Verizon Puts Its GameTamium Face On, Offering 150 On-Demand Titles

If you like gaming on your mobile device and don't want to download dozens of apps, Verizon Wireless will now give you access to 150 selected titles through a single portal.

In a partnership with on-demand gaming provider Exent, Verizon has created GameTanium, a mobile game subscription service for Android smartphones and tablets featuring 100 smartphone games and 50 tablet games for a fee of $5.99 per month per device.

Easier than Surfing App Stores

The games are selected by Exent's editorial board, giving users confidence that the games are both fully compatible with their devices and cool.

"I hate to use the word game changer," said ABI Research wireless analyst Mike Morgan. "But this is a way for carriers to reinsert themselves into the conversation with over-the-top [companies] who deliver services over their network."

Morgan sees the arrangement as a big win for everyone involved: Verizon adds features to its devices to keep them interesting and controls the revenue by adding it to phone bills. The carrier could also see greater data revenue if capped-plan customers exceed their allowance.

Game makers win because it helps popularize their titles. And the consumer gains with access to a "curated" shop rather than having to surf through the tens of thousands of offerings in Google Play.

Morgan said that while serious gamers are generally dedicated to consoles and portable gaming devices, phone and tablets are grabbing an increasing share as people use them to kill time in waiting rooms or during their commute.

"Games are proving to be the most profitable category of application revenues and a key driver of the application ecosystem," he said. "Around 60 percent of users have done some kind of gaming on smartphones at some time."

Asked if on-demand gaming might take a chunk out of game-purchase revenue for developers, Morgan pointed to the example...