Maliyo Games has ventured into the advergaming sector by creating a social game for Wema Bank, which will see the bank increase its market penetration and brand visibility.
To play the game, one has to help Sule, the cyclist, to jump over Lagos traffic jams, while earning points and coins. Wema bank says that the coins earned can be converted into real cash, as players compete for the N100,000 (US$ 640) grand prize money.
Currently, Wema Bank has 32,000 Facebook fans, and hopes to increase this figure with the launch of this Facebook game app.
Wema bank also hopes to increase the visibility of its products as Sharp Sule contains several virtual billboard ads on which Wema’s products are exclusively advertised.
This could be the first breakthrough for Maliyo to monetize its numerous games via advergaming, as up to now, the company had not found a viable model to make money.
Speaking to HumanIPO, Oluseye Soyode-Johnson of Maliyo games said: “It’s interesting to see that many banks are now approaching us to create games that will increase banking awareness, and help them to penetrate the market.”
Maliyo last month launched its latest game at the DEMO Africa, Mosquito, in which players smash mosquitoes to advance to the next level.
Maliyo said that the game is aimed at increasing malaria awareness. Users have to answer quizzes related to mosquitos and malaria between each level. This could also be another revenue model for the gaming company, as Soyode-Johnson hinted that several non-governmental organizations dealing with malaria eradication on the continent had expressed interest.
