Advertisers Have Finally Found a way to Break Into Gaming

LONDON, September 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

What AdWords and AdSense have done for Alphabet's (NASDAQ: GOOG) $656-billion market valuation, a little-known company's in-game prizing platform could do for brands that have been on a shoot-and-miss trend with the world's 2.6 billion video gamers.

Brands and products haven't effectively harnessed the power of advertising to players - one of the biggest and most engaged audiences the world has ever seen. In the markets today active companies include:  Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG), Sony Corporation (NYSE: SNE), Zynga Inc. (NASDAQ: ZNGA), Shopify Inc. (NYSE: SHOP), Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN)

The gaming market is set to top $108-billion in revenues this year (Newzoo) and a small company is looking to revolutionize advertising in the gaming industry.

The little-known company is Versus Systems Inc. (VS; VRSSF), and it's offering brands a relevant way to access the 2.6 billion people who play PC, console, and mobile games-driving engagement for brands and game developers, while allowing players to play the games they love for real prizes.

Versus' prizing and promotions platform allows game developers and brands to come together to offer prize-based matches to players, all integrated directly into games.

It's a rare triple-win for the gaming industry:

• For gamers, it means no more annoying pop-ups, takeovers, or banner ads. It means relevant prizes, gift cards and discounts.
• For brands, it means pure, targeted brand engagement using technology that matches prizes to players, encouraging them to buy more.
• For developers, it means a new advertising revenue stream, and gamers now have more incentives to play longer, and more frequently.

Even better, Versus is protecting its platform with patent filings, which they've been doing since 2014.

Patents are essential to the valuation of technology companies. AdWords/AdSense likely represents some 90 percent of the value of giants like Google/Alphabet. That's because they managed to create a mechanism that integrates everything you search for into advertising.

There's an immediate revenue driver for Versus: The company recently signed a groundbreaking deal to provide in-game prizing to 704Games, which has an exclusive license to produce video games for NASCAR, the biggest spectator sport in America.

With an online game advertising market projected to reach some $7 billion by 2019 (Statista.com), and over $10 billion annually within five years, if the gaming industry gets it right this time with advertising, it could be worth much more.

Gen-Xers and Millennials were born to game, and Versus was born to bring brands to gamers-and it's already moving at NASCAR speed.

Here are 5 reasons to keep a close eye on Versus Systems, Inc. (CSE:VS; OTC:VRSSF) as the gaming industry evolves:

#1 In-Game Advertising Worth $10 Billion A Year In The Next Five Years  

In-game advertising is projected to be worth over $10 billion a year in the next five years, according to the Entertainment Software Association ("ESA ") and KPCB.

Research and Markets estimates that the global video games advertising market will grow nearly 14 percent by 2020, with a boost in female gamers driving much of it.

Video games are already a $100-billion industry that's growing steadily. In two decades it's multiplied 26 times.. The market is expected to reach $108.9 billion this year according to a Newzoo Market Intelligence report-a 7.8 percent increase over 2016.

Pokémon Go became a mobile cultural phenomenon overnight last year, and virtual reality systems reached the mass market. This year, mobile apps should take 42 percent of the $108.9 billion referenced in the above chart. Virtual reality games will be an entirely different market segment by 2020, when they are expected to account for $10 billion and nearly 9 percent of the market, according to Digi-Capital research.

This year, digital game revenues are expected to account for $94.4 billion of the global gaming market.

It's a terrific market for Versus' interactive media advertising.

• 2.6 billion people play video games worldwide, according to the ESA
• Americans together spend over 50 million hours a day immersed in games
• 1/3 of women surveyed between 20 and 45 have played a video game in the last 24 hours This represents a massive, highly-engaged, very desirable audience that could be worth multi-billions to advertisers all on its own.

But gaming is only one segment of the interactive market Versus targets: Versus is planning to bring the prizing platform to virtual reality, augmented reality, and streaming media in the near future.

• Twitch.tv has 10 million daily streamers broadcasting
• eSports has 161 million viewers per month
• Over 43 million people watched the LCS (League of Legends) finals last year-more than everyone who watched game 7 of the 2016 MLB World Series and all six games of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals combined.

Giant corporations and their brands could all benefit from this. Everyone from Google and Facebook to online retail behemoths Amazon and Walmart could benefit from Versus' sophisticated system. So, too, could top gaming companies like Activision Blizzard, Take-Two Interactive Software, or Tencent.  

#2 Triple Win For The Gaming Industry 

Gamers get prizes. Brands and game developers get engagement. Versus shares revenues.

Americans taken together are already spending 50 million hours a day gaming, but if they were rewarded for doing it,they could conceivably play even more. This is the value-add for gamers that Versus provides; supported by research.

