RealNetworks Q1 Game Sales Climb 28 Percent

Online media company RealNetworks, owner of the RealArcade casual portal, has announced its 2007 first quarter financial results, with a record $129.5 million in sales, $23.9 of which from its games division, up 28 percent over Q1 2006. The company's sales break down as $34.1 million (up 18% from Q1 2006) from online music, $23.9 million (up 28% from Q1 2006) from games, $44.4 million (up 277% from Q1 2006) from its technology products, and $27.0 million (down 1% from Q1 2006) from its media software. Overall, the company saw 40 million in profit, just up from its prior quarter of $39.3 million, and up from its Q1 2006 profits of $24.9 million. Real's games division, which both internally develops and publishes casual PC and mobile titles through Seattle-based GameHouse and Amsterdam-based Zylom, and operates major casual games portal RealArcade, announced a ramping during Q1 with six new internally developed games, and seven games published, and notable sales for internal title Little Shop of Treasures. The company also announced that it has delivered some 75 million in-game video streams and that over 5.5 million users have downloaded some 8 million ad enabled games, with its top advertisers including Proctor & Gamble, Hanes, Honda and Sony Pictures. The company says that revenue per download from the 20 in-game ad enabled games has exceeded its prior sales through the "try before you buy" model. The company also says it continues to innovate in the consumer-pay side of games, with a new subscription product called the FunPass, which, similar to Turner's GameTap and its own Rhapsody music subscription service, serves as an 'all you can eat' monthly pass to its game catalog. Said RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser, “2007 is off to an excellent start. Our first quarter results reflect good progress on several fronts, including successfully integrating WiderThan into Real, continued games innovation, and strengthening our music subscription business and the Rhapsody.com web experience.”