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Sparter Announces Gamer2GamerTM Trading
Platform for Virtual Currencies
Global Exchange Saves Gamers Money and
Protects Publishers’ Rights
Menlo Park, CA, June 13, 2007 – Sparter,
Inc. today announced the public beta release of its exchange
platform designed to enable global Gamer2Gamer™ (G2G™)
trading of virtual currencies. The platform
provides an open, transparent and secure environment for
players of massively multi-player online games to trade with
other gamers. Games currently supported include DOFUS, EVE
Online, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Final Fantasy XI, Guild
Wars, Lineage II, The Lord of the Rings Online, MapleStory,
Silkroad Online, Star Wars Galaxies and World of Warcraft.
“Gamers in North America and Europe spend more than
a billion dollars a year on virtual currency. This market
is expected to grow significantly over the next few years,
but all of this trade moves through inefficient B2C companies
who overcharge for transferring digital currency from one
gamer to another,” said Dan Kelly, chief executive
officer of Sparter. “We believe the industry needs
a workable model that better serves the interests of gamers,
developers and publishers. Our platform makes it possible
for gamers to trade directly with each other, saving money
in the process and lowering the cost of buying and playing
games. Keeping that purchasing power in the pockets of gamers
is good for the industry.”
An Open, Transparent and Secure Trading Environment
By connecting gamers with each other, Sparter eliminates
the middle man from the transaction. To promote a safe and
efficient trading environment, the company has implemented
features such as escrowing of buyer funds, reliability ratings
based on actual transactional data, and price charts that
show market trends. Users can even see the wholesale prices
for several external B2C sites. These tools give gamers unparalleled
information on virtual currencies, allowing buyers to make
better informed purchases and sellers to optimize their pricing.
Kelly added, “Sparter has the potential to increase
consumption of and investment in online games. Our typical
seller is a gamer who has earned enough to cover his monthly
game fees. The potential to earn some cash while enjoying
a great game is likely to extend subscriptions and attract
new consumers, growing the overall market for developers
and publishers.”
A Partner to Developers and Publishers
The Sparter platform is designed to serve developers and
publishers as well as gamers. Sparter.com is only one example
of how G2GTM trade can be enabled; the company is discussing
with potential partners ways to provide exchange functionality
in-game or at the partner’s Web site. “Gamers
have spoken with their dollars and clearly value the ability
to trade currency,” said Boris Putanec, chief technology
officer of Sparter. “We want to partner with developers
and publishers to support this demand wherever gamers gather.”
Sparter requires that its users acknowledge the intellectual
property rights of the developer and publisher. “It
is imperative that we protect the rights of content originators,” said
Putanec. “By working together, everyone in the eco-system
will benefit.”
Veteran Management, Passionate Gamers
The Sparter management team has deep and broad experience in online commerce and the videogame industry. The company is led by gaming veteran Dan Kelly, the former SVP of Business Development at THQ, and Boris Putanec, a co-founder of Ariba, and includes executives from eBay, IGN, Expedia and PeerLogic. Sparter’s lead investor is Bessemer Venture Partners, the oldest venture capital firm in the world.
About Sparter, Inc.
Sparter is a global online marketplace for Gamer2Gamer™ (G2GTM)
trading of virtual currencies. The site offers a platform where
gamers can buy and sell virtual currencies in an open, transparent
and secure environment. The company currently supports the
following games: DOFUS, EVE Online, EverQuest, EverQuest II,
Final Fantasy XI, Guild Wars, Lineage II, The Lord of the Rings
Online, MapleStory, Silkroad Online, Star Wars Galaxies and
World of Warcraft. Further information can be obtained at sparter.com.
For more information, contact:
Brian Posnanski (314) 968-7712
bposnanski@gravitas-pr.com
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