Browser gaming platformGaikai, which early last year attracted attention bydemoing World of Warcraft on the iPad, entered its open beta phase today. Gaikai allows the user to play games within the browser, without the need to complete large downloads first.
The company has positioned itself as a game advertising company to attract developers to the service, allowing limited demos of the game to be played in the browser before the user purchases the full version. At launch, demo versions of EA titlesMass Effect 2,Dead Space 2andThe Sims 3are available, as well asLinden Labs‘ free to play title,Second Life. Be warned that without an incredibly fast Internet connection, Gaikai might not allow you to play–a sign that the service may be slightly ahead of its time.
Affiliates simply need a line of Gaikai code to allow visitors to play these demos without leaving their sites, and are paid for each minute a user plays the game.
As Martin Bryant wrote on TNW yesterday, more andmore game developers are embracing the browseras a serious gaming platform. With Gaikai taking the business model of programs like GoogleAdWordsto a whole new level of interactivity, it seems that this shift could affect the advertising industry as much as it will the gaming industry.
Story byJoel Falconer
Joel Falconer is the Features Editor at TNW. He lives on the Gold Coast, Australia with his wife and three kids and can sometimes be found g(show all)Joel Falconeris the Features Editor at TNW. He lives on the Gold Coast, Australia with his wife and three kids and can sometimes be foundgamingorconsulting. Follow Joel onTwitter.
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