Sony Online Entertainment, NHN Join New Raptr Partner Program

Gamer-focused social networking platform Raptr announced a new partner program that offers participating companies access to its userbase -- which the company says is set to reach 10 million. Sony Online Entertainment and free-to-play publishers NHN USA, Gala-Net and GamesCampus, along with hardware companies Razer and Bigfoot Networks are Raptr's first partners. Their games, demos and future patches will launch bundled with a co-branded Raptr client that acts as a liason utility for gamers. Partners can also integrate with Raptr APIs to track player data like stats, achievements, rankings and progress with the aim of keeping users better engaged. The Raptr social media platform also allows partner companies to reach their users via Facebook, Twitter and other services, offering opportunities for co-marketing activities around products. Raptr says it's now working with SOE to communicate with users about a number of the publisher's games. "Raptr’s consumer-friendly service and seamless integrations with the top social networks provide an easy way for us to reach new players in a very natural way," says SOE business development director Louis Figueroa. Raptr launched officially in September 2008, backed by a $12.5 million investment. Its users create social networking programs that let them share playing habits via synchronization with multiple platforms.