最近，Social Game Universe新发布了一款可以帮助独立社交游戏开发商吸引流量的跨游戏宣传工具IGAPI，全称为Inter-Game Applications Programming Interface。这是一款运行于Facebook游戏顶端宣传其他游戏的横幅工具栏。在最近的DiscoveryBeat 2010会议上，我们也曾经强调过这类工具。

IGAPI在外观上与Zynga，Applifer和AppStrip开发的跨游戏宣传工具类似，但据Social Game Universe称，IGAPI在宣传其他游戏的基础上，该工具本身具有一些游戏功能。

IGAPI

IGAPI是一款个性化的新型跨游戏宣传工具，可以同时连接两名用户，将用户发现新游戏的过程变得更加有趣，更具有社交性。两人在进行不同Facebook游戏的玩家可以通过IGAPI与互相交流。另外，除了传统的横幅广告外，IGAPI向玩家提供各种可作用于其他应用的“动作卡”。“动作卡”的内容一般很简单，如“送给朋友Nathon电影，帮助他在游戏Hollywood Tycoon中开发工作室”或“在朋友Jen的恐怖电影中释放一群僵尸”等。因此，开发商可以制作各种不同玩家人群喜欢的卡片吸引玩家。用户也更愿意点击这些卡片，与不同游戏的玩家进行交流。

Social Game Universe公司首席执行官Nathon Gunn表示，公司刚开始是想开发一款IGAPI好莱坞游戏，游戏中玩家可以招聘各位虚拟的著名明星。但之后，公司决定将IGAPI转变成一个可供第三方游戏开发商用于吸引玩家，提高互动的宣传工具。

社交游戏开发公司AdParlor的首席执行官Hussein Fazal相信IGAPI可以有效地对社交游戏起到提高流量、吸引玩家的作用。Crossover Technologies的管理总监兼Social Game Universe公司顾问Eric Goldberg表示IGAPI是社交游戏跨游戏宣传的又一次进步，为独立游戏开发商提供接触新游戏玩家的新渠道。

Social Game Universe公司相关

Social Game Universe由Gunn和Ted Worth在2009年创建。其中，Gunn曾是加拿大多媒体公司Bitcasters的团队成员之一。在Bitcasters任职时，Cunn曾协助开发了几款上传和修改网页视频工具，同时为加拿大政府运作网络策略。另外，公司的发展总监Werth则是一位经营过Digital Club Network等公司的企业家。

经过两次的天使集资，Social Game Universe总计获得投资额达125万美元，其投资方包括：前Live Nation主席Michae Cohl；Algorithmics创办者Ron Demo；Howard Gorman；Toronto International Film Festival首席财政总监Bruce Hooey；前Standard Broadcasting首席执行官Gary Slaight；Nelvana Animation Studios合作创办者Clive Smith和Citytv的创办者Moses Znaimer。

目前Social Game Universe总计有15名员工，IGAPI现应用于该公司自行研发的多款应用中，也有多家第三方开发公司已签约使用这一应用。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，转载请注明来源：游戏邦）

Social Game Universe is announcing today a new cross-promotion tool that will help indie developers drive traffic to their social games.

The Toronto-based company says its “cross-promotion bar” will go by the name IGAPI (short for Inter-Game Applications Programming Interface). It is basically a banner that runs across the top of a Facebook game and promotes other games. We highlighted such tools at our recent DiscoveryBeat 2010 conference.

IGAPI resembles other cross-promotion bars created by the likes of Zynga, Applifier and AppStrip. But Social Game Universe says its bar not only has the generic ability to cross promote other games but can also be made into a form of play.

IGAPI has a new form of cross-promotion that is personalized to the user, connects two audiences at once, and is based on making the process of discovering other games more fun and social.

You can, for instance, use IGAPI to communicate with another friend while both of you are playing different Facebook games. Rather than showing a typical banner ad, IGAPI shows you “action cards” that players can play on their friends in other apps. The action cards can be simple, such as “Give film to your friend Nathon to help him grow his studio in Hollywood Tycoon.” Or they can be bizarre, like “Release a horde of zombies on your friend Jen’s horror movie set.”

Developers can thus tailor the cards to whatever will be most appealing to the particular player. Users are thus more likely to click on the cards and interact with their friends across different games.

Nathon Gunn, chief executive of Social Game Universe, said the company first developed the idea for its own Hollywood games. IGAPI let players in the movie-mogul sim game Hollywood Tycoon hire actors from the fame and stardom game Avastar. Then the company decided to turn IGAPI into a tool that any third-party developer can use to increase interaction, engagement and awareness of other apps.

Hussein Fazal, chief executive of social app marketing firm AdParlor, said he believes IGAPI will drive traffic, re-engagement and revenue across the social game industry. Eric Goldberg, managing director of Crossover Technologies and advisor to Social Game Universe, said IGAPI is a step forward in cross promotion of social games and a great way for independent developers to reach new players.

The company was founded by Gunn and Ted Worth; Gunn was part of the team at Bitcasters, one of Canada’s longest-running multimedia production companies. While at Bitcasters, Gunn helped develop some of the first tools for uploading and editing video on the web. He also ran the internet strategy for the Canadian government. Werth, head of corporate development, is a serial entrepreneur who ran companies such as Digital Club Network and an early local city guide.

The company raised $1.25 million in two rounds of angel funding. Its backers include Michael Cohl, former chairman of Live Nation; Ron Demo, founder of Algorithmics; Howard Gorman; Bruce Hooey, chief financial officer of the Toronto International Film Festival; Gary Slaight, former CEO of Standard Broadcasting; Clive Smith, co-founder of Nelvana Animation Studios; and Moses Znaimer, founder of Citytv.

The company was founded in 2009 and has 15 employees. IGAPI is being used in several apps developed by Social Game Universe, but third-party developers have also signed up to use it. They will be disclosed later this month. （Source：Venturebeat）