In their research, Versus (VS; VRSSF) used media and psychology experts from Yale, Stanford, and UCLA to conduct studies and surveys of thousands of players and consumers, and the data is clear: players will play longer and more often when real prizing is a part of the gaming reward feedback loop. Engagement increases when the stakes are real. Players feel better about prizes that they earn than they do about commercials or free samples.

Women are expected to be major growth drivers. Surveys show that one third of women between 20-45 have played a video game recently-representing a massive market with huge purchasing power. Unlocking brands, coupons, and gift cards for playing mobile games could be a multi-billion-dollar opportunity for that demographic alone.

So gamers get what they want in terms of both fun and prizes, and providing those prizes benefits both brands and game developers/publishers.

For brands, it's about the exposure you get from real engagement. And there's plenty of secondary exposure, too. The Versus study suggests that players who win prizes are more likely to share their experience online on Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram-providing authentic earned media for brands.  

RockStar Energy Drink has already signed on with Versus; players will compete in-game for exclusive access to Rockstar events, apparel and branded products. Also on board: Han Cholo, the wildly popular retailer of handmade, pop-culture-inspired apparel, whose fans include Kendrick Lamar, Brad Pitt, Miley Cyrus and Snoop Dogg. Gaming accessories designer, developer and manufacturer, Tier 1 Accessories, is another Versus partner, targeting global outreach.

Game developers benefit, too, because they get even more engagement from their gamers, and they get a new revenue stream: Versus splits revenues from prizes 50/50 with developers.

More Fortune 500 companies sponsor NASCAR than any other sport. That means that all those brands will have new ways to engage with gamers through Versus's collaboration with 704Games.

#3 Bringing Advertising to The Gaming Industry 

Bringing big brands, developers, and gamers together in a scalable, programmatic way, Versus (VS; VRSSF) is attempting to make advertising a much bigger part of the gaming industry.

The platform is fast, flexible, and scalable-opening the gaming world to all kinds of brands from the world's largest beverage companies to local and niche advertisers. No more annoying popups, no more banner ads, no more pulling the player out of the experience.

Big brands don't have to spend millions on one-off deals that may or may not work, and smaller brands don't have to dream of one day reaching the most engaged audience on earth.

It's all in the unique dashboard. Brands can easily upload prizes into the Versus dashboard-anything from digital goods to gift cards, to event and movie tickets, to haircare, skincare, snacks, energy drinks, and apparel. Those prizes can then be deployed into Versus-enabled games.

The Versus system makes it easy to create campaigns based on time, location, and inventory, and because each game appeals to a unique demographic, working with game developers on specific games will allow brands to reach the exact players that the brand seeks.

Versus also removes the burden of compliance weighing down developers and publishers. The unique system takes care of player verification and dynamic regulatory compliance for in-game prizing.

With Versus, developers can focus on what they do best-making games. And brands are just a few easy clicks away from engaging a huge audience with relevant advertising.  

#4 Free To Play, Sponsored By Brands 

Versus' primary business model is 'free to play, sponsored by brands'. Under the Versus model, Versus will get paid on a per-prize or per-coupon code basis for every prize and/or coupon distributed on the system. Developers also see a major upside with incremental revenue streams and added engagement, because Versus splits the prize revenue with the game developer.  

Prizes can be anything from downloadable content to consumer products, including physical goods and merchandise discounts. A single publisher can mean millions of transactions, when you consider that games like Grand Theft Auto have sold 35 million units.

And Versus (VS; VRSSF) is coming onto the market with some great prizing partners.

Versus will integrate into more NASCAR video game titles in 2018, and will add many more products and brands to the platform as new games launch.

But there's a goldmine of data here, too. Versus collects information that could be valuable to brands and products. Take Rockstar, for instance. They usually don't know who's buying their drinks or why, or even when. With Versus, they know everything. They know where you were when you won the prize they offered, what you were doing when you redeemed your prize, what flavor you like and what prize you wanted.

This is huge data on the marketing playing field-and a hidden potential value for Versus.  

It's also building a powerful IP portfolio. Since 2014, Versus has been filing patents, which are pending, which in the digital era are the foundations of some of the world's biggest companies. Again, think of major technology companies-all built on strategic patent protection.

#5 This Is The Next Evolution In Gaming 

This is an exciting story, and we've only seen the beginning.

At the outset, Versus will launch NASCAR Heat mobile in Q1, 2018.

With NASCAR game developer 704Games, Versus' debut is with an outstanding partner, , appealing to the biggest brands.

Smart investors realize the next stage of the gaming industry is here. It makes games more fun, advertising more effective, and is expected to turn players into even bigger buyers. It's rare to find an evolutionary step in this industry that makes every participant in this market happy.

With its eye on the prize, Versus (VS; VRSSF) seems poised to make a triple win a reality in the $108-billion gaming industry.

Honorable Mentions:

Sony Corp (ADR) (NYSE:SNE) is a tech heavyweight. From TVs to video games, Sony covers anything and everything media-related. The company's infamous Walkman was in the hands of every young person throughout the 1980s and 1990s. But Sony's biggest hit was arguably the PlayStation gaming console.

