Rixty Adds 50,000 New Locations with Green Dot

At today’s Future of Money & Technology Summit, I announced Rixty's new partnership with Green Dot Corporation which dramatically extends the Rixty platform with the Green Dot MoneyPak payment option. This agreement gives Rixty users a new and convenient way to pay for online content by purchasing a MoneyPak at more than 50,000 more brick-and-mortar locations across the US, including major retailers such as Walmart, Walgreens, CVS/pharmacy, Rite Aid, and Meijer. Online game players can use Rixty and the MoneyPak to make in-game purchases at more than 1,000 Rixty supported online games, social networks and entertainment sites without the need for a credit card or bank account.

Together with Green Dot, we have created a cost effective way for consumers to pay for online games and content that gives full value for their cash.  Consumers can pick up a MoneyPak from the prepaid section of a local store and load it with any amount from $20 to $500 and pay a retail service fee. When the MoneyPak is redeemed for payment using Rixty, users are immediately refunded the retail service fee, and their account is credited with the load amount plus the service fee rebate.

I'm excited to be working with the leader in the prepaid financial services space and I expect that Rixty customers will love this new payment option.  Unlike traditional game cards which come in fixed denominations, the MoneyPak allows gamers to load any amount they want and get full value.  Want to buy something for $29.98 at Z8 Games?  MoneyPak + Rixty has got you covered.  Need to add $27.42 to top up your Rixty account to an even $50.00 for your next purchase?  Go for it!

Head to the nearest MoneyPak purchase location to give it a try and let me know what you think.

Cheers,

Ted  

Score one for cash-based payments!

It's been a busy week or so in the payments world.  In particular, Visa decided to get into the virtual goods business in a big way with the purchase of Playspan last week.  This is great news for the ecosystem and for consumers alike as Visa has the muscle to make things happen.


I wrote a short piece on the topic over at Industry Gamers.  Take a look.

http://www.industrygamers.com/news/visas-playspan-purchase-score-one-for-cold-hard-cash/

Cheers!
Ted

2011: A New Year

Hello Partners and Friends:

Happy 2011 everyone! A new year brings exciting new beginnings, as well as some endings. Here at Rixty, we said goodbye to a very productive 2010 and kicked off 2011 in style, with CEO Ted Sorom’s guest piece on virtual goods over at TechCrunch.

I have been the Head of Business Development here at Rixty for over a year-and-a-half now and in that time, I’ve been fortunate to oversee a lot of positive changes and developments in this unique company. I’m proud to have helped grow Rixty from supporting a handful of online games to now supporting more than 1,000 different online games across the MMO, casual and social categories.

It’s been great to have been part of a fast-track team of people, committed to growing an innovative virtual payments company. Today I announce, however, that I’m leaving my role as Head of Business Development at Rixty to return to the kid-focused entertainment space where I’ve spent the majority of my working career. This was an extremely difficult decision to make given Rixty’s growth and successes, but in the end, the opportunity to help grow an exciting kid’s brand turned out to be a role I couldn’t pass up. Fortunately, even though I’m leaving, I’ll still be actively involved with Rixty as a Strategic Advisor helping shape their business development efforts moving forward. As a continuing member of the Rixty team, I’m committed to top-level involvement, providing strategy and, of course, seeing the company’s growth continue over the upcoming years.

I have immense faith in Rixty’s overall vision, and I know that the coming year will include many new milestones. As we expand our partner network and the virtual payments industry continues to flourish, Rixty stands to grow by leaps and bounds. It’s going to be a wild ride!

Best wishes to you all,
Jason Hovey

2010 - Virtual Goods by the Numbers

2010 was a fantastic year for the virtual goods industry with many great highlights and firsts.  I took some time this week to pull together some of the most interesting numbers that shaped the industry over the past year.  You can find my guest post over at TechCrunch.  Take a look and let me know your feedback.



http://techcrunch.com/2010/12/31/the-year-in-virtual-goods-by-the-numbers/

Cheers,
Ted

Rixty Expands into Kroger Grocery Stores, Kmart & JC Penney!

Rixty Now Available in More Stores Nationwide!

I'm happy to announce today that Rixty has expanded the distribution of it's prepaid cards to make it even easier to pay for online entertainment using cash.  The new prepaid cards are scratch-off type cards that make great gifts and they are available in $10 and $25 values depending on the location.  The cards are available immediately at Kroger locations nationwide including the following grocery locations: Dillons, Food 4 Less, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Jay C, King Soopers, Kroger, Ralphs, Smiths

Rixty is also immediately available in GetGo (Giant Eagle) and HyVee stores across the country.

In time for Thanksgiving, Rixty cards will also be stocked in Kmart stores nationwide and in select JC Penney locations (look for the cards in the Young Men's Department).

We continue to make Rixty the easiest and safest way to pay online!  Check out a new location and play online today.

Cheers,

Ted Sorom

CEO Rixty, Inc.

Free Facebook Credits Promotion at Coinstar!

Redeem Your Coins at Participating Coinstar Centers for Cash or a RixtyCode and Receive Free Facebook Credits

At Rixty, we love introducing new players to fun online games, especially the great free games and other applications on Facebook. That’s why we’re so excited to announce that from August 9 through September 7 we’re teaming up with our friends at Coinstar to give 10 Facebook Credits to Coinstar users who convert their coins into cash. By giving away these Facebook Credits in many convenient retail locations throughout the US, we hope to introduce a new audience to the joys of playing games online.

Of course, Rixty already has many loyal customers who know that Rixty is great way to pay for the games that they play online. In fact¸ Rixty reaches more game players than any other cash-based payment method. For these customers, Rixty is offering up to 105 bonus Facebook Credits when they purchase Facebook Credits during this same period. The free Facebook Credits can be used to buy premium virtual goods in over one hundred Facebook games including top games like Farmville, Nightclub City, and Bejeweled Blitz. Specific details for bonus credits can be found here.

Most everyone has a coin jar at home. Additionally, statistics show that over 20% of US households lack credit cards, so we’re excited to be able to provide the millions of cash spending users the opportunity to quickly and easily visit one of Coinstar’s many convenient locations and turn in their cash and coins for online purchasing power.

Whether you already know your favorite game or application on Facebook or are just starting to explore them, everyone can use something for free once in a while. And with Rixty and Coinstar, free credits are a great incentive to cash in those coins that have been building up in your sock drawer. Happy gaming!

Cheers,
Ted Sorom
CEO, Rixty

New Rixty Website is live!

Improved Rixty Homepage

Change is a good thing...right?  Well, we at Rixty think so.

I'm happy to announce that we have updated the look and feel of the Rixty website to make it even easier to use and navigate.  Now all the main tasks of finding a Rixty purchase location, redeeming a RixtyCode and shopping can all be easily accessed from the homepage.  You can also search for your favorite game on the Rixty homepage or just browse through the Rixty supported games.  Expect further improvements to our site and service in the coming months.

We are keeping busy here at Rixty as usual!  Drop us a line and let us know what you think about the new site.

Cheers,
Ted