Independent in-game advertising company, IGA Worldwide, Inc., has entered into an exclusive agreement with Merscom, to place in-game advertisements into its casual game portfolio. The agreement includes the fast-paced point-and-click game, Jewel Craft, where players create jewelry masterpieces, among several others.

IGA Worldwide’s agreement with Merscom will broaden IGA’s consumer reach into the popular casual gaming market which is expected to reach $2 billion by 2008 according to the Casual Games Association. IGA Worldwide will further extend its position as the leading independent in-game advertising network by targeting this highly untapped audience of 30+ female gamers, an increasingly crucial demographic to advertisers.

Justin Townsend, CEO of IGA Worldwide noted, ’’This agreement expands our casual game network to further enable our advertisers to reach this growing, engaged and influential audience of female gamers. We continue to strive to create opportunities to offer advertisers new and exciting ways to reach various demographics and this partnership with Merscom allows us to deliver on that promise.’’

The deal will provide advertising in casual games throughout the United States and European markets, creating contextually relevant ads specific to each region. These games will be available in both US and European retail stores and online portals worldwide.

Casual games can be defined by their mass appeal and relative ease and directional simplicity. Average game playing times vary, being simple enough to pick up for a short time but challenging enough to play for hours. Unlike typical console video games that target men ages 18-35, casual games target audience is women ages 30+ and are available on a variety of platforms including consoles, PCs, handhelds and mobile phones.

Lloyd S.Melnick, Chief Customer Officer at Merscom added, ’’In-game advertising is being talked about a lot but very little has been done within the casual gaming space. We are excited to partner with IGA, a leader in in-game advertising, to open up casual games to advertisers throughout the world for one of the first times.’’

IGA Worldwide, Inc. is the largest in-game advertising company with a proprietary ad serving network. The IGA Worldwide Radial network enables advertisers to target millions of engaged gamers across a wide range of platforms and genres. IGA Worldwide has already delivered campaigns for diverse brands such as; 20th Century Fox, Ben Sherman, Discovery, FHM, Hawaiian Airlines, Intel, Jeep, MTV, and T-Mobile. IGA Worldwide also provides strategic consulting services including integrated product placement and promotion through its wholly-owned communications consultancy, Hive, a trading name of IGA Hive Ltd. Headquartered in New York with offices in London and Berlin, the group is backed by GE/NBC Universal’s Peacock Equity Fund, Easton Capital Group, Intel Capital, Morgenthaler Ventures, DN Capital and KTB Ventures.

Merscom is a global publisher of computer and video games that distributes games through multiple channels, multiple platforms and multiple revenue models. Merscom’s channels include retail distribution in the US and Europe, online sale through major portals worldwide and games on Microsoft® Xbox Live® Arcade. Merscom publishes games from leading casual game developers, including Sandlot Games, Reflexive Entertainment, Absolutist and Pi-Eye Games. Merscom publishes on multiple platforms including PC, console and handheld. Merscom produces entertaining products for gamers of all ages and guarantees all customers a great experience with its "Fun Guarantee."

For more information, please visit: www.igaworldwide.com.