Internap Speeds Delivery of PopCap Games

PopCap Games Inc., which runs a major Internet casual gaming platform, is now using Internap Network Services (INAP) to deliver faster page loads and response times for its free game downloads. By colocating its game servers in Internap's Seattle data center and connecting to its Private Network Access Point (P-NAP), PopCap has improved its bandwidth performance by 40% on peak traffic since deploying the service.

Internap hosts PopCap's U.S. site, which serves more than 60 million hours of online free-based game play per month. PopCap's games are also offered on partner sites including Microsoft Gaming Zone, Yahoo, RealOne Arcade and Shockwave. PopCap's top selling puzzle title, the addictive Bejeweled, has sold more than 10 million units and been installed on 50 million mobile phones in North America in the last two years.

"Gaming is a global phenomenon and our customers expect to freely download, purchase and play their favorite games," said Hans Reifenrath, director of IT for PopCap Games, Inc. "We face the challenge of keeping bandwidth costs under control as more users come online daily, especially through the use of wireless devices worldwide."

"Internap's optimized bandwidth has also allowed us to run other applications that improve backend operations on our network," Reifenrath added. "From the U.S. to Mumbai or Madrid and beyond, our players know they can enjoy a consistent gaming experience wherever, whenever and however they prefer. Internap has certainly delivered for us."

Casual gaming includes puzzles, arcade games and trivia, and have historically been effective in attracting advertisers and sustaining subscription and digital distribution models. Telephia, a provider of performance measurement information to the mobile industry, reports that 65 percent of mobile game revenue is driven by female wireless subscribers.

Internap operates and manages seven data centers, and offers space in 23 additional facilities operated by strategic partners across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Internap's network helps customers bypass congestion points, overcome routing inefficiencies and optimize performance of their applications.