Gamezebo News: Real Networks Spins Off Its Casual Games Business

So I am working on an editorial, where I recount how a year ago I made a prediction that the average price per download game would be $10 each (which it is if you factor in Game Clubs) and make a bunch of new predictions, with the lead predication that RealNetworks will spin off its Games Group as a separate company.

Lo and behold, I go to CNN and see this headline: RealNetworks Announces Intention to Spin Off Its Casual Games Business

If I had only gotten my editorial up one day earlier, I would have looked like Nostradamus. Regardless, this is big news. We'll investigate!

I can't see how they can be a leader in the industry- they take so long to come out with new games. Their tech support is terrible- between someone not knowing what the heck you are taking about or they don't get back to you at all.

I couldn't agree more with AAEMH comments. RA support is the worst for those reasons, not a clue what you are talking about, rude, and speak in accents undecypherable by my ear, offering only everything in FAQ any dope would have already tried. Member prices went up too.

I switched to Big Fish and get excellent email help, not only solved any problem I ever had, (not many) but friendly, even give free coupon codes for games as apologies for my problems, regardless my fault or theirs. I am currently redownloading about 50 games onto new laptop from both sites and bought years back on ME to XP to now Vista, getting compatibility settings right, BF walking me thru the whole ordeal. Even follow up courtesies. I'm on a low limited disability income and can only buy games thru clubs monthly. Best deal is BFish for me but if their prices go up too I'd gladly pay for their excellent support services.

I do miss the boards on RA, reviews by players which I haven't found on BF so I come here to get guidance what to buy next and walk thrus. Thanks Gamezebo!! RA was even bleeping out any reference to BF on or LDW posts and deleted all boards referring to their games, members speaking in tongues like "where guppies live" and so on not to get censored. I even had to join BF club to download games I already bought from RA.

I'm from back in the days the "customer is always right", (not the stockholders) and support on RA has yet to hear of that premise to keep customers happy. They even speak English at BF, what a concept. I also found Last Day of Work LDW excellent for community and also Reflexive Ent. BKR help and free member downloads. I can't see any reason to EVER put up with RA hassles, even jumping thru hoops to cancel or take games I don't even want just to save a coupon due to expire. And pay higher prices?? Stay away!

I have been using RA for more than 5 years because it is less than half price with my Road Runner and also gives out free games on a regular basis. I have never had any problem, let alone one that would require tech support. I did try BF for a while because of *exclusive* games (that somehow weren't always exclusive) and had problems they were unable to solve, although I was given a replacement game that did work. So in may case RA is more reliable and $2 cheaper than BF's best deal.

Actually BF is cheaper at 6.99 a month, including one free game. RA is 9.99. I also do beta testing for them, and reporting a download problem no one gets back to you at all. A new game you see on another site, they'll take a couple months to have it so they are very slow in coming out with new games.

With Road Runner, RA is $4.94 a month.

Yay. It's good to see BFG's spin-meisters are still going strong. You know, it's fine to hate on Real; God knows they deserve it after ruining every product they've ever placed their hands on. But to say they aren't an industry leader is just plain ignorant.

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