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TV Play Along - The next generation of viewer participation is here!

Ex Machina is launching its first play along game with Dutch Radio 538

Amsterdam, the Netherlands - Ex Machina announced today the introduction of its greatly anticipated TV and Radio Play Along solution PlayToTV, a proprietary gaming solution enabling viewers and listeners to play along with TV and Radio game shows.

Since "CBS Television Quiz" aired for the first time in 1941, game shows have been one of the most popular TV formats. Compelling young and old, men and women, across nations and social segments, game shows have become a true people sport, engaging families and friends alike. From classics such as Wheel of Fortune and The Price is Right (the longest running game show ever) to the latest hits like Deal or No Deal and Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, TV game shows are only increasing in popularity. In recent years, TV shows have been extended beyond the realm of the TV screen incorporating technology such as SMS and IVR to capture home audiences in a bid to engage viewers and at the same time secure additional revenue streams. But as technology moves on, so has viewer expectations.

Ex Machina has long been dedicated to social and interactive entertainment through multiplayer games and gaming technology. PlayToTV is the latest addition to the Julius Game Management Platform, enabling cross media, social and multiplayer gaming across web, mobile and TV/Radio. Instead of the limited interaction of SMS or call-in formats, PlayToTV offers continuous social and massive multiplayer game play for the entire home audience. The majority of viewers that turn into participants today already use their mobile phone as their primary mean of interaction, and more and more people watch TV near or on their computer. The PlayToTV solution takes interactivity to the next level, with the potential to generate significant growth in audience reach, conversion to active players and recurring revenues.

Jeroen Elfferich, CEO Ex Machina, elaborates: "Today's media consumers don't just watch and listen - they multitask, participate and communicate. Who hasn't Googled background information on something you saw on TV, chatted online to a friend about a show you're both watching or downloaded a song you liked on the radio? Supporting this cross-platform behavior and applying it to game shows and viewer participation formats is what our solution is all about. Anyone with a laptop or mobile phone can now participate, live, in enhanced, existing shows or, even better, in newly created formats, optimized for continuous, massive multiplayer participation. We're proud to have this up and running with Radio 538, and see great opportunities with many interactive TV and Radio formats out there. This is only the beginning."

Launching PlayToTV with Radio 538

PlayToTV went live end of November with the largest Dutch Radio station Radio 538. PlayToTV is the powering technology for the Weten = Winnen (Knowing = Winning) program. Every weekday between 12.00 and 14.00, DJ Tim Klijn is not only spinning the best music on Radio 538, but also challenges listeners to play for a quick buck. The player gets to answer up to 12 questions in the categories News, Sport, Trivia and Showbizz. From today, the competition has changed its appearance considerably not only offering one listener the chance to compete and win, but every single one! Now all listeners are invited to take part twice a day in this massive multiplayer online quiz. With DJ Klijn announcing and controlling the quiz, listeners are logging on their computer and mobile phones to compete. The complete online quiz, is controlled by the DJ, with every question launched at the moment the DJ announces it, giving every player an equal chance. PlayToTV has allowed the Knowing = Winning game to go from one contestant to thousands over night, adding new excitements to a classic radio show.

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Ex Machina is an Amsterdam based leading technology and service provider for mobile, web and broadcast games. Since 2001, Ex Machina has been dedicated to extending the social context of entertainment by providing turn-key technology for cross-platform, multiplayer and community gaming. Ex Machina develops tools and services to help our partners reduce cost, increase market reach and, most importantly, create and manage unique new games and applications based on connectivity and communication. To summarize: gaming together - anywhere, anytime.

Customers and partners of Ex Machina include Radio 538, Bonnier, VRT, Roularta, various Dutch public broadcasters, Delta Lloyd, ABN AMRO, Kennisnet, Vodafone and bol.com.

Download press release, English (PDF)
Download press release, Dutch (PDF)

Ex Machina news

Ex Machina, organized Games go Social, a full day event probing the synergies of Games and Social networks. With a full program from industry leaders such as Kristian Segerstråle, CEO Playfish, Maximilian Niederhofer, Associate Atlas Venture, Henrik Riis, CEO watAgame, Shervin Pishevar, CEO Social Gaming Network and Martin de Ronde, Director OneBigGame to name but a few, Games go Social was one of the highlights of the PICNIC week organised by PICNIC Network. The main topic for discussion was Games and Social Networks, from the integration of casual games on social network platforms such as Facebook and Hyves to MMO's and Virtual Worlds. There were some absolute highlights to the event, one being Shervin Pishevar's demonstration of iGolf, which got the crowd going. For more highlights, check out the presentations below:

Games go Social - Creating the future of Social Gaming

On September 26, Ex Machina is organizing "Games go Social" a PICNIC Special exploring the synergies between games and social networks. Games and social networks are predicted to become the new hype, fusing communities and networks with playing against your friends, family and people you know (or don't). Set aside the pure entertainment value, users also get to know their friends interests, strengths and weaknesses in a fun and interactive way. There are a lot of interesting new combination of games and social networks, having one thing in common: You play games with people you know and learn to know new people!

