Sh, Sh, Sh… Sh, Sh, Sh – Share Your Booty!

Outplay has clearly been borrowing some of Santa’s elves, as the company has been a positive avalanche of news, information and updates in the last few weeks.

With social gaming much in the media, thanks to Zynga’s initial public offering (which is what IPO stands for, fact fans…) last week, Outplay has announced two new additions to the company’s board, as well as officially launching their debut titles – Word Trick (4.5/5 on Gamezebo) and Booty Quest (now with added Pirates).

Former head of AOL in Europe Karen Thomson has joined Outplay as non-executive Chair.  Randy Breen, a former executive with Electronic Arts (executive producer/creative director) & LucasArts (VP of Product Development) has meanwhile joined the board as a non-executive director.

Quotes time!

“I chose to join the Outplay board because I believe Douglas and Richard have the vision, passion, drive and experience to create huge business opportunities as well as fantastic entertainment properties,” said Karen Thomson, non-executive chair for Outplay. “I am delighted to be involved with such a forward thinking company and look forward to working with Outplay to create rich gaming experiences that bridge the gap between mobile and online platforms.”

“Social and mobile gaming have only begun to show their full potential, and I believe Outplay are well positioned to become a major player in the industry,” said Randy Breen, non-executive director of Outplay. “I’ve known Douglas and Richard for more than a decade and having seen what they and the rest of the Outplay team have accomplished since April and what they have planned for the future, I’m very excited to be part of the board.”

“Karen and Randy bring a wealth of complementary experience and expertise to Outplay Entertainment,” said Douglas Hare, CEO & co-founder of Outplay. “Karen’s marketing background and track record with large-scale consumer-facing internet and mobile businesses combined with Randy’s remarkable creative, production and business expertise will be invaluable to Outplay’s ambitious growth plans for 2012 and beyond. We are thrilled to have them onboard.”

There’s more to come from Outplay in 2012 including, if possible, a look at the company’s three main principles for creating successful games for the new generation of online and social players:

• Social Games by Design – From the initial concept stages through launch, Outplay will weave social features into every game design. These social activities will always be entertaining and will enrich the player’s overall experience.
• Games Playable Anywhere – Outplay games are designed to allow players to continue their experience wherever they may be, whether on a mobile device or at a desktop. The desktop and mobile experiences may be identical or complementary to better leverage the qualities of each respective platform.
• Skill Based Gaming – Outplay believes that players have much more fun and play for longer when there is some form of skill to learn and to master. Rewarding skillful gaming is essential to providing an enduring and engaging experience.

Congratulations to Outplay and welcome, Karen and Randy, to the Scottishgames community.  You’ll enjoy it here, we’re lovely.