RockYou hops on the Bingo bandwagon, publishes Bingo by Ryzing

Given the current climate, this is probably the smartest move a company could make if it wants to enter a social game sub genre. Redwood City, Calif.-based social games publisher RockYou announced that it will publish Bingo by Ryzing. That doubles as both the Facebook game's title and the name of the Philadelphia, Penn.-based social games developer, Ryzing. Confusing, we know.

RockYou's publishing unit, Studio Partners, will provide Bingo by Ryzing with "analytics, product management support, advertising and monetization solutions," according to a release. In short, it's now RockYou's job to make sure Bingo by Ryzing finds more players and sells in-game items and boosts like hotcakes.

Bingo by Ryzing doesn't appear to be vastly different from the current stable of Bingo games on Facebook, save for one major detail. Players can earn real-life money and prized by entering free sweepstakes, which Ryzing will continue to manage under the new publishing deal.

"Our real-prize Bingo model moves quickly to keep players engaged with social chat and slot machines that deliver an enhanced play experience," Ryzing CEO Manu Gambhir said in a release. "Our in-game sweepstakes drive high lifetime revenue per player as compared to other bingo games that solely feature virtual rewards. RockYou will help us drive traffic and strong retention while we focus on improving the game for our players."

This news follows the unfortunate announcement that RockYou had laid off 100 of its staffers and declined to continue publishing Loot Drop's Cloudforest Expedition. In addition to a publishing deal with Australian strategy game maker 3 Blokes, this looks like RockYou's attempt at making good on the promises of its publishing service.

[Image Credit: iStockphoto.com/Lisa Kyle Young]

Are you a fan of Bingo by Ryzing? Do you think this was a smart move on RockYou's part to get into the Bingo craze on Facebook? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.