OpenFeint and The9 have formed a little partnership to help indie developers in bringing their games to Android from other platforms. We all know OpenFeint have been helping the indie scene for quite some time now and The9 is a Chinese game publisher that happens to have a $100 million dollar fund set up.
In this little agreement between the two, OpenFeint will be able to tap into the $100 million dollar fund set up by The9 (called Fund9) in order to help fund indie developers in bringing their games over to Android. This will help offset the costs of rebuilding their games from whatever platform they are coming from, such as iOS, onto Android.
This could certainly boost the gaming area of Android if some really great indie developers get funded to bring their games over to Android. It’s always nice to not have to worry about the cost of rebuilding one’s games for another platform. OpenFeint and The9 will select the companies to receive funding with each one that is selected integrating OpenFeint into the game while The9 will tap into their Fund9 to finance the porting of the game over to Android.
Both companies will also pick which games will be localized for sale in China. This selection will be based on quality, past download performance in other app stores, and the strength of the game developers themselves. Getting you game on sale in China, fully localized, can really bring in some healthy profits for a developer.
If you are interested in getting in on this action and hoping to get funded, all you have to do is send an email to [email protected] expressing your interest.
Developer Websites: OpenFeint | The9 (non-English)
OpenFeint Partners with The9 To Select Game Developers to Move to Android, Backed by $100 Million Fund9
Burlingame, Calif. – March 09, 2011 – OpenFeint, the leading cross platform social gaming network, and The9, an online game operator and developer in China, today announced a new way for top game developers to help fund their move to Android. The initiative is backed by the $100 million Fund9, a Chinese-based mobile internet development fund. OpenFeint and The9 will review and select top games and will fund their port to Android and OpenFeint integration. The companies will also pick select games to expand to China and willfacilitate their localization.
Games will be chosen based on the quality of the game, past download performance in other app stores, and the strength of the game developer. Interested developers should email [email protected] to express interest and learn more about the opportunity.
“We launched on Android to bring gamers great content. We’ve already helped launch 250 great games, but there’s still work to do,” said Eros Resmini, VP of Marketing at OpenFeint. “There’s a treasure trove of great games on iOS waiting for the rest of the world to discover. This fund will help make that possible for indie game developers.”
The $100 million Fund9 is a Chinese-based development fund that invests in mobile app, game engine, and platform technology developers around the world. Announced last December, the fund is a collaboration amongThe9, China Rock Capital Management, Chengwei Ventures, and China Renaissance K2 Ventures.
“Fund9 is focused on bringing the best mobile apps and platform technologies to China. Our partnership with OpenFeint is a great first step. We are excited to see some great games on Android devices in China soon,” said Chris Shen, Vice President at The9.
OpenFeint is the largest cross platform social gaming network with over 68 million players in 4,800 games. Launched just last September on Android, OpenFeint already has spawned several top 10 Android hits, including Fruit Ninja, Super KO Boxing 2, and Flick Kick Field Goal Kickoff.
The9, established in 1999 as one of the leading game developers and operators in China, has stepped into the mobile internet field and now working with major telecom carriers and application distribution channels in China with high speed growth.
