Alticast Launches Icareus's Casual Interactive TV Games in Taiwan

Interactive TV software specialist Alticast's Alticast Taiwan arm said Tuesday that it has launched ITV casual games from Icareus Studios, the ITV content production arm of Finnish ITV specialist, Icareus, on Taiwanese cable operator KBro's MHP-based platform (note: for more on Alticast's work on the platform, see the article published on itvt.com, October 7th, 2008). KBro--which is controlled by the Carlyle Group--is Taiwan's largest MSO, with 12 cable systems and 1.1 million subscribers--around 120,000 of which currently have interactive TV-enabled set-top boxes.

According to Alticast, the ITV games are designed to be easy to learn and play, but to still provide entertainment for different age groups. Initially, eight games are being rolled out, but the company says that titles will be regularly refreshed. The games are being offered to KBro subscribers via several different gaming and subscription packages. "Casual games are the most popular form of gaming nowadays, with more than 60% of all gameplays," Icareus Studios managing director, Toni Leiponen, said in a prepared statement. "TV is used by all age groups, and casual games are also played by the majority." Added Brandon Wu, assistant VP of Alticast Taiwan: "At Alticast we want to create mutually lucrative cooperation and maximize the ARPU for our ITV operator partners through open-standard technologies and interactive services. We look forward to working in cooperation with Icareus Studios regarding the gaming and other interactive services on KBro and hopefully some other operator cases."