The Games go Social Special will explore visions, ideas and strategies to case studies and methodologies brought to you by visionaries, creatives and industry leaders alike. These luminaries, from leading companies such as EA, Playfish, Spil Games and Hyves, will be brought together in a jam-packed program of intellectual stimulation and entrepreneurial inspiration. Discover this and much more through high-caliber presentations and panel discussions from our presenters and keynotes(presentation schedule to be announced shortly).

Don't miss this one off chance to find out the visions, the predictions and the future that is already here! Go to www.picnicnetwork.org/tickets to get your ticket!

Date & Venue:
26 September, 2008 09:00 to 17:00
Wester Union (WesterUnie) Wester Union (WesterUnie)
Organised by: Ex Machina social gaming technology

For more information, contact Susanne Waldau-te Brake, Business Development Ex Machina.
e: susanne@exmachina.nl
m: +31 6 48 07 07 16
w: www.exmachina.nl

IMGA - Call for entries

Mobile game developers - look here!! Don't miss out on participating in the annual International Mobile Gaming Awards (IMGA). By sending in your entry you stand the chance to win cash prizes in the categories: Excellence in 3D, Excellence in Connectivity, Excellence in Game Play, Best Real World Game and Best Casual Game. For more information, see below.



Up and coming events...

In the coming months Ex Machina is facing a hectic conference schedule which we would like to take the opportunity to share with you. If you have the chance to meet up with us at any of these events, we would be happy to hear from you.

Don't miss out on...

Our special offer of 40% Discount for Festival of Games participants. The NLGD Game Conference (June 18, 19 and 20) invites visionaries from all over the world to illuminate this phenomenon and furthermore explore its meaning within as well as outside the videogame industry.

The Conference carries three values:
  • It provides a vision on the future of games. It is not about now, and last year, but about the years hereafter and trends to follow;
  • It creates synergy by bringing people from different backgrounds and perspectives together. Research, education, entertainment industry and games industry. It crosses borders and creates new knowledge and visions;
  • The NLGD Game Conference inspires. After visiting the conference you will be filled with fresh energy and new inspiring ideas to keep you going for at least the next twelve months.
As a partner of NLGD, Ex Machina are happy to offer you a 40% discount (regular price EUR 495;- excl. VAT) for our partners and associates who sign up before June 14, 2008. To take part of this exclusive offer, please go to http://www.nlgd.nl/fog/content/view/127/1/lang,en/ and quote referral code: EXMA08DISC.

What Ex Machina has been up to...

For all the games developed on Ex Machina's platform, multiplayer quizzes are the killer app in social gaming and Ex Machina has been established as a market leader in quiz technology and solutions. Last months we've seen the launch of several successful quizzes. ABN AMRO Markets launches the "smartest trader" campaign - On April 9, in a nation wide advertising campaign, ABN AMRO Markets, the largest bank in the Netherlands launched "de Slimste Belegger" (translating to "the Smartest Trader") in a lead to market their Turbo trading product. As part of the campaign, Ex Machina in cooperation with Clockwork developed a multimedia, multiplayer quiz, featuring Dutch business celebrity Jort Kelder, with the purpose of gaining extra registrations. The campaign comes to an end on June 6th, when 10 finalists out of 22,000 contestants will compete for the top prize of EUR 25,000 worth of Turbos. For more information on this campaign, please visit www.deslimstebelegger.nl

VRT launched Expo 58 quiz - the largest Belgian public broadcast network for the Flemish community, just ended a 9 week long crossmedial initiative celebrating the anniversary of the World Expo, which Belgium hosted in 1958. Throughout TV and Radio the World Expo 58 was commemorated and a web based quiz was launched under the Radio 1 brand to support the shows, with weekly prizes for the top players. Following the success of the World Expo 58 quiz, VRT is looking to launch new quiz formats in the summer and autumn of 2008.

Where we've been...

2008 has already been quite a full year when it comes to conferences. Casual Connect, GDC, Mobile Monday, Techcrossing, Ad'Tech, The Web And Beyond, GAMEplaces - it was great meeting so many of you. Below you'll find pointers to the presentations that we gave at some of these events:

Social Gaming Paper

At the NLGD Festival of Games later this Month, Ex Machina will unveil a paper on developments in Social Gaming. We'll make the paper for download on our website, and here you'll find a brief introduction.

