Storm8 is releasing one of its first branded mobile social games today with the launch of Monopoly Bingo! as part of a licensing deal with Hasbro.
Redwood City, Calif.-based Storm8 recognizes that brands are starting to become popular in mobile gaming, where it is exceedingly hard to stand apart from the pack of a million other rivals in the app stores. Partnering with familiar brand makes it a lot easier to get attention from consumers, as many other mobile game companies have seen.
The Monopoly Bingo! mobile game is available now on iOS, and Storm8 will ship a version for Android in January.
“Consistently delivering highly engaging, fun mobile games has allowed us to reach over 400 million users since our company was founded in 2009,” said Storm8 CEO Perry Tam, in a statement. “We couldn’t have asked for a better way to begin our foray into licensing world-class brands than with one of the most successful brands in gaming, and we expect this to lay the foundation for many more opportunities for Storm8.”
In an interview last week, Terence Fung, chief strategy officer at Storm8, said that the company recognizes the growing importance of brands, and it is in talks with numerous parties.
Monopoly Bingo is at the center of a couple of big trends in gaming. It carries the famous Hasbro brand name, but it’s also part of the social casino game industry on the bingo side. Social casino games are a $2 billion business, and bingo is one of the large segments within it.
Storm8 is already strong in social casino games, but now it has the Monopoly brand as well.
“The iconic Monopoly brand is one of the world’s favorite brands,” said Mark Blecher, senior vice president of digital gaming and corporate development at Hasbro, in a statement. “Given Storm8’s vast mobile network and strong social casino game experience, we expect that this new title will enable millions of Monopoly fans to enjoy an exciting new spin on a timeless classic as well as bring new players into the Monopoly universe.”
In the game, players travel through themed rooms based on the iconic Monopoly board. The game has 3D art and animated effects that try to bring the boards to life.
Founded in 2009, Storm8 has more than 50 million monthly active users.
