Social Game Cross Promoter Applifier Raises $2 Million

Applifier, a cross-promotional network for Facebook games and applications that reaches more than 55 million users, announced it has raised $2 million in seed funding. Applifier intends to spend this new financing on expanding its network beyond Facebook to all browser-based games, and is currently hiring for its Helsinki and San Francisco offices. Cross-promotion is a strategy many major publishers rely on to direct players from their popular titles to newly launched or less-trafficked games. For example, when Zynga launched CityVille on Facebook recently, it was able to advertise the release through in-game banners in established titles like FarmVille and FrontierVille. Most small- and medium-sized publishers, however, don't have the luxury of a large userbase in one game to cross-promote another title, which is where Applifier comes in. The firm allows a collection of independent studios to integrate its cross-promotion bar and take advantage of each others' audiences. The games in Applifier's network include Digital Chocolate's Millionaire City, Playfirst's Chocolatier, Cie Games' Car Town, Booyah's Nightclub City, ZipZapPlay's Baking Life, Wooga's Monster World and many others. Those titles have helped deliver over 50 million clicks to participating publishers' games. "This investment is all about developing Applifier further to make our publishers more successful and help our end users find great games to enjoy," says Applifier's founder and CEO Jussi Laakkonen. The start-up's new investors include MHS Capital, PROfounders, Lifeline Ventures, Tekes, David Gardner, Jyri Engestrom and Lars Stenfeldt Hansen.