With over 100-million units sold, the original console sparked a new wave of gaming. The incredible success continued with the PlayStation 2, 3, and the current series, the PlayStation 4. Sony's PlayStation 4 is now a multi-platform entertainment device, with the ability to stream movies and music, play Blu-ray and DVDs, purchase and play video games, and even browse the web.

Sony's partnerships and innovative technology make it an appealing investment for those looking for a company with longevity. Sony isn't going anywhere and is sure to continue its entertainment dominance for years to come.

Zynga Inc (NASDAQ:ZNGA): Mobile gaming is one of the fastest growing parts of the gaming industry, with an increasingly broad range of consumers. Zynga is taking advantage of this growth, having already produced some of the most popular games out there - most notably, Farmville and Words With Friends.

As this industry grows and becomes increasingly intertwined with social media and the everyday life of the everyday individual, the value of companies like Zynga is on its way up.

It has been a strong year so far for Zynga, with continued upward growth - and as competition heats up, it is sure to be these big names that reap the benefits of the ever-growing gaming industry.

Raytheon Company (NYSE:RTN) is an emerging tech company specializing in defense and other government markets. Raytheon's major selling point is its strong command of cybersecurity. While its specialty is in government-centric markets, Raytheon also develops products, services, and solutions in various other markets.

Raytheon reach is far reaching and its potential market share is huge. Smart investors are looking toward cybersecurity firms early. With the recent high-profile attacks, and likely more to come, cybersecurity companies will be the saving grace of the tech boom.

Shopify Inc  (NYSE:SHOP) is a Canadian e-commerce company with  more than 500,000 companies rely on Shopify's real-time e-commerce, including Tesla, Budweiser and Red Bull, among many others. Shopify manages their e-commerce machines, and its stock is now up to over $106 right now, with a market cap of over $10 billion. CNET called the application "clean, simple, and easy-to-use" in a review of the Shopify platform.
The company's online presence and sheer reach make it an ideal buy for investors. Shopify makes purchasing goods and services easy for anyone - and in a time where convenience is king, Shopify surely has staying power.

By. Joao Piexe

**IMPORTANT! BY READING OUR CONTENT YOU EXPLICITLY AGREE TO THE FOLLOWING. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY**

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. Statements in this communication which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include statements regarding beliefs, plans, intent, predictions or other statements of future tense. Forward looking statements in this article include that the gaming industry continues to grow; that Versus Systems may have a system that would be accepted by gamers; that its prizing platform will appeal to video gaming companies and will encourage gamers to play more and buy more; that Versus Systems' patent applications will become patents and that the patents can protects its intellectual property; the size of the potential market and market demographic for gaming prizes; that a lot of brands and prizes are expected to be added to the platform; that new games will join the Versus platform; that data gathered from gamers can be used and can be a potential revenue stream for Versus; that Versus will have a major financial impact when NASCAR Heat Mobile game goes live, expected in Q1 2018; and that Versus can partner with a number of game developers for inclusion of Versus' platform in new games.  Forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may not prove to be accurate. Actual results and outcomes may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in these forward-looking statements. Matters that may affect the outcome of these forward looking statements include that markets may not materialize as expected; prizes in gaming may not turn out to have as large a market as thought or be as lucrative as thought as a result of competition or other factors; Versus Systems may not be able to diversify or scale up  as thought because of potential lack of capital, lack of facilities, regulatory compliance requirements or lack of suitable employees or contacts;; Versus is dependent on the success of game developers; Versus' patents may not be granted and even if granted, may not adequately protect Versus' intellectual property rights; Versus is a development stage company and to date has no revenues; and other risks affecting Versus in particular and the gaming industry generally. The forward-looking statements in this document are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update such forward-looking statements except as required by applicable securities laws.

Risk factors for the video gaming industry in general which also affect Versus include the following: please also review the risk factors listed in the annual filings of public companies in the gaming industry:

- The business is intensely competitive and "hit" driven. Versus may not deliver "hit" products and services, or consumers may prefer competitors' products or services.

- The business is dependent on the success and availability of products developed by third parties, as well as Versus' ability to develop commercially successful platforms for these products.

- Technology changes rapidly in the business and if Versus fails to anticipate or successfully implement new technologies or adopt new business strategies, technologies or methods, the quality, timeliness and competitiveness of its products and services may suffer.

-Versus may experience security breaches and cyber threats.

-Versus' business could be adversely affected if consumer protection, data privacy and security practices are not adequate, or perceived as being inadequate, to prevent data breaches, or by the application of consumer protection and data privacy laws generally.

- The products or services Versus distributes through its platform may contain defects, which could adversely affect Versus' reputation.

-Versus' business partners may be unable to honor their obligations or their actions may put us at risk.

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