Media Kit: Press Releases

NINECO INC.'s GAMESVILLE DEBUTS ACEYDEUCY: Internet's First Massively-Multiplayer Card Game

BOSTON, MA - JUNE 22, 1998 - Award-winning online realtime marketing and game developer nineCo, Inc. has launched the new Web game show AceyDeucey™ on its hugely popular Gamesville web site. AceyDeucey is a fast, fun, free massively-multiplayer playing card game in which huge groups of players race in realtime to accumulate points by betting (points) on which card will be dealt next. AceyDeucey is the first and only card game on the Web in which literally hundreds and thousands of players play together in realtime (simultaneously) in a single game.

AceyDeucey pays winners real cash and other prizes. Because it's free, it's not gambling. Gamesville sells ads, like TV game shows. In addition to AceyDeucey, the site offers the popular Web game shows The Bingo Zone®, PicturamaTM and Crystal Ball.

Like all Gamesville games, no special hardware, software, plug-ins or downloads are required to play AceyDeucey. Any Internet connection and web browser works fine, and is competitive.

"We proudly offer yesterday's technology today," says Steven N. Kane, President of nineCo. "We believe most people don't know the difference between cool technology and a broken computer. So all our games are designed to work for all players - even, say, a person with a 486, 14.4 modem, 14" monitor and AOL 1.0. The success of this model shows up in our circulation and demographics - which looks like People magazine, not geek central."

nineCo, Inc. has been producing Internet game shows since 1996. Winner of two NetGuide Awards ("Best Game Site" and "Most Innovative Advertising Model") the site requires "opt-in" registration and so is able to target all advertising and interfaces according to specific, individual demographic and geographic profiles. Gamesville has already amassed more than 875,000+ registered users, adds 30,000-50,000 new registered users per month, and averages thousands of real-time players per hour, 7 days per week. In May, Gamesville generated 53 million page views (I/PRO). In addition, MediaMetrix has ranked Gamesville number one in visit duration (approx. 30 minutes per visit).