{{Infobox company | name = NeoEdge Networks | logo = Nen-logo.png | type = Private | founded = 2002 | hq_location = Mountain View, California | key_people = Dan Servos, CEO<br />Todd Kenck, CFO<br />Andrew Radin, CTO<br />Nolan Bushnell, Chairman of the Board<br />Steven Woods, Co-founder, Member of the Board<br />Michael Babiak, Co-founder, Sr. VP Advertising | industry = In-game advertising/Digital distribution | products = Video commercials in casual games }}
'''NeoEdge Networks''' was a Silicon Valley{{En dash}}based technology and in-game advertising company that enabled casual game publishers and developers to deliver television-like commercials within their products {{En dash}} frequently in the context of free-to-consumer casual game play. NeoEdge powered advertising for a variety of game publishers including Yahoo.<ref name="cnn money">{{cite web|url=https://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/apwire/36184fef5bd4792429d23e6dfc08966a.htm |title=Yahoo unveils ad-supported downloadable games |work=CNN Money |date=10 July 2008 |accessdate=2008-07-10 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080929053351/http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/apwire/36184fef5bd4792429d23e6dfc08966a.htm |archivedate=September 29, 2008 }}</ref><ref name="bushnell yahoo">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/features/interview-bushnells-neoedge-becomes-big-player-with-yahoo-games/?biz=1|title=Interview: Bushnell's NeoEdge Becomes Big Player with Yahoo! Games|work=GameDaily|date=10 July 2008|accessdate=2008-07-10}}</ref> NeoEdge provided both peer-to-peer game distribution (to reduce costs of distributing games) and in-game advertising (to help increase consumer game play and monetization). It was renamed Blue Noodle in early 2011 and shut down later that year.<ref name="shut">{{Cite news |title= Investor immorality: The strange case of Blue Noodle |author= Dan Primack |work= Fortune |date= August 17, 2011 |url= http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2011/08/17/investor-immorality-blue-noodle/ |accessdate= June 11, 2013 }}</ref>
==Introduction== NeoEdge provided advertising inside online casual games.<ref name="marketwire">{{cite web|url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Neoedge-795130.html|title=Casual Games Get a Serious Business Model: NeoEdge Launches First Open Advertising Network for a Huge, Untapped Market|work=MarketWire|date=20 November 2007|accessdate=2008-11-15}}</ref> The online video advertising platform provides advertisers a medium that reaches a key demographic (adults over 18 years of age) with television-like commercials in an engaged environment that casual gamers have accepted in exchange for free game play.<ref name="redherring">{{cite web|url=http://www.redherring.com/Home/pages/print/posts/?bid=3f0a738e-1a03-4fcc-927c-a72792d8d070&mode=Full|title=Video Ads Suck in Casual Gamers|work=RedHerring|date=25 September 2006|accessdate=2008-10-30}}</ref>
==History== NeoEdge was founded in 2002 by Steven Woods, Jeromy Carriere, Kelly Slough, Dave Simons, and Michael Babiak, former Netscape and America Online employees, under the name "Kinitos". While at Quack.com the founders created the first consumer-based Voice Portal, acquired by America Online in 2000.<ref name="quack2">{{cite web|url=http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;920516229|title=AOL Acquires Voice Portal Quack.com|work=Computerworld|date=2 September 2000|accessdate=2008-11-16|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081017160654/http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id|archivedate=17 October 2008}}</ref> In 2007, Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell joined the NeoEdge board as Chairman.<ref name="bushnell joins neoedge 1">{{cite web|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/nolan-bushnell-joins-neoedge-board-of-directors|title=Nolan Bushnell Joins NeoEdge Board Of Directors|work=Gamasutra|date=21 May 2007|access-date=2008-09-22}}</ref><ref name="bushnell joins neoedge 2">{{cite web|url= http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-9876298-52.html?tag=mncol;title|title=Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell pushing ads in casual games|work=CNET|date=21 February 2008|accessdate=2008-10-28}}</ref>
Under the Kinitos brand, the company participated in Microsoft Smart Client program intended to help companies deliver Web 2.0 Internet services. These services were intended to help companies deliver consumer services that transcended traditional browsers {{En dash}} helping to provide downloadable application-style capabilities to consumer and enterprise companies without the past problems associated with installed applications.<ref name="microsoft kinitos">{{cite web|url=http://www.devxnews.com/article.php/3324371|title=Microsoft Offers Sneak Peek to Developers|work=DevX|date=10 March 2004|accessdate=2008-09-26}}</ref> Downloadable games with embedded web services are one class of such solutions, the MostFun.com Game Player, owned by NeoEdge, is one example of such an application - others include all manner of browser extensions and plugins, or downloadable web services applications like instant messaging, Google Earth, Bittorrent, iTunes, and many others.
In 2005, Kinitos reorganized to support game developers and distributors to deliver ad-enabled game play to consumers as an alternative to traditional "try and buy" models.<ref name="game trials">{{cite web|url=http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/27467/Casual-Biz-Models-No-4-Try-Before-You-Buy|title=Casual Biz Models No. 4 – Try Before You Buy|work=Casual Gaming Biz|date=22 May 2008|accessdate=2008-10-05}}</ref> NeoEdge became a leader in changing the current business model of the casual game industry. According to the Casual Game Association, 200 Million people worldwide play casual games every month.<ref name="casual games market report">{{cite web|url=http://www.casualconnect.org/newscontent/11-2007/CasualGamesMarketReport2007_Summary.pdf|title=Casual Games Market Report 2007|work=Casual Gaming Biz|date=November 2007|accessdate=2008-11-15|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081221075723/http://casualconnect.org/newscontent/11-2007/CasualGamesMarketReport2007_Summary.pdf|archivedate=2008-12-21}}</ref> The industry struggled as a “hits” based business with a “Try and Buy” business model made long-term revenue generation difficult.
In 2010, the company was merged with Offspring Games and started a game studio in San Francisco, California. Titles released include Prize-O-Rama and Happy Thoughts. The game studio was unable to produce a profitable title and the company fell on hard financial times during the Great Recession. It was shut down in July 2011.<ref>{{Cite news |title= Exclusive: MMV Financial in trouble |author= Dan Primack |work= Fortune |date= July 18, 2011 |url= http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2011/07/18/exclusive-mmv-financial-in-trouble/ |accessdate= June 11, 2013 }}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{Cite web |title= NeoEdge: The Leading Ad Platform For Casual Games |url= http://www.neoedge.com/ |url-status=dead |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20101230205450/http://www.neoedge.com/ |archivedate= 2010-12-30 }} * {{Cite web |title=BlueNoodle: The Leading Ad Platform For Casual Games |url= http://www.bluenoodle.com/ |work= Official web site |url-status=dead |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20110207063018/http://www.bluenoodle.com/ |archivedate= February 7, 2011 }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neoedge Networks}} Category:Defunct video game companies of the United States Category:Companies based in Mountain View, California Category:Software companies based in Mountain View, California Category:Marketing companies established in 2002 Category:Advertising agencies of the United States Category:2002 establishments in California