IPVG, Philstar.com sign deal

IPVG, Philstar.com sign deal

The Philippine Star 03/03/2006

Publicly listed tech company IPVG Corp., through its gaming division, IP Interactive, recently signed an investment agreement with The Philippine Star Group, which owns and operates one of the country’s leading broadsheets, The Philippine Star, as well as the news and infotainment website, Philstar.com.

The agreement centers around IP Interactive’s online gaming portal, e-Games Philippines, the free-to-play gaming portal that is home to top selling online games RAN ONLINE, O2Jam and Battle Position. Under the pact, Philstar will become a strategic investor in IP Interactive. Philstar provides both capital and marketing synergy with IP Interactive. The two companies will work together to develop marketing programs involving The Philippine Star, its web offshoot Philstar.com, and the e-Games portal. "The Philstar group is a well respected and strategic investor for us. Our shareholders and management team are all very happy with Philstar’s entry ,"says Enrique Gonzalez, CEO of IP Interactive.

With the help of IP Interactive, Philstar aims to reach the growing sector of online gamers, one of the fastest emerging markets on the net today. Philstar will now be able to supplement its news portal with community content and applications originating from the e-Games portal.

Kevin Belmonte, president and CEO of Philstar Global Corp. said "At Philstar, we don’t feel we need to be everything for everyone. But we try our best to provide real and significant value to Filipinos all over the world in areas that matter to them. With the phenomenal growth of online gaming globally, and particularly in Asia, I have no doubt that our collaboration with IP Interactive will be a great addition to Philstar’s range of content and service offerings."

For IP Interactive, the partnership gives the company access to new marketing platforms, both online and in print, to enhance the e-Games brand name while drawing on the vast readership base of the Philstar publications.

"Our partnership with Philstar.com is an important one, and in line with our vision of building and linking communities," said Enrique Gonzalez adding "e-Games is not just about online gaming, it is also about nurturing and maintaining a community. Our partnership allows both sites to achieve this objective."

Both sides expressed optimism and mutual confidence regarding the prospects awaiting their collaboration. "It has always been a policy of ours to partner with industry leaders in powering Philstar’s content, features and services," said Belmonte. "For this, we have partnered with a superb company with a formidable management team behind it and an exciting vision for Philippine online gaming. I expect great things from our partnership with e-Games."

The Philstar portal can be accessed at HYPERLINK "http://www.philstar.com. e-Games, along with its game sites, can be reached via HYPERLINK "http://www.e-games.com.ph .