More people than ever are playing online games whilst being active members on communities. But much of the growth is coming from areas that are alien to the PC and console games industry and not yet fully understood by most. Should you stick to your current audience, address a wider demographic, or find a new niche? Will changing patterns in online behavior impact the relevance of communities to games, and vice versa? Do social networks provide threats or solutions to your online games distribution? Should you stick to the box you already know so well, or go cross-platform?

This paper will be aimed at online game developers and publishers, as well as media professionals with an interest in developments in the games industry and how it's crossing over into mainstream. As a first step, the growth of casual versus hardcore games is described. In addition we will explore how communities currently work for casual web games, as well as for casual games on console and mobile. The main topic is the position that social networks have taken as aggregators of our digital life, and which elements and dynamics in social networks are relevant to online games. Then the role that social gaming can play as a social lubricant is described, which for some groups has lead to a new type of hybrid form of a community as a game. The last part of the article is a description of building blocks now available to create social games, and some concepts that could lead to 'the ultimate social game'.

Coming soon...

The first Radio Play-Along game will be launched in a few weeks with a prominent commercial broadcaster in Holland. It's an exciting project that will bring quiz games to a new level of massive scale entertainment. The project is considered the front runner for a range of TV-Play Along Quiz Games currently under development for several partners and customers.

The next generation of Quizzes is here with QE 2008. Quiz Engine 2008 is designed to integrate fully within the Julius Connected Games Management System. We are currently implementing our launching customers for QE2008 and full commercial release of QE2008 is scheduled for Q3, 2008. For more information about QE 2008, TV Play Along or the Julius Connected Game Management System, please contact Susanne Waldau

Let's discuss Cross Media Gaming...

In 2007, the web & mobile games industries were experiencing significant growth and now have, more than ever, a focus on casual gaming, social networks and cross-platform. This is exciting news for Ex Machina and our game development partners, as our network is now better positioned than ever for reaching new audiences using channels and networks that were previously unavailable.

Taking these core values (social, casual, cross-platform), we see a natural convergence between online games and traditional media. One example is a TV game show, allowing viewers to participate and influence by offering an online game that's playable along with the live TV show, making the current SMS and IVR-based viewer participation a thing of the past. Another example is an online multiplayer game, generating data that is used to enrich or even generate a TV show on the fly, allowing people to influence a TV show in realtime by playing games using their phone or PC.

Ex Machina has created the infrastructure to enable concurrent, synchronous, massively playable games across web, mobile and broadcast, as well as providing the community, wallet and integration components necessary for efficient operations and new business models. We're working with a growing number of media companies (TV broadcasters, production companies, publishers) in servicing their online games infrastructure and we're looking for developers than can contribute with both fresh new content as well as classics that can get a new dimension and generation of gamers involved.

If you are interested in talking to us about these and other gaming prospects, we would be happy to take the opportunity to meet up at one of the following events that we are attending:

Ex Machina hosted 'Games meet TV' event at PICNIC

Ex Machina is hosting a partner event, 'Games meet TV', during the PICNIC Crossmedia Week in Amsterdam September 24 - 29. PICNIC is a great event centered on creativity and innovation that attracted over 5000 people last year. Our partner event will be held on Tuesday, September 25, the day before the start of the main conference. In total there will be over 70 events held during this week. Read more about it at http://www.picnicnetwork.org/.

Games meet TV will take place at Tuesday 25th of September. Speakers will talk about the many ways in which various (games-) channels are converging.

Programme:
  • 09.00 Opening by Frank van Oirschot, Ex Machina
  • 09.10 How do Games meet TV? Trends in web, mobile, crossmedia and TV play along. Jeroen Elfferich, Ex Machina
  • 09.45 World Poker Tour on TV and Mobile, Volker Hirsch, Hands on Mobile
  • 10.10 Coffee break
  • 10.30 Sportsgaming and TV, Mikael Gummerus, E-Sports Nordic
  • 11.00 Round table with speakers and media industry people about the converging of media and the role games play. Panel to be announced shortly
  • 12.15 end of session
The event is free of charge. Until 12th of September invited people can register with the code k3pk9g at http://www.picnicnetwork.org/module/Picnic_ConfPass/invited?event_id=5647. After this date the event is open for everybody depending on availability.

In the afternoon there is an event from BGIn at the same location, which we highly recommend. These two events together make it a nice full day programme for game enthusiasts.

