NEW YORK, Jan. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Whether choosing whose voice announces the play-by-play in your football video game, creating your avatar from scratch in a role-playing game or dressing a character uniquely, customization has come to video games and its use is growing. Companies are also embracing it by using in-game advertising to put their brands in the hands of their target audiences.

Today Exent, the leading distributor of online downloadable video games, took this trend a step further by launching "U-Pic," a new series of personalized games that lets players upload photos and images directly into games and then share them with their friends and family via email or Facebook.  

"We realized the mass appeal video game customization could have beyond the hard core gamer and have extended that value into the casual gaming world for the first time," said Kobi Edelstein, VP, General Manager of Free Game Services.  "Furthermore, with the growth of social media applications like Facebook, virtually anything can be shared online with your networks.  Our new 'U-Pic' games will take advantage of that technology and social behavior to enable players to share their personalized games with friends and family."

"U-Pic" allows players to import photos from their computer or social network account into the game as artwork and game pieces.  Exent is kicking off the series of "U-Pic" games with a customizable version of the hugely popular 7 Wonders II matching game.  The title is part of the 7 Wonders franchise, published and developed by MumboJumbo; 7 Wonders II is a puzzle Match Three video game that challenges players to match colorful blocks (or runes) and form rows of three or more to earn points. As players advance through each level, blocks drop from the puzzle board to workers at the bottom of the screen. The workers use the runes to reconstruct each of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, including Stonehenge and The Roman Colosseum.  

In Exent's "U-Pic" version of the game, instead of matching runes, players can match photos of Grandma, Uncle Bob or even Fluffy the Cat. The process of uploading images is fast and easy. By visiting www.freeridegames.com/u-pic and clicking "Create Your Personalized Game," players can browse through and choose up to five images from their computer, Facebook account or the game's image gallery. Once they have uploaded the images, they can share their personalized game via email or by posting it to their Facebook wall and their friends' walls. Anyone can play the game for free for as long as they want to on Exent's free gaming portal at FreeRideGames.com.

"Exent's patented technology can easily alter the look and feel of a game, even after the game's general release, and now Exent's technology is being offered to the general public and enabling a level of personal customization never before possible," said Edelstein.

Exent is a digital entertainment media company specializing in the marketing, merchandising and broadband-based distribution of video games.  Free Ride Games, Exent's free downloadable casual and online game portal, enables consumers to play a huge catalog of games for as long as they want for free without having to upgrade to a "premium" service - making it the only Web site of its kind.

About Exent

Exent is the leading global market solutions provider for broadband-based monetization of PC and video games.  Exent delivers technologies and products for various markets, including video game publishers, broadband service providers, consumer portals, consumer electronic manufacturers, media companies, ad agencies, brand owners, retailers and others.  

About Free Ride Games

FreeRideGames.com is the only 100% free service that provides more than 200 premium full-download PC casual games and online games.  It covers a wide variety of game genres such as Hidden Object, Match Three and Time Management, as well as the most popular titles such as the Cake Mania, Jewel Quest, Diner Dash and Build-a-lot series, The Treasures of Montezuma, The Secret of Margrave Manor, and many more. Players can stream the games directly from their downloadable Free Ride Games desktop player.

About MumboJumbo

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, MumboJumbo LLC™ is a worldwide publisher, developer and mass marketer of premium casual games for PC, mobile, handheld devices and game consoles. MumboJumbo games are downloadable at its website as well as key game portals, or purchased at retail through mass merchants, computer retailers and specialty outlets. MumboJumbo owns and operates studios located in Dallas and Vladivostok, Russia, and publishes and distributes software through its subsidiaries worldwide. For more information please visit MumboJumbo.com.

SOURCE Exent