Digital Praise's Strong Belief
In Faith-Based PC Gaming Paying Off
Company Sales Up 176% Since 2005; Product Distribution Expanding Into
Mainstream Channels as Families Embrace Games That Reinforce Positive Values
FREMONT, CA (May 1, 2007) - Like all new companies founded on a bold, untested idea, Digital Praise was a heavy risk for founders Tom Bean, Bill Bean and Peter Fokos. In this case, however, the leap of faith was quite literal.
"Our goal was to provide positive gaming alternatives for kids that were just as attention-grabbing, exciting, and challenging as the majority of products on the market," said president and CEO Tom Bean. "We felt that games that focused on Christian themes would be welcomed by families."
That vision, expressed by CEO Bean and brother Bill, an experienced software sales and marketing manager, along with Fokos, a game developer who worked with respected software companies including The Learning Company and Disney Interactive, drove the establishment of Digital Praise in 2003. The company, located in Fremont, a town within California's fabled Silicon Valley, pursued a strategy of licensing well-known characters and titles from Christian entertainment sources, then developing PC games that were equal to, or better than, some of the commercially-available alternatives.
The first year or so was difficult, as the company faced an uphill battle gaining distribution even in Christian bookstores and other faith-based retailers. Its early titles included games based on Focus on the Family's popular Adventures in Odyssey® radio series and Max Lucado's Hermie & Friends™ collection of videos and books. Those products sold respectably enough to attract the attention of Apple, Circuit City and Fry's Electronics who placed them in stores across the U.S, as well as online retailers Amazon and J&R Music.
Nevertheless, no true hit emerged until late 2005 when Digital Praise unveiled Dance Praise™, a dance arcade game that featured songs from top-name Christian bands and rock groups. The game took the company, and the industry, by surprise. Kids and families alike embraced the idea of getting up from their computers and dancing to the same uplifting music that has made Contemporary Christian one of the fastest growing music industry segments.
The following year, Digital Praise experienced a year-over-year revenue jump of 179%. The success of Dance Praise legitimized the company's entire repertoire of titles; retailers started carrying not only the Dance Praise line, which grew via a series of four expansion packs that added hundreds more songs, but also other company products.
Digital Praise quickly added Best Buy to its growing list of mainstream retail partners while expanding its footprint at Circuit City via the Dance Praise collection and other new titles. Publishing agreements were signed with other up-and-coming faith-based game developers, enabling the company to broaden its menu of products. International sales agreements were signed via EMI-CMG Distribution, the world's largest distributor for Christian music in Canada. Non-exclusive international distribution agreements were inked for sales in Japan, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, Great Britain, Sweden, and most of Europe.
"Christian PC games were a foreign concept in 2004. Since then, Digital Praise has emerged as the pioneer in the category," states Greg Bays, senior vice president, sales and marketing for EMI-CMG Distribution. "Parents are constantly battling the influence of the media, with movies, TV and many video games undermining their values. Retailers are beginning to understand that the values reflected in these kinds of games are not fringe values—they're mainstream."
According to Ben Bajarin, consumer technology and digital media analyst for Creative Strategies, a corporate strategy consultancy, several factors explain the acceptance of games like those offered by Digital Praise. "Mainstream game titles are getting a lot of bad press. Parents are more aware of their roles in providing alternatives to TV and movies," he notes. "There are simply more homes with PCs than there are home with game consoles, which gives these products a broader customer base. And parents are more comfortable with the PC as an educational tool for kids as young as three or four."
Today Digital Praise is the largest pure-play Christian game developer and marketer in the U.S., with fourteen game titles currently in its catalog. Its products have swept many of the most respected industry awards for product quality including multiple citings from Parent to Parent™, iParenting Media, the Parents Choice Awards, Dr. Toy, the Dove Foundation, and Learning Magazine's Teacher's Choice award, among others. The company accepted the EdNet's Rookie of the Year 2006 Finalist award in San Diego, California to a resounding round of applause from educators.
Said Karla Munger of Just Adventure magazine: "I'm really not into religion. Nothing of the organized variety, anyway. But I'll tell you what: I thoroughly enjoyed playing [Digital Praise's Adventures in Odyssey games] ... Digital Praise's stated objective is to produce ‘faith-based and mainstream titles for families looking to enjoy interactive entertainment software with principled themes and "just good clean fun."' Well, folks, they've hit bull's eyes with these two games. Final grade: A-"
"Inspirational PC games as a category are still in their infancy. But Dance Praise and Digital Praise's other games have raised the bar," said Dan Lynch, vice president of family entertainment for Thomas Nelson, a leading publisher of Christian books, videos and software. "As with Contemporary Christian music, the quality is getting better and better—and Digital Praise is helping other Christian game developers catch the excitement."
About Digital Praise, Inc.:
Digital Praise is an independent developer and publisher of family-friendly entertainment software for personal computers. The company produces and publishes faith-based and mainstream titles for families looking to enjoy interactive entertainment software with principled character-building themes and "just good clean fun." Digital Praise products have achieved top recognition from leading children's gaming and advocacy groups including Parents Choice, iParenting Media, the National Parenting Center, The Dove Foundation, Dr. Toy and Plain Games. For more information, visit www.digitalpraise.com.
Press Contacts:
For Digital Praise:
Sarah Ryser
S&S Public Relations
847-415-9318
sryser@sspr.com
©2007 Digital Praise, Inc. All rights reserved. Digital Praise and Dance Praise are trademarks of Digital Praise, Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.