Digital Chocolate commits to free gaming: Publisher to supply 5 games through Greystripe

Digital Chocolate Inc. is the latest mobile-game maker to distribute its games for free.
The publisher said it will make five of its games available through Greystripe, a San Francisco-based distributor of free mobile games. The titles will come wrapped in marketing messages that appear before and after gaming sessions, allowing users to click the ad or proceed to playing the game.
“We are very supportive of new models that drive discovery and trial of mobile content; partnering with Greystripe is a big step towards thig goal,” said Digital Chocolate COO Jason Loia.
Ad-subsidized games seem to be gaining traction even as the paid mobile-gaming segment appears to be treading water. Greystripe launched last year with a network of unknown publishers, but has recently scored substantial deals with established houses such as Vivendi Games and Hands On Mobile.
Other publishers have criticized the trend, however, fearing that giving games away may kill consumers’ willingness to pay for the stuff.
“Every time we ask the question about pricing (in consumer surveys), we find that price is never the principle barrier for games,” Glu Mobile Inc. CEO Greg Ballard said last month. “They don’t object to paying $7 for a game. . To me, ad-supported games is solving the wrong problem.”