Gameplay, the games marketing company, has reported that a remarkable 26 per cent of its total sales between November and January were through Open… . This means that from a standing start, the BSkyB-backed interactive TV platform now accounts for twice the amount of sales as Gameplay’s web-site.

“It’s quite the most extraordinary thing,” said Amos Manasseh, Gameplay’s director of TV. “We believe it could be one of our main sources of revenue by 2003.”

Manasseh said Gameplay would go on all distribution platforms, including Internet via TV. The company is also part of Telewest’s newly launched interactive platform. Manasseh said that the Telewest service was “effectively Internet via TV although it’s a walled garden”. Manasseh said that Gameplay would also launch shortly on Cable & Wireless Communications’ interactive platform.

Manasseh reported that from studies the company had done, 71 per cent of purchasers who bought games via Open… said Gameplay’s service was a “very good way to buy a game” while 74 per cent reported that navigating the service was “very easy”. Ninety-nine per cent of respondents said Gameplay’s service offered “sufficient information to make an informed games buy,” said Manasseh. He said that because the BSkyB-viewing audience demographic was very broad, Gameplay had to work hard to please it. He said that people had found Gameplay’s buyers’ guide feature very helpful. Manasseh also revealed that Gameplay would launch a new interface on Open… in mid April.

Gameplay sells games through a wide variety of distribution media, including mail order, TV and the web. The company has also just signed a deal for WAP distribution with a subsidiary of Carphone Warehouse. Gameplay is also taking part in BT’s ADSL trial Gameplay CEO Mark Bernstein said a commercial service would go live on BT in June. In addition to its place as part of Open…, Gameplay also has a separate deal with BSkyB to produce a computer games show on Sky One.