GameHouse, the Seattle-based division of RealNetworks, is betting all of its chips on social casino games.
Sharing the belief that online and mobile gambling may be the next billion dollar industry, Matt Hulett – the president of GameHouse – is letting it ride.
In addition to launching GameHouse Casino on Facebook this week – which coincides with the debut of GameHouse Slots on the iPhone – half of the company’s 200 employees are now officially assigned to the creation of social casino games.
If that’s not a gamble, I don’t know what is.
“This is not an off-strip lobby,” Hulett said, according to VentureBeat. “Our big bet is to build a high-class casino experience where you feel like you are at the big hotel. We feel we can bring a lot of innovation to these games.”
GameHouse is one of many mobile and social game companies seeking salvation in social casino games, where players can bet virtual chips in games like video poker but can’t cash out. The category drew huge players and investments last year, and it remains hot, as we witnessed the Casual Connect Europe conference in Hamburg, Germany.
“We think there is a lot of room in the market,” Hulett believes. “We wanted to nail the core game experience and create the right core behaviors. We want to make a good first impression.”