April 21, 2006
THREE RINGS TO GIVE AWAY
AUTHENTIC 18TH CENTURY GOLD DOUBLOON FOR IN-GAME FIVE MILLIONTH DOUBLOON
PURCHASE
Three Rings Design, Inc., a premier
developer of multi-player online casual games, announced today that it will give
away a 1787 Spanish Gold Escudo Doubloon, rescued from pirate loot, to the
player that purchases the five millionth doubloon for their popular online game
"Puzzle Pirates."
The company expects to reach the
five millionth sale mark later this week and will announce the winner shortly
after. In light of some strong market trends, the company recently shifted its
strategy from subscription pricing to a "free-to-play" model that includes the
option of purchasing micro-currency. Players can then spend their micro-currency
on in-game upgrades and additional content.
The sale of five million doubloons
is an important milestone for the company and points to the broad acceptance of
that model. In fact, the company is launching a new game "Bang! Howdy," a
multiplayer online tactical strategy game for the PC which uses the same payment
structure and online distribution model.
"Three Rings has led the charge for
micro-currency in the US market, and the success of ‘Puzzle Pirates’ doubloons
has convinced us that it represents the future for online entertainment," said
Daniel James, Three Rings’ CEO. "We were inspired by the Korean market, where
‘free to play, pay for item’ is the ubiquitous business model for online games.
As the US market matures to meet Korea, we intend to keep leading the way."
The company is riding some powerful
trends in digital entertainment – the popularity of casual games, a move towards
the massively multiplayer, and the ascent of digital downloads. With the shift
to "freemium" pricing, the company recently became cash-flow positive and funds
the distribution and development of its games internally. To date, over 1.5mm
individuals have downloaded Puzzle Pirates.
To learn more about Three Rings and
or Puzzle Pirates, please visit their site at:
http://www.puzzlepirates.com for more information.
About Three Rings Three Rings is a
premier developer of multi-player online casual games. Since launching "Puzzle
Pirates" to international acclaim in 2004, the company has quickly become one of
the most popular and well-respected makers of online games. The games are free
to play and have virtual economies with unique micro-currencies. The company’s
games are currently played in more than 50 countries. More information on Three
Rings can be found at
http://threerings.net/ and "Puzzle Pirates" can be found at
http://www.PuzzlePirates.com/
