Outspark Appoints Owen Mahoney to Chief Executive Officer

* Reuters is not responsible for the content in this press release.

Tue Sep 8, 2009 3:01am EDT

Electronic Arts Veteran Joins Leading Freemium Gaming Company to Boost Expansion
in North America, Europe and Asia


SAN FRANCISCO--(Business Wire)--
Outspark, the premier North American publisher for free-to-play massively
multiplayer online (MMO) games, today announced the appointment of Owen Mahoney
as Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Mahoney`s career path spans traditional and
online media including senior executive roles at Electronic Arts Inc., the
leading global independent developer and publisher of video games. Outspark`s
Founder and current CEO, Susan Choe, will continue to serve as Chairman of the
Board and work with game developers on partnering with Outspark. 

Mr. Mahoney will accelerate Outspark`s continued expansion of its global user
base from North America where it has the largest free-to-play MMO audience. The
company has also established a rapidly growing community in Europe and in the
Pacific Rim where free-to-play games have attracted large audiences for many
years. Currently, Outspark has a registered user base of more than 4.7 million
globally, and since the company launched in 2007, traffic to Outspark has grown
to 5.4 million unique visitors a month. 

"Since founding Outspark in early 2007, the Freemium MMOG market has evolved
dramatically. Outspark`s team has built a leading game publishing company,
executing solid growth while bringing together a unique MMOG publishing platform
with social community elements," said Susan Choe. "With Owen`s leadership and
business experience in the global gaming industry, Outspark will evolve as a
leading global game industry player." 

Mr. Mahoney brings more than 15 years experience working in the digital media
sector. Most recently, he was Senior Vice President of corporate and business
development at Electronic Arts, and during his 9-year tenure from 2000-2009, he
led the company`s worldwide corporate development activities including
acquisitions, equity investments and strategic partnerships. Previously, Mr.
Mahoney has held numerous executive positions at online and software companies
in both the U.S. and Asia, including PointCast, Claris Japan and Radius. Mr.
Mahoney holds a B.A. in Asian Studies from the University of California at
Berkeley and attended the University of Tokyo`s graduate law program. 

"Having the opportunity to build on Susan`s success is a great privilege and I'm
honored by the board's endorsement," said Owen Mahoney. "Outspark appeals to a
vast global user base and to everyone who wants to establish a connection with
gamers around the world in real time. Outspark`s game publishing platform and
portal also offer fantastic opportunities to both content developers and game
publishers, and I look forward to providing value for Outspark, our loyal user
base, investors and our great staff." 

Outspark has enjoyed rapid success with a unique business model that has created
a flourishing online community around the concept of engaging social events,
in-game and around-game networking, user-generated content and a personalized
user experience. Outspark currently offers five mid-casual MMO games with more
titles being launched this year. 

For images of Mr. Mahoney, please contact Outspark`s media contacts. 

About Outspark:

Outspark is a leading entertainment services company that publishes and operates
engaging online multiplayer games. Featuring a portfolio of immersive
free-to-play games and related content, the company is building an online
destination where members come for the games and stay for the community.
Outspark has partnered with numerous leaders in the gaming space, including
urban lifestyle brand Rocawear and technology companies like YouTube, Vivox,
Meebo and Dyyno, all assisting in making the Outspark virtual playground the
ultimate gaming and social destination. Backed by Tencent, Altos Ventures and
DCM, Outspark is headquartered in San Francisco, Calif., with a subsidiary
office in Seoul, Korea. For more information, visit http://www.outspark.com. 





Outspark Media Contacts:
Reverb Communications
Tracie Snitker
209-586-1495 x104
tracie@reverbinc.com
or
Reverb Communications
Abby Oliva
209-586-1495 x106
abby@reverbinc.com


Copyright Business Wire 2009

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