Browser-Based Bigpoint Claims 150M Registered Users

Browser-based online game company Bigpoint said Monday that its registered user base has grown 50 percent since January this year to 150 million registered users. The Farmerama and ZooMumba developer attributed the growth to the introduction of new games from internal and external developers. Bigpoint generates its revenue through the sale of virtual items -- the basic games are playable through a web browser for free. Hamburg, Germany-based Bigpoint said that it's adding 250,000 new registrations every day, and with the pending official launches of Battlestar Galactica and the company's first U.S.-developed game Ruined Online, Bigpoint expects growth to continue. "Our growth over the last few months has been incredible, and we expect that as our new games like Ruined Online and Battlestar Galactica become publically available even more gamers will come on board with Bigpoint," said CEO Heiko Hubertz in a statement. Bigpoint employs over 500 workers. Hubertz told Gamasutra in a recent interview that he thinks browser-based gaming is the fastest-growing segment in gaming. "The reason for that is simple: access to easy development, no high budgets, and the microtransactions business model is the next big thing in the space," he said. "There is still a market for retail products or downloadable client-based games. But browser is the fastest-growing."