Frogster Selects Level 3 to Support Delivery of Online Game Content to Millions of Users Worldwide

LONDON, May 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: LVLT) today announced that it has been selected to provide content delivery network (CDN) services to support the worldwide online delivery of game content for the Frogster Group, a top international online games publisher. Level 3 is providing the company with caching and download services to support high-speed game downloads and updates for Frogster's online game titles, including the award-winning Runes of Magic massively multiplayer online game (MMO).

"Perhaps more than in any other area of the entertainment industry, user experience is critical to the success (and ultimately the bottom line) of an online game," said Seth Iorio, chief operating officer and member of the executive board at Frogster. "In order to facilitate a great user experience, we were looking for a CDN provider that understood the demanding nature of our customers, who want the newest content on a massive scale as soon as it's available. We have chosen Level 3 because they have not only the technology, reach and scale, but also the expertise to ensure that our customers enjoy a quality gaming experience."

The Frogster Interactive Pictures AG, listed at Frankfurt stock exchange (FRGG.DE / FRG: GR), is an international publisher of high-quality online games. Its subsidiaries Frogster Online Gaming, Frogster America and Frogster Pacific market and operate their games in Europe, America and Oceania, respectively. The company serves more than six million users worldwide.

Frogster focuses on the marketing and operation of client-based MMO games, a rapidly growing area of the entertainment industry. Level 3 is providing support for the company's current titles as well its upcoming launches such as TERA. Level 3's CDN services are designed to support Frogster and its end users with fast, reliable content downloads and updates, even during peak traffic or flash crowds (for example, when a new patch to a game is released or when a game is launched).

"As the online games industry has grown and demand for game content across devices has exploded, it has become increasingly important to have a CDN with the underlying network infrastructure in place to easily scale to support a quality experience," said James Heard, president of European Markets at Level 3. "Level 3 has not only the right blend of network infrastructure and tools, but we also understand some of the unique challenges our games customers like Frogster face – things like managing growth on a global scale, or finding the right business model to make a free-to-play game profitable – and we work with them to address those challenges with the right combination of solutions."

The Level 3 network is trusted by some of the biggest names in the entertainment and media business to deliver content to audiences worldwide. The company's services for the gaming industry are similarly designed to seamlessly deliver high-quality online content to end-users, allowing developers and publishers to spend more time designing and developing the best games possible and less time thinking about how to deliver them online. For more information on Level 3's services for the games industry visit the Level 3 website.

About Level 3 Communications

Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: LVLT) is a leading international provider of fiber-based communications services. Enterprise, content, wholesale and government customers rely on Level 3 to deliver services with an industry-leading combination of scalability and value over an end-to-end fiber network. Level 3 offers a portfolio of metro and long-haul services, including transport, data, Internet, content delivery and voice. Level 3 services are provided by wholly-owned subsidiaries of Level 3 Communications, Inc.  For more information, visit www.Level3.com.

About Frogster

The Frogster group is a Berlin-based, listed publisher of online games. Frogster focuses on the marketing and operation of virtual worlds, so-called massively multiplayer online games – one of the strongest growing sectors in the entertainment industry. With its top titles 'Runes of Magic' and 'Bounty Bay Online' Frogster has already gathered over 5 million registered players worldwide. For a release in 2011 Frogster has announced the two highly ambitious MMO games 'TERA' and 'Mythos'. Frogster also intends to enter into the rapidly growing market of browser games with 'Bounty Bay Live' and 'Throne of Fire' shortly. Currently the Frogster group employs more than 200 staff members in the fields of game development, licensing, IT, web design and web development, product management, marketing, PR, web publishing, community management, support, sales, hosting, billing and finance/administration. Frogster's subsidiaries Frogster Online Gaming, Frogster America and Frogster Pacific market and operate their games in Europe, America and Oceania respectively. The shares of the Frogster Interactive Pictures AG have been listed in the Entry Standard segment of the Frankfurt stock exchange since February 2006. Internet: www.frogster.de

Forward-Looking Statement

Some of the statements made in this press release are forward looking in nature. These statements are based on management's current expectations or beliefs. These forward looking statements are not a guarantee of performance and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside Level 3's control, which could cause actual events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the statements. The most important factors that could prevent Level 3 from achieving its stated goals include, but are not limited to:  the current uncertainty in the global financial markets and the global economy; a discontinuation of the development and expansion of the Internet as a communications medium and marketplace for the distribution and consumption of data and video; and disruptions in the financial markets that could affect Level 3's ability to obtain additional financing.  Additional factors include, but are not limited to, the company's ability to:  increase and maintain the volume of traffic on its network; develop effective business support systems; manage system and network failures or disruptions; develop new services that meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; defend intellectual property and proprietary rights; adapt to rapid technological changes that lead to further competition; attract and retain qualified management and other personnel; successfully integrate acquisitions; and meet all of the terms and conditions of debt obligations. Additional information concerning these and other important factors can be found within Level 3's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this press release should be evaluated in light of these important factors. Level 3 is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any such obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

SOURCE Level 3 Communications, Inc.