SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 26, 2009 — iWin, Inc., a leading developer and publisher of online casual games, today announced the grand opening of the long-awaited Hotel iWin, the first virtual world based around downloadable casual games.
Hotel iWin is a unique niche social network where players can craft personalized public profiles, express interests and hobbies, meet liked-minded people, expand their friend lists, and post on each other's message walls.
At the heart of Hotel iWin, players create electronic images of themselves (avatars) and customize their avatars as often as they like with hundreds of hairstyles, clothing options and facial features. In addition, players at Hotel iWin can decorate multiple hotel rooms, creating a personalized environment in which to socialize. There are over one-thousand virtual items at launch in the Hotel Shops, including animated friends and pets, fantastical indoor and outdoor backgrounds, and eclectic decor and furniture. New items based on guest feedback, new casual game releases, and seasonal periods will be added to Hotel iWin on an ongoing basis.
Since the beta version of Hotel iWin launched on Thursday, February 19, over 50,000 rooms have been created and over 100,000 virtual items have been purchased with the Hotel iWin virtual currency, Opals.
Players at iWin.com earn Opals by playing games on the iWin site. Earning enough Opals unlocks new floors that a player can then own and customize to reflect her whims or dreams.
iWin is a premiere publisher of downloadable games with over 700 top casual games in their catalog and a new game released each day. Many of the games on iWin.com are ad-supported and completely free to play; others are free to try for at least an hour. iWin also offers unique set of multiplayer "Online Party" games, including the well-known Family Feud Online Party.
"Playing casual games today is a fairly solitary experience, especially for our guests who typically download single-player PC casual games," Nathan Fahrenthold, Senior Producer for Hotel iWin said. "Hotel iWin creates a riveting social and community experience around these single-player games which is unlike anything else in the market today."
"Hotel iWin recreates the sense of relaxation and exploration that you get while on vacation and turns it into an everyday experience," said David Fox, the project's Director. "The Hotel is intended to be a safe and luxurious place for people to meet, express themselves, and escape together into their favorite games."
For more information about Hotel iWin, visit http://www.iwin.com/hotel/roombrowser or view the tutorial video at .
Hotel iWin open beta is currently exclusively available from iWin.com.
About iWin, Inc.:
iWin is a leading publisher and developer of online casual games for the mass market. The company operates iWin.com, is visited by over 5.4 million customers every month and offers over 700 download games, multiplayer games and ad-supported games provided entirely free to the end user. As a multi-platform publisher of casual games, iWin provides extensive resources, financing, marketing, and distribution services to independent game developers throughout the world. iWin received the most game nominations in 2007 by the Casual Games Association, making it the #1 casual game publisher of hit titles. Additionally, iWin's Jewel Quest II won the 2007 Zeeby for Best Puzzle Game of the Year. iWin has offices in San Francisco, Seattle and Kiev, Ukraine. Visit iWin at http://www.iwin.com.
iWin Press Contact:
Larissa McCleary
Tel. 415.348.7526
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