV creates and distributes content across multi-platforms and media, providing outlets for the hundreds of scientific and expedition-based grants awarded each year. For more information, go to www.nationalgeographic.com.

About Oberon Media
Oberon Media, the world’s leading multi-platform casual games company, is the first company to deliver global, integrated casual games solutions across three platforms — online, mobile and interactive television and at retail. Oberon game solutions have been adopted by the world’s leading digital and media companies, such as Microsoft, Verizon, Yahoo!, Electronic Arts, MySpace, Orange France and NHN. The Game Center combines casual game content, merchandizing and features to fulfill our partners’ specific needs. Oberon Media’s game publishing division, I-play, works with the industry’s best and award-winning game developers to produce the top-selling casual games, which are played across online, mobile, console and iTV platforms in more than a dozen languages. Founded in 2003, Oberon Media is headquartered in New York with offices in North America, Europe and Asia, and is backed by Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Oak Investment Partners.