MUMBAI: Social networking website MySpace has inked a partnership deal with multi-platform casual-games company Oberon Media to create a new gaming channel on MySpace.

MySpace Games, which will launch in early 2008, will enable users to choose from hundreds of online casual games to play with friends in the community as well as empower users to add and virally share games through their personal profiles pages.

Through the partnership, MySpace users will be able to add games to their profile pages from Oberon’s portfolio of casual titles, allowing them to play and socialize with friends through their favorite casual games. All games will be available to play online free of charge to MySpace users. Players will be able to challenge friends to multi-player games, invite them to play the same single player game, or socialize via chat services within the game.

MySpace, VP of Business Development, Amit Kapur commented, “Bringing entertainment in the form of fun, social, casual games will enhance our user experience. Our goal is to provide our members with an easy way to play with their friends and give them with additional ways to interact.”

Oberon Media, Co-Founder and Chairman, Tal Kerret added, “We’re very excited to be partnering with MySpace to provide the best social networking casual games experience to its growing audience. Our white label casual gaming solution is allowing us to create a customized games platform that delivers a great experience to MySpace users. We’re looking forward to responding to users’ needs and to involving the best game developers to create the greatest online entertainment experience. The opportunity to give MySpace users the chance to share the fun and socialize within this rapidly growing media segment is thrilling.”

MySpace and Oberon also encourage the developer community to submit their ideas for new forms of social gaming to myspace@oberon-media.com. The product is supported with a software developer kit designed specifically for multi-player and social gaming.

Further community initiatives resulting from the partnership will be announced in early 2008.