Big Fish Games, a leading developer and distributor of casual games, today announced the launch of the Principal Network Partner (PNP) affiliate program (http://pnp.bigfishgames.com), an innovative new service designed to build long-term annuity revenue for Web site operators, game developers and product distributors. The PNP program is fundamentally different and offers superior financial return compared to traditional affiliate programs. The royalties paid to affiliates are based on the lifetime value of an ever-expanding network of customers, and the referrals those customers create through My Game Space, a social networking service offered by Big Fish Games for casual gamers. Participants in the PNP program benefit from Big Fish Games' industry-leading installed-base marketing and proven customer retention, which in 2006, drove Big Fish Games' customers to purchase an average of 9.2 games – more than four times the industry average.

"Our Principal Network Partner program is a powerful paradigm shift from what most people expect from a game affiliation program," said Paul Thelen, founder and CEO, Big Fish Games. "The affiliate acts as the customer acquisition lead, Big Fish Games functions as the marketing and customer retention engine, and the My Game Space program's network effect exponentially grows the affiliate's customer base. Partners benefit greatly from this program because every person they introduce to casual gaming becomes not only a potential customer, but also a marketing representative for them. Affiliates earn royalties not just from their customers, but also from their customers' ever expanding My Game Space networks."

One early test partner, The Diamond Games, has already garnered significant financial rewards through their participation in the Principal Network Partner beta program. They became involved early in the consumer-focused My Game Space program (http://www.mygamespace.com/thediamondgames) and were recruited by Big Fish Games as an early beta test customer for the PNP program. The Diamond Games increased their monthly commissions from less than $1,000, which they had been earning with other traditional affiliate programs, to more than $12,000 by their fourth month in the PNP program.

"Partnering with an industry leader such as Big Fish Games has proven to be extremely lucrative for my business," states Mark Wegner, owner and operator of The Diamond Games, LLC. "This program is truly amazing. Not only have I been able to generate an immediate cash return, but the networking effect of this program has allowed my earnings to grow exponentially. Since Big Fish Games handles marketing and customer retention, I can focus on driving new customers into my network."
The Principal Network Partner program allows Web site operators or consumer goods distributors to participate in the powerful combination of the exploding casual games industry and the exponential growth effects of social networking. They share in the purchases made by the customers they refer, as well as from purchases made by their customers' network of contacts created within the My Game Space service. The result of My Game Space participants interacting with their friends around casual games creates a compounding network effect that rapidly scales the size of the entire casual gaming audience. A PNP affiliate's customers refer additional customers, who then refer even more new customers. The pattern continues and the network builds over time with no further intervention required from the PNP affiliate.

The PNP program is free to join and available to anyone who has the ability to promote family-friendly, fun casual games to their customer base. The program is an ideal opportunity for casual game developers, Web site operators and consumer goods distributors to build a sustainable, growing revenue stream. Details about the program and the registration form are available at: http://pnp.bigfishgames.com.