Blitz's Jarvis To Expand Advergaming Unit Following BK Success

Developer Blitz Games has announced that John Jarvis, project manager on the studio's Xbox/Xbox 360 Burger King advergames has been named manager of its Blitz Arcade division to lead the developer's advergaming business. Blitz says that following the success of the Burger King games, recently profiled in a Gamasutra feature, the developer has seen a number of inquiries from other consumer brands hoping to recreate the success of the titles for campaigns of their own. Blitz notes that the games have to date sold 3.2 million units at $3.99 each, and were cited by the fast food chain as being responsible for increasing its Q4 profits by 40 percent. Blitz CEO Philip Oliver said in a statement that "the growth of online gaming will offer very interesting possibilities for advergames including: live tracking of consumers habits; likes and dislikes of players on an unprecedented scale" as advertisers look to keep their brands relevant. Added Jarvis, himself recently profiled on Gamasutra, "This is an area that has huge potential particularly as the new consoles (PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360) will live in the lounge and become the focal point of home entertainment. In-game advertising has begun to make in-roads but having a brand fully interpreted in a fun, compelling gaming environment is a much more powerful, longer-living and creative option."