Arkadium, Hearst Partner For Online Magazine Casual Games

Online casual and advergaming developer Arkadium has announced a multi-year agreement with magazine publisher Hearst Corporation to develop web-based games for some of the publisher's most popular properties, beginning with Seventeen, CosmoGIRL! and Teen. Hearst plans to incorporate the casual games developed by Arkadium as a way to appeal to the magazine's readers while simultaneously increasing available advertising inventory and revenues. Arkadium's first game as part of this deal launched on the official website for Teen magazine on February 12, while web-based games for CosmoGIRL! and Seventeen will launch on each magazine's respective site later in February. Other games based on properties such as Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire are in development, and are expected to launch in the near future. Arkadium officials note that each game will be customized to meet the demographics and style of each magazine's unique brand. “As part of our digital strategy, we want to offer relevant content that will further engage site visitors and keep them interacting with our brands for longer periods of time,” said Chuck Cordray, Hearst's vice president and general manager. “Arkadium’s library of games and their ability to customize based on each magazine’s brand requirements is a great fit for our teen audience.”