JumpStart Transitions to Microsoft Azure Scalable Cloud Technology

USA - English

• Middle East - Arabic
• Middle East - English

TORRANCE, Calif., Sept. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, JumpStart®, the leader in learning-based games for kids, announced a strategic alliance with Microsoft Corp. to transition its web and mobile content to the Microsoft Azure scalable cloud platform. The shift signifies the launch of the JumpStart Learning Cloud™, the company's platform which utilizes Azure as a base for its extensive network of properties and multiplayer games. JumpStart has transitioned all of its current web content, and web and mobile game products to Azure, and looks to build all future sites and products on Azure.

"As a company, it is crucial we continue to adapt to our growing user base," said David Lord, Chief Executive Officer of JumpStart. "We have millions of users around the world logging into our games at all hours. That being said, Microsoft Azure is absolutely the right platform for us — it provides us the scalability and flexibility we need to help our games run smoothly for our users."

JumpStart has a diverse product portfolio that has grown at an especially rapid pace over the past several years. Since the launch of its first online multiplayer products in 2009 the company has remained on a mobile and social MMO game-focused track, paving the way for a number of successful titles in the past year alone. This growth and success has been accompanied by a burgeoning need for a cloud platform that can deftly scale to the millions of users across JumpStart's various game titles, thus prompting the relationship with Microsoft and Azure. The Azure scalable cloud provides JumpStart with an innovative technology platform that can scale on demand as the volume of traffic flowing to the various multiplayer games on the JumpStart platform changes.

"JumpStart showcases the elements of how to be great partner for Microsoft Azure," said Steve Guggenheimer, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft. "The company has a wide array of products that have varying, yet vast, levels of global traffic, which truly utilizes the scalability of Azure."

Among the JumpStart games that are now running in JumpStart's Learning Cloud is the company's recent release School of Dragons®, which is a critically-acclaimed multiplayer game based on DreamWorks Animation's How to Train Your Dragon franchise. Since its initial web browser launch in July 2013, the game has grown to a user base of over 12 million players. Moreover, School of Dragons for iPad® has been ranked a Top 20 free app and Top 10 free game in the App Store. You can find School of Dragons in the following app stores:  Windows Store, iTunes®, Google Play™, Amazon®, and the nabi® tablet app stores Treasure Box™ and App Zone. The game is also is available in the following languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, German, French, Russian, and Korean.

For more information about JumpStart and the company's latest news, please visit www.jumpstart.com, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.

ABOUT JUMPSTART
JumpStart® is the leader in learning-based games for kids. Through its own brands, as well as partner brands, like DreamWorks, JumpStart creates epically fun, learning-based games for kids of all ages. The reality is that kids today seek entertainment through gaming, yet the vast majority of kids' games do absolutely nothing to inspire their minds through learning. JumpStart gives kids a learning edge through epically fun gameplay. The company partners with world-renowned brands such as DreamWorks Animation to develop various educational mobile and web browser games including Madagascar Preschool Surf N' Slide™ and School of Dragons®, the ever-popular educational massively multiplayer online role-playing game. A subsidiary of Knowledge Holdings, Inc., the company is privately held and based in Torrance, CA. For more information, visit www.JumpStart.com.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140902/141896

SOURCE JumpStart