Verizon and Exent Team Up To Relaunch Verizon Games Service

Verizon announced it will partner with digital media company Exent today to relaunch the Verizon Games service and Windows PC desktop application, which will feature over 1,500 games to play and features a new app that is modeled on the feel of a touch screen device. They claim this new system will make browsing and purchasing games easier. The Exent app that will be featured in Verizon's new service is called GameTanium and allows users to scroll through the catalog of available titles without going from page to page. It also offers profile and avatar creation and a space in the Verizon Games Lounge, which can be decorated with items earned playing games or purchased through microtransactions. Once users have created their profile, they can create an avatar, decorate their own 3D animated Verizon Games Lounge with virtual items and earn trophies and Prize Points while playing games on the service. Traditional subscriptions will be offered for the service, in addition to one hour demos and the ability to directly purchase and download titles. Jason Akel, vice president and general manager of Exent, says the new platform is the result of a lot of end user research. "It was important to us that the interface emphasizes function over form so as not to distract from what the users are really there for -- the world’s largest catalog of PC downloadable games.” Exent claims to be the number one distributor of games on demand in the world, offering titles from over 70 publishers. Verizon joins Qwest as the second company to use Exent's services as a game provider.