By Quinton Miles

PlayFirst, a new publisher aimed at bringing a new model of online game publishing, was announced today. The company, which already has five million dollars of first round funding by Mayfield and Trinity Ventures, will be headed by some well known industry veterans in John Welch, Brad Edelman, and Jason Rubenstein.

The newly established company’s goal is to provide simple, yet challenging games that will eventually become the staple of daily gaming life. They have plans to go beyond the hardcore gaming crowd, and wants to reach all audiences with games that are easy and fun.

“The online game industry is still at its dawn,” said John Welch, PlayFirst’s co-founder and CEO. “Our management team is bringing a new model of publishing to what we see as an emerging market: popular games. With strong capital, expertise, technology and a focus on this market, PlayFirst plans to bring the best gameplay to all online consumer entertainment platforms – starting with internet downloads.”

All three founders come with a wealth of experience and bring something unique to the table. Welch most recently built Shockwave.com into one of the best game portals in the world, and Edelman has been involved in creating some of the world’s widest used internet applications like Macromedia’s Flash Player, Shockwave Player, and Breeze Live. Rubenstein, the new company’s Vice President of Marketing and Development, comes from Ubisoft where he helped establish the company as a flagship publisher.