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GameFly lets users rent games via new app

GameFly Inc. has released the latest version of its free GameCenter application for Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch, letting users rent games and update their billing information using their handset.

In addition to the most recent news, release dates, user reviews, game controls, videos, cheats and codes for more than 7,000 video games, GameCenter 1.2 offers GameFly members a fully integrated GameQ within application that enables easier browsing, adding, deleting and sharing of games.  GameCenter 1.2 also includes an improved user interface and more personalization to further enhance the gaming experience. 

Mobile Commerce Daily’s Dan Butcher interviewed Sean Spector, cofounder and senior vice president of business development and content at GameFly, Los Angeles. Here is what he had to say:

What is GameFly’s strategy behind the launch of the GameCenter 1.2 mobile application?
The primary feature of GameCenter 1.2 is the integration of the GameFly rental service into the native iPhone application.

Earlier releases redirected users to GameFly’s mobile Web site. This release allows users to sign up, log in and manage their GameFly Game Qs directly within the app.

GameCenter 1.2 also allows all users—both GameFly subscribers and non-subs—to customize the app based on their preferred game platforms.

We also have made tweaks to the user interface based on user feedback for a better experience.

In addition to console games, are there mobile games as well?
GameCenter 1.2 doesn’t address mobile or iPhone games in this release. However, we have a release coming soon that will offer iPhone games content—editorially curated game information, along with critics’ and user reviews.

What are the steps of the in-app rental process?
Regarding the in-app rental process, we have tried to keep it similar to the existing GameFly experience on the Web.
Current subscribers simply need to log in via their existing credentials.

Once they do, they can see which games they have out and easily manage their GameQs including adding, ranking and removing games using the iPhone’s multi-touch screen.

Is branding from sponsors or advertisers integrated into the app?
We are not including sponsorship or advertising in this release of the app, though we plan to roll it out in a later release.

Are there plans to roll this out to other smartphone platforms such as Android or BlackBerry?
Yes, we are in development on Android and Palm with releases due out in the near future.