GDI finds gaming Heaven

Two vendors team up to help system builders compete in cut-throat gaming market

Joining forces: GDI and Heaven Media hope to help system builders with their new download platform

Game Domain International (GDI) and Heaven Media have teamed up to provide a joint platform for gaming hardware manufacturers to download games.

The pair claim it will help system builders to compete in the highly competitive gaming market.

The system will use GDI's proprietary digital download technology platform Awomo and Heaven Media's knowledge of the PC gaming market to make this the delivery mechanism for hardware manufacturers wanting to deliver full AAA PC games to their customer base.

Manufacturers that bundle games with their products currently do so on DVD-ROM, explained Patrick Lorkin, trading director at GDI. This brings associated production and packaging costs and limits the choice of game to the consumer.

"Manufacturers have to pay the licence fee for a game, even if the consumer never takes it out of the wrapping," he said.

Awomo will offer greater choice, he claimed. Consumers can unlock a range of games titles with their purchase. GDI's proprietary game delivery technology is 20 times faster than conventional downloading and quicker than installing from a DVD in most cases, he argued.

"Widening customer choice can only improve sales for system builders in the games market," Lorkin suggested.

Mark Reed, chairman of Heaven Media, said: "This will prove invaluable in tailoring to a wide variety of gaming hardware manufacturers, from video card vendors to system integrators. This is cutting-edge download technology with flexible application for a wide variety of our customers."