--Receives Investment from Intel Capital
Toronto-based TransGaming announced last week that it has formed a "strategic collaboration" with Intel that will see the latter supporting its on-demand gaming service, GameTree.tv; and also announced that Intel's global investment arm, Intel Capital, has made a $500,000 investment in it which it says it will use to accelerate development of GameTree.tv, enabling it to launch the service commercially in the second quarter of next year.
According to TransGaming, GameTree.tv will be available to consumers through Intel CE Media Processor-powered Internet-connected set-top boxes and consumer electronics devices. The company says that the service will allow consumers to instantly play a broad range of games, and will provide CE manufacturers and cable and satellite operators with "a new turn-key monetization strategy." "Innovation is at the heart of TransGaming's GameTree.tv Service which represents the culmination of technology, user experience, and the economic model required to realize sustainable innovation in the digital home," TransGaming president and CEO, Vikas Gupta, said in a prepared statement. "We are extremely pleased to be working with Intel on this important and exciting initiative. We are driving new monetization models for content developers, OEM's, and operators around the world." Added Eric Kim, SVP of Intel's Digital Home Group: "Intel CE media processors are based on Intel architecture, which makes a world of existing applications and services available on CE devices. The GameTree.tv service provides the platform to bring PC games to TV, which in turn offers new opportunities to the consumer electronics industry. Consumers will ultimately benefit from this innovation, as they will enjoy a broad library of games in their living room."
TransGaming claims to be in the process of establishing business relationships with MSO's and ISP's, as well as with OEM's that are using Intel architecture in their products. The company also says that it is working with game publishers and content creators to assemble a rich and comprehensive library for GameTree.tv. According to the company, the service's games will be available for purchase, rental and subscription. The company says it will provide an SDK for GameTree.tv that will allow content developers to adapt and migrate their existing games to the platform and to build new GameTree.tv-specific games.
