Kabam takes aim at mobile games with new publishing division

Kabam, a mid-sized game developer, has announced the official launch of Kabam Publishing, a new division of the company that focuses on the publishing of mobile games. Kabam has taken note of the rise in popularity of mobile games over recent years, seeing that many consumers are very interested in playing games from their smartphones and tablets. In an effort to engage these consumers, the developer has targeting the publishing business. Through Kabam Publishing, the company will be able to provide consumers with a wide range of new mobile games from various third parties.

Kabam Publishing to provide resources to third party developers

Kabam Publishing will provide third party game developers with a variety of tools and technologies that Kabam itself uses to develop new games. With these resources, developers will be able to create games for numerous platforms, such as Facebook, iOS, and Android. Kabam Publishing will have a strong focus on mobile games, so even those designed for Facebook will be accessible through mobile devices. Though Kabam Publishing is the official publishing division of Kabam, the company has been publishing third party games for some time.

Publishing unit will make promotion and distribution more efficient

Since 2012, Kabam has been publishing mobile games created by third party developers. The company boasts of 15 publishing partners, including Reality Square Games and Venan Games. Kabam Publishing encompasses the company’s publishing efforts, localizing resources and making it more efficient for the company to promote and distribute mobile games of various types.

Kabam may be a major boon for third party developers looking for a publisher

Though Kabam is relatively small in terms of development staff, the company boasts of one of the largest audiences in the mobile space. Many consumers play games from Kabam  on their smartphones and tablets, even without realizing that these games are coming from the company. Kabam’s presence in the mobile games sector may prove a boon for third party developers that are looking to align themselves with a dedicated publisher.

Lucky Charms is using mobile to go beyond traditional “prizes” to appeal to adult consumers.

In its most recent mobile marketing campaign, General Mills has created an augmented reality app for its Lucky Charms cereal that sends adult consumers on a “Chase for the Charms.”

This app allows mobile device users to go on a virtual hunt for marshmallow treats.

The goal of the augmented reality game is to reach the end of the rainbow with Lucky the Leprechaun. The cereal manufacturer released a video as a teaser for the app ahead of its launch, which is St. Patrick’s Day.

The augmented reality campaign is linked to the holiday that is known for its similar theme of Irish lore.

On St. Patrick’s Day, users will be able to tap on their mobile device screens when they use the augmented reality application, to capture Lucky the Leprechaun’s charms as they appear before them. The charms use AR technology to look as though they are located in the real world. As an incentive, the company is also offering prizes based on the number and type of charms that were collected.

Among the instant prizes are t-shirts, a cereal dispenser, or a chance to appear as an animated character in an upcoming ad for the product. The grand prize is a pot of actual gold that is valued at $10,000.

Behind the augmented reality campaign is the creative agency called Saatchi & Saatchi. The app itself was the creation of Ogmento. The app itself is being heavily marketed. On Friday, mash-up music video was released, featuring several of the classic advertisements for the cereal. The video itself was performed by John Boswell, who is better known as “Melodysheep”, and who is otherwise recognized for his Julia Child tribute.

This new mobile marketing campaign is the latest effort by the brand – now 49 years old – to reach out to adults who had grown up with the cereal and who are now using smartphones and tablets and are receptive to the augmented reality experience. The strategy was started last year with a television ad which has since broadly expanded to include the AR technology.