New Game Overlay Seeks to Connect You While In-Game

There are a few connectivity options for PC gaming that allow you to connect to some social networking, chat with friends, etc. including Steamworks (limited to mostly Steam Games and accounts), Game Ranger (more about finding players and communicating or competing but continually expanding), Xfire (mostly communications) and Raptr (instant messaging and gameplay tracking, including on consoles).

There are other options on other platforms with the consoles having theirs built in, iOS having Game Center, Open Feint and Score Loop.

Now, Overwolf enters the PC picture to give yet another option, but with far more social networking and communication that is external to the games via social networking, instant messaging and even, Skype.

“Publishers are looking for ways to ignite the viral potential of online games, but integration has been difficult, especially with all of the demands of operating live titles,” said Uri Marchand, CEO of Overwolf. “We’re offering a way to add this functionality with zero effort required on the publisher’s side. We’ve been getting amazing feedback from gamers telling us they love Overwolf and it’s a great way to engage friends and share their gaming life with their real lives, which has the effect of bringing more users into online games.”

The Overwolf in-game client adds features that make online games more social by enabling players to share their achievements, screenshots, videos and gameplay experiences on Facebook, Youtube and Twitter, and use Skype or MSN and other messenger clients to communicate with friends, all while never having to leave their favorite online games. Game publishers can add this functionality without touching a line of code in their game, making it fast and seamless to integrate social media into their games.

“Our new partnership with Overwolf will finally link the fantastic world of online gaming with the diversity and accessibility of multiple social platforms,” says Daniel Ullrich, Chief Marketing Officer at Frogster Online Gaming GmbH. “It will allow our millions of players to stay in touch with their guild members on Facebook, post screenshots and videos on Flickr and YouTube, search databases for new items or simply check their game account settings while they are still in the game.”

It certainly seems like they have put together a good list of features that could allow you to run a few less applications while gaming which might give you that tiny bit of an edge in performance. Here’s a video that shows off some of its features.

We got our hands on the client and will take a look at it as well as speak with the company about it all. If you’re interested in downloading the client yourself, head over to Overwolf.