MTV Kids pacts with Habbo for game distribution

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - MTV Networks Kids and Family Group has announced an exclusive North American deal to distribute its AddictingGames channel through the teen social networking site Habbo.

AddictingGames provides free viral games such as Max Dirt Bike, Mini Putt and Bloons, which attract more than 23 million unique visitors each month. AddictingGames senior vice president Dave Williams said the deal is aimed at enhancing the entertainment experience for players.

"We think AddictingGames visitors will love Habbo's virtual world environment -- it complements our existing Web games and community," he added.

Habbo has 7.5 million unique users worldwide -- including 1.7 million in the U.S. -- and offers an avatar-based virtual world in which users create their own characters, called Habbos. Since its launch by Finnish company Sulake in 2000, Habbo has expanded into 29 countries, and more than 80 million Habbo characters have been created.

Habbo's average user is age 15, but the site also features celebrity Habbos from Ashlee Simpson, Bow Wow, Shaun White, Paula Abdul and Rachel Leigh Cook, among others.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter