Mytopia Opens New Online Playground to hi5 Social Network Members

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Helping the world play together, Mytopia, Inc. today announced that members of hi5, a leading international social network, can now play MMO-style casual online games with friends, family and acquaintances on other popular social networks like Facebook, MySpace and Bebo, as well as from the Internet. By simply logging into the newly-launched Mytopia™ social gaming community from www.hi5.com, people can enjoy casual online games like Chess, Spades and Sudoku with others playing from different social networks and Internet sites.

For links to Mytopia from each of the other major social networks:

Facebook: http://apps.facebook.com/mytopia

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/359378160

Bebo: http://apps.bebo.com/mytopia

“Bringing Mytopia to hi5 users is part of our mission to help the world play together – from any social network, any widget, any online entry point,” said Guy Ben-Artzi, founder and chief executive officer of Mytopia. “Today, online social networks are isolated from one another. Members of different communities really can’t socialize with each other freely. Mytopia and others in the games industry are changing that. We’re building bridges, uniting these islands of isolation to form a larger, converged community that welcomes Internet users from every corner of the modern web.”

The move expands Mytopia’s reach to nearly 300 million estimated users on Bebo, Facebook, MySpace and now, hi5¹. These users can play and chat together, in real time, as well as with others playing from Apple Dashboard Widgets, iGoogle Gadgets, Microsoft Vista Toolbar Widgets, Yahoo! Widgets, and Mytopia.com. In addition to inherently addictive board, parlor and casino games, Mytopians will enjoy immersive social features typically associated with massive multiplayer online (MMO) games, including a virtual economy, teams and matches.

The Bridge to Mytopia

Increasingly, social networks are opening their doors to support third-party developers and content such as Mytopia’s online casual games. Taking maximum advantage of this trend, Mytopia is built from the ground up to rapidly support any community – social network, widget, blog, etc. – that opens to third parties. Mytopia’s patent-pending technology makes the company’s feature-rich games and content immediately available to any newly supported network.

To play games in Mytopia, hi5 users can log in from hi5.com. For more flexibility in the near future, users can log in with their existing hi5 profiles and import friends and contacts from hi5, Facebook, MySpace or Bebo to Mytopia. Users don’t have to create a new account and build their community from scratch to enjoy games they love with people they like from around the web.

Recent Reviews on Mytopia

“There is a new casual gaming network in town that’s got some serious cross-platform chops… These are the sort of apps that could one day break Facebook’s, or any social network’s, hold on its members.” – Erick Schonfeld, TechCrunch

“The great thing about Mytopia is that you don't have to go to their website to play their games. You can play them on Facebook or MySpace or even your own personalized start page like Netvibes. And because Mytopia is an open platform, it doesn't matter where your opponent is located.” – Daniel Nations, About.com Web Trends

“Interoperability between different social networks should not only empower users but also boost widget makers who can aggregate their audiences and increase revenues. Mytopia, launching today as a ‘social gaming community’, is a case in point.” – Chris Nuttall, Financial Times

“So, anyone who signs up with Mytopia can play whenever and wherever, no matter the network. And players are able to import their profiles from other platforms to Mytopia, and vice versa.” – David Sheet, St. Louis Post Dispatch

“The variety of platforms they’re supporting is impressive for a small company.”– Dean Takahashi, VentureBeat

Mytopia is currently in public beta. To register for a free account and learn more, please visit www.mytopia.com.

¹ Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites

Resources

Mytopia Press Kit: http://www.mytopia.com/press/Mytopia_Presskit.zip

About Mytopia Gaming Community

When arriving in Mytopia, users will find a feature-rich digital playground that includes:

• Classic Games: Eight games in the Club House (Chess, Backgammon, Sudoku, Dominoes, Bingo), Card Room (Spades, Hearts) and Casino (Video Poker), with new games added monthly;
• Town Hall: Lets users see who is online and their login locations, read and post to message boards, get help, and view and sort the dynamic Hall of Fame by what matters to them most;
• Home: Houses friend lists and friends of friends, customizable profile and avatar creation, in-game items inventory, chat histories, messages (instant or offline) and privacy settings; and
• Shop: Lets users trade their points for virtual goods and real-world prizes, including gift certificates to popular online stores, such as Amazon and iTunes.

Anyone familiar with massive multiplayer online games will find Mytopia incorporates their best community features, including hundreds of skill levels, experience points, teams, virtual currency, vibrant in-game economy and the ability to trade in points and collect inventory items. The community brings traditionally hard-core game features to the world of familiar classic games that are accessible to everyone. Now, players can communicate, socialize and compete as seriously or casually as they choose.

About Mytopia

Helping the world play together, Mytopia, Inc. has created the first social gaming community where users on virtually every social network, every widget community, any blog or site, and Mytopia.com can seamlessly play classic games together in real-time. In this virtual world, players from across the web gather in the Casino, Card Room, and Club House to enjoy time-honored, classic, multiplayer games. Founded in 2007, Mytopia is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. For more information, please visit www.mytopia.com.

Mytopia is a trademark of Mytopia, Inc. All other names, brands, or products may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.