PlaySpan makes virtual goods gains with FooPets game
PlaySpan scored a deal to provide virtual goods and global payment solutions for FooMojo’s FooPets.com virtual pets game.
Santa Clara, Calif.-based PlaySpan will help FooPets.com, which has more than 5 million registered members, process virtual goods on a number of fronts. FooPets will use PlaySpan’s Ultimate Game Card, which is a prepaid game card sold in 45,000 retail stores around the world.
The deal is one more example of how casual online games are switching to virtual goods business models fueled by micro-transactions.
PlaySpan provides a virtual currency system that FooPets users can use to buy everything from flea medication to a breeding license for their virtual kittens and pups. So far, users have created over 8 million virtual pets. Before, users had to have access to credit cards to pay for items in the world, which is accessible via MySpace, Cyworld and Facebook.
PlaySpan’s virtual goods and online payment solutions are used in 300 web-based games and 700 social network games in 180 countries. FooMojo was founded in 2007 and launched its FooPets game in 2008. It has 22 employees and has raised $10 million to date.
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About the Author, Dean Takahashi
Dean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.
