Only three weeks after its launch, HitFox Game Ventures is progressing from words to actions: with two new start-ups the Berlin-based game distribution incubator is focusing on the booming mobile gaming market. The companies HitFox AppLift GmbH (www.applift.com) and HitFox App Discovery GmbH (www.gamefinder.de) were founded by Kaya Taner and Xavier Rezgui, in cooperation with HitFox Game Ventures which backed the young companies with a 7-digit-€ seed investment.
“AppLift” is the first affiliate network worldwide that exclusively focuses on mobile games. Game publishers profit from AppLift’s network of ‘game affiliates’, refering new mobile gamers from 50 cents upwards. Right from the start AppLift is bundling the mobile games of numerous worldwide renowned publishers such as Gameloft, Gameforge, Kabam, TinyCo and 6waves.
Affiliates – generally webmasters or app-administrators whose users are specifically searching for mobile games – profit from the extensive range of high-class games. While affiliate programs are one of the most common marketing channels for online games, there has been a lack of options in the growing mobile games market. Co-Founder and Managing Director Kaya Taner, previously one of the first employees at HitFox, explains the market gap: ‘As first affiliate network for mobile games worldwide, AppLift meets an urgent need and sees very high demand by affiliates and game publishers alike. We will reach the goals initially set for 2012 already in August and are now ‘raising the bar’: by the end of 2012 we want to work together with 500-1000 Affiliates who refer new gamers on iOS, Android, and other platforms for at least 100 mobile game publishers.”
While AppLift offers performance-based affiliate-ads, HitFox App Discovery GmbH covers the userside: Currently there are more than 100.000 Games of very different quality on the Apple App Store, which in turn makes it hard for gamers to find the games they want. The free app ‘Game Finder’ functions as a quality filter and only shows the best mobile games, clearly laid out for the user to choose from.
For the launch, a specialized team of game testers chose 500 games and enriched them with additional information. At Game Finder another former HitFox-Manager became Co-Founder and Managing Director: Xavier Rezgui.
HitFox Game Ventures CEO Jan Beckers states: “The mobile games market is booming and we are happy to invest a 7-digit sum into teams that have already proven themselves. We expect the growth to be accordingly fast and are looking forward to taking advantage of the numerous synergies with our existing portfolio and future start-ups.
If you are interested, please also take note of our separate press-release sent out yesterday (August 13, 2012) regarding HitFox App Discovery.
HitFox AppLift GmbH
HitFox AppLift GmbH is the world’s first mobile affiliate network, exclusively focused on games. Game publishers profit from the large network of affiliates HitFox has established, enabling them to directly target new gamers. Additionally affiliates get access to games from high-class publishers by using the network.
HitFox AppLift GmbH is the second company founded by HitFox Game Ventures GmbH. This vertical incubator was founded by serial entrepreneurs Jan Beckers, Dr. Hanno Fichtner, Tim Koschella and Ruben Haas and is specialized on start-ups and the further development of acquisitions in the field of video game marketing and sales. The already existing companies under the incubator are HitFox Game Deals GmbH, Chili Entertainment and the recently founded HitFox AppDiscovery GmbH. Further information is available at www.applift.com
About HitFox Game Ventures
The HitFox Game Ventures holding is a vertical incubator specialized on start-ups and the further development of acquisitions in the field of video game marketing and sales. The first spinoff companies HitFox AppLift and HitFox App Discovery already followed within a month after the foundation in July 2012. The incubator was formed from the game distribution start-up HitFox.com (HitFox GmbH), founded in May 2011 by serial entrepreneurs Jan Beckers, Dr. Hanno Fichtner, Tim Koschella and Ruben Haas in cooperation with Team Europe. In February 2012 they acquired Chili Entertainment GmbH, Germany’s largest advertising network for online games. Both companies are now subsidiaries of HitFox Game Ventures GmbH.
HitFox Game Ventures has 60 employees and is headquartered in Berlin. Its Investors include HV Holtzbrinck Ventures, Tengelmann Ventures GmbH, Hasso Plattner Ventures, Kite Ventures, and Digital Pioneers. Further information is available at www.hitfox-ventures.com
