Meez Opens Gaming Platform with 50+ Titles

With the success that Facebook found in opening up its API to developers, more and more platforms followed suit. Today Meez, a social network that blends avatars and casual games with a virtual world-style environment, announced the gold launch of its gaming service and the accompanying API. Over 50 third-party games have already been integrated, with more than 50 still in the pipes for later this quarter.

Games like Cake Mania, Jewel Quest, Virtual Villagers, Bloons, and Star Shine have found some success on their own in the broader Web, and it seems like Meez is hoping they'll bring along some of that audience while increasing the stickiness factor for Meez existing members. Since the API allows developers to integrate personal Meez into the game, the casual experience becomes personal.

Along with including the Meez in the games (see an example through Facebook here), developers can more communication to the game, emoting through the Meez to make a more social experience. Games can also be tied to the larger community and its virtual economy, making wins and losses more significant, or at least worth a virtual t-shirt or two,  and relevant to status with badges and connected social profiles.

“Meez is giving game publishers access to some of the largest social networking communities on the Internet,”  Sean Ryan, Meez CEO, said in a statement.  “More importantly, we’re providing unique hooks into the social fabric of these communities, so that game publishers can form long-term, monetizable relationships with users, driving revenue through the Meez advertising engine and through virtual item commerce.”