Meet Ex Machina this Autumn!

Ex Machina has had a hectic summer working hard on Julius, our crossmedia community gaming solution. This year, we've deployed it at several broadcasters, media companies and advertisers across web, mobile and TV.

As Ex Machina will be attending several tradeshows in the coming months, we would like to take the opportunity to meet up with you and discuss mutual business opportunities.

Ex Machina will be attending...
  • August 22-23: Leipzig Game Convention
  • September 13-16: ACE 2007, Gwangju, Korea
  • September 20-21: Tokyo Game Show
  • September 25-29: PICNIC, Amsterdam
  • See also Ex Machina hosted event "Games Meet TV" and "BGIN Meeting"
Let us know if you will be there too and would like to meet!

Something to talk about...
As gaming becomes mainstream, reaching masses in various target- and age-groups, Ex Machina have focused on creating a complete social gaming solution – Julius 4.0. Julius 4.0 is designed to serve TV Networks, Media, Publishers and Consumer Brands as an integral part of supporting corporate strategies from branding and product positioning, to lead generation and new revenue streams.

Julius
Julius was conceived after repeated demand from our customers to provide a social gaming technology framework with the purpose of creating, distributing and managing online games for web, mobile, broad- and narrowcast. Julius 4.0 is a solution uniting our three leading online game platforms which, when combined, offers an end-to-end solution for companies seeking a robust, proven and future-proof infrastructure to execute their online games strategies.

...in a nutshell
Julius is created to address several strategic themes for businesses looking to increase revenues and exposure in games content, distribution and advertising. It's unique in the sense that through a single platform it allows the customer to gain full control over launching and managing any single, multiplayer and community game whether on web, mobile or TV. Bringing Ex Machina's leading product lines (Deus, Julius Community Platform and Quiz Engine) together, Julius 4.0 offers a unique, end-to-end solution to develop, distribute and manage Cross Media Games and Gaming Communities. Also included are our battle tested Deus multiplayer engine & SDK and Quiz Engine, our hugely successful crossmedia quiz solution.

For more information please visit our website for more information, www.exmachina.nl

We look forward to hopefully see you soon!

Ex Machina enters into partnership with IMGA

Recently Ex Machina joined forces with IMGA (International Mobile Gaming Awards), in a promotional partnership, acting as an integral partner in promoting, assisting and advising IMGA, culminating in the award ceremony held in Barcelona February, 2008.

The International Mobile Gaming Awards, launched in 2004, is a global platform for innovation in the Mobile Entertainment Industry. Every year, mobile game studios, individual developers, students and researchers are challenged to come up with the most innovative concepts for tomorrow?s games. An international jury selects the 25 most appealing, original and creative yet technically feasible ideas. Industry leaders in Mobile Entertainment, including operators, publishers, handset manufacturers, component manufacturers, software developers and research laboratories, will provide sponsorship through resources and know-how to the 25 nominees in order to enable them to finalise their applications within time (before January 2008). The IMGA brings together Industry leaders and top talent in Mobile Entertainment demonstrating the most innovative Mobile Entertainment Applications to a worldwide audience.

http://www.imgawards.com/.

Ex Machina at GDC

March 7 - 9, Ex Machina will exhibit at GDC in San Francisco and show its connected games management solution Julius 4.0 for the first time in the USA. A TV Play Along demo will allow visitors to play along live with a TV game show using web and mobile devices. Our booth is at #5310 in the North Hall of Moscone Convention Center.

Crossmedia Games event!

On January 31, 2007, Ex Machina hosted the first (of many) Crossmedia Games Conference in Amsterdam. With the theme "Brands, Media and Games", the conference sought to draw attention to the opportunities cross media gaming offers to brands, media and social communities.

With a full program of speakers and panel discussions in Amsterdam Club 11, the event was facing a challenging topic: How to utilize crossmedia gaming as a foundation for communication and marketing strategies by commercial, governmental and non-profit organizations, in order to increase brand awareness, attract visitors, kick start, grow and sustain communities or as educational tool to promote awareness and increase knowledge among target groups.

The conference featured presentations on: cross platform gaming communities by Soren Ammundsen of watAgame, Multiplayer gaming by Robert Wiering of VPRO and The games Consumer, by Peter Walop of Accenture as well as others. Two panel sessions were discussing; "TV Play Along and Other Broadcast and Gaming Developments" and "Brands and Games".

The conference drew attention of a broad audience from Retail, Banking and Insurance industries to Technology, Media, Broadcast and Brands Consultants. The day was concluded with a networking event and dinner.

To find out more about this conference and future events, please visit www.crossmediagames.com.