Avanquest Global Software Publishing, established by parent company BVRP Software Group to help developers market and sell their wares worldwide, announced Tuesday that it has extended its geographical reach to Japan and Spain.
Avanquest has created a network of software publishers that offers marketing as well as product support and localization services to developers who want to grow internationally through retail and reseller channels. Expansion into Japan and Spain was accomplished though deals with Japanese software publisher and distributor P. & A. Inc., and an agreement with Spanish representatives of BVRP’s recently acquired subsidiary, Germany-based MediaGold International GmbH.
With P. & A. now a member, the Avanquest network can offer developers the opportunity to penetrate retail, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and direct sales distribution channels in the US$7 billion Japanese packaged software market, Avanquest said. Likewise, Japanese developers now can expand to other parts of the world using Avanquest as a one-stop-shop for international marketing and distribution.
“P. & A. is really plugged into the software development community in Japan, so it’s an incredible opportunity to bring titles to the European and U.S. markets,” said Bob Lang, director of North American operations for Avanquest and president of BVRP North America. “These developers are strongest in the video and music area, areas around the hardware that Japan is very strong in.”
The Avanquest network partners offer services in North America, Europe, South Africa and Australia, Lang said. The deal through MediaGold for Spain plugs what had been a hole in the network’s European operations, he said. The network includes companies in which BVRP has stakes or owns, such as MediaGold, as well as third-party partners such as P. & A. BVRP parent company BVRP Software SA is a public company based in Paris.
Avanquest, which is based in Paris and Denver, Colorado, is now looking to strike deals with South American publishers, and is also seeking partners to offer online publishing services, Lang said.