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Getting a Jump on Free Games

Mobile games are a growing part of the premium content offered to mobile users, but for the most part, they are paid downloads, with the charges appended to ever-lengthening phone bills. GameJump, however, offers free, ad-supported mobile games to users, allowing advertisers to subsidize consumers’ idle entertainment and simultaneously get their message out.

The ads take the form of full-screen “wraps” around the games’ graphics. The service offers 75 titles, including Sudoku and Texas Hold’em Poker, as well as racing, sports, and role-playing game titles. Advertisers who have used the service during its soft launch include Zagat, Modtone, and GPShopper.

eMarketer analyst James Belcher says that although there may not be a lot of buzz around the titles GameJump offers, there is still a major audience, and advertisers will be looking to target it: “You’re definitely going to see more in-game ads targeted to handsets and casual games in general.”

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