Kuma Games to Play with IBM, Akamai

Kuma Games – a publisher and developer of free, episodic games – has partnered with IBM and its associate Akamai to handle the growing rush of online gamers. The IBM technology and Akamai's electronic software delivery solution will help Kuma provide faster game downloads to global users.

So IBM says Kuma is pleased. How? "Our relationship with IBM and their ecosystem of partners enables us to focus on delivering a great game experience to our fans," said Keith Halper, CEO of Kuma Games. "The new technology is already translating to dollars and cents: since implementing IBM and Akamai solutions, we have seen download times slashed, and as a result conversion rates have improved by 40% with user time rising to substantially more than an hour per session."

Using a TV-like distribution model to release free, episodic games on a regular schedule, Kuma Games has delivered nearly 150 ad-supported episodes and garnered more than six million users, adding 350,000 new users every month. Kuma Games' portfolio of games includes The History Channel's "Dogfights," Spike TV's "The Kill Point Game" and original series "DinoHunters" and "Kuma\War."

Leveraging the IBM BladeCenter and Akamai's electronic software delivery solution, Kuma Games is able to distribute games online globally, and achieve high download speeds despite peaks in traffic, says IBM.

Akamai, an IBM business partner, helps game publishers and developers like Kuma Games to overcome their unique challenges of delivering game content online, such as disparate end user geographies, large game file sizes including HD trailers, high traffic levels, uneven or inconsistent traffic patterns, and inherent Internet weaknesses such as network outages.

Photo courtesy: Kuma

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