EA, iVillage Partner For Online Casual Games Portal

Electronic Arts has announced a partnership with NBC Universal's female-focused iVillage to create a co-branded casual game channel driven by EA subsidiary Pogo for the iVillage website. Through this partnership, Pogo becomes the exclusive casual games provider to the 16 million iVillage.com members. Pogo currently offers more than 75 free online games, with exclusive titles available to its more than 1.4 million Club Pogo paid subscribers. Available today, the iVillage website features popular games from EA's Pogo.com casual subsidiary site, including Spades, Payday Freecell, First Class Solitaire, Word Whomp, and Poppit!, as well as its premium Club Pogo gaming service. iVillage representatives add that its members will be able to participate in monthly game nights on the new channel, as well as be given two week passes to try out the Club Pogo service for free. “The number of women playing games online has clearly exploded and, as the leading destination for women online, we knew it was time for us to carve out a space where our members could play to their heart’s content,” said Ezra Kucharz, COO, iVillage Properties. “Pogo is the biggest player in the industry and the perfect partner for us as we dive into gaming.” Pogo's executive vice president Nancy Smith added: “We couldn’t be happier to be teaming up with iVillage. Not only do we share an audience demographic, but we share a passion for women’s issues and a belief that interactive entertainment is a great way to stay connected, stay sharp and keep a healthy mind. This relationship will allow us to reach even more women than ever before.”