Thump spent most of its first "season" working out kinks that come with trying to sync a real-time mobile game to a live event rather than acquiring customers. Though the game currently has few players, Overstreet doesn't expect acquiring them to be much of a struggle. The game is compelling, he says, because it doesn't really alter the tone of most sport fans' current experiences.
"Most sports fans tend to be guys, and guys have big egos, and we sit around and talk about sports and brag about how much we know about our teams, and we’re constantly telling each other what we know is going to happen next," Overstreet says. "And that’s basically what we’ve done. We’ve wrapped the game around that existing behavior, giving sports fans the ability to record what is going to happen and see for certain just how effective they are at making those predictions.”
Using Multiple Platforms to Encourage Social Gaming
The startup's strategy is to be as ubiquitous as possible so that game-viewing buddies are never in a situation where incompatible devices prevent them from playing Thump games.
Right now the beta version of Thump is only available on Apple products, but a mobile site allows Android and Blackberry users to log into the game as well. As of last month, a Facebook version also allows users to play and post about the game from their browsers.
In the future, the game will also be available on Microsoft's Slate tablet and interactive TV.
Hitting the Advertising Sweet Spot
Thump is betting that advertisers will find the game compelling because of its ability to synchronize content on mobile devices with content that is happening on live TV.
For instance, brands will be able to sponsor trivia questions related to the game much like they often do in stadiums. Correct answers will win credits toward rewards like being able to double a bet or distract an opponent by having a cow dance across his or her screen during a critical point in game play.
“We’re getting consumers to engage in two screens at the same time," Overstreet says.
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