August 8, 2011
By Budd McLaughlin, The Huntsville Times The Huntsville Times
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — Real Plums, the Huntsville-based Facebook gaming innovator with one of the most unique names around, is joining forces with Pro vs. GI Joe to raise awareness and funding for the rehabilitation of wounded warriors.
“Pro vs. GI Joe is a charity that matches up active troops to play online games with professional athletes,” said David Fuller, CEO and founder of Real Plums. “We’re honored to assist Pro Vs GI Joe and look forward to serving our valiant armed forces serving around the globe.”
Troops are also connected to their families through video conferencing, adding an element of surprise and joy for the servicemen and women.
Using Real Plum’s Facebook title, Auction Plums, gamers bid and buy virtual goods while raising money to benefit the Pro Vs GI Joe cause.
“Every six weeks, the athletes will participate in the online environment to compete and promote helping our wounded service men and women,” he said. “It will be a constant stream of professional athletes carrying through the games.”
The first competition features former Ultimate Fighting champ Tito Ortiz, Fuller said. Ortiz lost to Rashad Evans in a championship match Saturday at UFC133.
“We’re really excited and really honored to have Tito,” Fuller said. “We’ll have him in the game for about six weeks.
“Players will use Facebook credits to play and the proceeds go to Pro vs. GI Joe.” Interestingly, Fuller said he wasn’t a UFC or Mixed Martial Arts fan and did not know who Tito Ortiz was.
Until …
“I haven’t been an ultimate fighting fan but I’m a business guy,” he said. “I Googled him and learned his last two pay-per-views grossed $73 million. I became a fan.”
Real Plums is in downtown Huntsville on the top two floors of the old Huntsville Times building.
A “graduate” of BizTech, the Huntsville business incubator, the videogame company assembled a team that includes architects and designers of Zynga’s Frontierville and SceneIt.
At Real Plum’s Facebook title, Auction Plums, Facebook friends compete to see who is King and Queen of Commerce in Plum Junction, the game’s virtual town center.
The game combines the competition of a bidding environment, the passions of accumulating collectibles, and the strategy of building personal estates.
Fuller said the “Cityville meets e-Bay” experience gives players opportunity to purchase “Bidder Bucks” and “Energy” for a small fee, a percentage of which directly assists wounded soldiers through the Pro vs. GI Joe organization.
“We could not ask for a better social gaming partner than Real Plums,” said Greg Zinone, president and founder of Pro Vs GI Joe. “Auction Plums fits perfectly into our expanding social media strategy.”
Fuller said the two companies got together when Real Plums Vice President Dan Ramirez met Zinone at a gaming conference. He said Zinone was talking with Electronic Arts about a game idea.
“We offered the opportunity to integrate on a broader market,” Fuller said. “Less than a month ago, we signed a three-year deal with them.
“And we’ve already made some money for Pro Vs. GI Joe.”
Fuller is optimistic the project will help Pro Vs GI Joe and prove a boon to his company – especially in Huntsville.
“With the high tech and military, it’s something this town would be interested in.”
For more information about the partnership, or investor relations, please contact {encode=”david@ksold.com” title=”David Fuller”}.